DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL

Press Briefing

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL

Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, began today's noon briefing by saying that the six experts invited by the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) to assess the findings from three laboratories of different samples taken from Iraqi missiles was expected to end later today. The group of experts would provide the Executive Chairman of UNSCOM, Richard Butler, with a report of their assessment, as was the normal practice for all expert meetings. There would be no statement on the matter for the press following today's meeting.

As previously reported, Mr. Eckhard said, the so-called "Six-plus-Two" group meeting on Afghanistan this week had endorsed the Secretary-General's decision to send his Special Envoy for that country, Lakhdar Brahimi, into the region in order to explore ways the United Nations might help to reduce tensions. Mr. Brahimi would leave for the region on Saturday, 3 October. His first stop would be Tehran, where he was expected to spend several days. His mission would also take him to Islamabad. The duration of the mission had not yet been decided, and the exact itinerary would not be formulated until the Ambassador had arrived in the region. It had not been decided whether he would spend several days in one location or shuttle between cities.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had raised its concern today about recent reports that an unspecified number of Rwandan asylum-seekers were leaving camps in countries of central Africa to join the fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mr. Eckhard said. The UNHCR had said it condemned any recruitment for military action of refugees and asylum-seekers. It also called on States hosting asylum-seekers and refugees to take all necessary measures to prevent activities that could contribute to the further destabilization of the region.

In addition, Mr. Eckhard said, there were numerous rumours and reports of large numbers of displaced persons, as well as of their movements, as a result of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The United Nations had not yet been able to confirm the numbers or locations of these reported groups, as of yet. There was one report this week of a large column of displaced persons in south-eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo heading towards Kalemie.

The UNHCR had also announced that no new refugee arrivals had been reported in Rwanda or Burundi, Mr. Eckhard continued. The agency was trying to get some international staff back into the region, pending security guarantees. The Secretary-General's Humanitarian Adviser for the Great Lakes Region, Berhanu Dinka, was scheduled to travel to Kinshasa, Kigali and Kampala starting early next week to address humanitarian issues raised during the

recent mission by the Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, who had given a briefing earlier in the week.

The Secretary-General's report to the Security Council on Protection of Humanitarian Assistance to Refugees and Others in Conflict Situations was now available, the Spokesman said. In the report, the Secretary-General referred to the "ever more violent and volatile environments in which refugees, displaced persons and other victims of conflicts find themselves, and in which the United Nations and other humanitarian organizations are expected to operate". In the report, the Secretary-General also referred to how the "erosion of respect for humanitarian norms has led to an increase in the number of civilian casualties, aggravated the protection and assistance needs of refugees and others in conflict situations, complicated the task of providing humanitarian assistance, and increased the risks faced by humanitarian personnel".

The report focused on a number of themes, Mr. Eckhard said. Those included the responsibilities of State and non-State actors, the issue of access to victims in conflicts, the safety and security of United Nations humanitarian personnel and the role of the Security Council. Ultimately, the Secretary-General concluded in the report that "support from the Security Council for humanitarian operations needs to be paralleled by political action to address conflict, without which the effectiveness of humanitarian action is undermined". The Security-Council's open meeting on the topic was scheduled for next Tuesday, 29 September, at 10:30 a.m.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadako Ogata, had been disappointed that her talks with Slobodan Milosevic in Belgrade yesterday had revealed a wide discrepancy in their respective views of the extent of the humanitarian crisis in Kosovo, the Spokesman said. More details were available in the summary of the Geneva UNHCR press briefing, copies of which were available in room S-378. That same summary also reported that about 1,000 refugees were fleeing the fighting in Lesotho in southern Africa.

The Secretary-General had opened the annual ministerial meeting of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China this morning, Mr. Eckhard announced. In his address to the Group, the text of which was available in room S-378, the Secretary-General had said that "people now expect the United Nations to be involved in discussions of the new world 'financial architecture'". The Secretary-General had said he hoped the United Nations would be involved in that, because "we have a responsibility, as the universal institution, to stress the global nature of the present crisis and insist on global solutions based on global rules fair to all".

The Spokesman then announced that the Secretary-General's report on the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala (MINUGUA) had been issued as document A/53/288. In the report, the Secretary-General had said that in the period since the signing of the Peace Agreement, the presence of MINUGUA had

Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 25 September 1998

contributed to keeping the peace process at the forefront of the country's political agenda. Also, that together with the other parts of the United Nations system and with the international community at large, MINUGUA had assisted in consolidating the peace process.

In the report, Mr. Eckhard continued, the Secretary-General recommended that the General Assembly authorize the renewal of the mandate of MINUGUA from 1 January to 31 December 1999, subject to regular reports on progress in implementing the commitments of the Peace Agreement. The Secretary-General also recommends that MINUGUA be provided with the resources outlined in the report. The financial requirements for MINUGUA during this coming year are estimated at approximately $30.2 million.

Today, Canada and Norway were hosting the special information session on small arms and light weapons that had been announced earlier in the week, Mr. Eckhard reported. The text of the speech by Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, Jayantha Dhanapala, had been made available since yesterday on an embargoed basis. Mr. Dhanapala had delivered the speech this morning and in it he had stressed the need to focus on a few priority areas for immediate action. He had also said that the United Nations was ready to put together a profile of the magnitude and scope of the illicit arms trade. The Organization could also assist Member States in designing ways to deal with the consequences of arms deals beyond their control.

As also mentioned previously, Mr. Eckhard continued, the actor Michael Douglas was attending the session as a Messenger of Peace. He would give a speech during a luncheon with participating ministers. An advance copy of his remarks was available in room S-378 on an embargoed basis until 1:15 p.m.

Mr. Eckhard then said that ministers and other senior officials from some 180 governments would meet in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 2 to 13 November, to pave the way for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as required by the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. A background press release from the Department of Public Information (DPI) was available on the racks.

Also on the racks this morning, Mr. Eckhard added, was the Secretary- General's report on the United Nations Police Support Group in Croatia. In that report, the Secretary-General assessed both the positive steps taken by the Croatian Government and the remaining problems facing the Danube region. While the performance of the Croatian police had improved, more work needed to be done if the police were to enjoy local confidence, particularly that of the Serb residents. The Secretary-General also cited a worrisome increase in violent ethnic incidents, along with signs of a growing unwillingness on the part of some police officers to take action in the face of such incidents. He urged the Government to take preventive action to deter those developments, as approximately four families per day were still leaving the region for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

Daily Press Briefing - 4 - 25 September 1998

Taking into account the stability of the security situation, Mr. Eckhard continued, the Secretary-General was confident the United Nations Police Support Group could continue with the reduction of its personnel, which had begun in mid-April, and could terminate its operations, as scheduled, by 15 October. The police monitoring mission of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) would take over the responsibilities for international monitoring after that date.

The next press conference in room S-226 was coming up at 12:30 p.m., Mr. Eckhard said. That would be held by the President of Cyprus, Glafcos Clerides. At 2 p.m., another would be held by the Prime Minister of Turkey, Mesut Yilmaz.

In a preview of events coming up next week, which hopefully would be provided regularly on Fridays, Mr. Eckhard said that at 11:20 a.m. on Monday, the Secretary-General was expected to meet with Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister, Tariq Aziz. Also on Monday, the Security Council was expected to hold informal consultations on Croatia and to be briefed on the Democratic Republic of the Congo. On Monday, as well, the biannual meeting of the UNSCOM Commissioners would begin at United Nations Headquarters.

On Tuesday, Mr. Eckhard continued, the Security Council would have an open meeting on the Secretary-General's report on the protection of humanitarian assistance, as mentioned. In informal consultations, a briefing on Somalia was expected on Wednesday in the Council. On Thursday, 1 October, the United Kingdom would assume presidency of the Council. The Secretary- General's Special Representative to Georgia, Liviu Bota, would be at Headquarters for a brief visit beginning midweek, and the Spokesman's Office would try to arrange a briefing in the event of interest. Also, as already mentioned, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Afghanistan, Mr. Brahimi, would begin his visit to the region on 3 October.

Press conferences scheduled for next week included the launching of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) annual report, the Spokesman said. In recent years, the agency had not held briefings at Headquarters for the report released in Washington, D.C., but they had returned this year and would hold a briefing on Monday at 10:15 a.m. in room S-226. At 11 a.m. on the same day and location, the International Year of Older Persons (1999) would be launched.

On Tuesday at 10:15 a.m., Mr. Eckhard continued, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka would hold a press conference, and at 11 a.m., the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Yugoslavia. On Thursday at 11 a.m., the International Campaign to Ban Landmines would launch a drive to monitor the landmine treaty. Jody Williams, the anti-landmine activist, would be one of those at the conference. The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Guatemala would hold a press conference at 3 p.m. on Thursday, and the Foreign Minister of Ethiopia at 4:30 p.m. On Friday, 2 October, at 11 a.m., the leader of the Turkish Community in Cyprus, Rauf Denktash, would hold a press conference.

Daily Press Briefing - 5 - 25 September 1998

Finally, Mr. Eckhard said, United Nations Security had given the press an early reprieve in one area. The Delegate's Lounge had been closed to the press from Wednesday through today, but the situation now was deemed such as to warrant the reopening of the Lounge to the press as of today. Immediately after the briefing, correspondents were free to head down the second floor corridor to the Lounge.

Had the Lounge been losing money? a correspondent cracked. "Could have been", Mr. Eckhard conceded. "You are known to be loyal consumers."

Another correspondent asked about The New York Times article of last week in which Jesse Helms had basically said the "check was in the mail", referring to the interpretation by some that President Clinton should be pressured to enable the United States Congress to release payment to the United Nations. Had the Secretary-General read that article and had it come up during the meeting between the Secretary-General and President Clinton?

"That particular article did not come up", Mr. Eckhard answered. "I don't think Mr. Helms said the check was in the mail, but that the check was in the President's pocket", he added, stating that the matter of domestic United States politics was not something for him to comment on. "At any rate, the check has not come to us", he said.

Was there any institutional response to the United Nations role in the new global financial architecture that had been mentioned numerous times? a correspondent asked. "I have heard no response from the International Labour Organization (ILO) or the IMF. Do they welcome those initiatives?"

"I can't speak for them", Mr. Eckhard said. "There is obviously an effort on their part to come to terms with this problem and to analyse it. There was increasingly talk of the need of new global institutions to deal with it. I think we are still at the discussion stage there."

"Had the Secretary-General taken an initiative with either the World Bank or the IMF?" another correspondent asked.

Mr. Eckhard said he could not say whether the Secretary-General had discussed the specific question with either Michel Camdessus of the Fund or James Wolfensohn of the Bank. The Secretary-General had a good personal relationship with both men and he spoke with both regularly. But, it was not known whether they had discussed the specific issue.

Asked for a background note on the experts meeting at Headquarters to discuss the UNSCOM test results from Iraqi missiles, Mr. Eckhard said that nothing had been put in writing, but the nationalities of the experts had been disclosed in a previous briefing. In response to a further question, the Spokesman said the tests had been conducted in laboratories in the United States, France and Switzerland.

Daily Press Briefing - 6 - 25 September 1998

Jadranka Mihalic, spokesman for General Assembly President Didier Opertti (Uruguay), said that yesterday afternoon the President had issued a statement attributable to his spokesman regarding the announcements by Pakistan and India on the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.

This morning, the President held a series of bilateral meetings, the spokesman said. He had first met with the President of the Republic of Moldova, then with the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Spain, Romania and South Africa, the last of whom was acting in his capacity as Chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement. This afternoon, the President would meet with the Prime Minister of Swaziland, the Foreign Minister of Mauritania and the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Viet Nam.

This morning, Ms. Mihalic continued, the Assembly had heard from: the Presidents of Armenia and Cyprus; and the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Egypt, Luxembourg, Canada and Viet Nam.

In the afternoon, Ms. Mihalic continued, the Assembly would hear statements by: the Chairman of the delegation of Estonia; the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bahrain; the Prime Minister of Swaziland; and the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Romania, Mongolia, Kuwait, Thailand, Qatar, Liechtenstein, Iceland and Liberia.

Also during the meeting this afternoon, the President was expected to announce the tentative schedule of the plenary for the month of October, which would be made available as soon as received, Ms. Mihalic said. And, as already announced last week, the President would travel to Washington, D.C., on Monday to address the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States on the issue of "New Challenges before the United Nations". The President was expected to be back at Headquarters in the afternoon.

Also on Monday, Ms. Mihalic said, the working group of the Sixth Committee (Legal) would begin its session, which would last until 9 October. The group was continuing its meetings in accordance with provisions of General Assembly resolution A/52/165, entitled "Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism".

Finally, to answer a question asked yesterday afternoon, Ms. Mihalic said that, of the foreign ministers who had thus far addressed the Assembly, six had been women. Those women were from Mexico, Finland, Sweden, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Liechtenstein.

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