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 announcing that the Secretary-General's report on the United Nations Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA) (document S/1998/931) had been issued this morning. In the report, the Secretary-General had noted that the continuation of the Angolan peace process had been seriously threatened by negative developments. Those included the breaking of all contacts by the Government with the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), led by Jonas Savimbi, and the Government's recognition of the UNITA Renovation Committee.

In September, the Spokesman continued, the Government had declined to guarantee the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Issa Diallo, for a proposed visit to UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi. The Government had even warned that it would cease all contacts with the Special Representative if the trip took place. Meanwhile, the security situation in Angola had continued to deteriorate, primarily as a result of persistent UNITA attacks on strategic locations while the Angolan armed forces sought to recover control over the diamond-mining areas in Lunda Norte and Malange provinces.

Reports from MONUA also indicated that the attitude of some Angolan national police towards the civilian population in formerly UNITA-controlled areas "could not be described as neutral", the Spokesman said. In early October, a premeditated attack on the vehicle of a senior elected UNITA deputy in Luanda had been condemned by the Troika of Observer States and by the Special Representative as a criminal act.

Only the unconditional implementation of all crucial elements of the Lusaka protocol, and particularly the full demilitarization of UNITA armed forces and the extension of State administration throughout the whole country, could rescue the peace process, Mr. Eckhard said the Secretary-General had concluded. "I call on the Government," the Secretary-General had said, "and in particular on UNITA, to fulfil their responsibilities before the people and the international community, as well as to take resolute steps to avert full- scale civil war."

The Secretary-General had recommended renewal of the MONUA mandate for a period of up to six weeks, Mr. Eckhard said. That would give his Special Representative an additional opportunity to revive the peace process. The Secretary-General also said he had asked his Special Representative to visit Jonas Savimbi to deliver the strong message of the international community.

"The Government should facilitate this contact", Mr. Eckhard said the Secretary-General had stated. "If the dialogue between the parties remains elusive and the Special Representative is unable to maintain meaningful contacts", the Secretary-General had maintained, he would have no alternative

but to recommend that the United Nations proceed with the immediate readjustment of its presence throughout the country in December.

It was imperative that special urgent measures be taken to enable those involved in humanitarian operations to perform their tasks in the face of a "far-reaching human tragedy", the Spokesman said the Secretary-General had concluded.

An Arria formula meeting of the Security Council on the subject of Angola had been held yesterday, Mr. Eckhard said. The meeting had been called by the Russian Federation. The Deputy Territorial Administration Minister of the Angolan Government, Higino Carneiro, had briefed the Council at that meeting.

There were no meetings of the Security Council today, and none was expected until Tuesday when the Council would take up the issue of Iraq, Mr. Eckhard said. The Council would hear from the Executive Director of the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM), Richard Butler, and then from the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohammed El-Baradei. That would be the Director General's first briefing of the Council since his appointment had been confirmed in September of last year.

A New York Times article of this morning concerning the Chief Military Observer of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), General Sergio Espinosa Davies, had generated a number of questions, the Spokesman said. The article had mentioned the General's participation in a military tribunal following the military coup in Chile in 1973, and serious questions had been raised about the legality of the tribunals.

The matter had been brought to the attention of the United Nations early last month, Mr. Eckhard continued, through a letter from a woman whose husband had been sentenced to death by such a tribunal and subsequently executed. The Secretariat had immediately raised the matter with the Government of Chile, on whose recommendation General Espinosa had been appointed to his present post. The United Nations was continuing to pursue the matter actively, and was pressing the Chilean authorities for an early response.

The Spokesman then said that before leaving for the far East to visit Tokyo and Seoul, the Secretary-General would make two trips in the United States. On Friday, 16 October, he would go to Washington, D.C., where he would deliver the Harold W. Anderson Lecture before the World Press Freedom Committee. While there, he would also address the Empower America group, a caucus of conservative politicians to promote dialogue on critical issues. Jack Kemp and William Bennet were co-chairs of the group.

Then on Sunday, the Secretary-General would travel to Orlando, Florida, where he would participate in an international festival at the Epcot Centre on that day. On Monday, he would be the keynote speaker at the annual conference of the Magazine Publishers and Editors Association. The theme of that address

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would be the politics of globalization. The Secretary-General would leave for Tokyo directly from Orlando.

Available in room S-378 were two items from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Mr. Eckhard said. One was a press release summarizing today's press briefing in Geneva. That contained updates on both the continuing outflow into Guinea of Sierra Leoneans fleeing rebel attacks on villages, and on the humanitarian assistance efforts under way in Kosovo. The other was a press release issued at the end of the annual five-day meeting of the UNHCR Executive Committee.

Also available on the racks was a press release from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Spokesman went on to say. That statement welcomed the decision made on Wednesday in Moscow by 10 governments to commit $19 million towards the closure of Russian factories still producing chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other ozone-depleting chemicals. According to the Executive Director of UNEP, Klaus Topfer, "this measure will phase out about half the world's production capacity for CFCs. I applaud the donors and the Russian Government".

Also available in room S-378, Mr. Eckhard continued, was the summary of the status of outstanding contributions to the United Nations regular budget, tribunals and peacekeeping operations, as of 30 September. A reference copy of the detailed status of contributions listing all peacekeeping operations was also on hand. As of 30 September, the amount of overall outstanding contributions was over $2.5 billion.

Also on the financial crisis, Mr. Eckhard said there was an update of a Department of Public Information (DPI) hand-out entitled "the United Nations financial crisis at a glance". That was available in room S-378 as well as on the Internet.

"And relative to the financial crisis, we received a new Volvo today for use by the Secretary-General in his official capacity", the Spokesman said. The automobile had been presented by the President and Chief Executive Officer of Volvo Cars North America at 9:30 a.m. at the Secretariat entrance. Ambassador Hans Dahlgren of Sweden had been present. The new Volvo was the third consecutive one leased by the United Nations for $1 per year. Each of the two previous Secretaries-General had had the car offered to them at the concessionary rate.

"We thought the pace would slacken by next week, but it is a busy week coming up", Mr. Eckhard said in presenting the weekly feature of the Friday preview. Tomorrow, Saturday, the Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, Jayantha Dhanapala, would address the Swedish Institute of International Affairs in Stockholm on the subject of "de-alerting" nuclear weapons, or taking them off "alert" status. The text of Mr. Dhanapala's speech would be released.

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On Monday, Mr. Eckhard continued, the Secretary-General would address the opening of the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security). Also on that day, at 2:30 p.m., the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) would hold a pre-launch press briefing on its report, "Overcoming Poverty". UNDP Administrator James Gustave Speth would be featured.

The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, Louise Arbour, would arrive at Headquarters on Monday and stay until Thursday, Mr. Eckhard said. Possibly she would appear at the noon briefing on Tuesday. On Monday, the Spokesman added, Mr. Dhanapala would speak in Brussels on behalf of the Secretary-General on the subject of limiting the supply side of small arms at the International Congress on Sustainable Disarmament for Sustainable Development.

On Tuesday, as mentioned, the Security Council would resume consultations on Iraq, Mr. Eckhard said. Also, the Secretary-General and the King of Sweden would speak at the unveiling of the Count Folke Bernadotte memorial bust, which would take place at 3 p.m. just outside the Meditation Room in the public lobby. And at 4:30 p.m., the Netherlands was expected to sign the Memorandum of Understanding on Peacekeeping Standby Arrangements.

Wednesday was World Disaster Reduction Day, Mr. Eckhard said, an event that would be observed in more than 70 countries. Also, at 11 a.m. on that day, in room S-226, the Special Advisor to the Secretary-General, John Ruggie, would introduce the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report for 1998. At 7:30 p.m. that day, correspondents were invited to the Trusteeship Council Chamber for a benefit screening of a new Touchstone Pictures film, "Beloved", starring Oprah Winfrey and the United Nations "tie-in", UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Danny Glover.

The Secretary-General's High-level Panel of Personalities on Africa and Development would hold its first meeting at Headquarters on Thursday, Mr. Eckhard said. Also on Thursday, three reports of the Secretary-General to the Security Council -- on Prevlaka, on the Democratic Republic of the Congo and on Sierra Leone -- were expected to be issued. A formal meeting of the Security Council was expected to be held that day on Angola, prior to the expiration of the MONUA mandate that same day. At noon, Ireland was expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on Peacekeeping Standby Arrangements.

On Friday, as already mentioned, the Secretary-General would go to Washington, D. C., Mr. Eckhard said. A special evening event at 7:30 p.m. in the Economic and Social Council Chamber would commemorate the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. At that event, the Secretary-General would present awards to five women for their personal triumphs over poverty. The head of UNDP's Poverty Unit would be at the noon briefing on that day.

A correspondent then asked a series of questions about the relationship between the United Nations and the leader of UNITA, Jonas Savimbi. What was the United Nations role in talks with Mr. Savimbi? the correspondent asked.

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How many people were still supporting Mr. Savimbi? What, if anything, did the Government have to say about that relationship?

Mr. Eckhard said, "First, this is a peace process, and Mr. Savimbi is one of two parties involved there. The mandate of the Special Representative is to keep talking to both parties. It's a built-in part of his job." The Spokesman added that, while there were estimates of the number of Mr. Savimbi's supporters, because peacekeepers could no longer travel in all parts of the country, there was no authoritative information on the numbers.

Had the Angolan Government expressed any hostility about the continued United Nations efforts to talk with Mr. Savimbi? the correspondent continued. Mr. Eckhard said the Government had made quite clear through its actions that it didn't want the United Nations talking to Mr. Savimbi. "But we don't see how that's consistent with the mandate", he added.

"What, specifically, is the United Nations asking the Chilean Government on the Espinosa case?" a correspondent asked.

Whenever there was an allegation of wrong-doing in a peacekeeping mission, Mr. Eckhard answered, the United Nations asked the Government of the country to respond to the charges. Based on what they said, a decision was made about whether or not to ask the Government to withdraw the person from the position. He added that General Espinosa had also been asked to comment.

As everyone knew what the Chilean military had been like, how was it possible that the General had been appointed in the first place? the correspondent continued. "That's like putting Karadjic in charge of a Kosovo force", he added, before asking for clarification on how military appointments at the United Nations were made.

Since 1948, Mr. Eckhard responded, military appointments had been made at the recommendation of the officer-contributing country. If it was decided, for example, that a country should contribute the Chief Military Observer, the invitation was extended, the State submitted a name and the United Nations appointed him or her.

"We don't check backgrounds", Mr. Eckhard continued in response to further questions. Thousands of troops and officers were accepted for missions. "It would be impractical to conduct a background check, and, secondly, we're an Organization of governments. It's governments that approve peacekeeping missions, and governments that staff them".

A correspondent asked whether there was anything to prevent the United Nations from requiring officers to fill out disclaimers stating that nothing in their backgrounds would embarrass the United Nations. Mr. Eckhard said he would forward the suggestion.

Pushed further on the issue, Mr. Eckhard said, "We don't second-guess governments. We expect governments to give us honourable and reputable people

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to serve in peacekeeping missions. Most of the time, they do. In this case, the events in the Government go back twenty-five years."

Asked how the Permanent Representative of Chile to the United Nations, Juan Somavia, had responded to the revelation about General Espinosa, since he was a well known opponent of the Pinochet Government General Espinosa had served under, Mr. Eckhard said he would not comment on Mr. Somavia's politics. "We deal with the government and the legitimate representatives of the Chilean Government here in New York", Mr. Eckhard added. "Through the Chilean Mission, we have asked the Chilean Government to respond to the allegations. We are waiting for their response".

Jadranka Mihalic, spokesman for General Assembly President Didier Opertti (Uruguay), then said the plenary this morning was considering agenda item 164, the Secretary-General's report on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa. The Secretary-General had been the first speaker, and 36 other speakers had been inscribed to address the Assembly on that item. The meeting would continue in the afternoon. So far, there was no text of a draft resolution -- it would be submitted at a later date. She added that at this point, no plenary meetings had been scheduled for Monday.

This morning, the spokesman said, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) had elected one remaining vice-chairman from the Western European and Other States group. The Committee still needed to elect a Rapporteur. The Committee then had proceeded with the hearings of the petitioners on decolonization.

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) this morning was concluding its general debate with 13 final speakers, Ms. Mihalic said. This afternoon the Committee would take up consideration of agenda item 91, concerning macroeconomic policy questions. The Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Nitin Desai, would make an introductory statement. Several reports on related issues were also available.

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today was continuing consideration of issues of Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, as well as International Drug Control, Ms. Mihalic continued. The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) was continuing for the whole day in informal consultations on a series of items.

Ms. Mihalic then said that on Monday, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) would begin its general debate. The Sixth Committee (Legal) would also resume its work, as its Working Group, established pursuant to resolution 51/210 on nuclear terrorism, was scheduled to finish its session today. For those eager to know, the Credentials Committee was scheduled to meet on 20 October, a week from Tuesday.

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