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, opened the noon briefing by saying welcome to the Boston University School of Journalism students in attendance.

The Security Council had met this morning for further consultations on the draft letter it was preparing to send to the Secretary-General outlining its position on a comprehensive review of Iraqi compliance with Council resolutions, Mr. Eckhard said. Under other matters, a letter from Morocco had been distributed. The informal working group had reported on yesterday's meeting on documentation and other procedural questions, and Bahrain had raised the question of Sudan.

Following those consultations, the Council would meet formally to adopt a resolution extending the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) until 17 December.

There had been a press briefing this morning on malaria, Mr. Eckhard said. Four powerful agencies had announced a joint initiative this morning to "roll back malaria." The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, had been joined by President of the World Bank, James Wolfensohn, the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), James Gustave Speth, and the Executive-Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Carol Bellamy, in announcing the launch of the initiative during a 9 a.m. press conference. The objective of the initiative was to reduce the impact of the disease through the systematic use of cheap, readily available medicines and mosquito netting, while spurring research into a longer-term development of a vaccine.

The Secretary-General had welcomed the initiative, Mr. Eckhard said, saying that "malaria has defied our efforts to control it, eradicate it or beat it, yet beat it we must". A press kit on the subject was available in room 378.

The Secretary-General had sent a message today to the United States astronaut John Glenn now on the space flight orbiting the earth, Mr. Eckhard said. "On behalf of the United Nations, congratulations on yet another triumph in a long and heroic career", the Secretary-General had said. "The world knows you as a pioneer of the space age. You have now become a pioneer for longevity. Returning to outer space at the age of 77, you are helping to launch the United Nations International Year of Older Persons, which is celebrated in 1999. Thank you, and best wishes for a safe return. The United Nations is with you all the way."

The United Nations Non-Governmental Committee on Ageing had also sent a message saluting the space veteran, saying that he personified the theme of

the International Year of Older Persons, Towards a Society for All Ages. "You are a role model not only for those of us in our higher years but for all generations."

"We have had some sad news from our mission in Haiti [the United Nations Civilian Police Mission in Haiti (MIPONUH)]", Mr. Eckhard said. A young United Nations Volunteer from Mauritania had been shot to death while being robbed by armed men last night. The MIPONUH was investigating the incident with local police. The incident was not believed to have been politically motivated. The victim's family was being notified.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in its briefing this morning in Geneva, had said that yesterday had marked the ninth month since its staff member Vincent Cochetel had been kidnapped outside his apartment in Vladikavkaz. The Agency said that in cooperation with French authorities, it was continuing to follow up and apply pressure from Geneva, Paris and Moscow, as well as from within Chechnya. The UNHCR had added that "Vincent is far from forgotten, despite his long absence, and our determination to obtain his rapid release has only become stronger."

Also today, Mr. Eckhard continued, the UNHCR had announced that since the deadline set by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) last Tuesday, a large number of internally displaced persons had been returning to their villages in Kosovo. At the same time, the UNHCR had observed some of the returnees encountering problems with police and military units. A number of such incidents had been cited and the UNHCR briefing note for today contained details.

In addition at the same briefing and again on Kosovo, Mr. Eckhard said, the UNHCR had announced that with the support of non-governmental organizations on the ground, UNHCR staff would carry out a three-day census planned to start on Monday. The census would cover the 28 municipalities and would determine how many houses were usable or flattened, and how many people had returned or were still displaced. Results from the survey were expected by the end of the week or early the following week.

"We just received news a half hour ago from the International Criminal Tribunal in Rwanda that the detainee Jean-Paul Akayesu has ended his hunger strike this evening, which has already occurred by Arusha time", the Spokesman said. Mr. Akayesu had embarked on a hunger strike as of Thursday, 22 October, to "pressure the Tribunal into appointing a specific lawyer as his defence counsel". In a letter addressed to the Tribunal Registry and received this evening, Mr. Akayesu had said he was ending his hunger strike and would utilize the established rules of the Tribunal to pursue his request for a counsel.

Mr. Eckhard then said the Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Ibrahima Fall, was attending the annual summit of the Economic

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Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which was taking place in Abuja today and tomorrow. The Summit was expected to approve a draft treaty setting up a new permanent peacekeeping structure for the regional organization. The text of the Secretary-General's statement to that meeting, to be delivered by Mr. Fall, was available in room 378.

Also available in room 378 were copies of a press release issued today in Abidjan by the World Food Programme (WFP). The release carried the announcement that up to 150,000 needy people in Brazzaville of the Republic of Congo and in Kinshasa of the Democratic Republic of the Congo were being threatened by the curtailment of food aid deliveries as a result of rail traffic being suspended in the Republic of the Congo.

A team from the Vienna-based United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention would leave for a two-week mission in Tajikistan on 7 November, the Spokesman announced. The objective would be to assess the extent of opiate-trafficking from Afghanistan and to assist the Tajik Government in strengthening control measures at the Afghan/Tajik borders. The team would visit sentry posts and garrisons on the border. The mission would be one of a series to Afghan-neighbouring countries, designed to strengthen control measures at the borders. The Spokesman then identified Sandro Tucci, the spokesman for Drug Control Office Executive Director Pino Arlacchi and a member of the mission, who was present at the noon briefing and would take any questions.

Today in Geneva, Mr. Eckhard continued, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the Earth Council had jointly announced the establishment of an International Emissions Trading Association, which would be open to companies, government agencies, industry groups and intergovernmental organizations. The Association would serve as a forum for exchange of information on international trading of greenhouse gas emissions. As part of efforts to comply with requirements of the Kyoto agreement on greenhouse emissions, the Spokesman explained, countries were entitled to "trade" emissions. More information on that was contained in the press release available in room 378.

Documents of particular interest on the racks today included a report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Rwanda (A/53/402), the Spokesman said. Also, there was a report by the Secretary-General on improving the Organization's financial situation (A/53/514), which summed up the idea that Under-Secretary-General for Management Joseph Connor had presented at his briefing earlier in the month.

"Cash is down and cross-borrowing is becoming increasingly difficult", the Spokesman said in recalling Mr. Connor's words. "The only real solution is the complete payment of all arrears by Member States."

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Mr. Eckhard then noted that the annual report of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (document A/53/219) was also on the racks today.

In other news, Mr. Eckhard said, Slovenia this morning had signed the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings, becoming the thirty-seventh signatory to that Convention. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in cooperation with the Organization of the Islamic Conference, was organizing a seminar of experts entitled "Enriching the universality of human rights: Islamic perspectives on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights". The seminar would be held in Geneva from 9 to 10 November and a press release on that event was available in room 378.

Last month, several islands of the Caribbean had been hit by Hurricane George, the Spokesman said. Close to 400 people had died and several hundred thousand were still suffering from the effects of that hurricane. United Nations staff had formed a Committee to appeal for funds for the victims, and contributions in cash would be collected this afternoon by the Committee. A circular (document ST/IC/1998/73) with more details was available. "We ask you please to be generous", the Spokesman added.

The World Chronicle Television programme produced by the United Nations was today previewing the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme and Habitat, Klaus Toepfer, the Spokesman said. That would be at 2:30 p.m. on in-house channel 3 or 38.

"And now for our weekly feature of what you might expect next week", Mr. Eckhard said, adding that the Week Ahead feature was available on the Internet as part of the noon briefing.

The Secretary-General would be at United Nations Headquarters through tomorrow, Mr. Eckhard said. The Secretary-General would first open the twentieth annual International Friendship Run, in which 10,000 athletes would participate in a four-mile "fun run" to Central Park. The starting point was behind the Forty-seventh Street gate in the North Lawn. A detailed programme was available in room 378.

After that event, the Secretary-General would stay around to chair the final day of the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC) meeting. There would be an on-the-record briefing regarding the outcome of that meeting, which was considering a couple of interesting initiatives that could be of news value.

The Secretary-General had also expressed an interest in holding a press conference sometime next week before leaving for North Africa at the end of the week, Mr. Eckhard said. Correspondents would be informed when a specific date had been set.

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The Security Council presidency would rotate on the first of the month, passing to the United States, the Spokesman said. The Council was unlikely to meet for consultations on either Monday or Tuesday while the President conferred bilaterally with other members over the programme of work.

Further on Monday, the Fourth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change would open in Buenos Aires. The Conference would run through 13 November and was aimed to pave the way for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as required by the Kyoto Protocol. A background press release on that Conference was available on the racks. Also, daily radio reports should be available on that from United Nations Radio, which was sending a reporter to the meeting.

On Monday of next week, Mr. Eckhard said, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, would present her report on Vienna Plus Five to the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural). That referred to five years after the Vienna Human Rights Conference.

On Tuesday, the first of two segments of the joint 1998 United Nations Pledging Conference for Development Activities and the 1998 Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) would be held. The Journal would carry more details on that.

Although the programme of the Security Council would not become available until after the first two days of bilateral consultations, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, was tentatively expected to brief Council members on Wednesday, Mr. Eckhard said.

Also on Wednesday, he continued, the High Commissioner for Human Rights would present her annual report to the Third Committee, which, for the first time, would be followed by a dialogue. Then all the country human rights Special Rapporteurs would address the Committee. In Geneva, the Human Rights Committee would fold up its three-week session next week and would issue concluding observations and recommendations to the countries whose reports had been reviewed during the session.

On Thursday, Mr. Eckhard continued, the Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Ibrahima Fall, who had just returned from the Lusaka meeting on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was expected to brief the Council. Schedule permitting, the Secretary-General would attend. Also on Thursday, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Sierra Leone, Francis Okelo, would attend the first ever meeting of the Contact Group for Sierra Leone. That meeting would be sponsored by the United Kingdom and would be held in London.

Jadranka Mihalic, spokesman for General Assembly President Didier Opertti (Uruguay), said no plenary meetings had been scheduled for today. On Monday morning, the plenary would first take up the question of the Falkland

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Islands (Malvinas), before considering the reports of the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) regarding the financing of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), the United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT) and the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force (UNPREDEP).

The plenary would then consider the report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Ms. Mihalic said, which would be introduced by that body's Director-General, Mohamed El-Baradei. A draft resolution on the item (document A/53/L.18) would be introduced by Slovenia, and so far, 19 other speakers had been inscribed to address the Assembly on the item. For those who had asked to know, agenda item 168, "dialogue among civilizations", would be considered in the plenary on 4 November in the morning.

Regarding the work of the Main Committees, Ms. Mihalic said the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) would hold two meetings today to continue consideration of agenda items 63 to 80 and the introduction of draft resolutions on those items. The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) would hold two meetings today. After introduction of two draft resolutions -- one on environment and sustainable development and the other on the permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the occupied territories, including Jerusalem, and the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan, over their natural resources -- the Committee would resume and later in the day would conclude its general discussion of trade and development under the item Macroeconomic policy questions. The Committee would also begin considering implementation of the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the 1990s, under the agenda item Sustainable development and international economic cooperation.

The Third Committee, Ms. Mihalic said, had begun this morning with informal consultations, and then in the formal meeting had resumed considering human rights questions. The Committee had also been scheduled to take action on four draft resolutions regarding the issue of advancement of women. The Fifth Committee had been scheduled this morning to conclude consideration of the thematic reports of the Office of Internal Oversight Services and of the Joint Inspection Unit. It was then scheduled to go into informal consultations on the Development Account.

And finally, Ms. Mihalic said, the Sixth Committee (Legal) would hold informal consultations this afternoon on a draft resolution entitled implementation of the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations related to assistance to third States affected by the application of sanctions.

Before closing, the Spokesman welcomed newly arrived correspondent Anita Werner of Asian Age.

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