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 Security Council had begun meeting at 10:30 a.m., holding consultations on Tajikistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Croatia and Guinea-Bissau.

The Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Bernard Miyet, had briefed Council members on Tajikistan. Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Ibrahima Fall, had then briefed the Council on developments surrounding the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, based on his recent visit at the Lusaka Conference in Zambia. Mr. Fall would also brief the Council on the recently concluded peace agreement in Guinea-Bissau. Following those items, the Council was expected to discuss the Secretary- General's final report on the United Nations Police Support Group in Croatia, which had completed its mission on 15 October.

"Then, of main interest to correspondents", Mr. Eckhard said, the Council was expected to hold a formal meeting to adopt a draft resolution on Iraq, which had gone into blue, or final draft, last night with the symbol S/1998/1038.

This morning at the Hague, Mr. Eckhard then said, the President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia (ICTY), Gabrielle Kirk McDonald, and the Prosecutor of that Tribunal, Louise Arbour, had given a joint press conference in which they had responded to the refusal of Yugoslav authorities to grant appropriate visas for the Prosecutor's planned visit to Kosovo. The texts of both their statements were available in room S-378.

"Just minutes ago, a press release arrived from the World Food Programme (WFP) saying it was deploying food aid from around the world to assist in the humanitarian crisis created by Hurricane Mitch," the Spokesman said. He added that the WFP in Rome had said the organization would divert ships carrying food donations from their current destinations to the crisis zone in Central America, where more than 1 million victims were struggling to survive. As was widely known by now, Honduras and Nicaragua had been the worst affected, as the hurricane had destroyed food supplies and cut off drinking water in almost every part of those two countries.

Mr. Eckhard then said a press release from the United Nations Operation Lifeline Sudan had announced the temporary withdrawal of 42 non-essential staff from southern Sudan's western equatorial region over yesterday and today, following a series of thefts and two attacks on humanitarian staff travelling overland. While a cease-fire had been in effect for the last three or four months in famine-hit Bhar-el-Ghazal, fighting had intensified in other areas, notably eastern equatorial and western upper Nile. Also, locations in eastern and western equatorial Sudan had suffered aerial bombardment.

On Sierra Leone, the Spokesman said the Special Envoy of the Secretary- General for that country, Francis Okelo, had attended in London the first meeting of the newly formed Contact Group on Sierra Leone. That one-day meeting had been convened by the British Government and had been attended by representatives of China, Egypt, France, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Sweden, United States, European Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The Minister of Finance and Development of Sierra Leone, James Jonah, had represented his country at the Contact Group meeting. The Minister of State of the host country, Tony Lloyd, had opened the meeting by saying that, in bringing to London representatives of the Sierra Leone Government, potential international donors and other interested parties, his Government had hoped to boost the efforts of the international community to meet the needs of Sierra Leone for peace, reconciliation and lasting restoration of democracy and human rights.

On the racks today was the report of the Secretary-General on the human rights situation in Kosovo (document A/53/563), Mr. Eckhard said, adding that the Secretary-General had stated in the report that there was grave cause for concern. The Secretary-General had also stressed the urgent need for an expanded international human rights presence in Kosovo to work in consultation with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) mission there.

Also available upstairs was the weekly humanitarian United Nations inter-agency update on Kosovo. On Afghanistan, the WFP today had said it had protested to the Taliban the disappearance of 1,500 metric tons of food aid from its warehouses in two locations in Afghanistan. The WFP had also requested action on road and air clearances, in order to deploy assessment teams to examine the food supply and security situation in the area. The WFP, along with other United Nations agencies, had been unable to return international staff to Afghanistan despite a security agreement signed last month, because the Taliban had not yet met the conditions set by the agreement.

In a press release issued in Islamabad, where the protest had been delivered on Wednesday, the WFP had said the losses had been confirmed following the recent fighting in the Hazarajat region west of Kabul, where 160,000 people were in need of food aid.

The report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Afghanistan (document A/53/359) had also appeared today, Mr. Eckhard said. In the report, the Special Rapporteur had said he was "horrified" by the latest reports from that country indicating a worsening pattern of grave human rights violations. A memorandum detailing allegations of those violations, sent by the Special Rapporteur to the Taliban, had been reproduced in the report, along with the Taliban's reply.

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Press conferences tomorrow included one at 11:15 a.m. by two Special Rapporteurs, Mr. Eckhard said. The Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, Asma Jahangir, and the Special Rapporteur on Torture, Nigel Rodley, would brief correspondents on the reports they had presented to the General Assembly's Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural). And, as mentioned previously, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Human Rights in Cambodia would be a guest at the noon briefing tomorrow.

An update on Tajikistan had just come in, Mr. Eckhard then said. According to the United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT), the fighting between Government forces and those of a rebel leader had continued today. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General there, Jan Kubis, had been in touch with: the Tajik President; the Chairman of the Commission on National Reconciliation, which was headed by the United Tajik Opposition leader; and the Ambassadors of both the Contact Group and other interested countries, to assess the situation.

The Contact Group had issued a statement in Dushanbe today urging all political forces in Tajikistan to maintain the peace and strengthen the process of national reconciliation on the basis of the general peace agreement, Mr. Eckhard continued. The Group had characterized the situation in Leninabad Province in the north, where the fighting had been taking place, as a serious threat to the peace process in Tajikistan. That statement had been made available in room S-378.

The World Chronicle television programme today would feature United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, the Spokesman said. That would air on in-house television station channels 6 or 38 at 2:30 p.m.

Finally, Mr. Eckhard said, the Secretary-General would leave tomorrow morning for North Africa via Paris. He would return to the office on 17 November and copies of his programme were available in room S-378. Since he himself would be travelling with the Secretary-General, the Spokesman said the daily briefings in his absence would be handled by Hiro Ueki, David Wimhurst and Marie Okabe, as had been done during the last trip.

That presented a good opportunity, Mr. Eckhard continued, for paying tribute to those three, as well as the others of the Spokesman's Office staff, who had been "plugging the holes" as the Office struggled over the last year and a half to get permanent staffing.

"Personal experience confirms the report of the Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services, Karl Paschke, that an average of 461 days are needed to fill a Secretariat post", the Spokesman said, adding that Hiro Ueki had been borrowed from the Department of Public Information (DPI), Marie Okabe had been seconded from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and David Wimhurst had been working on a short-term contract, which in

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fact had been determined to be non-extendable beyond this month. As a result, and unhappily, David Wimhurst would be leaving at the end of November. "We will miss him. He is a solid professional and a delightful person".

Had the Secretary-General registered any response on the stand the Yugoslav authorities had taken with regard to issuing visas to the ICTY Prosecutor? a correspondent asked. Mr. Eckhard said there had only been the joint statement by the President and Prosecutor at The Hague.

In light of the human rights report on Kosovo, was the stand by the Yugoslav authorities a setback? the correspondent asked.

"There certainly is a conflict between the United Nations, which through Security Council resolutions has said that the Tribunal has jurisdiction in Kosovo, and the Yugoslav authorities, who deny that", Mr. Eckhard said. "It is a matter of principle that seems to divide us. We feel the Tribunal and Prosecutor should be able to go in there and investigate. Yugoslavia apparently feels otherwise".

"In the context of the human rights report on Afghanistan, does the Secretary-General plan to meet the various Afghan leaders when he goes to South Asia?" another correspondent asked. Mr. Eckhard said no trip to South Asia had been announced. "Nice try, though", he added.

Asked if the Secretary-General might play an increased role with Iraq or go to Baghdad, Mr. Eckhard said the Secretary-General had no plans at this time to go back to Iraq. "The Secretary-General seems to see himself in a supporting role for the Council. He will be prepared to do whatever the Council might ask him to do. But at the moment, he has no plans to go to Iraq or to get more involved than he currently is, through his Special Envoy to Iraq, Prakash Shah, and whatever conversations the Secretary-General himself might have with Iraqi representatives in New York".

Jadranka Mihalic, spokesman for General Assembly President Didier Opertti (Uruguay), said no plenary meetings had been scheduled for today. Shortly before the beginning of the briefing, the 1998 Pledging Conference for Development Activities had been concluded and the pledge figures would be made available after the briefing. So far, it seemed clear that 48 States had pledged some $52.2 million to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and $55 million to United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) would continue all day today to take action on all draft resolutions submitted under agenda items 63 through 80. So far this morning, it had taken action on six draft resolutions: prevention of an arms race in outer space; transparency in armaments; the role of science and technology in context of international security and disarmament; observance of environmental norms in the drafting and implementation of agreements on disarmament and arms control;

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strengthening of security and cooperation in the Mediterranean region; and finally, maintenance of international security: prevention of the violent disintegration of States. All voting records would be available in room S-378 as voting was completed.

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) would continue this afternoon with informal consultations on a series of draft resolutions, Ms. Mihalic said. The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) would continue all day considering human rights questions. This morning it was scheduled to hear several introductory statements by Special Rapporteurs, some of them postponed from yesterday, including the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia; the Special Rapporteur on Internally Displaced Persons; the Special Rapporteur on Torture; the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Rwanda; and an introductory statement on behalf of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Burundi.

This afternoon, Ms. Mihalic continued, the Committee would take action on a number of draft resolutions: one on the promotion and protection of the rights of children; two on the rights of peoples to self-determination; and two regarding the programme of activities of the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. Also, three drafts on the elimination of racism and racial discrimination would be introduced, as would three drafts on the comprehensive implementation and follow-up to the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action on human rights.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), the spokesman said, was scheduled to hold informal consultations all day, in the morning on the scale of assessments and in the afternoon on the pattern of conferences. The Sixth Committee (Legal) was also meeting all day. During the formal meetings it would continue considering the report of the International Law Commission on the work of its fiftieth session. Informal consultations would focus on the draft resolutions concerning the United Nations Decade of International Law and the International Law Commission.

As a reminder, Ms. Mihalic said, tomorrow morning the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) would hold elections for appointments of members of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) and of the Committee on Contributions; it would elect one member of the Board of Auditors and hold elections for confirmation of the members of the Investment Committee, for the appointment of members of the UN Administrative Tribunal and International Civil Service Commission, and for its Chairman and Vice-Chairman.

Jadranka Mihalic, spokesman for General Assembly President Didier Opertti (Uruguay), said no plenary meetings had been scheduled for today. Shortly before the beginning of the briefing, the 1998 Pledging Conference for Development Activities had been concluded and the pledge figures would be made

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available after the briefing. So far, it seemed clear that 48 States had pledged some $52.2 million to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and $55 million to United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) would continue all day today to take action on all draft resolutions submitted under agenda items 63 through 80. So far this morning, it had taken action on six draft resolutions: prevention of an arms race in outer space; transparency in armaments; the role of science and technology in the context of international security and disarmament; observance of environmental norms in the drafting and implementation of agreements on disarmament and arms control; strengthening of security and cooperation in the Mediterranean region; and, finally, prevention of the violent disintegration of States. All voting records would be available on the third floor as voting was completed.

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) would continue this afternoon with informal consultations on a series of draft resolutions, Ms. Mihalic said. The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) would continue all day considering human rights questions. This morning it was scheduled to hear several introductory statements by Special Rapporteurs, some of them postponed from yesterday, including: the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia; the Special Rapporteur on Internally Displaced Persons; the Special Rapporteur on Torture; the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Rwanda; and an introductory statement on behalf of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Burundi.

This afternoon, Ms. Mihalic continued, the Committee would take action on a number of draft resolutions -- one on the promotion and protection of the rights of children, two on the rights of peoples to self-determination, and two regarding the programme of activities of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples. Also, three drafts on the elimination of racism and racial discrimination would be introduced, as would three drafts on the comprehensive implementation and follow-up to the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action on human rights.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), the spokesman said, was scheduled to hold informal consultations all day, in the morning on the scale of assessments and in the afternoon on the pattern of conferences. The Sixth Committee (Legal) was also meeting all day. During the formal meetings, it would continue considering the report of the International Law Commission on the work of its fiftieth session. Informal consultations would focus on the draft resolutions concerning the United Nations Decade of International Law and the International Law Commission.

As a reminder, Ms. Mihalic said, tomorrow morning the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) would hold elections for appointments of members of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions

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(ACABQ) and of the Committee on Contributions. It would also elect one member of the Board of Auditors and confirm the members of the Investment Committee; the appointment of members of the United Nations Administrative Tribunal and of the International Civil Service Commission, as well as the Commission's Chairman and Vice-Chairman.

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