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 introducing the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Human Rights in Cambodia, Thomas Hammarberg, who would give a briefing. (Notes on that briefing have been issued separately.)

Immediately after the briefing, the Spokesman read the following statement: "The Secretary-General has learned with deep regret that another bombing has occurred in Jerusalem, causing loss of life and further human suffering. He condemns such acts, which have the obvious purpose of derailing the peace process. Those who espouse terrorism and violence must not be allowed to stand in the way of the pursuit of peace that for too long has eluded the Israeli and Palestinian people."

Mr. Eckhard then said the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Sergio Vieira de Mello, would travel through Central America from Monday, 9 November through Friday, 13 November. The purpose of the mission, undertaken at the request of the Secretary-General, was to express solidarity with the countries affected by Hurricane Mitch, to attract greater international attention and support for emergency and rehabilitation needs, and to evaluate the United Nations response and help determine what additional measures the United Nations might take to assist the countries concerned.

It was expected that the Under-Secretary-General would visit affected sites in El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala, Mr. Eckhard said. Correspondents had been invited to cover the visit, with arrangements to be made through Phyllis Lee at extension 4832.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs was continuing its efforts to mobilize urgently needed rescue equipment to the affected area in Central America, Mr. Eckhard added. The Swiss Government had offered three Super-Puma helicopters, including crew, free of charge for two weeks. A plane carrying 38 metric tons of relief items had left the United Nations warehouse in Pisa, Italy this morning. The plane was expected to arrive in Nicaragua tomorrow and in Honduras on Sunday.

A press release from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on the hurricane was available in room S-378.

The Spokesman then read the following statement:

"The Secretary-General has learned today, with deep regret, of the untimely passing of the head of State of the Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros, His Excellency President Mohamed Taki Abdoulkarim. The

Secretary-General wishes to pay tribute to the memory of President Abdoulkarim, who since his election to the Presidency in the multi-party democratic polls of 16 March 1996, has ceaselessly worked toward the improvement of the economic, social and political life of the people of his country.

"The Secretary-General wishes to present to the Government, the people of Comoros and most of all to the bereaved family of the President, his heartfelt condolences. He expresses the hope that this event will not be a cause of discouragement or a motive to foster division, but rather a catalyst for all Comorians to unite and seek a peaceful solution to the country's political problems. He extends to the Chairman of the High Council of the Republic, his Excellency Tachidine Said Masunde, in his capacity as President ad interim of the Comoros, his best wishes for a peaceful transition to the holding of new elections."

This morning in Geneva the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) Mary Robinson had signed an agreement with the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to formalize the status of the human rights presence in that country, Mr. Eckhard said. According to the agreement, the Office of the UNHCHR would be able to strengthen its presence in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, including in Kosovo. The High Commissioner expected to deploy 12 officers in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia before the end of this month.

During the signing, the Spokesman continued, the Commissioner had expressed her concern regarding the refusal by the Yugoslav Government to allow the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia to conduct investigations in Kosovo. A press release and briefing notes were both available in room S-378.

Also on Kosovo, the UNHCR had said that, in general, the level of fear among both Albanian and Serb populations remained high and continued to be the main factor affecting returns. Considerable police presence continued to be seen on the main roads in Kosovo. Officially, check-points had been dismantled, but they appeared to have been replaced by "roving" ones. At the same time, there appeared to be a heavy presence of Kosovo Liberation Army soldiers in some areas, especially in villages vacated by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia forces. Returnees faced enormous obstacles; many houses had been damaged or systematically destroyed, electricity had been cut off, mines had been laid and some houses had been booby-trapped.

The UNHCR had said that preliminary results from a survey on displacement and damage and destruction of housing, undertaken this week in Kosovo with the help of 27 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), would be available next week. While the results were still being awaited, it had become clear that significant numbers of displaced people had returned to their villages. Details were to be found in the briefing summary from Geneva.

Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 6 November 1998

The President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, Gabrielle Kirk McDonald, and the Tribunal's Prosecutor, Louise Arbour, would be in Sarajevo starting on Monday of next week, the Spokesman said. They would take part in the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission under the auspices of the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Carlos Westendorp.

The Secretary-General's report on Tajikistan was out on the racks today, Mr. Eckhard said. In the report, the Secretary-General had informed the Council of the status of implementation of the agreement made there, and while some progress had been noted, the Secretary-General had concluded that "much remains to be done" before the holding of elections and the installation of the national Government that would mark the end of the transition period, Mr. Eckhard said. For that reason, the Secretary-General had recommended a further six-month extension of the United Nations Observers in that country, until 15 May of next year. The current mandate would expire on 15 November.

The Secretary-General had also noted the precarious security situation in Tajikistan, the Spokesman said, making mention of this morning's press reports on a rebel in the north who presented a serious threat by being in a position to explode a dam backing up a lake the size of Long Island Sound. "That's pretty serious and the security situation overall has hindered the work of the United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT)", Mr. Eckhard said.

The Secretary-General had also expressed deep concern over the limited progress made in establishing all relevant facts concerning the killing of four UNMOT staff members last July. The Secretary-General had asked his Special Representative there, Jan Kubis, to continue to talk with the Tajik authorities and with the United Tajik Opposition to get them to cooperate effectively in solving that case.

"The Security Council is not meeting this morning because of elections in the General Assembly for the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ)", Mr. Eckhard said. The Council would meet at 3:30 this afternoon, he added, when they would hold consultations on Burundi and on the border conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Following informal consultations, the Council was expected to hold a formal meeting to adopt a Presidential Statement on Guinea-Bissau, where an agreement had been recently reached. The Council would also perhaps adopt a Statement on the successfully concluded United Nations mission in Eastern Croatia.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) had put out a press release to announce an 18 to 24 November meeting in Cairo of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, the Spokesman said. Copies of the release were available in room S-378.

Daily Press Briefing - 4 - 6 November 1998

Also, Antigua and Barbuda had ratified the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change, which had brought the number of signatories to 60.

Mr. Eckhard then began the weekly "Week Ahead" feature by saying the Secretary-General had left for North Africa today and there would be updates on his programme throughout the week. A senior officer of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) would today begin a week-long mission to Angola to look into the humanitarian situation there. A briefing would be arranged upon his return. The Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Kieran Prendergast, would be in East Africa to see how the United Nations could help resolve the conflicts in Sudan and Somalia.

On Monday, Mr. Eckhard said, the Secretary-General's report on Kosovo was expected. A troop contributors' meeting on Tajikistan had been scheduled. In Geneva, the Committee Against Torture would begin a two-week session to examine reports by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Iceland, Croatia, United Kingdom, Hungary and Tunisia on their compliance with obligations under the Convention Against Torture. And the World Investment Report, produced by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), would be presented at an 11:15 a.m. press conference in room S-226.

On Tuesday, the Council would have a full day, Mr. Eckhard said. In the morning the Secretary-General's Special Representative on Tajikistan, Jan Kubis, would brief the Council and would perhaps be a guest at the noon briefing as well. Also on Tuesday, the Special Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elizabeth Rehn, would brief the Council first and then would hold a press conference that same day at 11 a.m. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadako Ogata, was expected to brief the Council on Tuesday as well, and she was tentatively booked to give a noon briefing on Wednesday. (A schedule change was announced later in the day. The High Commissioner was now expected to brief in an open meeting of the Council, and Mr. Kubis and Ms. Rehn were scheduled to brief in consultations in the afternoon.)

On Thursday, the Council would take up Kosovo in informal consultations, and it was expected to hold a formal meeting on the renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT). Then on Friday, the Fourth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, being held in Buenos Aires, was scheduled to conclude. Radio reports in both Spanish and English continued to be aired from that meeting.

Finally, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) would sponsor a briefing on Monday from 1:15 to 2:45 p.m. in Conference Room 6, highlighting the inter-agency synergy of the United Nations System-Wide Special Initiative on Africa. A press release on that was available in room S-378.

Daily Press Briefing - 5 - 6 November 1998

In response to a question on whether donations of clothes being collected on the fourth floor were intended for hurricane victims in Central America, Mr. Eckhard said those collections predated the hurricane disaster and were for another cause.

In response to another correspondent registering a problem with Accreditation, Mr. Eckhard said accreditation was not his domain, but he would be happy to act as liaison in straightening out the problem.

"Is the United Nations monitoring the United States efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo?" a correspondent asked.

"Yes, the Secretary-General is in contact with the United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Susan Rice", Mr. Eckhard answered. "Everyone is watching the Congo very closely", he added. "I can't give you anything any more specific than that."

"Did the denial of visas to Louise Arbour and her delegation represent a violation of Security Council resolutions?" another correspondent asked.

As reported yesterday, Mr. Eckhard answered, the Security Council had called for access by the Prosecutor to Kosovo and had reaffirmed the Tribunal's jurisdiction over events in Kosovo. "So yes, it's a violation of Security Council resolutions."

Jadranka Mihalic, spokesman for General Assembly President Didier Opertti (Uruguay), said no plenary meetings had been scheduled for today, but it was a very busy day for several of the Main Committees.

The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) had continued this morning, taking action on draft resolutions covering items 63 through 80 of its agenda. The meeting had already adjourned and action had been taken on all five drafts before the Committee. The following drafts had been approved without a vote: establishment of a nuclear-free zone in Central Asia; assistance to States for curbing the illicit traffic in small arms and collecting them; and the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. A draft on small arms and on the conclusion of effective international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons had both been approved by recorded vote.

In the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) this morning, Ms. Mihalic said five draft resolutions had been introduced, concerning: trade and development, under the agenda item macroeconomic policy questions; implementation of the outcome of the Habitat II Conference, under the agenda item sustainable development and international economic cooperation; implementation of the outcome of the Rio conference on environment and development and of the special session of the General Assembly on the issue; the Convention on Biological Diversity, under the agenda item environment and

Daily Press Briefing - 6 - 6 November 1998

sustainable development; and implementation of the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty. The Committee had then proceeded with informal consultations on several draft resolutions.

Ms. Mihalic then said the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) had begun with the introduction of the draft resolution on the right of peoples to self-determination and had then resumed its general discussion of human rights questions. The Committee today had also been scheduled to hear introductory statements by: the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Human Rights in Cambodia; the Special Representative of the Commission on Human Rights in Iran; and on behalf of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the Situation of Human Rights in Afghanistan.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) was holding elections this morning for appointments to a number of bodies, the spokesman continued. Costa Rica was elected without a vote to the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), as it was the only nominated candidate of the Latin American and Caribbean Group of States.

Ms. Mihalic said the Committee had then proceeded with elections for the three vacancies from the Asian Group of States, for which there were four candidates -- China, India, Japan and Pakistan; and for the Western European and Other Group of States, for which there were two vacancies and four candidates -- Germany, Italy, United Kingdom and the United States. On the first ballot, candidates from Japan, Pakistan and India had been elected for the Asian group and the United Kingdom for the Western European and Other, with Italy elected on the second ballot.

With regard to the appointment of members of the Committee on Contributions, Cameroon and Ghana from Africa, and the Netherlands and Australia from the Western European and Other were elected without a vote. Following an agreement within the Latin American and Caribbean Group, it was determined that nominees from Argentina, Chile and Uruguay would share the two seats for that Group for a three-year term; thus, each of the three would serve a single two-year term and there was a precedent for that situation.

With regard to the appointment of a member of the Board of Auditors, Ms. Mihalic said three nominations from the Asian Group had been received, from India, Pakistan and the Philippines. The Chairman of the Commission of Auditors of the Philippines had been elected. The Fifth Committee had endorsed, without a vote, the appointment of three members of the Investments Committee, from Germany, Ghana and Switzerland, since the numbers of nominees had equalled the number of vacancies. For the United Nations Administrative Tribunal, there had been three nominees -- Ireland, Uganda, United States -- for two vacancies and the candidates from Ireland and the United States had been elected.

Daily Press Briefing - 7 - 6 November 1998

For the International Civil Service Commission, there had been five vacancies and five nominees, and thus the candidates from Argentina, Germany, Poland, Mauritania and Tunisia had been elected to their positions without a vote, the spokesman said. The Committee had also elected Hadj Ben-Amor from Tunisia as the Chairman and Carlos Vegega of Argentina as the Vice-Chairman of the International Civil Service Commission, both without a vote. This afternoon, the Committee would discuss the United Nations common system and the United Nations pension system.

The Sixth Committee (Legal), Ms. Mihalic said, was holding informal consultations all day on draft resolutions related to: the International Law Commission; the Implementation of the Provisions of the Charter relating to the assistance to third States affected by the application of sanctions; and the United Nations Decade of International Law.

In response to a question regarding the sharing of seats within a geographical group for the Committee on Contributions, Ms. Mihalic said she would provide examples of precedents where seats had been shared.

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