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 two reports on Iraq had been issued today. The first had been the 180-day report of the Secretary-General on the "oil-for- food" programme, in which he had concluded that the low price of oil had caused a significant shortfall in funding, amounting to approximately $1 billion less for the humanitarian programme than envisaged in the distribution plan. The Secretary-General had also highlighted the situation of children, noting there had been an improvement in the three northern governorates, but that in the remainder of the country, while child malnutrition was no longer getting worse, it remained a grave concern.

In that 180-day report, Mr. Eckhard said the Secretary-General had also reminded the Council of his April report in which the state of Iraq's oil industry had been described as "lamentable", stating that he now hoped for an expediting of the approval of contracts for spare parts and equipment. The Secretary-General's ultimate conclusion had been that "bearing in mind the magnitude of the humanitarian situation in Iraq, I recommend that the Security Council extend the relevant provisions of resolution 1153 (1998) for a further 180-day period.

The other document issued today, Mr. Eckhard continued, had been a letter from the Foreign Minister of Iraq to the President of the Security Council. In his letter, Minister Mohammed Said Al-Sahaf had asked the Council to extend for two months the period of the authorization to export oil, saying that would enable Iraq to reach the $5.265 billion authorized by the Council in resolution 1153 and to fulfil the distribution plan approved by the Secretary-General.

Advance copies had been made available of the report of the International Commission of Inquiry on the flow of arms to former Rwandan forces, the Spokesman said. Among other findings, the report stated that former Rwandan government forces, for a time scattered throughout Africa, were now gathered again in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Rwanda, fighting alongside the troops of the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Laurent Kabila. The report had also listed the non-governmental elements with which the former Rwandan forces were cooperating in the region. The report had concluded that the flow of arms into and within Africa continued to be a long-term cause of insecurity and instability in the Central African subregion, and that it was being fuelled by the presence of a multitude of rebel groups in the Great Lakes enjoying a large measure of governmental support.

"The United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic (MINURCA) is continuing to transport electoral materials to the five provincial capitals and from there to 69 sub-prefectures for the legislative elections to be held

this Sunday, 22 November", Mr. Eckhard said. Although there were some delays in the printing of ballot papers and voters' lists, they had been earmarked for Bangui, the country's capital, and were expected to be completed and distributed by tomorrow. MINURCA had deployed a total of 108 election observers, 40 in the capital and the rest in various provinces. Francophone States and others had sent some 30 additional international observers and 1,300 United Nations "Blue Helmets", along with 150 local troops, were assisting local authorities in providing a security environment for the polls that would accommodate the approximately 1.3 million voters in the country.

Mr. Eckhard said that the Special Representative of the Secretary- General, Oluyemi Adeniji, would read a message on MINURCA Radio this evening to call on all Central Africans to vote in calm, with dignity and in a spirit of civic responsibility. A copy of the Special Representative's message in French was available in the Spokesman's Office (Room S-378).

Mr. Eckhard then read the following statement:

"The Secretary-General is seriously disturbed by reports of rising tensions and casualties involving civilians in certain areas of East Timor. The United Nations is trying to establish the veracity of these reports and to establish the facts.

"In the meantime, the Secretary-General once again underlines the need for maintaining stability and peace in East Timor so that the progress made in the negotiations conducted under his auspices can be sustained and a peaceful negotiated solution can be achieved. He calls for an end to military operations by all sides and for respect for the safety and security of unarmed civilians. He calls on the Indonesian armed forces and for the East Timorese armed resistance to show maximum restraint in this regard."

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had reported that the hands of five Sierra Leonean refugees had been cut off by rebels upon their return from Tomandou camp in Guinea to their home village to harvest crops on 13 November, the Spokesman said. The five who had returned to Guinea and had been treated at a hospital in Gueckedou had said 15 other refugees in their company had suffered similar atrocities and were still missing.

The UNHCR had said that rebels resisting the West African Economic Community of West African States' Monitoring Observer Group (ECOMOG) had mutilated and raped thousands of civilians in a bid to terrorize the population, Mr. Eckhard said. UNHCR had registered nearly 500 victims of mutilations in Guinea alone, although this had been the first such incident in the past several months. UNHCR had been moving Sierra Leonean refugees from sites near the border as rebels had begun crossing into Guinea for food.

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Further information was contained in the summary of UNHCR's briefing earlier today in Geneva, the Spokesman said. The summary also contained an item on the repatriation of Ethiopian refugees from Kenya, he added.

The World Food Programme (WFP), Mr. Eckhard said, had issued a warning on Somalia, saying that the first signs of a major food crisis had appeared in the "en masse" flight of at least 7,000 Somalis to both coastal areas of their country and to the Kenyan border, driven by drastic food shortages in their home areas.

"A humanitarian crisis is looming as a result of Somalis now facing a third consecutive year of failed harvests", Mr. Eckhard said the WFP Representative for Somalia had been quoted as saying in a press release issued by the United Nations food agency in Rome. Some 700,000 Somalis were facing imminent food shortages, with those at most risk being some 300,000 in central Somalia.

And meanwhile in Geneva, Mr. Eckhard added, the United Nations had launched a Donor Alert on behalf of United Nations agencies working in Somalia. The appeal in the amount of $18 million had been to provide emergency assistance in food, nutrition and health to over 300,000 persons in extremely precarious condition in southern and central Somalia. Copies of both the press release and the Donor Alert were available in Room S-378.

A press release had been issued by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, which provided the composition of the Third Chamber as well as case assignments to make a useful reference, Mr. Eckhard said, adding that copies of the release were available in Room S-378.

The Secretary-General's report on environment and human settlements (document A/53/463) would be taken up by the General Assembly next Monday and Tuesday, as part of the Assembly's consideration of United Nations reform, Mr. Eckhard said. The report was based on findings of a Task Force on the two programmes established by the Secretary-General, which had recommended establishing a closer working relationship between the two programmes with both retaining their distinctive identity. The Executive Director of the Nairobi-based United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Klaus Toepfer, was expected to be present for the balance of the debate on Tuesday.

At the same time, Mr. Eckhard said, a press release from the UNEP was available in Room S-378 to announce that an International Children's Conference on the Environment would be held from 23 to 25 November at UNEP headquarters in Nairobi. Over 100 international delegates between the ages of 12 and 15 would discuss the three major issues of wildlife in danger, waste and recycling, and the role of the media in environmental protection. The delegates would be joined by over 500 Kenyan children as well as school and community groups from all over the world via satellite hook-up.

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"Today is Africa Industrialization Day", Mr. Eckhard then announced, adding that the General Assembly had held a special commemoration that the spokesman for the Assembly President would say more about. A press release from the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) was available in Room S-378, along with copies of an address given by the Deputy Secretary-General, in which she had stressed that the ability of Africa's private sector to take advantage of globalization would determine the continent's overall development prospects. "We in the international community and the United Nations system in particular will continue to play our catalytic role" she had said. "Ultimately, though, only Africa's own initiative and imagination will make the difference between poverty and prosperity."

Also available in Room S-378 was a press release issued by the International Labour Organization (ILO) to announce that its governing body had adopted a follow-up programme to its Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, the Spokesman said. The release also contained the findings of a special Commission of Inquiry on Forced Labour in Myanmar, detailing widespread and systematic use of forced labour in that country.

The United Nations World Television Forum was continuing today in the Economic and Social Council Chamber, Mr. Eckhard then said. Today at 3 p.m. there would be a panel discussion on "The Impact of Digital Television". At 4 p.m. there would be a special video demonstration of high-definition television produced by the Japanese network, NHK, entitled "From the Nagano Games to the Space Shuttle", followed at 4:20 p.m. by a panel on "Bridging the Gap among Continents". An hour later, the Forum would hold a video conference with the World Junior Summit at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Deputy Secretary-General was among those scheduled to address the closing session beginning at 5:45 p.m. If possible, advance copies of her speech would be made available, embargoed until delivery.

As mentioned yesterday, Mr. Eckhard said, the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management, Rafiah Salim, had travelled to Washington, D.C. today for discussions with the United States Department of State at its request. The meeting would be part of the State Department's inquiry into what the entirety of international organizations and agencies based in the United States were doing with respect to the issue of family support payments.

Other items, Mr. Eckhard said, included the announcement that the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, would visit Canada next week. A note to correspondents provided further information on the trip. Also, Uzbekistan today had signed the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, bringing to 63 the number of signatory parties to that protocol.

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"And now the week ahead feature", the Spokesman said. On Monday, the Security Council was expected to discuss the Secretary-General's report on Iraq's "oil-for-food" programme, as well as the draft resolution on the United Nations Civilian Police Mission in Haiti (MIPONUH). Also on Monday, the Secretary-General's report on the United Nations Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA) was expected, enabling the Council to consider the future role of the United Nations in Angola. And finally on Monday, at an 11:15 a.m. there would be a press conference in Room S-226; the recipients of the 1998 International Press Freedom Awards would be introduced by the Committee to Protect Journalists. A media advisory on that was available in Room S-378.

For Tuesday, Mr. Eckhard said, the Security Council had been scheduled to hold consultations on the Secretary-General's report on the International Commission of Inquiry on Arms Flows to former Rwandan forces, expected to be issued later today or Monday. Council members were also expected to discuss a draft resolution on the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Syrian Golan Heights. Also on Tuesday, the "1998 AIDS Epidemic Update" would be issued in London, with copies of the report and a press release being made available here in advance. And from Tuesday through Friday, the United Nations would hold its second Conference on Disarmament Issues in Nagasaki, Japan, under the theme, "Towards a World Free from Nuclear Weapons". Further details were provided in a press release available in Room S-378.

On Wednesday, Mr. Eckhard continued, the Council was expected to discuss Angola in informal consultations. Formal meetings had been scheduled for the adoption of resolutions on MIPONUH in Haiti, UNDOF and the "oil-for-food" programme, all that coming in under the wire before Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, an official holiday. The Spokesman's Office would be covered on that day as it normally was on a weekend day, while the Secretary-General on that same day would depart for Paris, the first leg of his resumed trip to the Maghreb countries of North Africa.

On Friday, Mr. Eckhard went on to say, the Secretary-General in Paris would attend the Franco-African Summit, which would continue on Saturday. The Secretary-General would also receive an honorary degree at the Sorbonne. The Spokesman's Office would operate as usual on a working day on Friday.

In response to a question, Mr. Eckhard said the issue of the Democratic Republic of the Congo was not on the work programme for next week, but would be announced if it became entered as an item.

Was there any reaction from the United Nations in response to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) parliament's decision of a week ago to adopt an amendment removing the requirement for NATO actions to be properly mandated by United Nations authority? a correspondent asked.

"That was an issue for Member States to debate", Mr. Eckhard said. "The members of NATO are all members of the United Nations and there will be ample

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time for them to debate the issue. But at this time, there is no comment from the Secretariat side."

In response to another question, Mr. Eckhard answered that the Secretary-General would return from the Maghreb trip on the morning of 9 December. "In other words, the trip to South Asia is off for this year?" the correspondent asked, and Mr. Eckhard said, "We have nothing to announce at this time concerning the postponement of a non-announced trip to which you refer."

Jadranka Mihalic, spokesman for General Assembly President Didier Opertti (Uruguay), said the plenary this morning had observed the ninth Africa Industrialization Day. The President had delivered a statement available as a press release in English and Spanish, while the Deputy Secretary-General had spoken on behalf of the Secretary-General. The plenary had then adopted without a vote a resolution on financing of the United Nations Observer Mission in Sierra Leone (UNOMSIL) and had resumed consideration of the question of equitable representation and increase in the membership of the Security Council and related matters. A total of 53 speakers still remained to be heard by the Assembly, and in addition to draft resolution A/53/L.16, amendments contained in document A/53/L.42 would be introduced by the representative of Belgium. The plenary would meet both in the morning and in the afternoon today and there were indications that voting on the draft and amendments would be postponed to allow time for further consultations.

On Monday, the plenary would again meet in both the morning and afternoon, Ms. Mihalic said. It was scheduled to first take up agenda item 33, support by the United Nations system of the efforts of Governments to promote and consolidate new or restored democracies. The report of the Secretary-General on that issue was contained in document A/53/554 and a draft resolution in document A/53/L.38, to be introduced by the representative of Romania. So far, 15 other speakers had been inscribed to speak on the item, and a second order of business on Monday would be agenda item 30, United Nations reform: measures and proposals. Several reports and notes by the Secretary-General were before the Assembly and 15 speakers had been inscribed so far to address the Assembly under the item.

As for the work of the main committees, the spokesman said the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) had concluded its work for the current session last night. The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) was holding consultations all day on several draft resolutions before it, including drafts on the International Conference on Population and Development; the special session of the General Assembly on the Habitat Agenda; and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural), Ms. Mihalic said, would complete taking action this afternoon on the remaining draft

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resolutions on human rights questions and on a draft on the biennial programme of work of the Committee, thereby concluding its work for the current session.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), she said, had concluded this morning the general discussion of the financial reports and reports of the Board of Auditors and had begun the general discussion of Review of the efficiency of the administrative and financial functioning of the United Nations, as well as of the financing of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. This afternoon, the Committee would hold informal consultations on the Development Account. The Sixth Committee (Legal) was holding informal consultations all day on draft resolutions related to measures to eliminate international terrorism. The Committee would hopefully complete its work for the current session on Monday, one day late.

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