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 today's guest would be the Chairman of the International Commission of Inquiry on the Flow of Arms to Former Rwandan Forces, Mahmoud Kassem. A one-paragraph fact sheet on that body was available in room S-378. (Ambassador Kassem's briefing has been issued separately.)

The Security Council had met this morning for consultations on the United Nations Civilian Police Mission in Haiti (MIPONUH), Mr. Eckhard said, adding that the Council had been briefed by the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Bernard Miyet. The Secretary-General's report on MIPONUH had recommended extension of the mandate for that Mission by one year. Under other matters, the text of a draft presidential statement on improving the security of United Nations personnel in Georgia was expected to be circulated.

The Council President had also informed Council members that he would be scheduling a meeting today with Ambassador Nizar Hamdoon of Iraq, Mr. Eckhard continued. This afternoon, the Council would meet for consultations on the Secretary-General's report concerning the distribution of humanitarian supplies in Iraq, as well as on a letter by the Security Council Committee established under resolution 661 (1990) regarding the situation between Iraq and Kuwait, the so-called "sanctions committee".

The Spokesman then said the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic (MINURCA) had reported that the first round of legislative elections yesterday had gone well, without serious hitches or violence. A high voter turnout had been reported in Bangui, the country's capital. Vote counting had begun today. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General there, Oluyemi Adeniji, had visited some 30 polling stations yesterday. Today, the Special Representative was meeting with heads of observer groups from the European Union, the Francophonie and others. He was scheduled to give a press conference today. United Nations electoral observers were returning to Bangui and all the short-term observers would be leaving the country tomorrow. A second round of elections had been scheduled for 13 December.

Mr. Eckhard then announced that the Secretary-General's report on Angola, due out today, would be delayed by a day or so.

He then went on to say that in a press release issued today in Bangkok, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Gro Harlem Bruntland, had said that Asia was the epicentre of the world's tuberculosis crisis and had to become the top priority among international efforts to control the disease. The Director-General had warned that "unless there is concerted action in Asia, the epidemic will continue to rise and jeopardize

global control efforts". Six countries had been identified as accounting for more than 50 per cent of the tuberculosis epidemic in Asia. The WHO had estimated that 4.5 million of the 8 million new cases occurring each year were in India, China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia and the Philippines. "See the press release for details", the Spokesman said.

Last Friday, following reports of rising tensions and casualties involving civilians in East Timor, Mr. Eckhard said, there had been a temporary pause in the East Timor talks, but they were continuing while the United Nations tried to identify the veracity of the reports and to establish the facts. To date, that had not been possible as reports were conflicting about what had happened. The Personal Representative of the Secretary-General for East Timor, Jamsheed Marker, had been in touch with the Indonesian and Portuguese delegations over the weekend. Bilateral meetings between the Personal Representative and the delegations would resume tomorrow morning at Headquarters. "Further developments will be posted as they occur."

The Spokesman said that a press release issued by the International Criminal Tribunal in Rwanda had announced that, on 18 November, the Tribunal's Registrar, Agwu Ukiwe Okali, had visited the United Nations detention facilities in Arusha, where suspects and accused persons in the Tribunal's custody were detained before and during trial. The Registrar had discussed the assignment of defence counsel, the issue over which a hunger strike had been held a few weeks ago.

As mentioned on Friday, the 1998 AIDS Epidemic Update would be issued in London tomorrow, Mr. Eckhard said. Advance copies were expected this afternoon in room S-378 and their arrival would be squawked.

"The Netherlands has contributed $250,000 to the Trust Fund for Preventive Action", Mr. Eckhard announced, explaining that the Fund established last year provided flexibility for the Secretary-General's peacemaking initiatives, as well as for unforeseen expenses. As an example, he noted that the Fund had financed the Secretary-General's Eminent Persons visit to Algeria. Approximately $5 million had been donated by Member States so far, with the Fund's current available balance standing at about $2 million.

Tomorrow, the Spokesman said, the President of the Tribunal of the Law of the Sea would brief the General Assembly on pending cases before the Tribunal. He was also expected to be guest at the noon briefing. A background press kit was available in room S-378.

A press conference would be held today at 3:30 p.m. in room S-226 on the Universal Networking Language, Mr. Eckhard said. "That is the electronic language enabling people speaking different native languages to communicate with each other."

Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 23 November 1998

A correspondent asked what time a meeting had been scheduled between the Security Council President and Iraqi Ambassador Hamdoon. Mr. Eckhard said no time had been set, although the meeting was expected to take place before the afternoon session of the Council.

Had the Secretary-General registered any response to letters received from Iraq on Friday? another correspondent asked. First clarifying that those letters had not been addressed to the Secretary-General himself, Mr. Eckhard then said the Secretary-General had seen the letters, but had made no response.

Jadranka Mihalic, spokesman for General Assembly President Didier Operrti (Uruguay), said that this morning the Assembly had heard the six final speakers in the general debate on the question of equitable representation and increase in the membership of the Security Council and related matters. A total of 62 speakers had addressed the Assembly under that item during the two-and-one- half days of discussion, and after the last speaker, the meeting had been suspended for distribution of a new draft on the item introduced by the President and contained in document A/53/L.46.

With the two previous texts withdrawn (documents A/53/L.16 and L.42), the President had proposed that the text contained in the new draft be adopted by consensus, Ms. Mihalic said. The meeting had then been suspended for additional consultations, after which the Assembly had adopted the text by consensus to a round of loud applause. The President had then announced he would very soon reconvene the open-ended working group on the question of equitable representation and increase in the membership of the Security Council and related matters, and would nominate the Permanent Representatives of Sri Lanka and Sweden as its Vice-Chairmen.

The plenary had then proceeded with consideration of the support by the United Nations system of the efforts of governments to promote and consolidate new or restored democracies, Ms. Mihalic said. A draft resolution under that item had been introduced by Romania's Secretary of State on behalf of 77 sponsors, and 23 additional speakers had been inscribed to address the Assembly under the item.

The second item of the day, the spokesman said, had been United Nations reform: measures and proposals. Reports and notes by the Secretary-General under the item and before the Assembly included one on environment and human settlements; status of the implementation of actions described in the report of the Secretary-General entitled "renewing the United Nations: a programme for reform"; a new concept of trusteeship; a Millennium Assembly, the United Nations system (Special Commission) and a Millennium Forum; and time limits of new initiatives, "sunset provisions". Also, 23 speakers had been inscribed and indications had suggested that time limitation would necessitate the Assembly resuming consideration of the issue tomorrow.

Daily Press Briefing - 4 - 23 November 1998

Also tomorrow, the Assembly would take up agenda item 38: oceans and the law of the sea, Ms. Mihalic said. Two reports of the Secretary-General related to the issue were before the Assembly. One was on the law of the sea, and another was on the issue of large-scale pelagic drift-net fishing, unauthorized fishing in zones of national jurisdiction and on the high seas, fisheries by- catch and discards, and other developments. Two draft resolutions before the Assembly on the issue were contained in documents A/53/L.35 and A/53/L.45, and 24 speakers had been inscribed, with the list of speakers, including the President of the Law of the Sea Tribunal, Thomas Mensah, and the Secretary- General of the International Sea Bed Authority, Satya Nandan.

As for the work of the Main Committees, Ms. Mihalic said today would be the final day of deliberations of the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) at the current session. The Committee would meet this afternoon to take action on the draft resolution on the right to development and on the biennial programme of work of the Committee.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), Ms. Mihalic said, had been scheduled to conclude this morning its discussion of reviewing the efficiency of the administrative and financial functioning of the United Nations, in particular, regarding the proposed revolving credit fund and results-based budgeting, as well as of the revised estimates resulting from the resolutions and decisions adopted by the Economic and Social Council during its substantive session. The Committee would also begin its general discussion of the programme budget implications of the resolution regarding the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala (MINUGUA).

In the afternoon, the spokesman said, the Committee would conclude its general discussion of the financing of the International Criminal Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. While in the morning the Committee would also hold informal consultations on the reports of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU), in the afternoon it would hold informal consultations on the United Nations common system, also holding informal consultations on the assessment of its work.

The Sixth Committee (Legal), Ms. Mihalic said, was continuing this morning with informal consultations on the draft resolutions regarding the measures to eliminate international terrorism.

A correspondent recalled the stated view of the General Assembly President that the head of the Assembly should be included as an observer in Security Council deliberations affecting international peace and security. The question of Haiti was before both the Security Council and the General Assembly at present, the correspondent noted. Had the Security Council President invited the Assembly President to sit in on the Security Council deliberations? the correspondent asked. Ms. Mihalic clarified that the Assembly President had expressed the view to the "Group of 77" developing countries and China and the Non-Aligned Movement rather than to the Security Council President.

Daily Press Briefing - 5 - 23 November 1998

"You said there are 23 speakers on the subject of the 'sunset clause'; can you clarify what it involves"? a correspondent asked. Ms. Mihalic said she would provide references to the relevant documents. "And also please note that the speakers are not specifically on the 'sunset clause', but rather on United Nations reform", the spokesman added.

The spokesman was then asked to keep correspondents informed about a response from the Security Council President about the Assembly President's request. She said she would certainly keep her eye on that. Asked for more detail about the compromise in the Assembly regarding membership in the Security Council, Ms. Mihalic read from document A/53/L.46:

"The General Assembly, mindful of Chapter XVIII of the Charter and of the importance of reaching general agreement as referred to in resolution 48/26, determines not to adopt any resolution or decision on the question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and related matters without the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the Members of the General Assembly." It would be on the basis of that resolution that negotiations would continue in the open-ended working group, Ms. Mihalic added.

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