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 today's noon briefing by recalling that this morning, on arrival, the Secretary-General had been asked by a correspondent to respond to this morning's decision by the British House of Lords, by a vote of 3 to 2, to turn down General Pinochet's appeal for immunity from prosecution. The Secretary-General had said he did not want to comment because of the legal complexity of the issue, but had said it was "interesting how law was developing in this area".

Mr. Eckhard said a fuller, official comment had been issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, who had said that "the decision handed down today by the House of Lords on the Pinochet case will hearten human rights defenders around the world". The decision, she had continued, would have been unthinkable not so long ago, and the outcome had reinforced the need for States to ratify the statute of the International Criminal Court. She commented that the Court would pave the way towards consistent, comprehensive and universal prosecution and punishment of international crimes and would help avoid embroiling governments and domestic courts in difficult complications arising from diplomatic relations. (The entire text was available in room S-378.)

The Security Council had met this morning for consultations on the United Nations Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA), Mr. Eckhard then said. The Council had been briefed by Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hedi Annabi. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Sergio Vieira de Mello, had also briefed the Council on the humanitarian situation in the country. The Council had then taken up the draft resolution on the United Nations Civilian Police Mission in Haiti (MIPONUH) with a view to holding a formal meeting later today. (See Press Release SC/6603).

Following informal consultations, Mr. Eckhard said, the Council was expected to hold a formal meeting to adopt a resolution extending the mandate of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan Heights for six months. (See Press Release SC/6601). The Council was also expected to adopt a Presidential Statement on the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG). Depending on the outcome of informal consultations, the Council would also possibly adopt a resolution extending the mandate for one year of MIPONUH in Haiti. (See Press Release SC/6602).

And as was already widely-known, the Spokesman said, the Council last night had unanimously adopted a resolution renewing the Oil-for-Food Programme for Iraq for a further six months. The resolution had also provided an additional $300 million for oil spare parts. In the afternoon, the Council had discussed the exchange of letters between Iraq and the Executive Director of the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM), Richard Butler, concerning the request for documentation.

In the last few days, Mr. Eckhard said, the Secretary-General and his Personal Representative for East Timor, Jamsheed Marker, had been in touch with all parties concerned with regard to the situation in East Timor and the recent reports of violence and the allegations of a large number of civilian deaths. The effort to ascertain the veracity of those reports was continuing. The Secretary-General had welcomed the announcement that the Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights would conduct an investigation. Meanwhile, the Secretary-General was eager to maintain the continuation of the talks between Indonesia and Portugal under his auspices. As part of the ongoing process of consultations, United Nations officials would visit East Timor shortly. Mr. Marker would also travel to Indonesia and East Timor in mid-December.

As announced earlier in the week, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Central African Republic, Oluyemi Adeniji, had reported to the Secretary-General that the first round of legislative elections held last Sunday had taken place without major incidents.

The Secretary-General had welcomed the peaceful and orderly manner in which the first round of elections had been conducted, Mr. Eckhard said. The Secretary-General had congratulated the Government and the people of the Central African Republic, the Independent Electoral Commission and the staff of the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic (MINURCA), as well as the staffs of the United Nations agencies operating in the country, for the important step in the country's peace process. As vote counting proceeded, the Secretary-General looked forward to the successful completion of the legislative election process. (A full statement was available in room S-378.)

Mr. Adeniji had today given a press conference on those elections in Bangui, the capital, together with the representatives of the European Union and the Francophonie, Mr. Eckhard said. (A transcript of that press conference as well as communiques issued by several delegations in Bangui were all available in room S-378.)

As mentioned last Friday, the United Nations yesterday had opened a conference in Nagasaki, Japan, on the theme, "Towards a World Free from Nuclear Weapons", Mr. Eckhard said. Available in room S-378 was the opening address by the Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, Jayantha Dhanapala, who had stressed that without the fullest implementation of commitments towards nuclear disarmament leading to the ultimate goal of eliminating nuclear weapons, it would be increasingly difficult to maintain the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the cornerstone of the nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament regime.

Mr. Eckhard said the World Food Programme (WFP) today had dedicated a memorial to WFP staff killed in the line of duty. Describing humanitarian relief workers as "today's real life heroes and heroines", WFP Executive

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Director Catherine Bertini had said, "It is an unfortunate reality that the United Nations flag no longer protects them." In 1998 alone, eight WFP staff members had been killed in the line of duty. The World Food Programme, in a press release issued in Rome on the subject, had also said it had created a special task force to enhance security measures and to train all 4,000 members of the Organization in security and field safety. "And they are doing that in close coordination with the United Nations Security Coordinator here in New York", Mr. Eckhard added.

A press release had been issued by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to announce that its Executive Director, Carol Bellamy, would travel to Central America beginning Friday, Mr. Eckhard announced. There Ms. Bellamy would hold meetings with government officials and meet with communities affected by Hurricane Mitch. She would visit Honduras and Nicaragua, the countries worst hit by the hurricane. She would talk with those taking part in the emergency operation, as well as with hurricane victims, many of whom were women and children. She would also make an air inspection of the devastation in the two countries, where thousands of people had lost their lives and many more had been left homeless. Interviews with Ms. Bellamy could be arranged through the UNICEF media section here in New York. (The press release available in room S-378 contained the telephone numbers.)

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was hosting a two-day regional seminar on sport and the environment, opening today in Nairobi, Mr. Eckhard said. Representatives from 22 National Olympic Committees in Africa were expected to discuss the impact of sporting events on the environment, along with the wider issue of the relationship between the environment, sport, culture and health in Africa. (A press release with details was available in room S-378.)

A note by the Secretariat on the racks today concerned the role of microcredit in the eradication of poverty, Mr. Eckhard said. Document A/C.2/53/7 contained the text of a recent speech by the Under-Secretary- General for Economic and Social Affairs, Nitin Desai, delivered to the General Assembly's Second Committee (Economic and Financial), wherein Mr. Desai had stressed that the United Nations was fully committed to the role that microcredit could and should play in the eradication of poverty.

"The Secretary-General leaves for Paris tomorrow, as announced earlier", Mr. Eckhard said. While there, he continued, the Secretary-General would attend the Franco-African Summit on Thursday and Friday, before going on to resume his visit to North Africa on Sunday. "We'll keep you posted on the blow-by-blow and in the meantime, happy turkey-day". Tomorrow was an official United Nations holiday and briefings would resume on Friday, he added.

A correspondent asked what was happening with the tripartite talks on East Timor. Mr. Eckhard said Ambassador Marker was meeting with the

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Secretary-General at the moment and he would seek a read-out. The tripartite talks were scheduled to continue this afternoon at 3 p.m.

Another correspondent asked for further information about the alleged massacre that had occurred in East Timor over the weekend. Mr. Eckhard said there was no further information as yet. There would be an investigation by the Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights and other sources would be relied upon to determine what had happened and whether the allegations were true. When asked to comment on the fact that East Timorese human rights organizations had said the alleged massacres were an indication of a need for a United Nations presence in East Timor, Mr. Eckhard said he was aware of that position but had no comment on it at present.

Asked whether Ambassador Marker had been in contact with anyone in East Timor since the alleged massacre, Mr. Eckhard said he had not talked directly with Ambassador Marker and could not say for sure. "However, I think he would consider it his duty to talk to as many people as he could, to try to establish what had happened." When asked what channels Ambassador Marker would be pursuing to find out the truth, Mr. Eckhard said the question would be put to the Ambassador.

"As a custodian of the Vienna Convention and of diplomatic and consular immunities, could the Secretary-General remain mute on the Pinochet decision"? a correspondent asked.

"Well, we are seeing here the evolution of international law", Mr. Eckhard responded. "The Secretary-General's position, taken less than an hour after the decision was announced in London, had been cautious. The response of the High Commissioner for Human Rights had been much more detailed. For the moment, her comments can serve as a reference".

Jadranka Mihalic, spokesman for General Assembly President Didier Operrti (Uruguay), said it had been announced in the plenary this morning that the General Committee would meet on Tuesday, 1 December to consider including an additional item in the agenda of the fifty-third session and to decide on the allocation of agenda item 167 entitled, armed aggression against the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

This morning, she continued, the plenary had first considered agenda item 32, zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic. The report of the Secretary-General had been circulated as document A/53/488 while a draft resolution, document A/53/L.41 and Corr.1, had been introduced by the representative of Argentina. Six other speakers were inscribed under the item. The Assembly had adopted the draft as orally amended by a recorded vote of 126 in favour, none against and one abstention. Two delegations had spoken in explanation of vote after the vote.

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The Assembly had then turned to the joint consideration of agenda items 58 and 60, Ms. Mihalic said, explaining that the former agenda item was strengthening of the United Nations system, with the report of the Secretary- General under the item contained in document A/53/170. The latter agenda item was revitalization of the work of the General Assembly, and seven speakers were inscribed to speak on the joint agenda items.

Also today, the spokesman said, the Assembly was expected to complete its general debate under the item entitled United Nations reform: measures and proposals. The Assembly had been trying to complete that agenda item for a few days now but the list of speakers was quite long, as it was for a number of items this year. There were still 20 speakers inscribed and both morning and afternoon sessions had been scheduled for today. No plenary meetings were scheduled for Friday, and on Monday the Assembly would consider the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the morning and the Question of Palestine in the afternoon.

As for the work of the Main Committees, Ms. Mihalic said the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) would hold informal consultations both this morning and this afternoon on a series of draft resolutions before it. This afternoon, the Committee would also meet formally to take action on several draft resolutions, including two on the report of the Economic and Social Council; two on macroeconomic policy questions; and one each on the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the implementation of the decisions of the World Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) would this morning begin consideration of the budgetary and financial situation of the organizations of the United Nations system and would then proceed with informal consultations on the scale of assessments. This afternoon, the Committee would hold informal consultations on the United Nations common system.

Both the Second and Fifth Committees were scheduled to meet on Friday, Ms. Mihalic said. The Second Committee was expected to complete its work at the current session on that day while the Fifth Committee was expected to hold informal consultations all that day.

In response to a question on the work remaining before the plenary, Ms. Mihalic said the schedule for the remaining portion of the session would be published early next week. The tentative closing day for the session was still 11 December.

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