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 reporting that late yesterday afternoon the Secretary-General had received a report from the Executive Director of the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM), Richard Butler, concerning the disarmament work of the Commission in Iraq. On the basis of that report and another communication from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on its work in Iraq, the Secretary-General had sent a letter to the President of the Security Council yesterday evening.

In that letter to the Council on Iraq, Mr. Eckhard continued, the Secretary-General had suggested that the Council consider three possible options: no comprehensive review at this time; additional time for Iraq to demonstrate its commitment to provide full cooperation; or proceeding with a comprehensive review to know precisely what had been achieved in Iraq in the disarmament area since 1992. The letter was available as a Security Council document this morning.

Overnight, Mr. Eckhard went on, the Secretary-General had received a telephone call from the Acting Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations, Peter Burleigh, who had said that United States personnel in Iraq were being asked to leave. Also, Ambassador Butler had been advised to withdraw UNSCOM personnel. The Secretary-General had subsequently spoken with Ambassador Butler and with the President of the Security Council. Also last night, Ambassador Butler had instructed UNSCOM personnel to leave and the Director-General of the IAEA, Mohammed El Baradei, had decided to temporarily relocate its personnel from Iraq to Bahrain. A press release from the IAEA on that subject was available on the racks.

This afternoon Baghdad time, 66 United Nations personnel had left Baghdad, seven travelling by the scheduled United Nations flight to Larnaca and 59 by road headed for Amman, Jordan. Of that number, 10 had been dependants, four had been leaving at the conclusion of a mission to Iraq, and all others had been headed for a planned vacation, some having advanced leave plans previously scheduled to be taken later. In Baghdad itself, 142 international and 578 national United Nations staff were still on duty; in the three northern governorates of Dohuk, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah, another 232 international and 880 national United Nations staff remained on duty. All United Nations international staff in Baghdad had been instructed to move immediately to the United Nations offices at the Canal Hotel.

Further, he added, this morning New York time, a British company under contract to the United Nations, Lloyds Register, had announced the withdrawal of its staff from Umm Qasr port and the cities of Al Walid on the Iraqi border with Syria and Trebil on the Iraqi border with Jordan. Since Lloyds Register was charged with authenticating and certifying the arrival of humanitarian

supplies under the oil-for-food programme, the Office of the Iraq Programme was examining various options with a view to restoring full inspection services with the least possible delay so as to maintain the flow of food, medicine and other essential humanitarian supplies into Iraq. Independent oil experts from the Saybolt Company had remained on duty, with no interruption to the monitoring of oil exports from Ceyhan in Turkey or the loading platform of Mina Al-Bakr in Iraq.

Meanwhile, Mr. Eckhard said, the Security Council had begun a day-long open meeting today, shortly after 9 a.m., to discuss "maintenance of peace and security and post-conflict peace-building" with 37 speakers on the list. At 11:44 a.m., once all the Council members had spoken, the Council had interrupted the open meeting to hold emergency consultations on Iraq with the Secretary-General in attendance. Still meeting in closed consultations, the Council was expected to resume the open meeting in an afternoon session. (That open session was subsequently postponed indefinitely).

Yesterday, the Council had discussed the Western Sahara, Cyprus and, under other matters, the general question of sanctions. On the question of sanctions, the Council had decided to discuss the issue of a set of practical measures at an expert group meeting.

The Compensation Commission, paying claims for damages arising out of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1991, had concluded a two-day meeting in Geneva today, Mr. Eckhard then announced. In total, the Commission had awarded over $53 million for claims filed by 129 individuals and over $181 million for ten large claims filed by corporations from six countries. A press release with further details was available in room S-378.

Following yesterday's noon briefing, Mr. Eckhard went on to say, it had been announced that a press statement issued by the United Nations Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA) had stated that the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Angola, Issa Diallo, and the Troika countries of Portugal, the Russian Federation and the United States, had urged the Angolan Government and the leaders of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) to ensure the safety and freedom of movement of all humanitarian personnel, including of MONUA.

As anticipated and announced last week, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Sergio Vieira de Mello, had today launched a global humanitarian appeal that included an appeal for Angola. However, during the launch of the appeal in Geneva today, Mr. Vieira de Mello had told reporters that although the humanitarian agencies were seeking funds for 1.4 million displaced persons overall, the ability to carry out the delivery operation was questionable given current security conditions for both civilians and humanitarian workers. "The only ones in a position to answer that question are the parties to the conflicts", the Spokesman said, in quoting Mr. Vieira de Mello.

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The launch of that $1.3 million appeal had been made to meet the humanitarian needs for 13 operations around the world for the year 1999. Making the appeal on behalf of United Nations agencies and programmes, Mr. Vieira de Mello had said the amount being sought would protect some 25 million people from starvation and disease for a year, and yet was roughly equal to "a half-day's global expenditure on arms". The appeal was the first time the United Nations had presented an overview plan of its annual humanitarian programmes, a step in line with the Secretary-General's reform programme for a more coherent approach toward countries in crisis.

Three journalists working as stringers for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in Sierra Leone were being held in police detention after arrest on 8 December under the "emergency powers regulations" imposing restraints on press coverage of the conflict there, Mr. Eckhard stated. The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sierra Leone, Francis Okelo, had made representations to the Government on the grounds that the action against the journalists violated the right of freedom of expression. The Special Envoy had also offered the assistance of the United Nations Observer Mission in Sierra Leone (UNOMSIL) with regard to interpreting the emergency power regulations, effective since March, in a manner consistent with the right of freedom of expression. The development would be raised in the Secretary- General's report on Sierra Leone to the Security Council, to be issued as scheduled either today or tomorrow.

Mr. Eckhard then announced the United Nations would hold a fresh round of peace talks between Georgia and Abkhazia in Geneva tomorrow. The Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Georgia would chair the meeting in which representatives from France, Germany, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States would take part. The meeting was being convened against the backdrop of mounting tension in the conflict zone, particularly in the Gali district.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) had recently won an award for a documentary at the International Festival of the New Latin American Films in Havana, the Spokesman said. The film, Asi es esta Historia (Such Is This History), concerned a UNFPA literacy project in Peru in which women learned to write in both Spanish and their local language, Quechua. A press release with further details was available in room S-378.

Mr. Eckhard then noted that this morning The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia had signed the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings, making it the 39th signatory to that convention.

Tomorrow, the Federation of Associations of Former International Civil Servants would pay tribute to the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. A marble plaque would be unveiled by the Secretary-General at noon in the Northeast Section of the United Nations

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Garden and all were invited. A hand-out on the subject was available in room S-378.

Mr. Eckhard was then asked what time Ambassador Burleigh had called the Secretary-General and he answered the time was not known. "I do know there were contacts with the Secretary-General and with the Security Coordinator's office rather late last night", Mr. Eckhard added.

A correspondent asked for a characterization of the contact between the Secretary-General and Ambassador Butler. Who had called whom and what had been the sequence of events with regard to withdrawals and notifications? Mr. Eckhard said he did not have answers to those questions. Both he and the Secretary-General had confirmed that the Secretary-General and Ambassador Butler had spoken but the sequence of contacts had not been clarified. On further questioning, Mr. Eckhard said that if the real question was whether Ambassador Butler had consulted the Secretary-General before acting or had acted before consulting the Secretary-General, "I have no answer for that".

[Later it was announced that the answer to the correspondent's question was contained in a letter dated 16 December from Ambassador Butler to the President of the Security Council describing the sequence of events. Mr. Butler had informed the Secretary-General, rather than consulted him.]

How was the Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Iraq, Prakash Shah, reacting to the crisis? a correspondent asked. Mr. Eckhard said there was nothing specific to report on that. Mr. Shah was in Baghdad and "the last I heard, being besieged with requests for interviews".

"Are you confirming that all UNSCOM personnel are out of Iraq"? Mr. Eckhard was asked and he answered that Ambassador Butler had told the press this morning that the plane transporting some inspectors to Bahrain had in fact landed but the balance of the group was travelling overland. Mr. Butler had been headed to his office to confirm arrival of the overland group and while nothing had been reported to the contrary, confirmation of arrival had to be gotten from Ambassador Butler.

A correspondent said the Executive Director of the Office of the Iraq Programme, Benon Sevan, had announced that humanitarian personnel were not being pulled out. Why?

Mr. Eckhard said Benon Sevan had met with the Secretary-General at about 9 a.m. today and they had discussed the situation of the humanitarian workers. By then it had been 5 p.m. Baghdad time. Busses had been at the ready for transport of the personnel in case of evacuation and the Secretary-General had said sometimes it was safer just to leave people in place rather than move them. "Again, the issue was a ten-hour trip and the Secretary-General was undoubtedly thinking it was best to leave them in the hotel overnight". Also,

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Mr. Eckhard added, the Secretary-General had wanted to hear the Security Council's views in the consultations that had started a short time before.

"Does that imply the Secretary-General had the feeling that if something were to happen, it would happen overnight local time"? another correspondent asked. "I don't know if the Secretary-General has any information on the timing of any event that might happen. If you're talking about a military strike, the Secretary-General has no inside information on that", Mr. Eckhard answered.

Had the Secretary-General spoken with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz or anyone on the Iraqi side since entering the building? Did he plan to do so? a correspondent asked. Mr. Eckhard said that at 9 a.m. when the Secretary-General had entered the building he had not spoken with Mr. Aziz. The Secretary-General had then gone into an internal meeting from 10 to 11:30 a.m. That short window of opportunity made it questionable whether the Secretary-General could have talked with Mr. Aziz but he would double check, Mr. Eckhard said.

In response to a series of questions, Mr. Eckhard then confirmed that of the humanitarian workers, 142 international United Nations staff remained in Baghdad, all concentrated in the United Nations headquarters in the Canal Hotel. Of the 66 personnel who had left today, seven had travelled by plane and 59 by road to Amman, Jordan. There were no specific numbers on UNSCOM personnel. The 142 humanitarian staff were a range of international workers, involved in the oil-for-food programme or agencies involved in Iraq such as the World Health Organization (WHO). "I believe even the Under-Secretary- General for Internal Oversight Services, Karl Paschke, has a staff member in Baghdad looking at the United Nations programme there. It's bits and pieces from the United Nations system", he added.

Asked whether the Secretary-General would be meeting with the permanent representative of the United Kingdom today and why, Mr. Eckhard said the Secretary-General would meet with the permanent representatives of Austria, Germany and the United Kingdom to discuss the financing of peace-keeping operations. Asked whether the Secretary-General had met with the permanent representative of Iraq, Mr. Eckhard said, "to my knowledge, no", adding that the small window of opportunity made it again unlikely the Secretary-General had talked with the Iraqi representative even by phone but again, he would double check.

Was there a breakdown on the number of women and children leaving? a correspondent asked. Mr. Eckhard said ten had been dependants of the 66 who had left today. Perhaps later there would be a further breakdown of those 66.

Did the Secretary-General favour air raids on Baghdad? a correspondent asked, with regard to the alleged imminence of bombings. Mr. Eckhard said the Secretary-General had consistently urged a peaceful solution to the crisis and

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he had twice personally intervened to try and keep the diplomatic option alive. This morning, the Secretary-General had been asked by a reporter, "You've intervened twice. What will you do in the next few hours"? The Secretary-General had replied, "The matter is in the hands of the Council. Please ask them".

Jadranka Mihalic, spokesman for General Assembly President Didier Opertti (Uruguay), said the Fifth Committee would meet this afternoon to conclude its work at the main part of the fifty-third session. The Committee was scheduled to take action on all outstanding draft resolutions before it, including programme budget implications of the draft resolution A/53/L.66 on the situation in Afghanistan; the United Nations common system; financing of the international tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda; several aspects of the review of the efficiency of the administrative and financial functioning of the United Nations, including the budget outline for the next biennium; and several aspects of the budget for the current biennium; as well as its biennial programme of work.

Tomorrow morning, Ms. Mihalic said, the plenary would meet for its concluding meeting at the main part of the session. It would take up the reports of the Fifth Committee, the report of the Credentials Committee and the issue of strengthening of the United Nations system. A draft resolution under this item, contained in document A/53/L.68, had been sponsored by Canada and concerned the involvement of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the activities of the United Nations system. The President was also expected to make a closing statement, summarizing the work accomplished at the session so far.

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