DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
19990309
The following in a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General:
I see guests. Welcome to the briefing.
**East Timor
Good afternoon. The talks on East Timor, which were to have started this afternoon at the senior-official level, will instead start tomorrow at 10 a.m. The delay has been requested by the Indonesian Mission because their delegation coming from Jakarta will only arrive this afternoon. No other change in the schedule announced yesterday is foreseen at this time.
We're planning to have photo opportunities at the opening of the senior officials' meeting tomorrow morning and the opening of the ministerial-level talks tomorrow afternoon.
**Democratic Republic of the Congo
We have three items on the Democratic Republic of the Congo. First, a statement attributable to the Spokesman concerning an immunization campaign. The Secretary-General welcomes the assurances by the parties to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to stop fighting and allow the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to carry out an urgently needed polio immunization campaign in that Central African country.
The Secretary-General also extends his full support to the initiative, which the heads of the two agencies described in a joint letter to him as the single highest priority for global polio eradication. In order to immunize some 10 million children under the age of five throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a respite in fighting, or a series of truces called "days of tranquillity", will need to be negotiated. The campaign is slated for later this year.
The Secretary-General was heartened by President Laurent Kabila's public commitment to support polio eradication. He is also encouraged by the commitment of the Chairman of the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD) to facilitate the implementation of the so-called National Immunization Days in rebel-held territory. He trusts that both parties and their allies will do all that is necessary to provide the peaceful and secure environment needed for this campaign.
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Sergio Vieira de Mello has been designated to coordinate the support that this vital initiative requires.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports, meanwhile, that more than 4,000 refugees fleeing intensifying fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in the south-eastern Shaba Province, have crossed into northern Zambia since Friday. The arrivals say more Congolese are on their way to Zambia as anti-government rebels are reportedly attacking targets near towns on Lake Tanganyika. The refugees are scattered along the border near two towns over a distance of 60 kilometres. Some have found shelter in schools, churches and villages, but many are still sleeping in the open. Roads are in very poor condition and a truck with emergency supplies was stuck on the road to one of these towns for two days before being freed.
The UNHCR plans to put up temporary structures as soon as a suitable site is found for the arrivals. There are already some 12,000 refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Zambia.
The third Democratic Republic of the Congo-related item involves a newly opened United Nations Office. The United Nations has re-established its humanitarian presence in Goma, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The office is under the leadership of UNICEF and includes a representative from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The United Nations agencies will address the immediate needs of the victims of the conflict in that country. Priority will be given to providing health care and food aid to some 68,000 internally displaced people in the vicinity of Goma. United Nations humanitarian agencies withdrew from the region in August 1998, when fighting led to a deterioration of security conditions.
**Security Council
There are no Security Council consultations today. Council members will resume this week's programme of work tomorrow, when they are expected to discuss the situation between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
**Iraq: Weekly Oil-for-Food Programme Update
Last week's interruption of oil exports from Iraq through Turkey should not affect the overall oil export from the Turkish port of Ceyhan during the current phase of the implementation of the oil for food programme, according to the latest weekly update prepared by the Office of the Iraq Programme. The current Phase V ends on 23 May.
Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 9 March 1999
The 661 Committee that oversees the sanctions regime on Iraq approved an additional four contracts for oil industry spare parts and equipment, bringing the total number of such contracts to 386 with a combined value of $230 million. The Security Council had allocated $300 million for oil spare parts and equipment for the current 180-day period.
**High Commissioner for Human Rights to Visit New York
Mary Robinson, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, will arrive in New York next Tuesday for a five-day visit. She is scheduled to address the Commission on the Status of Women on Thursday on the topic "Looking Ahead: Strategic Approaches to Women's Human Rights". She will also brief Member States on Wednesday and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on Friday. We have invited her to brief you as well, and we will keep you informed.
**Mary Robinson Condemns Killings in Colombia
Meanwhile, Mary Robinson has issued a statement today in Geneva condemning the brutal murder of three indigenous human rights activists in Colombia last week. The High Commissioner paid tribute to the three victims, and recalled that one of them, Ingrid Washinawatok, was well-known to the international community for her active defence of indigenous rights. "Ms. Washinawatok attended the first-ever international conference on indigenous rights in 1977, participated regularly in the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations and other forums, and worked tirelessly to promote justice for indigenous peoples around the world", she said. You can get the complete text of her statement in my Office.
**Yugoslavia/Kosovo: Sanctions Committee
The 1160 Committee -- I hope you can keep track of all these numbers -- which oversees the arms embargo against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, including Kosovo, will meet Thursday at 3:30 p.m. in Conference Room 7. The Chairman of the Committee, Ambassador Celso Amorim of Brazil, will brief the press on the closed proceedings of the Committee outside the conference room following the meeting.
**Kosovo
The UNHCR, at its briefing today in Geneva, flagged the continuing deterioration of the situation on the ground in Kosovo, less than a week before the peace talks are scheduled to resume in France. You can see their briefing note if you want more details.
**North Korea and WFP
At the same Geneva press briefing earlier today, the World Food Programme (WFP) gave an update on the famine in North Korea. The WFP notes
Daily Press Briefing - 4 - 9 March 1999
that the population of famine-stricken North Korea is moving into a lean period since the public distribution system has almost depleted its own resources.
The people will have to rely on international food aid until next October's harvest. This means more reliance on grass, wild mushrooms, tree bark and other non-nutritional substances. Accordingly, WFP staff have begun recording growing malnutrition, especially among children over the age of seven.
If you want more information, contact the WFP office in New York.
**Emir of Bahrain
The United Nations flag is at half-mast today and no other flags are flying. That is, of course, in observance of the death of the Emir of Bahrain, His Highness Sheik Issa bin Salman al-Khalifa, who passed away on Saturday.
The Secretary-General will sign the condolence book at the Bahrain Mission today at 1 p.m.
**Secretary-General Addresses UNA-USA
This morning the Secretary-General addressed the National Convention of the United Nations Association of the United States, which is being held in this building. The UNA-USA has about 180 membership chapters throughout the United States.
The Secretary-General told the participants, "Whenever you speak up and speak out for the United Nations, you are ensuring that America's role in the United Nations of the next century will be as vital as it has been in the century we are about to leave."
He took a number of questions from the participants. We recorded that and you can get a transcription in my Office.
**Peru Human Rights Report
Today in Geneva, the human rights spokesman announced that the report on the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in Peru is out and the text of that report can be found on the human rights' website.
**Payments
We received a payment today. Tunisia paid its 1999 dues in full with a cheque for over $290,000 and, so doing, becomes the fifty-first Member State to be paid in full this year.
Daily Press Briefing - 5 - 9 March 1999
**Treaties
On treaties, Panama became the seventh country to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on the Framework Convention on Climate Change. There are 77 signatories. Panama also ratified the Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings, joining Uzbekistan, the only other party to that treaty so far. Forty-two countries have signed it.
**UNCA Announcement
Finally, the Correspondents' Association asked me announce to you that they will host a briefing at 1:30 p.m. today by a representative of the South Moluccan islands. The speaker, Pelpina Sahureka of the Siwi-Lima Front, will discuss relations with Indonesia and the current political situation among Indonesia's islands.
I'm told the guests here today are 14 economic journalists from Africa and that you are here under the auspices of the United States Information Agency (USIA). Welcome again.
**Question-and-Answer Session
Question: Is there any information on the situation of refugees in East Timor? Some reports talk about thousands of refugees in several towns. Secondly, those reports [talk about] the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in East Timor. Do you have any information about that?
Answer: I don't have anything to give you here. I can refer you to two people in my Office; Manoel de Almeida covers East Timor and Marie Okabe covers humanitarian situations and refugees. So whatever information we do have would be with those two people.
Question: Do you have any information on why the Indonesian delegation could not come to New York today on time?
Answer: I do not. We were just told that their delegation wouldn't arrive till this afternoon and so the talks will start late. Sorry.
Question: The East Timor talks -- you've probably answered this before, but could you please summarize what the goals or objectives of this latest round are?
Answer: I'm told that this time they're expected to discuss the autonomy package and the methodology for ascertaining the views of the Timorese on the autonomy package. And of course the situation in general.
Question: Have the warring parties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo agreed to cease fire for that immunization campaign to go ahead?
Daily Press Briefing - 6 - 9 March 1999
Answer: The statement indicates that both the Government and the Congolese Rally for Democracy have agreed. The RCD, as it's known, gave its assurances to Olara Otunnu, who is the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, who visited the area, and the Government gave its assurances to someone else; I'm not sure of that. There is attached to this statement -- you can get this text in my office -- a note at the bottom which gives some additional information. Marie Okabe is the contact person in my office for anything else you'd like to know.
Question: After interviewing Mr. [Secretary-General's Special Representative in Sierra Leone Francis] Okelo yesterday on Sierra Leone, I noticed that in the Secretary-General's report, the French text in paragraph 55 is different from the English text. Some very important elements are missing in the English text.
Answer: I see. Well, I don't know whether the French text added something, or the English left something out. We'll have to ask the translators and we'll get an answer for you.
Question: Do you have any idea what the talks scheduled for tomorrow on Ethiopia and Eritrea will focus on?
Answer: I think it's part of a periodic update of the Security Council. It's a closed meeting. They are usually briefed by the Secretariat on the latest developments and then they discuss in closed session what, if anything, they feel they can do about it.
Question: I don't know if I should mention that 40 Haitians died two days ago [fleeing] for democracy. The Secretary-General becomes more concerned about all those people dying left, right, all over the place.
Answer: Of course, he's concerned about that. I think what we're all looking at now are the latest efforts to resolve the political crisis. There's been some encouraging movement, it's not yet conclusive, [but] we're certainly hoping that that could be achieved and we would want, of course, the human rights situation in the country to stabilize. That's the whole objective of our presence there.
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