DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL

Press Briefing

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL

The following is a near verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by the Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General, Manoel de Almeida e Silva:

**Secretary-General's Mission to Germany

Good afternoon. Let's start with the Secretary-General's activities in Germany. He began the third and final day of the visit with a meeting with United States Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbot, who reported to him on his recent talks in Moscow concerning the Kosovo crisis.

The Secretary-General, hours before leaving this afternoon for Moscow, told reporters he looked forward to hearing the views of the Russian authorities on the way out of the crisis. The Secretary-General, however, cautioned that the search for a solution would be a long and difficult process.

He had a working luncheon with Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. In a press encounter afterward, in response to a question, the Secretary-General confirmed that a candidate for the position for the Second Special Envoy for the Balkans that everyone agreed on was Eduard Kukan, the Foreign Minister of Slovakia. Former Austrian Chancellor Franz Vranitzky, former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt and Swiss Foreign Minister Flavio Cotti are three other names that he is looking at.

At the temporary headquarters of the Foreign Ministry, he met with German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer. As with the Chancellor, the discussion focused primarily on Kosovo. In response to the Minister's request, the Secretary-General also gave an overview of African issues. The Foreign Minister also handed to the Secretary-General the signed memorandum of understanding agreement governing Germany's participation in the United Nations standby arrangements for the rapid deployment of peacekeeping forces.

At a joint press conference with Mr. Fischer, the Secretary-General, again responding to a question, said that while we have been consumed since the beginning of the Kosovo crisis with the tragedy of the Kosovo Albanians, as the conflict has escalated, its negative impact has spread throughout the subregion. In a formal statement issued later, he said, once again innocent civilians are paying the price for unresolved political conflict. He called for boldness and imagination in the search for a lasting political solution which cannot be won on the battlefield.

The Secretary-General and the Foreign Minister then jointly opened the non-governmental organization (NGO) forum where the Secretary-General praised the work of NGOs and urged their support for the next year's Millennium

Assembly. "We have entered an era of even greater partnership", he said. "I look forward to testing those boundaries with you in the years ahead."

The Spokesman's Office will be receiving copies of the transcripts of the various press encounters the Secretary-General had throughout the day. We also have copies of the statement he made on the impact of the crisis on civilians and the text of the address to the NGO forum. We will also have available in the Spokesman's Office the Secretary-General's schedule for Moscow.

**Kosovo Crisis

As we mentioned yesterday, the situation on the ground for the refugees arriving from Kosovo into The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia remains dire. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said the refugee camps have reached "breaking point". By 2 p.m. today, the UNHCR reported 4,000 new arrivals in Blace on The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's side of the border.

The UNHCR continued to urge the Government in Skopje to allow the construction of new camps and the expansion of existing ones. The UNHCR also urged the Government to allow new arrivals, especially those who have relatives in The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to be accommodated by host families as a means of easing the extreme pressure on the camps.

It also said that the dramatic situation in the camps makes it essential that European countries speed up the evacuation of refugees, in line with the large number of places which have been offered, but not yet filled.

The World Heath Organization (WHO) warned of the deteriorating health conditions of the refugees in the border area. The WHO also said it was in the process of developing guidelines for the management of tuberculosis patients among the refugees in the camps whose treatment had been interrupted.

Non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, hypertension and skin complaints, account for approximately 60 per cent of refugee outpatient consultations in The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the WHO stated, adding there was a great need for drugs for chronic diseases.

The new arrivals in Albania -- from Djakovica -- said that another large group of refugees was en route from there. Dozens of people interviewed by UNHCR staff said that they had been thrown out of their homes early on Tuesday, and that their houses had been burned behind them. They reported that men were systematically taken off the departing tractors and wagons, and taken away. They feared that many had been killed.

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The situation in Prizren, now apparently a main transit point for refugees fleeing to Albania, is said by the new arrivals to be deteriorating sharply, the UNHCR reported.

**United Nations Children's Fund

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) continued its vaccination campaign in the Kukes area of Albania. Displaced Kosovars, as well as some Montenegrins from the Rozaje area and Muslims from the Sandzak region, have been moving into Bosnia and Herzegovina at a steady rate over the past weeks. Recent arrivals have been predominantly women and children. An increasing proportion of the new arrivals are in need of assistance to find accommodation. Yesterday, it was estimated that between 150 and 200 displaced persons were still staying at the train station in Sarajevo.

The WHO said current shortages, as identified by national health authorities of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, were: anaesthetics, antibiotics, anti-cancer drugs, tranquilizers, anti-TB drugs, HIV tests, microbiological tests and surgical sutures.

**Security Council

Coming back to our activities here in New York, the Security Council has been having consultations this morning on Somalia. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast was scheduled to brief on the latest developments in that country.

**Commission on Human Rights

The Commission on Human Rights in Geneva this morning adopted resolutions which: emphasized the importance of combating impunity for the prevention of violations of human rights; warned that globalization might affect the promotion and protection of human rights; and called on States that still maintained the death penalty to progressively restrict the number of offences for which it might be imposed and to establish a moratorium on executions.

The resolution on the question of the death penalty was adopted after a roll-call vote of 30 in favour to 11 against and 12 abstentions. The Commission urged a worldwide moratorium on executions with a view to the complete abolition of the death penalty. It called on all States that still maintained the death penalty not to impose it for any but the most serious crimes; not to impose it for crimes committed by persons below 18 years of age; to exclude pregnant women from capital punishment; and not to impose it on a person suffering from any form of mental disorder.

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**World Food Programme

The World Food Programme (WFP) announced, in a press release issued in Nairobi today, the arrival of a large shipment of food aid for victims of drought in the Puntland region of north-east Somalia.

The area has been hit by drought since the end of last year. Rains expected in December failed, and the region's main rainy season, which should have begun this month, is late. United Nations agronomists predict that if good rains are not received by mid-May, thousands of head of livestock may die.

The WFP is seeking $14 million to continue its food distribution programmes throughout Somalia this year.

**Tajikistan To Set Up New Drug Control Agency

Yesterday in Vienna, the Tajik President, Emomali Rakhmanov, signed an agreement with the United Nations to set up a new drug control agency in his country which should greatly boost its fight against illicit drugs. The main function of this new agency will be to document and curb regional drug trafficking with support and technical assistance from the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention.

A press release is available in the Spokesman's Office.

**United Nations Children's Fund

The late international film star and Academy Award winner, Audrey Hepburn, a steadfast supporter and representative of UNICEF -- will be recognized at a reception today from 6 to 8 p.m., hosted by Bergdorf Goodman and Harper Collins. The occasion is the launch of a new book devoted to Ms. Hepburn. Proceeds from the signing of books will benefit UNICEF's work with children around the world. The media are invited.

Audrey Hepburn served UNICEF in several capacities between her appointment as an official UNICEF spokesperson in 1988 and her death in 1993.

An information note on the event is available in the Spokesman's Office.

**Announcements

Today, the World Chronicle TV programme with Patricia Flor, Chairperson of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, will be shown on in-house channels 6 or 38 at 2:30 p.m.

Tomorrow, 29 April, the Department of Public Information is holding a briefing in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium on the Third United

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Nations Conference on Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III), and the media are invited.

The UNISPACE III will take place in Vienna in July.

There will be two press conferences tomorrow which, unfortunately, will be at the same time. Following tomorrow's meeting of the Economic and Social Council with leaders from the Bretton Woods institutions, a press conference will take place in room 226 at 3 p.m. Ambassador Francesco Paolo Fulci, President of the Economic and Social Council, will brief you.

At the same time, the United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA) is hosting a briefing on The Hague Appeal for Peace, a campaign which will culminate in an international conference in the Netherlands from 11 to 15 May. Tomorrow, Gillian Sorensen, Assistant Secretary-General for External Affairs, will brief; as will Cora Weiss, President of The Hague Appeal for Peace; and Judy Collins, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and noted American singer.

**Question-and-Answer Session

Question: Can you explain the difference in the refugee figures given by the United Nations -- 600,000 -- and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) -- over 800,000?

Deputy Spokesman: I do not know how NATO gets its figures. I can tell you that the figures we have are from the UNHCR -- the ones on the ground and the agency coordinating the humanitarian effort for the United Nations system. They have the number of approximately 600,000 refugees that have left Kosovo since March 1998. The latest planning figure, which is being used to design the relief programme, is 950,000.

In the Spokesman's Office, we have available the latest update by the UNHCR on the Kosovo emergency, and it actually has a total daily population estimate, since March 1998, of 588,150. That is close to 600,000. It includes Montenegro, Serbia, The former Yugoslavia Republic of Macedonia, Albania, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Question: Is Flavio Cotti of Switzerland still being considered for the position of the Special Envoy to the Balkans? Didn't he take himself out of the running on Friday?

Deputy Spokesman: Apparently, the Secretary-General is considering those three names that I have mentioned and as he had mentioned himself at one of the press encounters in Germany. He has indicated that everyone has agreed on Eduard Kukan, the Foreign Minister of Slovakia, for one of the positions. For the other position, he is still conducting his consultations.

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Question: Is Kukan going to be one of the two Envoys?

Deputy Spokesman: Yes.

Question: Is there any laying out of the role of the two Envoys?

Deputy Spokesman: I think that is part of the discussions the Secretary-General is having.

Question: Apart from the given agenda, has anyone been defined in terms of the Secretary-General's current diplomatic mission? Does he fear any undercutting of his efforts by certain powers in Russia?

Deputy Spokesman: The Secretary-General has said a number of times that this is the very beginning of a long process. He feels it is very important to have everyone on board, and he is certainly pursuing that in his contribution for a diplomatic political lasting solution for the region.

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