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 Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

**East Timor

Good afternoon. The Acting Head of the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET), Brigadier General Rezaqul Haider (Bangladesh), visited the town of Baucau, about 100 kilometres east of Dili on the north coast, where he saw roughly every other house looted and burned. The houses where United Nations staff had stayed were the primary targets, he said, followed by the homes of known supporters of independence. The United Nations compound was looted and destroyed and some 53 vehicles were trashed and unusable.

Much of the central market was burned out, although about a dozen vendors were selling items on the street. Major General Kiki Syahnakri, the chief Indonesian military commander in East Timor, who escorted General Rezaqul, purchased some vegetables from one of these vendors saying that there were no vegetables available in Dili.

The United Nations General was able to speak to some local people, who were smiling, he said, but who had fear of the unknown in their eyes. One woman told him she was from Dili, and that militia from Baucau had rounded up her family in Dili and forced them to Baucau. The male family members had escaped into the hills, she said.

International staff in Baucau witnessed a farewell ceremony at the airport for the local militia, who then marched in smart military formation onto an Indonesian C-130 aircraft and flew off. The Baucau militia appeared to be in the process of liquidation, General Rezaqul said.

The militia were still very much in evidence on the streets of Dili, however, where 15 fires were counted today. Our people said they didn't know there was anything left to burn, they said. Looting was continuing, and long convoys of trucks could be seen carrying the loot in the direction of West Timor.

Meanwhile, in Darwin, Australia, a major military operation is under way as the newly authorized multinational force prepares to go into East Timor during the next few days.

The newly relocated displaced persons from Dili are settling in tented camps in Darwin, and Pedro UNAMET Rodriges, born in the UN compound in Dili just before the evacuation, is safely among them. According to UNAMET Spokesman David Wimhurst, Pedro has become something of a media star.

Here at Headquarters, I understand that the meetings between the Indonesian and Australian military continued this morning. They are reportedly being conducted in a cordial and businesslike manner, and they are progressing well towards the understanding of the relationship on the ground between the multinational force and the Indonesian Army.

On the humanitarian side, Ross Mountain, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the East Timor crisis, has arrived in Darwin where agencies currently in Darwin are finalizing preparations to deploy to Dili over the weekend.

Mountain has reached arrangements with United Nations agencies on the division of labour as part of a 30-day humanitarian action plan being formulated. For example, the World Food Program (WFP) is charged with logistics and food, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will be responsible for non-food items and protection of displaced persons and refugees, and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) with health and water.

Self-contained logistics kits and vehicles are being sent to Darwin, the logistics hub of humanitarian operations, for swift deployment to enable aid workers to hit the ground running.

We have just learned from the WFP that the Government of Indonesia has given clearance for the humanitarian "snowdrops" we reported on yesterday. The first delivery of much-needed aid could take place in the next 24 hours.

A joint mission by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitiarian Affairs and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is scheduled to travel to Dare from Dili within the next two days to deliver relief supplies to internally displaced persons concentrated at a camp there.

We have a press release from UNICEF on its emergency operations.

**Security Council Consultations

The Secretary-General just delivered a statement at the open Security Council meeting on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

Saying that the United Nations must respond by more than meetings, speeches and reports to ensure that crises around the globe are brought to an end, the Secretary-General said the United Nations must take action in the name of the principles of the Charter and the values of humanity. “The essence of United Nations work is to establish human security where it is no longer present”, he said, “where it is under threat, or where it never existed. This is our humanitarian imperative.”

The Secretary-General said his report contains 40 concrete recommendations which he believes can help to improve the security of civilians in armed conflict. These recommendations provide the Council with tools and strategies, which it can use to respond to particular situations, he said.

Copies of his statement are available in the Spokesman’s Office.

Mary Robinson, High Commissioner for Human Rights, was then invited by the Secretary-General to take the floor. This was the first time a High Commissioner for Human Rights has addressed the Security Council.

We have copies of her speech available, although we understand that she was expected to significantly abbreviate her text.

Sergio Vieira de Mello, the Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, together with Canadian Ambassador Robert Fowler, will be at the stakeout to brief you on the session and take questions following the meeting.

**Statement by Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Sergio de Mello earlier issued the following statement:

“It is with deep regret and dismay that I learnt of the death of Dr. Ayube Sheikh Yerow, Senior Project Officer with UNICEF in Baidoa, Somalia.

"Dr. Yerow, a Somali national with a long history of experience in that country, was fatally wounded yesterday in an ambush on the road from Jawhar to Afgoi while on a humanitarian mission. Five other officials travelling with him also suffered wounds.

"This unacceptable act of violence takes place on the eve of the open debate by the Security Council on the protection of civilians in armed conflict and serves as a grim reminder of the impunity with which lives are taken in conflict areas around the world. I trust that local authorities will take immediate measures to apprehend those responsible and to ensure that the safety of humanitarian workers is guaranteed.

"I extend my deepest regrets to the family and friends of Dr. Yerow, as well as to UNICEF for such a tragic loss.”

The doctor died in a hospital in Mogadishu earlier today and you should contact UNICEF for further information.

**Kosovo

The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Kosovo, Bernard Kouchner, was in Moscow yesterday, where he met for two-and-a-half hours with Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov. They discussed a broad range of issues, including the protection of Kosovo's ethnic groups, particularly Serbs, and the need to speed up the reconciliation process. The Russian Foreign Minister reiterated his country's support for the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).

At a press conference following their meeting, Kouchner was asked about the transformation of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). He replied that demilitarization of the KLA was the responsibility of the military force in Kosovo, KFOR, not UNMIK. "On 19 September", he said, "I hope that in Kosovo no one will be wearing uniforms or bearing arms other than KFOR and the United Nations International Police." He said that in the coming months, UNMIK would be making proposals for transforming the KLA into a purely civilian defence corps.

Today, Kouchner addressed a KFOR Leader's Training Conference near Frankfurt, Germany, on the United Nations mission in Kosovo. The Conference is being held to orient the new team replacing General Michael Jackson's staff in Pristina. The new team will be under the command of General Klaus Reinhardt of Germany.

You can read more in a press release available upstairs. Also available in my Office is the Kosovo humanitarian update, which provides information on the activities of various United Nations agencies in the province.

And if you have any more questions on the KLA, you can address them to its representative, Hashim Thaçi, who will be in this room at 11 a.m. tomorrow at a press conference sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Albania to the United Nations.

**Mission to Nuba Mountains in Sudan

A United Nations technical mission has left for the Nuba Mountains in central Sudan to assess the humanitarian needs there. The mission will be led by a senior WFP official, and will include experts from various United Nations bodies and non-governmental organizations.

The assessment will identify specific needs in the areas of agriculture and food security, health and nutrition, water, sanitation and basic education. The team will also bring along a limited amount of medical supplies.

**E-Commerce Conference Ends

The International Conference on Electronic Commerce and Intellectual Property wrapped up in Geneva just minutes ago. Organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the Conference focused on cutting edge issues surrounding the multi-billion dollar electronic commerce industry.

At the close of the meeting, WIPO Director-General Kamil Idris presented the forum with a nine-point "digital agenda" outlining the agency's work in the area of e-commerce.

Some 700 participants from industry, government, interest groups and the media attended the event. We expect a wrap-up press release later this afternoon.

**New FAO Report on Global Food Outlook

The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) is issuing a new report, under embargo until tomorrow, on the global food outlook.

Available in the Spokesman’s Office is a note to correspondents on the report, which analyses the causes of food emergencies around the world.

**ICJ -- Croatia vs. Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

You may recall that in July, Croatia brought a case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia charging Belgrade with violations of the Convention against Genocide.

The ICJ today took a procedural decision with respect to deadlines for both sides to file documents in this case. You can pick up a press release with all the details in my office.

We also have another press release from the ICJ on deadlines for filing documents in a case brought jointly by Indonesia and Malaysia to the Court regarding sovereignty over two islands in the Celebes Sea.

**Treaties

Today, Argentina ratified the Ottawa landmine ban, bringing the number of parties to that treaty to 85.

Also, Lesotho ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which has 152 signatories and 45 parties.

**Press Conference To Discuss World Economic and Social Survey

At 12:30 p.m. today, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs will hold a press conference in room S-226 to discuss the United Nations World Economic and Social Survey. Guest speakers will include Ian Kinniburgh, Director of the Development and Policy Analysis Division, and Barry Herman, the main author of the survey.

**Question-and-Answer Session

Question: Could you explain security arrangements regarding the issuance of annually valid passes to correspondents?

Spokesman: Could we discuss this later together with the Security department? My Office does not issue those passes, so I am unclear as to what the procedure is.

Question: Is there a reaction from the Secretary-General on the reports that the Indonesian military would pull out when the multinational force comes in? Also, are we going to receive a readout on the results of the Australian/Indonesian meeting and the exact composition of the force?

Spokesman: On the first question, it is not our impression that the Indonesian military are pulling out of East Timor. As reported today, we noted the liquidation of the militia in Baucau which may be part of a general pattern throughout East Timor –- we are still unsure. However, the impression of General Rezaqul with whom I spoke earlier was that the Indonesian army is remaining.

With regards to your second question, although the Secretariat has participated in some of these discussions among the principals, they will have to speak themselves on what agreement they reached. But, we will be happy to ask them on your behalf if they would talk to you at the conclusion of their session today.

We are in a similar position on composition, I understand that Australia said yesterday that they would not themselves announce the composition of the force, they would let the individual troop contributors do so which is a bit unwieldy for journalists reporting on the composition. But, it is up to them and we will ask again on your behalf if they would change their minds and have a single focal point for information on the composition of this force. I don’t believe the Secretariat feels it is in a position to release this information unless the troop contributors authorize us to do so. And, to my knowledge, to this point, they have not.

Question: Are you under the impression that the militia seem to be melting away rather than face up to a properly armed force?

Spokesman: They don’t seem to be melting away, they seem to be marching sharply away in good formation and good order. The group in Baucau demonstrated to our military liaison officer who observed them a high degree of military discipline. Surprising, for a ragtag militia. It would certainly be helpful to the multinational force if these militia who committed all those atrocities would disappear from the scene and prevent any armed conflict between them. However, we are not sure that this is the situation in the remainder of East Timor. Also, the militia was very much in evidence around Dili today.

Question: How would the media report from Jakarta, stating that Indonesia had reneged on its security treaty of 1995 with Australia, affect the composition of the force?

Spokesman: I have not heard that discussed in this Building. I have to assume that Indonesia’s indication to us that they would accept Australia’s leadership of the force which has now been endorsed by the Security Council would not be changed, and that this is a purely bilateral matter which would have no effect on the multinational force.

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