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 Shirley Brownell, Spokeswoman for the President of the General Assembly, and Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

Briefing by the Spokeswoman for the General Assembly President

The General Assembly is today concluding a series of meetings devoted to the follow-up to the 1999 International Year of Older Persons. Twenty-eight speakers are inscribed. At two meetings yesterday, the Assembly heard 34 speakers. Assembly President Theo-Ben Gurirab is presiding.

The Assembly has before it a report of the Secretary-General entitled “International Year of Older Persons, 1999: activities and legacies” (A/54/268), and a draft resolution, (A/54/L.6), which now has 28 co-sponsors. The draft resolution will be introduced by the Dominican Republic, but will not be acted upon today.

This morning, the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) heard a sobering assessment of the Organization’s financial situation from Joseph Connor, the Under-Secretary-General for Management. “We are running a globally important Organization without the predictable and assured financial support of its Members”, Mr. Connor said. The Organization’s record for collecting assessments was not good, and unpaid assessments as of 30 September stood at $2,510 million for the regular budget, peacekeeping operations and the Tribunals. He concluded by saying, “In a word, our situation is this: The United Nations is running on empty… With many miles yet to travel”. Mr. Connor will brief correspondents in this room at 1 p.m.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan then addressed the Committee on the same subject. Fred Eckhard will tell you what he said.

For the Committee’s discussion on improving the financial situation of the United Nations, 26 speakers are inscribed, all of them Permanent Representatives.

The Committee was scheduled, time permitting, to continue general discussions on reports of the Secretary-General on the financing of two peacekeeping missions: the United Nations Angola Verification Mission (UNAVEM) and the United Nations Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA); and the United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observer Mission (UNIKOM). Yesterday, the Committee also began considering the financing of the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET). In other Committee action, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) this morning is continuing its debate, begun yesterday, on all decolonization items. It also heard a statement by a representative, and a petitioner, from the Non-Self-Governing Territory of Gibraltar.

Tomorrow morning, 6 October, the Assembly will take up the Secretary-General’s report on the work of the Organization (A/54/1). So far, 24 speakers are inscribed, but I’m told that the list is growing.

In the afternoon, the Assembly is scheduled to consider two items: 109, on the advancement of women, solely to take action on a draft resolution (A/54/L.4) entitled “Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women”, which was recommended for adoption by the Economic and Social Council; and item 37, on implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development. Documents on this item are: the report of the Secretary- General (A/54/220); the report of the Preparatory Committee for the Special Session of the General Assembly on the Implementation of the Outcome of the World Summit for Social Development and Further Initiatives (A/54/45 and Corr.1 and Add.1); and draft decisions (A/54/45 and Corr.1, par. 71, and A/54/45/Add.1, par. 6). As you know, the special session to review and appraise the implementation of the recommendations of the 1994 Social Summit will be held in Geneva next June.

Also tomorrow, the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) and Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) begin their substantive work.

Copies of the President’s appointments for today are available in room 378 and on the Internet.

Briefing by the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

Good afternoon. I would like to welcome Bernard Miyet, Under- Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, who is joining us today to discuss the Report of the Secretary-General on the Situation in East Timor.

**United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor

The Secretary General's report on East Timor, which was given to the Security Council late yesterday evening and should be available on the racks, we think, around 3 p.m. today. The Council is expected to take up the report during consultations on Thursday. The report describes the situation in the territory and outlines the functions, responsibilities and design of the proposed United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor. And the acronym will be (UNTAET). U-N-T- A-E-T. UNTAET.

The Secretary-General says the current situation in East Timor is critical -- no civil administration, no judiciary and court systems, essential utilities on the brink of collapse. These critical issues must be addressed urgently, "even before the full deployment of the UN Transitional Administration”.

In describing the proposed United Nations Transitional Administration, the document says that the transition to independence is envisaged to last two to three years and that UNTAET must have a robust mandate. The Mission will work in close consultation with the East Timorese and until elections are held advisory bodies will be established at all levels to ensure the participation of the East Timorese in the governance and administration of the Territory. The Mission will also focus on capacity-building as a means to build a cadre of well-trained East Timorese.

According to plans, UNTAET will be led by a Special Representative of the Secretary-General and will have three components: governance and public administration; humanitarian assistance and emergency rehabilitation and military.

UN police will be part of the governance and public administration component. The report proposes three international police units with a total strength of 1,640 officers.

The report also recommends the establishment of a military component consisting of two elements: the United Nations force which will be 8,950 strong and a Military Observer Group 200 strong. The total strength then of both elements is foreseen to be 9,150.

While noting that the budget for this phase of the operation will be presented in due course, the Secretary-General said that a trust fund needs to be established to cover the cost of rehabilitation of essential infrastructure, also the functioning of public services and utilities, as well as the salaries of local civil servants.

In his conclusions, the Secretary-General recommends that the Security Council approve the proposals in the report and authorize him "to take the necessary steps for the timely deployment of the various components of UNTAET”.

And so we will get back to that with Mr. Miyet in just a minute. Let me give you something on the humanitarian situation in East Timor.

**Food Distribution in East Timor

A massive food distribution operation got underway in Dili today organized by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and its partners. Enough rice was distributed to feed 70,000 people for 25 days. The current population of Dili is estimated to be roughly between 60,000 and 70,000 right now.

Reconnaissance flights continued. The United Nations flew over Liquica today and found somewhat less damage than had been anticipated. But there was a report of bodies in a well there and that will be investigated. The High Commissioner for Human Rights, you will recall, promised professional investigators would be sent to the area this week. The multinational force continues to expand it presence in the western parts of East Timor. No incidents were reported there. The eastern part of the island is described as stabilized.

Meanwhile in Dili, the United Nations has taken over the largest administrative building in town -– which used to house the offices of the Governor -– that is in preparation for the next phase of the United Nations operation in East Timor. The United Nations currently has 85 international staff in the territory.

**Return of Timorese Refugees

As the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) made preparations for the first return of Timorese who wish to go back to East Timor, it also expressed concern to the Governor of West Timor about the registration which started Monday by Indonesian authorities of the people from East Timor in camps in West Timor. Registration forms distributed asked the camp inhabitants if they wished to return to East Timor, whether they wanted to stay permanently or temporarily in West Timor, of if they want to join the Government’s transmigration program.

UNHCR told the Governor a secure environment may not exist now in some of the refugee sites and that that people may be unable to make a free and informed choice. The Governor played down UNHCR’s concerns and said the registration was meant to ensure that those who needed assistance would get it.

**Secretary-General Follows Humanitarian Situation in Caucasus

I have here the following statement attributable to a spokesman concerning the Caucasus: The Secretary-General is following closely and with concern the humanitarian situation in the northern Caucasus region of the Russian Federation. According to available estimates, more than 70,000 civilians have already been displaced. United Nations agencies are working closely with the authorities of the Russian Federation, and three consignments of food and non-food relief have already been sent to the region. The United Nations stands ready to cooperate in a rapid assessment of the humanitarian situation as soon as conditions permit.

Meanwhile, all non-food relief supplies delivered by the first UNHCR convoy to Nazran, Ingushetia, have been distributed. Food distributions will follow in the coming days. Displaced Chechens are staying in seven camps in the Sunzhensky, Malgobek and Nazran districts of Ingushetia.

The Russian Federal Migration Service said yesterday that there were now 87,000 displaced people in Ingushetia and 12,000 in Daghestan. Ingushetia’s President Aushev this morning said that the number of IDPs has passed 100,000.

**Central African Republic Announces Election Results

In a second statement: The Secretary-General has noted the announcement by the Constitutional Court of the Central African Republic of the results of the first round of the presidential election in that country. He wishes, once again, to acknowledge the peaceful and responsible manner in which the people of the Central African Republic have participated in this event. He hopes that the Government and opposition will find the best way to work together, in a spirit of national reconciliation, towards the consolidation of peace and development in the country.

And, added to that, more than 200 UN observers monitored the vote in the Central African Republic. The UN mission in Central African Republic, MINURCA, also assisted and briefed several hundred non-UN observers. During the vote, MINURCA troops were patrolling throughout the country in order to reassure voters and ensure a good and calm conduct of the elections. Today, the situation in Bangui is reported to be calm. The newly elected President will be sworn in the week after next.

**Security Council Briefed on Burundi

The Security Council is holding consultations this morning on Burundi. Kieran Prendergast, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, briefed Council members on the situation in that country.

Amidst fresh reports of a new surge of violations near Bujumbura, in Burundi, Mr. Prendergast highlighted the deteriorating humanitarian and security situation in the province of Bujumbura where repeated attacks and violent incidents involving killings, looting and destruction of property have forced 328,000 people out of their homes. That is roughly 75 per cent of the population of the province. Among them, as we reported to you last week, the army has forcibly resettled about 260,000 civilians in 30 “protected sites” some of them still inaccessible to humanitarian agencies either because of fighting or because of the lacks of roads.

**Secretary-General Speaks to Security Council

I think, as Shirley has mentioned already, this morning the Fifth Committee heard a sobering assessment of the Organization's financial situation from Joseph Connor, the Under-Secretary-General for Management. He is coming here to brief you at 1 p.m. in this room.

The Secretary-General took the floor after Mr. Connor spoke. He squarely addressed the fact that the UN is, in his words, "over- administered". The Secretariat is doing its part to resolve the problem, he said. For their part, Member States must address the over- administration that stems from a plethora of resolutions they adopt every year. He said, "We need to become a more results-based Organization, measuring our success not by fulfilling endless administrative requirements, but by responding effectively to real problems and the needs of real people."

The Secretary-General used the example of Kosovo to illustrate the Organization's financial difficulties. The Assembly only authorized $125 million of the $200 million the Secretary-General asked for to finance the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). To date, we have only received $35 million of the authorized amount. The Secretary-General pointed out that "this has meant an unfortunate slow start in financing a high-profile, high-stakes mission”.

He said that part of the answer lies in keeping reserve money in the Working Capital Fund of the Organization as well as the Peacekeeping Reserve Fund, but that will not solve the problem. "The only solution", he said, "is that all Member States must honour their legal and moral obligations under the Charter and pay their dues in full, on time and without conditions".

In the meantime, the Secretary-General asked the Assembly to consider temporarily suspending the provisions of the financial regulations that require the return of surpluses to the Member States. Although this would not answer our problems, he said, it would help to improve the chronic cash shortage.

Surpluses in this case refer to the results of the strengthening of the dollar that could generate a surplus which under the financial regulations would have to be returned to the Member States. If the dollar moves the other way, and we end up short, we send Member States an additional bill to cover the costs of the year.

**Bolivia and Romania Ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test ban Treaty

On the CTBT, Bolivia and Romania have just ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). That Treaty now has 50 parties and 154 signatories. It will enter into force six months after 44 countries listed in its second Annex have ratified it. These are the countries which have nuclear power or nuclear research facilities. So far, 25 of the 44 have ratified the Treaty.

Tomorrow, States parties to the Treaty will begin a two-day Conference in Vienna to discuss how to facilitate the CTBT's entry-into- force. The Conference is being convened by the Secretary-General in his capacity as the Depository of the Treaty, and the Deputy-Secretary- General will be there to open it.

We have press kits in our office with more information for those of you who might be interested.

**United Nations Correspondents Association to Screen Rare Video

My last item is a United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA) announcement, “Falun Gong: the Inside Story”, with rare footage from inside China and comments from Falun Gong founder, Li Hongzhi. This video offers context and background that the media has missed, says UNCA. You can see it tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. in the UNCA lounge.

Are there any questions before we go to Bernard Miyet?

**Question and Answer Session:

Question: If you had so much difficulty with the money for Kosovo, where is the money going to come from for Timor?

Spokesman: Very good question. I’ll let Bernard answer it.

Question: On the refugees moving from West Timor, one of the specific promises that President Habibie gave to Sadako Ogata was that he would not require the refugees to register with the Indonesian authorities. As you probably know, the few refugees who can speak openly in West Timor have said that if they a required to sign something saying that they want to go back to East Timor, they feel that they would be signing their own death warrant. I am wondering how concerned the Secretary-General is about it and if he is preparing to do anything at his level to talk to President Habibi about this?

Spokesman: I think what I expressed today was the concerns of Sadako Ogata who is overseeing the transfer of these people out of West Timor and into East Timor. The Secretary-General is leaving things in her hands for the moment and I don’t think he sees the need at this moment to step in personally.

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