DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
19991014The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Shirley Brownell, Spokeswoman for the President of the General Assembly, and Manoel de Almeida Silva, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
Briefing by Spokeswoman for General Assembly President
As we meet, the General Assembly is in the voting process to elect five non-permanent members of the Security Council. The candidates are: Bangladesh, Mali and Tunisia, endorsed for three African and Asian seats; Jamaica, endorsed for one Latin American and Caribbean seat; and Slovakia and Ukraine, neither of whom was endorsed, for one Eastern European seat. The election is by secret ballot, and a two-thirds majority of members present and voting is required to win a seat. Those elected will fill the seats that will be vacated on 1 January 2000 by Bahrain, Brazil, Gabon, Gambia and Slovenia.
As soon as the elections are concluded, the Spokesmans Office will have a handout listing the membership of the Council for 2000-2001.
Apart from the five permanent members, the Security Council will also include, in 2000, Argentina, Canada, Malaysia, Namibia and the Netherlands.
At the start of the meeting, the President of the Assembly, Theo-Ben Gurirab (Namibia), and the Deputy Secretary-General, Mme. Louise Fréchette, paid tribute to the memory of former President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Julius K. Nyerere, who died overnight in London, and to the memory of the three United Nations staff members who were killed this week in Kosovo and Burundi.
Speaking about President Nyerere, the Assembly President described him as a venerable world leader and one of Africas most charismatic and respected elder statesmen. He said the Tanzanian people had lost the father of the nation, the courageous leader of their independence struggle and the architect of the United Republic of Tanzania. The African people, as a whole, had lost an ardent pan-Africanist, a man of high principles, a man of self-abnegation and the champion of Africas self-determination, liberation and independence. Copies of the Presidents statement are available in room S-378.
Concerning the deaths of three United Nations staff members, the President said that, once again, United Nations staff members had paid the ultimate price in the line of duty, sacrificing their lives while serving the cause of peace. The deaths of Valentin Krumov in Kosovo, and Luis Zuniga and Saska von Meijenfeldt in Burundi, underscored the often difficult and dangerous conditions under which United Nations personnel served. The President strongly condemned these wanton acts of brutality against peacemakers and peaceworkers, and called on the international community to assist the United Nations to further intensify public education with a view to putting an end to the loss of innocent lives. On behalf of the General Assembly, he extended deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved families and friends of those who lost their lives in the cause of peace. Copies of the Presidents statement are available in room S-378. Manoel will report to you on the statement by Deputy Secretary-General Fréchette.
Following the statements, the Assembly observed a minute of silence in memory of those who lost their lives in the line of duty.
In Committee action, at two meetings today, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) is continuing its general debate on all disarmament and international security agenda items, hearing a total of 15 speakers.
This afternoon, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) is concluding its general discussion of the items on advancement of women, and implementation of the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women. Under the item on social development, the Committee will take action on a draft resolution entitled policies and programmes for youth (document A/C.3/54/L.2), recommended for Assembly adoption by the Economic and Social Council, as orally amended by Portugal. Under the text, the Assembly would take note of the Youth Forum held in Portugal in 1998, and would recommend that the Second World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth be organized under the aegis of the United Nations. Tomorrow, the Committee begins discussing crime prevention and criminal justice, and international drug control. Pino Arlacchi, Director- General of the United Nations Office at Vienna and Executive Director of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme, will address the Committee.
The Sixth Committee (Legal) is this morning continuing its consideration of the report of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization (document A/54/33). It also has before it a report of the Secretary-General on implementing Charter provisions dealing with assistance to third States affected by the application of sanctions (document A/54/383).
Copies of the Assembly Presidents appointments for today are available in room S-378 and on the Internet. This evening, he will attend a dinner in his honour, hosted by the Permanent Representative of Algeria, Abdallah Baali.
Briefing by Deputy Spokesman for Secretary-General
Good afternoon. Let me start today with some good news for a change.
**Four United Nations Hostages Released in Georgia
Four of the seven personnel from the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) have been released.
Three military observers -- from Uruguay, Czech Republic and Switzerland -- and the German medical officer were picked up by a Georgian helicopter in the village of Ajara. They are en route to Sukhumi.
We were told that the four are apparently in good condition. We have no further details except to say that negotiations -- which were handled by the Georgians -- are still ongoing for the remaining three hostages.
And just to remind you, the remaining three hostages are two military observers, one from Greece and the other from Sweden, and the interpreter. **Nyerere was Teacher to Us All, Deputy Secretary-General Says
Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette paid homage to Julius Nyerere today at the outset of her remarks to the General Assembly. She called him one of the giants of the twentieth century African liberation movement.
"He was 'Mwalimu' or 'Teacher' to us all", she said, "and his death takes from us a good friend and a tireless supporter of the United Nations."
The Secretary-General is flying as we speak, but he will make a statement to the press, expressing his reactions to President Nyerere's death. He has a stopover in London, so he may make the statement there in a few moments, or he may do it here in New York later on this evening.
[The Secretary-General spoke to the press at London Airport, and a statement was issued separately as Press Release SG/SM/7179.]
**UNICEF Says Nyerere Never Abandoned Purpose, Vision
Continuing with reactions to President Nyerere's death from within the United Nations system, there is a statement from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), which calls this "one of those moments which make time stand still. It's not just the riveting end of an era; it's the silencing of a voice which, uninterrupted for five decades, never abandoned principle, never abandoned purpose, never abandoned vision."
But for UNICEF, one achievement stands out beyond all others. Julius Nyerere managed to forge a country which transcended ethnicity. Every citizen was and is Tanzanian first. When you recognize that so many of the surrounding nation States are riven by horrendous ethnic and tribal division, what Nyerere accomplished seems almost miraculous.
The full text of the UNICEF press release is available upstairs.
**General Assembly Has Moment of Silence for Slain UN Staffers
After her remarks this morning on President Nyerere's death, the Deputy Secretary-General and the General Assembly, as Shirley just mentioned, had a moment of silence in memory of those staff who recently lost their lives while serving with the United Nations.
Addressing the issue of staff security, the Deputy Secretary-General said that "United Nations staff have become moving targets". "This is not only wrong, it is depriving the international community of a precious tool with which to relieve the suffering caused by war and humanitarian emergencies."
She emphasized that improved security is not a luxury. It should be viewed -- as it would be in any private firm -- as an essential operating cost. She pointed out that States are willing to send unarmed citizens into places where they would not send well-armed soldiers.
"If we fail to act", the Deputy Secretary-General warned, "there will be more family and friends who will mourn tomorrow, and the day after that."
Copies of her speech are available in our Office.
**Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs to Meet with Burundian High Officials
Following the murder of two United Nations humanitarian workers in Burundi two days ago, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Sergio Vieira de Mello, suspended his eight-day tour of East Africa and travelled today to Bujumbura. During the course of today, he is scheduled to meet with the Burundian President, the Ministers for Foreign Affairs and the Interior; representatives of United Nations agencies, donors and non-governmental organizations based in the country.
The main issues to be addressed during his stay include the need to halt the forced displacement of populations and establish conditions for their immediate return to their homes; and the need for the adoption of urgent measures to guarantee the safety of humanitarian personnel operating in Burundi.
He will also highlight the impact of the murder of the two United Nations relief workers on efforts to reverse the poor response to the Consolidated Appeal Process for Burundi 22 per cent funded -- and on the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
**Secretary-General Expresses Regret over US Senate's Negative Vote on CTBT
I now have a statement attributable to the Spokesman on the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban-Treaty (CTBT): The Secretary-General has learned with regret of the negative vote of the Senate of the United States on the ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
Both as Secretary-General of the United Nations and in his capacity as Depositary of the Treaty, he has consistently appealed to Member States who have not done so to sign and ratify the Treaty in order that this important norm against nuclear proliferation and the further development of nuclear weapons should enter into force and become part of international law.
Participants in the Conference for Facilitating the Entry into Force of the CTBT issued a Declaration in Vienna on 8 October reaffirming the importance of a universal and internationally and effectively verifiable comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty.
The Secretary-General reaffirms this goal in view of its importance in maintaining the nuclear non-proliferation regime and progress towards nuclear disarmament.
**Secretary-General Welcomes Successful First Meeting of Joint Military Commission
I have another statement attributable to the Spokesman regarding the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is a long statement of which I will read only a portion here, but you can get the full text upstairs in our Office.
The Secretary-General welcomes the successful holding of the first full meeting of the Joint Military Commission in Kampala on 11 and 12 October, with the participation of a United Nations delegation headed by his Representative for the Great lakes Region, Berhanu Dinka, and including the Officer-in-Charge of the United Nations Observer Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), Colonel James Ellery.
The Secretary-General is encouraged that the representatives of the parties to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have extended guarantees, in writing, of security for United Nations personnel and property deployed there. The United Nations looks forward to working with them towards a restoration of peace in that country.
The security guarantees given at Kampala will allow the United Nations to proceed with the deployment of military liaison officers and civilian personnel to rear and field headquarters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the early dispatch of a technical survey team which will review conditions on the ground. Following the assessment by the technical survey team, the Secretary- General will submit a report to the Security Council concerning an enlarged presence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is hoped that, subject to authorization by the Security Council, this will lead to the deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping operation.
**Sudan Extends Ceasefire
I have another statement here attributable to the Spokesman. It is on the Sudan. The Secretary-General welcomes the decision of the Government of the Sudan, on 12 October, to extend the ceasefire, which was due to expire on 15 October, for an additional three months. He also welcomes the announcement by the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement/Sudan Peoples Liberation Army yesterday to continue the humanitarian ceasefire in Bahr el Ghazal, Western Upper Nile and Central Upper Nile for the same period.
The Secretary-General urges the parties to the conflict to redouble their efforts to secure a comprehensive and lasting peace, in the context of the forthcoming Intergovrnmental Authority on Development discussions.
**Secretary-General Concludes Visit to United Nations Mission in Kosovo
Now, some news on the Secretary-General's second and final day in Pristina. He began the day by going to Pec, about 80 kilometres west of Pristina, which was more than half destroyed in the fighting.
There, he met with the United Nations administrators of Kosovo's five regions, who briefed him on progress and problems. Their principal concern was the lack of money to pay the local civil service. Doctors, teachers and fire- fighters were leaving to go into the private sector. They reported progress in forming multi-ethnic interim municipal councils, but movement was slow in integrating schools and communities. International civilian police were getting up to strength, and tomorrow would take over from the Kosovo Force (KFOR) in the municipality of Prizren.
The Secretary-General then did a walking tour of the devastated centre of the city, including a visit to a burned-out fifteenth century mosque. He witnessed the rebuilding of homes under the winterization programme of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). He also visited a primary school on its opening day, that had been repaired by the European Community Humanitarian Office and furnished by UNICEF.
He told the nearly 2,000 students there: "You are going to be the leaders of the twenty-first century." "Good luck, get on with it, study hard, play hard and listen to your parents."
Returning to Pristina, the Secretary-General gave a press conference, the text of which we are receiving in stages. As soon as we have a complete transcript, we will announce it to you and it will be available in our Office. In his opening statement at that press conference, he said, "I saw for myself life in the streets, and the shops, which have been opened, and people rebuilding their lives. For me ... it was almost like a miracle of return and rebirth."
He also said, "I saw a group of people determined to rebuild their lives. But this is not just a matter of bricks and mortar. I hope we can also take into consideration democracy, good governance, human rights and eventually reconciliation and justice. We have made great strides, but we have a lot to do."
After that, he had a private luncheon with his Special Representative, Bernard Kouchner. He then left Pristina for New York, with a stopover in London.
**Indonesian Task Force to Arrive in Dili
The Secretary-General's Special Representative for East Timor, Ian Martin, announced in a press conference this morning that an Indonesian task force would be arriving in Dili today to look at transitional issues.
He also said that, as of yesterday, there were 177 international personnel in the Territory, with 10 more civilian police arriving today. He also said, "Yesterday, our presence in Liquica became a continuous one, and today the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) presence in Viqueque will become a continuous one, as well." He said assessments had been carried out in Suai and Manatuto, which would soon lead to UNAMET presence in those two towns.
We have the full transcript of his press conference available in our Office.
**Indonesia Agrees to Grant Unimpeded Access to Refugees in West Timor
The UNHCR announced today that Indonesia has formally agreed to grant the agency free and unimpeded access to refugees across West Timor. Currently, there are some 230,000 East Timorese living in squalid makeshift refugee camps in West Timor.
More details are available in the UNHCR briefing notes, which we have upstairs.
**Voluntary Return of East Timorese Announced
At the daily press briefing in Darwin, it was announced today that the UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have begun the voluntary return of East Timorese living in Surabaya, Jakarta and Denpasar. A flight left Jakarta today carrying 302 East Timorese residents into Baucau.
Up to 6,000 East Timorese living in Indonesia are expected to be transported back to the Territory in the coming days.
**UNICEF Begins Vaccination Campaign in Dili
The UNICEF will begin a measles vaccination campaign next Tuesday (19 October) for 15,000 children under the age of five, throughout five centres in Dili.
**Security Council
There are no Security Council consultations or meetings scheduled for today or tomorrow.
**Criminal Tribunal to Offer Forensic Experts for UNMIK Investigation
Yesterday, a spokesman for the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia told reporters at The Hague that the Tribunal would offer the services of its forensic medical experts, if required, for the ongoing UNMIK criminal investigation into Monday's murder of United Nations staff member Valentin Krumov.
The spokesman also announced that five forensic investigation teams comprising 68 investigators were in Kosovo investigating mass graves and scenes of war crimes on behalf of the Tribunal. The teams were from the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Canada and Austria, with the Danes scheduled to leave today and a Swedish team expected to arrive on Friday.
You can read more in the Tribunal briefing notes, available in our Office.
**800 Million in Developing World Go to Bed Hungry, Report Says
Every night, almost 800 million people in the developing world go to sleep hungry, according to a major new report released today by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).
The State of Food Insecurity, which was launched in London, notes that there has been an average decrease of 8 million undernourished people in the developing world each year, but this is not enough. Meanwhile, another 34 million people in developed countries are undernourished. Most of them are in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, with 8 million in other countries.
You can read more in the FAO press release in our Office. We're expecting copies of the report and we will make them available to you as soon as we get them, but in the meantime, you can find it on the FAA home page (www.fao.org/FOCUS/E/DEFAULT.HTM).
**Meeting Announcement
There will be a meeting tomorrow, convened by the Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women, along with the Chairperson of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, and for representatives of States which have not yet ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
A list of those States is available on the racks.
You are all invited to attend Friday's meeting, which will begin at 10 a.m. in Conference Room D.
**Journalist to Give Briefing on Globalization
Still on the subject of meetings, your fellow journalist Thomas Friedman, the Foreign Affairs Columnist of The New York Times, will give a briefing today on globalization, followed by an interactive period of questions and answers.
The event, organized by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, will take place from 3 to 4 p.m. in Conference Room 2. You are all invited to attend.
**Payments
We have received two payments today towards this year's regular budget -- one from Bolivia for over $72,000, and one from the Gambia for over $10,000.
This brings to 108 the total number of Member States paid in full for 1999.
**Press Conference on Balkan Task Force Results
And finally, tomorrow's press conference will be here in this room at 11:15 a.m. The conference will be given by Pekka Haavisto, Chairman of the Joint United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat)/UNEP Balkans Task Force. He will be discussing the main conclusions of the Task Force's final report, "The Kosovo Conflict -- Consequences for the Environment and Human Settlements".
A press release highlighting the report's findings is available on the racks. For those interested in advance copies of the report, you may contact the UNEP New York office at 963-8094.
That's all I have. Do you have any questions?
**Questions and Answers
Question: About the hostages in Georgia, what were the original demands of the hostage-takers? Is the reason that some of the hostages were released because some of those demands were met?
Answer: I'm sorry. I will not be discussing any details of the hostage situation other than what we said yesterday and the great news we gave you today.
Question: About the civil service in Pristina, what are some of the groups that are leaving for the private sector and what are their concerns?
Answer: The three categories of civil servants that are leaving are doctors, teachers and fire-fighters. But the main concern is the issue of the money to pay them. The concern is that starting with the third round of payments in December, UNMIK is anticipating a shortfall of some 1.45 million deutsche marks for salaries. That amount is expected to jump to close to 11 million DM in the following round of payments. That is the concern.
Question: What will be the future of the CTBT after the negative vote by the United States Senate?
Answer: As you know, in order for the CTBT to enter into force, it has to be ratified by all 44 nuclear States. Three of them have not signed or ratified yet -- the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, India and Pakistan. There are some others that have signed, but not yet ratified. We would hope that States that have not ratified will do so following whichever domestic internal procedures they have to follow, so that ratification can take place as soon as possible.
Question: What was the nationality of the translator still held hostage in Georgia?
Answer: I will check on that for you, Ok?
Question: Did you mention that while Under-Secretary-General de Mello is in Burundi, help would not be forthcoming because of what is happening there now?
Answer: He is saying that the killings have an impact on what is already the bad performance of donor countries. It's obvious that that has an impact. If the host country, which is supposed to guarantee the security of United Nations personnel that are invited to be there, cannot provide that security, that certainly has an impact on the response to appeals. But he is not saying that the appeals get a bad response because of that. What he is saying is that it certainly may have a negative impact on the response - unfortunately, this is yet another element for something that already has a very bad response.
Question: On Angola, it seems that National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) is going to provide some proof of the allegations you spoke about yesterday. Is the United Nations going to do an investigation into the veracity of these allegations?
Answer: This is the first time I'm hearing about UNITA providing proof, so I will have to find out more on that for you.
Are there any more questions? Thank you so much.
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**Sudan Extends Ceasefire
I have another statement here attributable to the Spokesman. It is on the Sudan. The Secretary-General welcomes the decision of the Government of the Sudan, on 12 October, to extend the cease-fire, which was due to expire on 15 October, for an additional three months. He also welcomes the announcement by the SPLM/SPLA yesterday to continue the humanitarian cease-fire in Bahr el Ghazal, Western Upper Nile and Central Upper Nile for the same period.
The Secretary-General urges the parties to the conflict to redouble their efforts to secure a comprehensive and lasting peace, in the context of the forthcoming IGAD discussions.
**Secretary-General Concludes Visit to United Nations Mission in Kosovo
Now, some news on the Secretary-General's second and final day in Pristina. He began the day by going to Pec, about 80 kilometres west of Pristina, which was more than half destroyed in the fighting.
He met with the United Nations administers of Kosovo's five regions, who briefed him on progress and problems. Their principle concern was the lack of money to pay the local civil service. Doctors, teachers and fire fighters were leaving to go into the private sector. They reported progress in forming multi- ethnic interim municipal councils, but movement was slow in integrating schools and communities. International civilian police were getting up to strength, and tomorrow would take over from KFOR in the municipality of Prizren.
The Secretary-General then did a walking tour of the devastated centre of the city, including a visit to a burned out 15th Century mosque. He witnesses the rebuilding of homes under UNHCR's winterization programme. He also visited a primary school on its opening day that had been repaired by the European Community Humanitarian office (ECHO) and furnished by UNICEF.
He told the nearly 2000 students there: "You are going to be the leaders of the 21st Century." "Good luck, get on with it, study hard play hard and listen to your parents."
Returning to Pristina, the Secretary-General gave a press conference, the text of which we are receiving in stages and as soon as we have a complete transcript, we will announce it to you and it will be available in our office. In his opening statement at that press conference he said, " saw for myself life in the streets, and the shops, which have been opened, and people rebuilding their lives. For me it was almost like a miracle of return and rebirth."
He also said, "I saw a group of people determined to rebuild their lives. But this is not just a matter of bricks and mortar. I hope we can also take into consideration democracy, good governance, human rights and eventually reconciliation and justice. We have made great strides, but we have a lot to do."
After that, he had a private luncheon with his Special Representative, Bernard Kouchner. He then left Pristina for New York with a stop over in London.
**Indonesian Task Force to Arrive in Dili
The Secretary-General's Special Representative for East Timor, Ian Martin, announced in a press conference this morning, that an Indonesian Task Force would be arriving in Dili today to look at transitional issues.
He also said that as of yesterday, he said that there were 177 international personnel in the Territory, with ten more civilian police arriving today. He also said, "Yesterday, our presence in Liquica became a continuous one, and today UNAMET presence in Viqueque will become a continuous one as well." He said assessments had been carried out in Suai and Manatuto, which would soon lead to UNAMET presence in those two towns.
We have the full transcript of his press conference available in our office.
**Indonesia Agrees to Grant Unimpeded Access to Refugees in West Timor
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced today that Indonesia has formally agreed to grant the agency free and unimpeded access to refugees across West Timor. Currently, there are some 230,000 East Timorese living in squalid makeshift refugee camps in West Timor.
More details are available in the UNHCR briefing notes, which we have upstairs.
**Voluntary Return of East Timorese Announced
From the daily press briefing in Darwin, it was announced today that UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have begun the voluntary return of East Timorese living in Surabaya, Jakarta and Denpasar. A flight left Jakarta today carrying 302 East Timorese residents into Baucau.
Up to 6,000 East Timorese living in Indonesia are expected to be transported back to the Territory in the coming days.
**UNICEF Begins Vaccination Campaign in Dili
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) will begin a measles vaccination campaign next Tuesday (October 19th) for 15,000 children under the age of 5, throughout five centers in Dili.
**Security Council
As you may have noticed in the Journal, there are no Security Council consultations of meetings scheduled for today or tomorrow.
**Criminal Tribunal to Offer Forensic Experts for UNMIK Investigation
Yesterday, a spokesman for the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia told reporters at The Hague, that the Tribunal would offer the services of its forensic medical experts if required for the ongoing UNMIK criminal investigation into Monday's murder of UN staff member Valentin Krumov.
The spokesman also announced that five forensic investigation teams comprising 68 investigators were in Kosovo investigating mass graves and scenes of war crimes on behalf of the Tribunal. The teams were from the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Canada, and Austria, with the Danes scheduled to leave today and a Swedish team expected to arrive on Friday.
You can read more in the Tribunal briefing notes, available in our office.
**800 Million in Developing World Go to Bed Hungry, Report Says
Every night, almost 800 million people in the developing world go to sleep hungry, according to a major new report released today by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).
The State of Food Insecurity, which was launched in London, notes that there has been an average decrease of 8 million undernourished people in the developing world each year, but this is not enough. Meanwhile, another 34 million people in developed countries are undernourished. Most of them are in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, with 8 million in other countries.
You can read more in an FAO press release in our office. We're expecting copies of the report and we will make them available to you as soon as we get them, but in the meantime, you can find it on the FAA home page (.
**Meeting Announcement
There will be a meeting tomorrow convened by the Secretary-General's Special Advisor on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women, along with the Chairperson of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, for representatives of States which have not yet ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
A list of those States is available on the racks.
You are all invited to attend Friday's meeting, which will begin at 10 a.m. in Conference Room D.
**Journalist to give briefing on Globalization
Still on the subject of meetings, your fellow journalist Thomas Friedman, the Foreign Affairs Columnist of The New York Times, will give a briefing today on globalization followed by an interactive period of questions and answers.
The event, organized by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, will take place from 3 to 4 p.m. in Conference Room 2. You are all invited to attend.
**Payments
We have received two payments today towards this year's regular budget -- one from Bolivia for over $72,000 and one from Gambia for over $10,000.
This brings to 108 the total number of Member States paid in full for 1999.
**Press Conference on Balkan Task Force Results
And finally, tomorrow's press conference will be here in this room at 11:15 a.m. The conference will be given by Pekka Haavisto, Chairman of the Joint United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) (UNHEP) Balkans Task Force. He will be discussing the main conclusions of the Task Force's final report, "The Kosovo Conflict--Consequences for the Environment and Human Settlements".
A press release highlighting the report's findings is available on the racks. For those interested in advance copies of the report, you may contact the UNEP New York office at 963-8094.
That's all I have. Do you have any questions? I'm sorry this was such a long briefing.
**Questions and Answers
Question: About the hostages in Georgia, what were the original demands of the hostage-takers? Is the reason that some of the hostages were released because some of those demands were met?
Answer: I'm sorry. I will not be discussing any details of the hostage situation other than what we said yesterday and the great news we gave you today.
Question: About the civil service in Pristina, what are some of the groups that are leaving for the private sector and what are their concerns?
Answer: The three categories of the civil servants that are leaving are doctors, teachers and fire fighters. But the main concern is the issue of the money to pay them. The concern is that starting the third round of payments in December, UNMIK is anticipating a shortfall of some 1.45 million deuschmarcs for salaries. That amount is expected to jump to close to 11 million in the following round of payments. That is the concern. Question: What will be the future of the CTBT after the negative vote by the US Senate?
Answer: As you know, in order for the CTBT to enter into force, it has to be ratified by all 44 nuclear states. Three of them have not signed or ratified yet--the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, India and Pakistan. There are some others that have signed but not yet ratified. We would hope that the states that have not ratified will do so following whichever domestic internal procedures they have to follow so that ratification can take place as soon as possible.
Question: What was the nationality of the translator still held hostage in Georgia?
Answer: I will check on that for you, ok.
Question: De Mello admitted that the poor showing of humanitarian aid in Africa was due in part to racial attitudes of certain donor countries, is he saying something different now that he is in Burundi?
Answer: I can not comment on that. I hear what you're saying, but since I didn't hear his statement, and I know that there is often confusion in interpretation I won't comment on that.
Question: Did you mention that while he is in Burundi, that help would not be forthcoming because of what is happening there now?
Answer: He is saying that the killings have an impact on what is already the bad performance of donor countries. It's obvious that that has an impact. If the host country, which is supposed to guarantee the security of United Nations personnel that are invited to be there, cannot provide that security, that certainly has an impact on the response to appeals. But he is not saying that the appeals get a bad response because of that. What he is saying is that it certainly may have a negative impact on the response-- unfortunately this is yet another element for something that already has a very bad response.
Question: On Angola, it seems that UNITA is going to provide some proof of the allegations you spoke about yesterday. Is the United Nations going to do an investigation into the veracity of these allegations?
Answer: This is the first time I'm hearing about UNITA providing proof, so I will have to find out more on that for you.
Are there any more questions? Thank you so much.
* *** *