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 Spokeswoman of General Assembly President

The next plenary meeting will be on Wednesday, 20 October, when the Assembly takes up the report of the Security Council (A/54/2). So far, there are 37 speakers inscribed on the list.

The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) will hear 11 speakers this afternoon, including Australia, in its capacity as President of the Conference on Disarmament, and Sri Lanka, in its capacity as Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Indian Ocean, as it continues its general debate on all disarmament and international security agenda items. That debate concludes on Wednesday.

Also this afternoon, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) continues its discussion, begun on Friday, of crime prevention and criminal justice, and international drug control. It has before it draft resolutions, recommended by the Economic and Social Council on: the Tenth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (Vienna, 10-17 April 2000) (A/C.3/54/L.3); a “Draft United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the draft protocols thereto” (A/C.3/54/L.4); activities of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Elaboration of a Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (A/C.3/54/L.5); on action against corruption (A/C.3/54/L.6); and a draft resolution containing an “Action Plan for the Implementation of the Declaration on the Guiding Principles of Drug Demand Reduction (A/C.3/54/L.7). The Action Plan sets out 16 objectives to guide Member States in implementing the Declaration.

A draft resolution on implementation of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons: towards a society for all in the twenty-first century (A/C.3/54/L.9) will be introduced. Among its provisions, the Assembly would encourage governments, non-governmental organizations and the private sector to take concrete measures to further equalize opportunities for persons with disabilities by focusing on accessibility, social services and safety nets, and training and employment in the design and implementation of strategies, policies and programmes to promote a more inclusive society.

As for the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization), this morning it began a comprehensive review of the whole question of peacekeeping operations in all their aspects. It has before it the report of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (A/54/87) and one by the Secretary-General on enhancement of African peacekeeping capacity (A/54/63- S/1999/171), as well as a five-Power draft resolution (A/C.4/54/L.2).

Opening the discussion, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Bernard Miyet, said recent events had dramatically reaffirmed the central role of United Nations peacekeeping within the international community’s wider efforts to advance peace. There were now 18 peacekeeping operations under way. Approximately 14,000 troops, military observers and civilian police were serving in the field. They were taking on new, often unprecedented tasks. Depending upon the decisions of the international community, he said the deployment of 6,000 peacekeepers in Sierra Leone, of 9,000 to 10,000 troops and civilian police in East Timor and of hundreds of civilian administrators could mean that the total number of peacekeepers would more than double within the next six months. These new operations would draw upon many skills that had not traditionally formed part of peacekeeping operations, including judges and prosecutors, civil engineers and civilian administrators.

Concluding, Mr. Miyet said that as we prepare to enter a new millennium, it was clear that United Nations peacekeeping would continue to be a key element in the international community’s efforts to maintain peace and security. “A strong partnership between the Secretariat and Member States is key, if we are to successfully seize this opportunity. This partnership is crucial to ensuring that mandates are feasible, consistent and fully supported”.

The Special Committee says in its report that peacekeeping operations should not be used as a substitute for addressing the root causes of conflict. Rather, those causes should be addressed in a coherent, well-planned, coordinated manner with political, social and developmental instruments. It calls for improved consultations between troop-contributing countries and the Security Council, and recommends measures for enhancing the capacity of the United Nations for peacekeeping in such areas as personnel; organization, planning and coordination; status-of-forces agreements; safety and security of United Nations and associated personnel; training; civilian police; standby arrangements and rapid deployment. The report also comments on cooperation with regional arrangements, and recommends ways to improve the Special Committee’s relationship with the General Assembly.

On enhancing African peacekeeping capacity, the Secretary-General reports that current efforts included close cooperation with the Organization of African Unity and subregional organizations. In addition, the United Nations standby arrangements system had proved to be a useful tool to coordinate needs and resources and facilitate the establishment of partnerships between troop contributors and those countries that provide equipment and other support. The Secretary-General observes that further progress in enhancing African peacekeeping capacity is only possible with the determination of the African States themselves, but adds that support from non-African Member States will continue to play a crucial role. The political will that has been manifested should now be translated into practical action, he says. This would require a readiness to share information and expertise; the strengthening of ongoing political support, which might include support for deployment, when appropriate, of United Nations peacekeeping operations in Africa; the strengthening of training for peacekeeping; and the allocation of adequate logistical and financial resources.

Under the draft resolution, the Assembly would endorse the proposals, recommendations and conclusions of the Special Committee, contained in paragraphs 43 to 130 of its report, and would urge their implementation by Member States, the Secretariat and relevant organs of the United Nations.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) is scheduled, this afternoon, to discuss the pattern of conferences and the scale of assessments for apportioning the expenses of the United Nations. The report of the Committee on Conferences (A/54/32) contains recommendations about the calendar of meetings for 2000-2001, the utilization of conference-servicing resources, documentation, United Nations Web sites and the optical disk system. It also comments on the various reports prepared by the Secretary-General on the interpretation facilities and services at other United Nations Headquarters.

In its report (A/54/11), the Committee on Contributions discusses, in depth, the application of Article 19 of the Charter, under which Member States’ voting privileges are suspended in the General Assembly for non-payment of arrears. Among related topics the Committee is studying are: the possibilities for tightening the application of Article 19; the possible indexing of arrears; and restricting access for Member States in arrears to recruitment and procurement opportunities offered by the Organization.

At two meetings today, the Sixth Committee (Legal) is discussing the Secretary-General’s report on the 1990-1999 United Nations Decade of International Law. An all-day commemorative meeting to mark the conclusion of the Decade will be held on Wednesday, 17 November. Much of the report (A/54/362) is an analytical presentation of information received from Member States and international organizations on activities they have undertaken in connection with the Decade. The report also outlines United Nations activities relating to the progressive development of international law and its codification in the areas of human rights, disarmament, outer space, economic development, international trade, crime prevention and criminal justice, the environment and the law of the sea as well as the work of United Nations intergovernmental legal bodies. On Wednesday, 20 October, the Committee turns its attention to the item on the establishment of an international criminal court.

As for the appointments of Assembly President Theo-Ben Gurirab, this morning he signed the book of condolence at the Permanent Mission of the United Republic of Tanzania to the United Nations, in memory of the late President Julius K. Nyerere who died on 14 October.

Briefing by Spokesman for Secretary-General

Thank you.

**Secretary-General Signs Condolence Book for Nyerere

The Permanent Mission of the United Republic of Tanzania has organized a condolence book for former President Julius "Mwalimu" Nyerere, who passed away last week.

The Secretary-General, who regarded President Nyerere as one of the giants of the twentieth-century African liberation movement and a lifelong supporter of the United Nations, will sign the book this afternoon at 2:30.

Ambassadors, local Tanzanians and United Nations staff have all come to sign the book at the Permanent Mission of Tanzania, which is located at 205 East 42nd Street, to be precise. It will remain open for signature until tomorrow for anyone who wants to participate.

On the same subject, we have in our office copies of a letter of condolence from the President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda to the President of Tanzania.

**Special Envoy to Brief Security Council on Afghanistan

The Security Council is meeting in consultations this morning on Afghanistan.

The Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi is briefing Council members on the latest political and military situation and the future prospects for United Nations peace-making activities in that war- torn country.

As you recall, in his most recent report on Afghanistan to the Security Council dated 21 September, the Secretary-General called for a review of the United Nations approach regarding the Afghan conflict.

Also today on Afghanistan, available on the racks is a General Assembly report on humanitarian assistance to that country.

**Humanitarian Situation in West Timor of 'Grave Concern', UNAMET Says

The United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) informed us today that from the western part of the territory there are reports that some five thousand to six thousand East Timorese who were in West Timor are walking back to East Timor heading to the Maliana region. As of today some of them had already crossed at the border town of Memo.

The humanitarian situation in the western part of the territory is of grave concern. In Maliana, for example, some 95 per cent of buildings have been destroyed and the infrastructure has been dilapidated -- no electricity and very limited fresh water. In addition to INTERFET, the multinational military force there, there is a small international presence consisting mostly of UNAMET members, representatives of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), World Food Program (WFP) and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). A humanitarian convoy goes to Maliana tomorrow with food and non-food items.

**UNHCR Reports Growing Danger of Skin Problems, Malaria in Suai

UNHCR reports that in the western coastal town of Suai there is a growing danger of skin problems and malaria. In an aerial reconnaissance today, UNAMET saw some 4,000 returnees in town. The United Nations and NGOs are rushing humanitarian supplies to Suai while looking for facilities to enable the permanent presence of their staff in the town. Suai only has 3 buildings left standing that could be considered for this purpose.

**East Timorese Repatriation Picks Up Momentum

And returns from West Timor are picking up momentum. Apart from those walking, that we described to you, some 2,686 East Timorese have been repatriated to Dili by plane. Another 933 have been flown back from Jakarta by International Organization for Migration (IOM). The first repatriation by boat is expected to take place tomorrow.

**Special Representative Returns to Dili

Meanwhile, Ian Martin, the Special Representative of the Secretary- General, returned to Dili this afternoon, after holding a series of meetings in Darwin over the weekend.

**Indonesian Task Force Holds Weekend Talks with UN Officials in Dil1

Also in Dili, the Indonesian Task Force for Post Popular Consultation of East Timor arrived in the East Timorese capital over the weekend. The group, headed by Ambassador Taufik Soedarbo, held preliminary talks with senior officials from UNAMET and the military multinational force. Today, members of the Task Force took a tour of Dili with United Nations officials.

**UN Police Tackle Stolen Vehicle Problem in Kosovo

United Nations police in Kosovo tackled the problem of stolen vehicles by doing spot checks, which took place on Friday night and Saturday. Of 90 vehicles stopped, three were found to be stolen, including a brand new Mercedes. They made three arrests.

**Planning for Registration of Citizens Continues in Kosovo

Planning is continuing for registration of the population. Over 50 United Nations volunteers began a three-day training programme today. The plan is to set up 120 registration centres around Kosovo to register everyone from age zero up. The data will be used as the basis for a census. People aged 16 and above will be issued ID cards, and a voting list will be compiled for elections from this same database.

But don't hold your breath for the registration to begin. A shortage of funds to buy the necessary computers and cameras means there is no date yet for the process to begin.

We have the press briefing notes from Pristina for more details, and we also have on the racks today, the monthly report on KFOR operations, which is transmitted to the Security Council by the Secretary-General.

**Secretary General Meets with Special Representative-Designate for Georgia

You will see on the Secretary-General's appointments for today that he met at 11:30 with Dr. Dieter Boden, who is identified as the Special Representative-designate for Georgia. In fact, the letter informing the Security Council of the Secretary-General's intention to appoint Dr. Boden, is on its way to the Council now.

We have copies of Dr. Boden's bio in my office.

**Secretary-General's Reports on OIOS out Today

There are two reports of the Secretary-General on the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS).

One is a report on the audit of the management of service and ration contracts on peacekeeping operations. The report says that there has been a general trend to move towards large-scale contracts for the provision of support services and rations, a trend it described as an economical and efficient way of supporting missions. The OIOS review of six service contracts in five missions found that contract management needed to be improved.

The other is a review of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which concludes that the streamlining and reorganization within OCHA have enhanced its capabilities to respond to emerging humanitarian crises. OCHA has strengthened its coordination with other departments in the United Nations Secretariat, with the United Nations funds and programs, other humanitarian and non-governmental organizations. Equally important, the report says, the Office is displaying greater sensitivity to the specific mandates of other humanitarian agencies, and is taking measures to reduce the incidence of duplication of responsibilities

The report makes five recommendations, which include more effective monitoring of the consolidated appeals process and strengthening OCHA's advocacy role with the general public.

**Letters on UN Peace-building Support Office in Liberia Out Today

Out on the racks today you'll also find an exchange of letters between the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council on the United Nations Peace-building Support Office in Liberia.

The Secretary-General outlines the activities of the Office, which was established in November 1997 to consolidate peace, promote national reconciliation and strengthening Liberia's democratic institutions in cooperation with the country's Government.

The Secretary-General says that in view of the Office's catalytic contributions to Liberia's post-conflict peace-building efforts, the Government has asked that its mandate be extended until December 2000. The Secretary-General informs the Council that he will agree to this extension, and the Council takes note of his intention.

**UNAIDS Director Sites Virus' Epidemic Growth In Latin America and Caribbean

The Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) today called attention to the epidemic's growth in Latin America and the Caribbean. There are an estimated 1.4 million HIV positive Latin Americans, while the Caribbean has the second highest HIV rates in the world, following Africa.

UNAIDS Executive Director Dr. Peter Piot told a conference of health ministers in Havana that, "Heads of State throughout the region should lead by example and speak out about the AIDS epidemic." He emphasized that they have to allocate the resources needed to scale back the disease, warning that, "The costs of inaction could be enormous, even tragic."

You can pick up a press release in my office.

**Trade Unions Seek to Organize Margianalized Workers in Developing Nations

The so-called "informal sector" -- a term which refers to the broad swath of small, usually irregular and often makeshift jobs -- now absorbs as much as 60 per cent of the labour force in the cities and towns of the developing world. In many countries it is the only part of the economy creating any new jobs at all.

A gathering of trade unionists from 31 countries are meeting at the International Labour Organization for five days this week in order to highlight the difficulties faced by informal-sector workers and develop strategies for organizing this marginalized but rapidly growing part of the world's workforce.

You can get more details in the ILO press release if you are interested.

**WFP Severely Cuts Back on Reconstruction Assistance in West Africa

The World Food Programme (WFP) has said it has severely cut back its emergency and post-war reconstruction assistance in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea because of a lack of funding.

Donors have so far provided less than 20 percent of the $106 million needed by WFP to feed 1.8 million refugees and internally displaced people in the region. With no new contributions since July 1999, WFP has been unable to purchase sufficient quantities of food aid for its operations. That's becoming a familiar story.

**Texts of Messages by UN High Commissioner Available

We have in our office the text of two messages by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson.

One is to the European Conference on the use of children as soldiers, which is being held in Berlin. And the other is to a press conference being held in New York by the Death Penalty Information Centre.

We don't have any more details on that.

**World Food Day

And finally, the observance of World Food Day, with the theme "Youth Against Hunger", will take place on Tuesday -- that's tomorrow, 19 October--at 12 noon in Conference Room 2. If you want to skip the briefing and go down there that's ok with me. There will be statements by the President of the General Assembly, the Deputy Secretary-General, and the President of the Economic and Social Council, and the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization, Dr. Jacques Diouf. Professor M.S.Swami Nathan, Chairman of the MS Research Foundation will be the keynote speaker. You are all invited to attend.

For a slow news day we sure churned out a lot of stuff. Any questions?

**Questions and Answers

Question: On the resolution in Angola, is the Secretary-General going to deal with the government of Dos Santos and UNITA or only dos Santos? Since one of the articles in the resolution called upon UNITA to ensure the safety, security and freedom of UN personnel, how can he do that without dealing with UNITA?

Spokesman: That's a very good question. I understand that the United Nations top official in Angola, Mr. Obeng, was requested to convey to the Foreign Minster of Angola the text of the resolution adopted by the Security Council on Friday. That meeting was supposed to happen today, so our first step is to inform the Government of the Council's decision. After that, I think we take it a step at a time. We've seen reports that Jonas Savimbi of UNITA has said that he cannot guarantee the safety of United Nations workers in Angola because he was not -- as he says -- consulted on this resolution that the Council adopted on Friday. So it remains a very delicate situation for the United Nations to be in that country. I think we will proceed with the necessary caution.

Question: Did you see that all factions in Indonesia's legislature have agreed to vote soon to rescind the annexation of East Timor?

Spokesman: Well, we are waiting for that to happen. Our hope is that it would happen before the end of this month. They indicated that they were going to try to accelerate the process and we certainly hope it will go ahead with no hitches.

Question: There are rumours that Russia is prepared to bombard the capital of Chechnya. Is the Secretary-General -- or anyone from the international community -- concerned about that?

Spokesman: I can't speak for anyone, but the Secretary-General has limited his comments to the humanitarian situation in Chechnya.

Thank you very much.

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