DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL

Press Briefing

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY 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 for General Assembly President

The General Assembly is concluding its discussion of the report of the Security Council (A/54/2), covering the period from 16 June 1998 to 15 July 1999. Twelve speakers are inscribed.

In the debate yesterday, the Council was sharply criticized for being secretive, rigid and exclusionary in its working methods and for producing a report that was less than informative. The marginalization of the General Assembly in favour of the Security Council was also cited.

This morning’s plenary meeting is taking place in Conference Room 3, as the General Assembly Hall is being readied for tomorrow’s United Nations Day Concert. The Concert is a tribute to Duke Ellington on the 100th anniversary of his birth, and a celebration of his service as Music Ambassador to the world. Secretary-General Kofi Annan will host the event, which will feature many celebrities from the world of music.

Assembly President Theo-Ben Gurirab is en route to New York after attending the funeral service today, in Dar es Salaam’s National Stadium, for Dr. Julius K. Nyerere, former President of the United Republic of Tanzania. The President is expected back by midday tomorrow and hopes to participate in Friday evening’s United Nations Day Concert activities.

In Committee action, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) this morning began a thematic discussion on any disarmament topic. Draft resolutions will be introduced and discussed, but voting won’t commence until 1 November.

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) takes up two new items today: the elimination of racism and racial discrimination, and the right of peoples to self-determination. Among the documents, I wish to draw attention to two reports: that of Special Rapporteur Maurice Glele-Ahanhanzo entitled “Measures to combat contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance” (A/54/347); and the report of Special Rapporteur Enrique Bernales Ballasteros on the “Use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination” (A/54/326). For anyone interested in those subjects, the two reports are most informative and make very interesting reading.

This afternoon, before continuing with its general discussion, the Committee will take action on six draft resolutions: on a United Nations literacy decade: education for all (A/C.3/54/L.10); three pertaining to crime prevention and criminal justice -– one 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); another on the activities of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Elaboration of a Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, which is negotiating an international legal instrument dealing with the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms, their parts and components and ammunition (A/C.3/54/L.5); and a third text on action against corruption (A/C.3/54/L.6). In addition, there are two texts on the advancement of women, which I mentioned yesterday -- traditional or customary practices affecting the health of women and girls (A/C.3/54/L.13) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (A/C.3/54/ L.17/Rev.1).

This afternoon, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) is expected to conclude its comprehensive review of the whole question of peacekeeping operations in all their aspects. Forty-four delegations have taken part in a lively discussion, with 20 more to be heard. After that, the Committee is to take action on the related draft resolution (A/C.4/54/L.2). That text, while endorsing the proposals, recommendations and conclusions of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, would have the Assembly request that body to submit a report on its work to the current fifty- fourth session. This means that after the Special Committee meets early next year, the Fourth Committee will reconvene to consider its report.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) is holding informal consultations today on various draft proposals. Yesterday afternoon, the Committee failed to agree on a draft resolution submitted by the Chairman, following consultations, on establishing a multi-year Development Account (A/C.5/54/L.11). Delegations agreed on all, but the wording in operative paragraph 5, which states: “Further decides that all savings transferred to the Development Account section shall form the maintenance base for that section in future proposed programme budgets.” The disagreement was over the word “all”. In the meantime, the “Group of 77” developing countries requested that its text, L.7, on the same subject, be held in abeyance.

The Sixth Committee (Legal) will continue, at two meetings today, its discussion of the item on the establishment of an international criminal court. The reports before it include the proceedings of the Preparatory Commission for the International Criminal Court (PCNICC/1999/L.3/Rev.1 and L.4/Rev.1). In yesterday’s debate, speakers expressed support for the soon-to-be established Court and urged that the Court’s Statute, adopted at the 1998 Conference in Rome, should not be tampered with.

Are there any questions?

Question: Is there a Fifth Committee draft resolution on East Timor?

Answer: Informal consultations are being held on a draft text, but nothing has been circulated for me to see.

Briefing by Spokesman for Secretary-General

Thank you, Shirley. We have only four items today.

**Secretary-General Briefs Security Council, Press on Balkans Trip

First, the Secretary-General is briefing the Security Council on his recent trip to the Balkans. He will talk to you at the stakeout when he is finished.

**Security Council Consultations Continue

The Council also has a number of items under “other matters” on its agenda: Afghanistan, East Timor, Central African Republic and Sierra Leone. I don't see how they're going to get all that done before lunch, but we'll see.

**UNMIK Outraged by Attack on Serb Staff Member; UN Security to Investigate

A Serbian interpreter working in the office of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) Regional Administrator for Gnjilane in south-eastern Kosovo was seriously injured when a grenade was thrown into her apartment Wednesday evening, as she sat watching television with her aunt.

The Secretary-General's Special Representative Bernard Kouchner reacted with outrage, saying, "This deplorable attack on innocent women and on an UNMIK staff member deserves the world's condemnation. It was a cowardly and disgusting act by criminals whom we will pursue relentlessly."

The interpreter received fragmentation injuries to her head and a broken nose. Her aunt sustained minor injuries and is suffering from shock. Both are expected to survive.

UNMIK Police and United Nations Security are undertaking a full investigation of the incident.

**Flow of Repatriating East Timorese Stops, Thousands May Be Stuck at Western Border, UNHCR Says

The flow of East Timorese across the border from West Timor stopped abruptly late Wednesday, and staff of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on the ground reported that only 60 people crossed overnight, while a further seven trickled across the border Thursday morning. Testimonies of East Timorese who were allowed to cross the border earlier in the week indicated that thousands of people might be stuck on the West Timor side of the border. UNHCR staff who travelled to the border area Thursday saw a group of about 1,000 people massed on the West Timor side and unable to cross. The UNHCR believes there are more similar groups in the border area.

Later today, the UNHCR reported that 114 East Timorese driving cars from the Atambua area of West Timor crossed over into East Timor headed for Dili. The UNHCR said that the convoy was escorted by the Indonesian military to the border in what it described as a positive development.

Earlier in the week, 2,000 East Timorese coming from a single camp on the West Timor side of the border were allowed to leave the camp after Indonesian soldiers removed militiamen who until then had prevented the group from returning home.

The reason for the interruption of the crossings was not clear, but it came amid reports from the multinational force (INTERFET) of armed militia groups crossing back into East Timor. INTERFET, or the MNF, said they were deploying more troops in the area to prevent possible attacks on returning refugees.

The UNHCR, the World Food Programme (WFP) and two non-governmental organizations, Médicin sans frontières and OxFam, as well as other aid agencies, meanwhile set up reception points with food, provisional shelter and drinking water in the expectation that thousands or perhaps even tens of thousands more exhausted and dehydrated East Timorese will cross the border.

A UNAMET reconnaissance convoy left Dili this morning en route to Suai, where some 4,000 families, or about half of the pre-ballot population, are reported to have returned. Suai and the surrounding area are about 80 to 90 per cent damaged.

**ECOMOG Officers Leave Liberia as Weapons Deconstruction Project Ends

The final item today is from Liberia. As we told you earlier this week, the weapons destruction project in Liberia was finally completed. The last batch of West African peacekeepers (ECOMOG) who participated in this effort -- and there were 56 of them -- are leaving the country, and a special ceremony was held today at Liberia's Executive Mansion to mark their departure.

On behalf of the Secretary-General, his Special Representative in Liberia, Felix C. Downes-Thomas, accepted the Presidential Medal of Honour, which was delivered by the President of Liberia, to "the United Nations, and particularly the United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia (UNOMIL). It was awarded in recognition of "their sacrificial and dedicated services towards our peacekeeping and peace-building efforts".

Seven officers of the West African peacekeeping force were decorated with the Distinguished Service Officers Medal, while ambassadors from ECOWAS troop- contributing countries to that force were presented with the Presidential Medal of Honour.

**Questions and Answers

Before taking questions from the floor, the Spokesman answered a correspondent's follow-up question about Ambassador Lavrov's meeting with the Secretary-General that had been asked at yesterday's noon briefing:

Answer: It was a one-on-one meeting, so I have nothing to report on what was discussed except that it was our understanding that Ambassador Lavrov asked for the meeting in his capacity as President of the Security Council. It was Security Council business that he wanted to discuss.

Are there any questions before we go out and wait for the Secretary- General?

Question: Can the Secretary-General initiate a meeting to call attention to an international matter? Answer: Well, under the Charter, the Secretary-General can bring to the attention of the Security Council any threat to international peace and security. Yes, he has the authority under the Charter to do that.

Question: Yesterday, we were briefed by the International Peace Academy on the situation in Haiti and they were not aware that the United Nations had an evaluation team in Haiti last week. Can you share the results of that team with us?

Answer: I don't think I have information on that today. I'll try to get it for you and get back to you.

Thank you very much.

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