DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
20000225The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
Good afternoon. I'd like to welcome our guest, Francesc Vendrell, the Secretary-General's Personal Representative and Head of the Special Mission to Afghanistan, who has just returned from his first trip to the region.
**Council Idle Friday after Sahara Consultations
There is no meeting of the Security Council today. Yesterday afternoon, following the Council's unanimous adoption of the resolution on the expansion of the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Council heard a briefing on Western Sahara by Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Bernard Miyet.
Miyet told the Council that, after nine years, there remain a number of doubts about the implementation of the Settlement Plan for Western Sahara, including the possibility that the UN Identification Commission may face appeals from nearly 140,000 people contesting their voting status.
In light of the obstacles, the Secretary-General, in his latest report, asked his Personal Envoy, James Baker, to consult with the parties to find some way forward. While that process begins, the Secretary-General has recommended a three- month extension for the UN Mission. That mandate is set to expire at the end of this month.
Council members have been working on a draft resolution that would extend the Mission until the end of May, and are expected to vote on it on Monday.
Also on Monday, the Council is expected to hold closed consultations on Burundi; and after that, it intends to hold an open meeting to hear from the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Balkans, Carl Bildt, on the situation in that region. After his briefing, Bildt intends to take questions from you at the stakeout outside the Security Council.
The Secretary-General is sending his top peacekeeping official to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in early March to explain to the parties the newly adopted Security Council resolution, including the concept of operations that envisages the deployment of a 5,537-strong force. Under- Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Bernard Miyet is finalizing his plans for the mission, which is expected to start in the second week of March. This will be the first step in setting the groundwork for the start of the deployment of 500 military observers in four bases in the Congo -- that is at Mbanda, Mbuju Mai, Kisangani and Kindu -- a process UN officials say could take about 150 days under ideal circumstances.
Miyet is also expected to discuss with the DRC Government difficulties they have raised concerning the proposed deployment.
Daily Press Briefing - 2 - 25 February 2000
**Call for Chechnya Monitoring
Today in Geneva, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, along with the Secretary-General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, expressed their deep concern at continuing reports of violations of human rights and humanitarian law by federal forces in Chechnya, Russia, and reiterated their call on the authorities of the Russian Federation to allow international monitoring of the human rights situation.
The complete text of the statement is available in my office.
**Chechnya
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said today that its aid convoys could begin delivering UN humanitarian assistance inside Chechnya as early as next week, security conditions permitting.
UNHCR said it is looking at this first convoy -- probably around 10 trucks to the Grozny area -- as a pilot project to provide aid to the civilian population there. UNHCR said it will want to make sure security is in place and that an effective distribution and monitoring system can be established.
The convoy of local drivers and local UNHCR staff will originate from the UN base of operations in Stavropol, southern Russia. UNHCR has sent 32 convoys and more than 5,000 tons of humanitarian aid to internally displaced people in neighbouring Ingushetia since last autumn.
**East Timor Update 25 February
From East Timor, the first death was recorded among the staff of the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET). That happened today. A 32-year old civilian police officer, who was stationed in Liquica, was evacuated to Darwin, Australia, on Wednesday and died of a viral infection illness today. The exact cause of death is being determined and the autopsy result is expected tomorrow. We'll release his name when his family has been notified.
** Postal Service in East Timor
The Universal Postal Union has confirmed the official status of the postal administration of East Timor under the authority of the UN Mission there. The Portuguese Postal Service will be providing technical advice on the establishment of the East Timorese service and will donate equipment for the initial two postal offices in Dili and Baucau. UNTAET will provide transportation for both domestic and international mail. The UN Transitional Administrator has already approved the first stamps. The postal service is expected to start operating by early April and it will initially employ 18 East Timorese.
The National Consultative Council of East Timor approved yesterday a regulation governing the border regime. The regulation establishes a Border Service.
** Sierra Leone Update
In Eastern Sierra Leone, after several hours of unsuccessful negotiations with rebels who were blocking our troops there yesterday, the peacekeepers chose to return to their respective duty stations.
Following this incident, the UN Mission in Sierra Leone issued a statement today in Freetown recalling that "UN peacekeeping operations rely on three main tactics, neutrality, persuasion and diplomacy". The statement adds: "Neither UNAMSIL nor the Revolutionary United Front stands to gain from violent confrontations".
In another incident on 23 February, United Nations peacekeepers returned fire from a rebel group on Pepel Island, 35 kilometres from Freetown. They chased away the rebels who were trying to loot a village, and freed several abductees. The statement goes on by saying: "This again demonstrates that when confronted with force at the tactical level, UNAMSIL does not hesitate to act forcefully to protect Sierra Leoneans in fulfilling its peacekeeping mandate."
We have a complete text in my office.
**Improvement of Status of Women in Secretariat
The Secretary-General's report on the improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat is out on the racks today (E/CN.6.2000/4). It shows a small overall increase in the population of women on appointments of one year or more, rising from 35.5 per cent in December 1998 to 36.1 per cent in November 1999. The largest percentage increases were at the D-1 level -- from 68 in December 1998 up to 77 in November 1999. These figures do not include all mission appointments, as these are generally of shorter duration than one year.
The yearly average increase of women in the Secretariat on appointments of one year or more is 1 per cent; and in 1999, it increased to 1.3 per cent.
This report, of course, feeds into the Commission on the Status of Women, which will begin its next session here on Monday.
**Kosovo
We have a press release from the UN Mission in Kosovo. The Interim Administrative Council today agreed to create a professional civil service in Kosovo which will remain when the administration is handed over to the people and representatives of Kosovo and after the international administrators have left.
If you're interested in more details, see the press release.
**UN Team Starts Work on Romania Cyanide Spill
A team of international experts from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs started work in Romania today on a scientific assessment of the environmental damage caused by the recent cyanide spill and other waste products from the Baia Mare gold mine in north-western Romania.
We have a press release from UNEP with more details.
**Mine Action Mission to Egypt Completed
The United Nations mine action assessment mission to Egypt completed its two- week visit to the country on Tuesday, 22 February, and has now begun developing a comprehensive report on the situation there.
**Food Aid Reaches over 100,000 Mozambicans
The UN World Food Programme says it estimates that over the past three weeks it has managed to get food out to over 100,000 desperate people in Mozambique affected by floods and the cyclone.
In Rome on Thursday, WFP approved a $4.2 million emergency feeding operation for Mozambique. The operation will ensure that food supplies continue to reach an average of 110,000 people every month for the next 90 days.
WFP has so far shuttled via helicopter some 1,200 metric tons of food to over 50 key delivery points in districts badly struck by this natural disaster. The food is being distributed with the help of local authorities, non-governmental organizations, church groups and area residents.
**Miscellaneous Press Releases
Other press releases out today -- there's one from the Office of the UN Coordinator in Afghanistan, which notes the third meeting of the Tripartite Repatriation Commission in Kabul on Wednesday. The meeting endorsed plans by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees for the return of 200,000 Afghan refugees from Pakistan and Iran during this year. UNHCR will provide logistical support for all those who wish to return to Afghanistan and will monitor the repatriation process.
The results from the World Health Organization's MONICA Project - the largest community-based study on heart disease ever undertaken -- were published in the UK medical journal, The Lancet, in its 26 February edition. Those results show that heart disease rates are related to changes in major coronary risk factors and to the introduction of new medical treatments. We have a press release if you're interested in that.
The World Health Organization has also issued a fact sheet on the new global initiative to eliminate avoidable river blindness.
And finally, I'd like to draw your attention to a report on the racks today by the Secretary-General on the United Nations Fund for International Partnerships. It notes that the United Nations Foundation, which is the charity established by Ted Turner, will make grants to the UN system of approximately $30 million annually to support projects on population and women. The money is to focus on projects dealing with the health needs of girls between the ages of 11 and 20.
**Payment
We have received a payment today from Bangladesh which becomes the fifty- eighth Member State to be paid in full for the year 2000 for the regular budget assessment, just over $105,000.
**Week Ahead at United Nations
And we have the week ahead. I'll give you just some highlights:
The Secretary-General, who's working at home today, arrived later than expected last night because of delays in his flight. He'll address a global meeting of United Nations Development Programme resident coordinators. That will be in Glen Cove, Long Island, on Monday morning. And we have the text of his speech in our office. It also means he won't be coming to the office here until the afternoon.
Also on Monday, the Secretary-General will meet the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, Hans von Sponeck.
On Tuesday, he'll brief the Security Council on his recent trip to Asia, and that would be on the last day of the Council presidency of Argentina. Also on Tuesday, Jacques Klein, Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Bosnia and Herzegovina, will give a press conference here in Room 226 in the afternoon. He can be contacted for interviews from Monday. Just ask my office.
On Wednesday, the Chairman of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission for Iraq, Hans Blix, will meet with the press after he briefs the Council. It could be here at noon or after he meets with the Council -- that depends on its schedule.
Those are the highlights. That's my briefing.
**Question and Answer
Question: Are there any other details about what Hans von Sponek will be doing next week -- will he brief the Security Council?
Spokesman: The Council has not requested a briefing by Mr. von Sponek. So there are no new developments on that front. I assume he will have the normal set of meetings within the Secretariat.
Question: What can you tell us about the status of Charles Duelfer?
Spokesman: He confirmed to us this morning that he submitted a letter of resignation to the Secretary-General yesterday. He has been the Deputy Executive Director of UNSCOM since 1993. He said that with the arrival of Hans Blix heading the successor organization to UNSCOM on 1 March, he thought that should be the day for his departure and he said he would be available to Mr. Blix if he would find that helpful as he sets up the new commission for Iraq.
Question: The Post had a story today on the United States apparently starting to ease some of its policies in the Sanctions Committee on Iraq. The Secretary- General had come out very strongly against all the holds -- a billion and a half dollars -- does he have any reaction to this, especially in the light of the fact that it doesnt seem that in the Committee itself there has been much in the way of changes
Spokesman: I don't have a reaction from him to anything yet today. I didn't call him. I didn't want to disturb him, in the event he was catching up on some of his last sleep of the last several weeks. You saw his comments in Asia concerning "smart sanctions", concerning the need for, possibly, some fresh thinking on sanctions that would have less of an impact on innocent civilian populations. He would be seeing Hans von Sponeck on Monday. I think it's too early to predict what might come out of the discussion on a fresh approach. So let's give it a little more time to develop.
Question: Is the UN now considering involvement in the Chechnya problem?
Spokesman: Only to the extent that I mentioned this morning, that the High Commissioner for Refugees for the first time expects to be taking assistance into
Grozny, perhaps some time next week. And of course, the repeated appeals by the High Commissioner for Human Rights to allow in human rights monitors. But, the Russian Federation has not yet responded positively to these appeals.
Question: Does the Secretary-General feel that it has gotten to a point that regardless of what the reaction might be in the Council, that he, under the Charter, has the duty to bring this situation to the Council, particularly in the light of his humanitarian intervention debate that he sparked in September last year?
Spokesman: I haven't spoken to him. I dont want to put words in his mouth.
Question: Smart sanctions had been discussed in this place for quite a while. I don't see how they would apply to Iraq because of the mechanisms in the Council on changing anything after the December resolution. Does this apply specifically to Iraq or for any future sanctions the Council might impose?
Spokesman: I think his comments were directed at sanctions regimes more generally. He has a think-tank in the Secretariat, you know, headed by Andrew Mack. More than a year ago, he had Andrew Mack do a study of sanctions, and he looked at smart sanctions. As you say, these ideas had been around for a while. Where they'll go next week, if anywhere, we just have to wait and see how they might be applied; how the Council might wish to apply them to Iraq or any other regime is too early to say. That's all I can say.
Question: How many Chechens are left in Grozny.
Spokesman: Because we are not there, we have no presence. I don't think we have any ability to make a good estimate.
Question: How deep is the conflict between the peacekeepers and the Serbs in Kosovo?
Spokesman: Our hope, of course, is that the Serbs, like the other communities, would see the peacekeepers' presence as being in their best interests. So, we don't expect to be in a confrontational mode with the Serb community or with any other. It's a very difficult situation in Mitrovica, as anyone who has been reading newspapers knows. We're doing our best to sort that out, and we're in Kosovo for the long haul. We hope we can move Kosovo closer to a multi-ethnic community, and not to an ethnically divided community, which is what the current internal pressure -- the direction its being pushed now.
Okay, Francesc, welcome to the briefing. You've just come back from Afghanistan.
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