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 Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

**Secretary-General's Millennium Report

Good afternoon. The embargoed copies of the Secretary-General's Millennium Report were made available this morning at a background briefing by a United Nations senior official. The Secretary-General will address the General Assembly Monday morning at 10 a.m. at which time the report will become public -- officially. And then he will come here to 226 most likely around 10:45 a.m. to take your questions concerning the Millennium Report.

**Security Council Wraps Up Work for March

The Security Council began its work this morning by holding a formal meeting, in which it unanimously approved a resolution to allow Iraq to use up to $600 million from the funds in the escrow account of the "oil-for-food" program to pay for repairs to its oil industry.

After that, the Council went into closed consultations to wrap up its work for the month of March. First, Council President Anwarul Karim Chowdhury of Bangladesh reviewed the Council's work over the past month. The Secretary-General began by noting the Council members' trip to Washington yesterday. He said, "It's been quite a journey, close and yet quite far, and I believe you have bridged quite a gulf".

The Secretary-General briefed the Council on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, saying that an early conclusion of a status-of-forces agreement with the Congolese Government and a relocation of the Joint Military Commission to Kinshasa are essential before the UN Mission deploys there. He urged the early scheduling of proximity talks between the Governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea, which were to have taken place in Algiers this month, but which were postponed. And he also drew attention to the need to ensure that United Nations Missions -- notably those in Kosovo, East Timor and Haiti -- have resources adequate to perform their mandates.

Council Ambassadors are now delivering their responses in a general discussion.

And today, of course, was the last day of the Council Presidency of Ambassador Chowdhury. He will be replaced on 1 April by Robert Fowler of Canada, who will then be the President of the Council through the month of April.

We understand that President Chowdhury will speak at the stand-up microphone after the morning session is over, probably around 1 p.m..

**Humanitarian Assessment Mission to Democratic Republic of Congo

Ross Mountain, the Assistant Emergency Relief Coordinator, who is on a humanitarian assessment mission in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, just conveyed to our office the following three points.

Daily Press Briefing - 2 - 31 March 2000

First, the humanitarian situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is dire. There are more than 500,000 displaced persons in that part of the country. The population in the east is caught up in a war involving national and regional groups vying for control of the territory, which has left them homeless.

Second, they need humanitarian assistance to survive. Civilians are offered no protection and are in fact targeted by all parties to the conflict. Access is, however, difficult, with 50 per cent of population in need inaccessible.

Third, he also reports that discussions with the parties have been positive and all parties understand the need to assist populations regardless of their location. The mission has received commitments from both sides to the Principles of Engagement for Emergency Humanitarian Assistance, which is used to guide relief operations throughout the whole territory of the vast country.

Mountain is scheduled to give a briefing on his findings to reporters in Nairobi on Monday. And we have contact numbers for the mission if you are interested in learning more.

**East Timor

From East Timor, the Indonesian Government has indicated to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that the deadline for refugees returning to East Timor from West Timor will be extended by three months. The deadline was today, 31 March.

UNHCR also reports that support to the refugee camps in West Timor will not be cut off by the Indonesian Government, as feared. There are still up to 100,000 refugees in West Timor and at least half of these are expected to want to return to East Timor following the deadline extension. You can pick up the UNHCR briefing note if you have more interest in that subject.

Also from East Timor, the United Nations Transition Administrator there, Sergio Vieira de Mello, said today in Jakarta that there is good will from senior government officials to try and stop militia incursions from West Timor into East Timor. Vieira de Mello has repeatedly requested the Indonesian armed forces to control any extremists in West Timor and to stop these incursions. His remarks followed a meeting with Defence Minister Admiral Sudarsono.

More details on his trip to Jakarta are available in the media briefing from Dili, which I have in my office.

**Annabi Addresses International Peace Academy on Rapid Deployment Capability

The Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hedi Annabi, addressed the International Peace Academy this morning on enhancing United Nations rapid deployment capability. He said that the most important aspect of rapid deployment is political will. He also pointed out the need for what is sometimes called a "fairy godmother" -- a State willing and able to provide immediate capacities that cannot be contracted quickly on the open market.

Mr. Annabi also discussed the United Nations Standby Arrangement System, which involves 88 Member States, 32 of which have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations. Other interesting elements in his address cover the rapidly deployable mission headquarters and the rapidly deployable management unit, as well as some discussion of financing and logistics. We have the full text of his speech if you’re interested.

**Demining Resumes in Mozambique

The United Nations has helped Mozambique establish an emergency mine action cell to help that country deal with the impact of the recent devastating floods on landmines. There are up to half a million landmines in Mozambique, of which about 70,000 have been cleared since 1992.

United Nations operators are already carrying out emergency demining since the flooding, in areas that are accessible. The United Nations is also providing emergency mine awareness information to the thousands of people housed in temporary housing, alerting them to possible dangers when they return home.

**Iraq Programme

On Iraq, we've just been advised that the Sanctions Committee has approved two additional lists of goods eligible for the accelerated approval procedures provided for in resolution 1284 (1999). One list covers pharmaceuticals and basic medical equipment and the other covers standard agricultural equipment and supplies.

This completes the approval of lists required by the resolution. Lists for food and education were approved at the beginning of the month. Copies of the two new lists will be posted shortly on the Web site of the Office of the Iraq Programme and they will be added to from time to time.

**ICTR Decision on Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza

The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), in a decision issued today, has reversed its earlier decision to release detainee Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza, whose rights were violated by prolonged detention without trial.

The Appeals Chamber decided today that Barayagwiza will stand trial for genocide and related charges brought against him. The Chamber ruled that Barayagwiza is entitled to reparations for the violations of his rights. The basis of today's decision by the Appeals Chamber was the disclosure of new facts, which now diminish substantially the blameworthiness attributed to the Prosecutor for lack of diligence, and the seriousness of the violations suffered by the Appellant.

For more information you can contact the Tribunal's Spokesman, Kingsley Moghalu, who is present at this briefing. Kingsley, just signal. Thank you.

**Disarmament Operation in Sierra Leone

Last night, in northern Sierra Leone, 240 combatants were disarmed by the United Nations peacekeepers in the single largest disarmament operation carried out by the United Nations mission in that country. These come in addition to the 60 rebels disarmed by the peacekeepers earlier yesterday. The rebels handed over assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns and other weapons.

After 10 days of clashes between two rival factions, the United Nations peacekeepers convinced one of the faction leaders, who calls himself "Colonel Savage", to come out of the bush and bring his fighters out with him. The leader of the military observers team said, "This is a signal, and I hope that all other rebel group will come out and disarm."

The disarmed combatants and their families are being transported in a United Nations convoy from Kabala to Lungi, where the rebels will register to the disarmament programme. Another 95 rebels came out of the bush without weapons and they are also being registered.

**Chechnya

The Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees said today that the trickle of people leaving Chechnya has dried up, while the number of those going back to Chechnya has increased. On Wednesday, some 700 persons went back to Chechnya -- the highest daily return figure since last December. The day before 260 people went back to two districts of Grozny.

**Payments

The United Kingdom made a payment today of over $16.5 million and in so doing became the seventy-sixth member State to be paid in full for their regular dues for the year 2000.

**Press Briefing

We mentioned yesterday a press briefing. I'll just give you a second heads- up. It concerns the new book, Globalization: The United Nations Development Dialogue and it will take place at 1:30 p.m. today in this room.

**Press Conference

Also, a press conference today at 12:30 p.m. In just a few minutes, Carol Bellamy, the Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), will be joined by Olara Otunnu, the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, as well as Dean Hirsch, the President of World Vision. And the three of them will be talking about consultations held with leading non-governmental organizations on key issues affecting children in armed conflict.

**Week Ahead

And then we have the week ahead. You can pick it up in my office. But let me read a number of the things into the record from it.

Tomorrow, Mary Robinson, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, will travel to Ingushetia to examine conditions among displaced Chechens. Then, on Sunday, she will go into Grozny, Chechnya.

On Monday, at 10 a.m., the Secretary-General will present his Millennium Report as I mentioned to you, and then give a press conference in this room at 10:45 a.m.. In the evening, he will leave for Geneva.

Also at 10 a.m., the United Nations Staff Committee will hold a brief ceremony to inaugurate a redesigned exhibit on the Safety and Security of United Nations Personnel. And that will be at the entrance area of the General Assembly building.

Also on Monday, Ambassador Andre Mwamba Kapanga of the Democratic Republic of the Congo will hold a press conference at 3 p.m. in this room.

And the United Nations hopes to launch an Inter-Agency Appeal for Mongolia, which is facing severe food shortages following last summer's drought and recent heavy snowstorms.

Then on Tuesday, the Security Council is expected to hold consultations on its program of work for April. The Secretary-General will be in Geneva, where he will address the Commission on Human Rights. And then "Overcoming Human Poverty", the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Poverty Report for the year 2000 will be launched by Mark Malloch Brown, the Administrator of UNDP, and that will be at a press conference here at 12:30 p.m.

On Wednesday, the Secretary-General begins a series of meetings in Rome at the World Food Programme (WFP) offices, also at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), and he will chair the twice-yearly meeting of the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC), which pulls together the heads of all United Nations agencies, funds and programmes.

On Thursday, the Secretary-General will attend the ACC, and he'll deliver a speech on United Nations priorities at a joint session of the Foreign Relations Committees of the Italian Senate and Chamber of Deputies.

And finally on Friday, that will be World Health Day. And this year's theme is the need for safe blood supplies, and the Secretary-General will issue a message on the importance of safe blood transfusions.

That's all I have for you. Any questions?

**Questions and Answers

Question: On East Timor, I understand that charges have been filed against the Indonesian general who was the vice chief of staff during the conflict in East Timor by the United States District Court. I'm wondering what kind of effect this case would have on United Nations-Indonesian negotiations over a tribunal.

Spokesman: That's too technical for me. I'll have to look into it and get back to you.

Question: On the Sierra Leone item, is the group that came out of the bush today part of the same group that came out yesterday?

Spokesman: It's not clear whether they were Revolutionary United Front (RUF) or the other group. I'll have to check to see if they were from the same or different.

Question: Do you have something on the accident outside?

Spokesman: No, we were watching that. We have a call into Security for some information. They didn’t get back to us yet. A car seems to have run onto the sidewalk, and someone was taken into an ambulance.

Spokesman: They were all Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC). Ok, so going back to your question, Nicole, the people who disarmed were all AFRC.

Question: Going back to Mozambique, when you were talking about mines, you cited a figure of half a million mines. Now, the general figure of mines in

Mozambique is under 2 million. You used that figure about a week ago. Is there an official rundown, decrease on that?

Spokesman: I'll have to see. You'll look into that half million figure, David?

Question: Is the United Nations more hopeful to get money from the United States after the trip to Washington, D.C., yesterday?

Spokesman: Did they get more money? The legislation for the partial payment of United States arrears is already in place. However, it sets certain conditions for the payment of those arrears. One of the conditions is that the scale of assessments be renegotiated to lower the United States share. So, I think that that may have been part of the agenda yesterday, at least the unofficial agenda.

But there was no question, as far as I know, of changing the amount of money. I think that has already been done. The law's been passed. As far as current payments, there's been not much of a problem at all there. The United States in recent years has been paying almost in full for its current assessment. The problem has been the accumulated arrears that built up over the years.

Good. Thank you very much.

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