DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
20000411The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by David Wimhurst, Acting Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
Good afternoon.
**Secretary-General Welcomes Talks Between Two Koreas
I have a statement by the Secretary-General that was just issued in Havana:
"I warmly welcome the agreement to hold a summit between Kim Dae-jung, President of the Republic of Korea and Kim Jong Il, Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, between 12 and 14 June this year in Pyonyang."
"It is my strong hope that these historic talks produce substantive results. I would also like to express my full support of the continuation of efforts aimed at advancing national reconciliation, exchanges, cooperation, peace and unification in the Peninsula. As before, I stand ready to contribute to efforts aimed at reducing tensions and promoting mutual confidence in the region."
**Secretary-General in Cuba: Second Meeting with Castro; Lectures University Students
The Secretary General met this morning with President Fidel Castro for the second time since arriving in Cuba yesterday. The meeting, which was scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m., was expected to last for about two hours.
The Secretary-General arrived in Havana last night to a warm welcome from President Castro, who accompanied him to his guest quarters, where the two leaders talked for about 20 minutes.
Today's more formal meeting takes place at the Palace of the Revolution and will be followed by a ceremony at the José Marti Monument where the Secretary-General will lay a wreath. He will then visit the José Marti Memorial. This afternoon, at 4 p.m., the Secretary-General will deliver a lecture at the University of Havana and answer questions from students. We will have the text of his speech available for you upstairs, embargoed until delivery. Following his lecture, the Secretary-General will go on a walking tour of old Havana before attending a private dinner.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, the Secretary-General will address the opening session of the Group of 77 South Summit. We will also make that text available to you. The rest of the day will be taken up by bilateral meetings with heads of State attending the Conference. We will have more details of this programme tomorrow.
Daily Press Briefing - 2 - 11 April 2000
**Special Envoy Baker Concludes Trip to Western Sahara
The Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, James Baker, concluded his visit to the region today, flying to Madrid after visiting Algiers, Tindouf and Rabat since Saturday. He was unable to make a planned trip to Mauritania today, but instead spoke with that country's President, Maaouya Ould Taya, by telephone.
During his visit, Mr. Baker also met on Saturday with Prime Minister Ahmed Benbitour and Justice Minister Ahmed Ouyahia of Algeria; on Sunday with the President of the Polisario Front, Mohamed Abdelaziz; and on Monday with King Mohamed VI of Morocco.
Mr. Baker said in Algiers, at the beginning of his trip, that his visit was intended "to see if we can find a way to reconcile some of the differences that have grown over the implementation of the Settlement Plan between Morocco and the Polisario Front".
He added, "We want to see if there is a way to unlock the logjam, either by resolving the differences that the parties now have over the Settlement Plan or perhaps even see some other approaches that would finally, fairly and fully resolve the dispute over the Western Sahara."
Mr. Baker will travel to Paris tomorrow on his way back to the United States, and he is expected to meet with French President Jacques Chirac.
**East Timor: MOU Signed to Facilitate Close Cooperation Between UNTAET and TNI
In East Timor this morning, Lieutenant General Jaime de los Santos, the Force Commander of the United Nation Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), and Major General Kiki Syahnakri, who is the military commander of West Timor, signed in Dili a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)on border issues.
The 12-article document, which covers security, boundary crossing, the passage of refugees, humanitarian assistance and other issues, is designed to facilitate close cooperation between UNTAET and the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI). According to the MOU, United Nations Military Observers will be stationed at 12 agreed Junction Points and will coordinate between UNTAET and TNI when the two parties want to engage in dialogue. We have a detailed Media Briefing Note on this important MOU available upstairs.
**Secretary-General Welcomes Force Disengagement Plan in Democratic Republic of Congo
For those of you who may have missed it, we issued last night a statement attributable to the Spokesman on the adoption of a disengagement plan of belligerent forces from their current confrontation lines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 11 April 2000
The Secretary-General welcomed the adoption of the plan by the Political Committee established under the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement, and said it was now the duty of all belligerents to ensure that their military forces comply with the decision taken, and that they ensure the security and full freedom of movement of United Nations personnel.
The Secretary-General said the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) urgently needs specialized military units to prepare for the deployment of the 5,500-strong force.
Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Bernard Miyet, is scheduled to meet with troop-contributing countries Thursday to present the needs.
**WFP Director Bertini Heads to Africa as Special Envoy on Drought
The World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director, Catherine Bertini, today left Rome to begin a four-nation tour of some of the worst-affected areas in the region as the Secretary-General's Special Envoy on the Drought in the Horn of Africa.
Ms. Bertini will start with a three-day visit to Ethiopia. On Wednesday, she is expected to go to Gode in the South-East, where there are reports of severe malnutrition, especially among children. She will go on to Djibouti, Eritrea and Kenya, ending her trip on 19 April. According to the WFP, an estimated 16 million people are at risk of food insecurity or famine due to prolonged drought in the Horn of Africa. We have a programme of her visit available for you upstairs.
**Security Council Notes: Consultations on Angola Tomorrow; UNMOVIC Briefing Thursday
The Security Council has not scheduled any meetings for today. The Council has had a light schedule so far this week because Council members tried to avoid scheduling any events while the Non-Aligned Summit was under way in Cartagena, Colombia.
Tomorrow, the Council was scheduled to hold consultations on the United Nations Office in Angola; they are expecting a report from the Secretary-General on the Office's work. That report should be available today or tomorrow, but you may need to check with the Presidency of the Council if the Council's schedule is going to change.
Then, on Thursday, the Council expects to hear a briefing, also in informal consultations, from Hans Blix, Executive Chairman of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC). He will discuss his report on the organizational plan for the Commission, which is out on the racks today. After Mr. Blix speaks to the Council Thursday, we hope to make him available to talk to you as well. We'll keep you posted on any arrangements.
Daily Press Briefing - 4 - 11 April 2000
**For Children Caught in World's War Zones, Otunnu Calls for Systematic 'Week of Tranquillity'
Today in Geneva, Olara Otunnu, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, has proposed that the international community call on all warring factions in all ongoing conflicts to adhere to a simultaneous week-long ceasefire each year for the sake of children. The proposal for a systematic week of tranquillity was among a series of activities and initiatives outlined by Mr. Otunnu in his address to the Commission on Human Rights. More details can be found in a press release available in our office.
**UNHCR Reports 'Significant Increase' in Returns to Chechnya
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which monitors two border checkpoints between Chechnya and Ingushetia, there has been a significant increase in return movement to Chechnya last week. More than 5,000 Chechens have returned since the presidential elections on 26 March and more than 500 per day are seen returning. No new arrivals have been registered in Ingushetia.
**UNMIBH Identifies Human Trafficking Victims in Bosnia and Herzegovina
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Human Rights Office of the United Nations Mission (UNMIBH) has identified 182 victims of human trafficking since June last year, many of whom had been forced into prostitution. Sixty-four of these 182 came from Moldova. Sixty others came from Romania, 37 from Ukraine and the rest from other former Eastern Bloc countries. Sixty-two of them, who wished to be repatriated, were assisted by the United Nations mission and its international partners in the process.
**UN Launches New Flash Appeal for Madagascar
The United Nations has launched a new "flash appeal" for Madagascar seeking $15.7 million from donors to provide urgent humanitarian assistance for over 300,000 people affected by the devastation wrought by cyclone Hudah. The appeal also flags the fact that half the villages are isolated and could be reached only by helicopters. Currently there are only two helicopters operating and more are needed.
**Iraq Programme Update Available
We have available for you upstairs the weekly update from the United Nations Office of the Iraq Programme. The report indicates that from the period of 1 to 7 April, Iraq exported 8.6 million barrels of oil for an estimated revenue of $173 million. The full details are available in the update.
**UN Crime Congress Continues its Work in Vienna
We also have available for you upstairs a note on proceedings of the United Nations Crime Congress in Vienna.
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**Press Releases
There are various miscellaneous press releases and events to announce.
The weekly update on United Nations humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan is out today, and it notes the impact of the drought in southern Afghanistan. In Herat, the WFP has surveyed one district and found that livestock are dying because food for animals is not available. The drought has also been linked to a shortage of drinking water in the city of Kandahar.
Today's briefing notes from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) indicate that more than 1,000 Afghans requested assistance last Saturday to return to Afghanistan from Iran, On Sunday, 69 Afghans crossed the border into Afghanistan after receiving $40 and instructions on mine awareness from the UNHCR. More returns are expected in coming days.
**Upcoming Events at Headquarters
Just another reminder, we've already drawn this to your attention previously, there will be a special screening of the Belgian movie "Rosetta" at the Dag Hammarskjöld Auditorium at 6 p.m., this evening, which is co-sponsored by the Belgian Mission and the Department for Public Information.
Also, tomorrow at 10 a.m., the Universal Ethics Conference will take place in Conference Room 1. The Conference is co-sponsored by the Costa Rican Mission and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) Universal Ethics Project, and all media are welcome.
**Payment
Vanuatu has become the seventy-eighth Member State to have paid its full contribution to the regular budget for this year. The payment of $80,000 covers dues owed for last year's outstanding regular budget assessment and for this year's full assessment.
**Press Conferences Tomorrow
At 3 p.m. tomorrow, the Canadian Security Council team will give a background briefing on issues before the Council next week, namely sanctions in general, Angolan sanctions in particular and the protection of civilians in armed conflict. Delegations are invited to view the briefing in studio room 4, which is located in the first basement.
And at 5 p.m., the Canadian Mission is sponsoring a press conference by Médecins sans Frontières, Oxfam and Care on the protection of civilians and armed conflict.
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