PRESS CONFERENCE BY MINISTER FOR EXTERNAL RELATIONS OF MONGOLIA

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE BY MINISTER FOR EXTERNAL RELATIONS OF MONGOLIA

Mongolia was facing its worst natural disaster ever, the Minister for Foreign Relations of Mongolia, Nyam-Osoryn Tuya, told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference this morning. Also present at the press conference was the Permanent Representative of Mongolia to the United Nations, Jargalsaikhany Enkhsaikhan.

More than 20 per cent of Mongolia’s population had been affected by the harsh winter, Mrs. Tuya said. The severe winter had resulted in the loss of more than 2 million heads of livestock, the primary source of livelihood for the rural Mongolian population. The consequences of the harsh winter would be felt for at least the next two to three years.

“We think that it is important for Mongolia to deal with this issue in cooperation with the international community”, Mrs. Tuya said. The Government of Mongolia had appealed to the international community for assistance. Several United Nations agencies had responded to that appeal, and continued support and assistance were needed from both the United Nations and bilateral donors to deal with the consequences of the natural disaster.

In New York to attend a series of high-level meetings, including the meeting of the Economic and Social Council with the Bretton Woods institutions, Mrs. Tuya said that she had discussed cooperation between the United Nations and Mongolia with the Secretary-General and the heads of several United Nations agencies. In meetings with the heads of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), she exchanged views on the implementation of programmes of those agencies in Mongolia. They also discussed upcoming review conferences on the major United Nations conferences of the 1990s.

In a meeting with the Secretary-General yesterday, Mrs. Tuya discussed the implementation of the 1998 General Assembly resolution on Mongolia’s international security and nuclear-weapon-free status. She also informed the Secretary-General on her consultations with the five permanent members of the Security Council on the implementation of Mongolia’s nuclear-weapon-free status.

In her meeting with the Secretary-General, Mrs. Tuya also discussed the contents of the Secretary-General’s Millennium Report, focusing on several issues of the report that were of particular interest to her, she said. She expressed support for the Secretary-General’s initiative which would provide 10,000 on-line Internet sites for health-care facilities throughout the developing world. Also, having experienced a severe winter, Mongolia supported the Secretary-General’s disaster response initiative. Because of the importance of information technology for the advance of development, she also expressed support for the information technology service initiative contained in the Millennium Report.

Mrs. Tuya also informed the Secretary-General of several upcoming events, including a workshop on human security, which would be held in cooperation with UNDP in early May in Mongolia. The workshop would discuss the nuclear-weapon-free provision of the General Assembly resolution on Mongolia. She also informed the Secretary-General of a Mongolia Festival, a cultural event that would take place

Mongolia Press Conference - 2 - 19 April 2000

in May in New York City, and which would feature an exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History.

Regarding the natural disaster, a correspondent asked whether the Foreign Minister had received any solid assurances from the United Nations or from bilateral donors that some of Mongolia’s needs would be fulfilled. The Government had issued an appeal and had received responses, Mrs. Tuya said. UNDP, UNFPA and UNICEF had all provided emergency assistance. Bilateral donors had also been very responsive. There was a need, however, to address not only Mongolia’s immediate concerns but also its medium and long-term needs, especially the need to improve the Government’s capacity to deal with natural disasters.

A correspondent evoked a report by a Dutch Christian group called “Open Doors”, to the effect that a doctor in Mongolia was sentenced to 13 years in prison with hard labour for spreading Christianity in Mongolia. Had his case been raised during discussions at the United Nations, and would Mrs. Tuya comment on the case? a correspondent asked. There had not been any questions on the case, and she was not familiar with it, Mrs. Tuya said.

Quoting the same group, the correspondent said that there were 3,000 Christians in Mongolia; for about three years they were allowed to practice their faith; but then the Government had stopped their activities. Was that true? There had not been any action of that kind on the part of the Government, she replied, because Mongolia’s Constitution guaranteed freedom of religion. “I must say that I feel surprised by what you have said, because we don’t think we restrict any religious freedom in Mongolia”.

In response to a question on Mongolia’s appeal to the donor community, Mrs. Tuya said that with summer approaching there might be a problem of decomposing animals, which could lead to the contamination of the environment and water. Certain health issues must be addressed. Education was also a concern. Disruptions in transportation systems had affected classroom attendance by children of the affected families. Provision of medical supplies was also a concern. “The understanding now is that we need to address these immediate issues but also build the capacity of the Government, especially in getting better communication access to affected areas”, she said.

Responding to the question on religious persecution in Mongolia, Mr. Enkhsaikhan said that Mongolia had presented an extensive report to the Committee on Political and Civil Rights last month. During the consideration of that report, no questions had been raised with respect to religious or any other kind of persecutions.

Asked to provide information on the workshop on human security, Mrs. Tuya said that Mongolia expected participants from both the United Nations community and bilateral organizations. Scholars from countries such as Russia, China, Canada, Norway, Japan and Australia were also expected to attend. The workshop would present an opportunity to define the term human security. The workshop would also focus on the provisions of the General Assembly resolution on Mongolia’s international security, with particular emphasis on Mongolia’s economic security and ecological sustainability.

What were the priority issues that Mongolia raised at the “Group of 77” developing countries and China Summit Meeting in Havana? a correspondent asked. The issue of landlocked developing countries was a priority issue for Mongolia,

Mrs. Tuya said. In the face of globlization and growing interdependence, landlocked developing countries were often marginalized. The ministers in Havana had agreed that a ministerial meeting on transit transportation should be convened in 2003 to discuss that issue.

Figures indicated that almost 18 per cent of expenditures related to export by landlocked developing countries covered the cost of transportation and insurance, she continued. It was a high figure. Increased international cooperation to address the special needs of the landlocked developing countries would enable them to benefit from the opportunities created by the multilateral trading system and by globalization.

In response to a question about the Mongolia Festival in New York City, Mrs. Tuya said that there would be several events, including an exhibit on dinosaurs at the American Museum of Natural History. Other activities would include wrestling, archery and other Mongolian sport and cultural events, to be held in Central Park.

Mrs. Tuya had mentioned that the summer could bring with it health hazards, a correspondent noted.. Would things get worse before they get better, or was the worst behind Mongolia? The effects on the population might get worse, but most likely there would not be further loss of cattle, Mrs. Tuya said. It was estimated that it would take Mongolia two to three years to recover from its loss.

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