DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
20000501The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by David Wimhurst, Acting Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
**Secretary-General in Central African Republic
This morning the Secretary-General met briefly one-on-one with Prime Minister Dolegue of the Central African Republic before being joined by the rest of the delegation for talks.
The ministers of the Central African Republic described their plan to resolve internal security problems such as highway banditry as part of their efforts to spur economic growth. The discussion then turned to resources -- described as a problem, as were the shortage of policy and the shortage of soldiers. Economic growth, however, was getting stronger and the country's infrastructure was being rebuilt. For example, the electricity grid was being expanded thanks to financial help from the World Bank, the Secretary-General learned.
Donor governments will gather here in New York in mid-May, organized by the United Nations Department of Political Affairs, as part of a peace- building effort in that country. The United Nations, you will remember, assisted the Central African Republic to overcome domestic turbulence, when the army mutinied a few years ago, by deploying a peacekeeping force.
The Prime Minister then hosted a luncheon in honour of the Secretary- General, after which the Secretary-General went on to meet members of the National Assembly.
Following a second meeting with the Central African Republic's President, Ange Félix Patassé, the Secretary-General was expected to meet with the press. Once we get a transcript of that meeting, we will make sure you know about it.
Later in the afternoon, the Secretary-General was to fly to Yaoundé, Cameroon, for the last leg of his five-nation African tour.
**Security Council: Chowdhury Briefs on Council Delegation's Kosovo Mission
The Security Council this morning went into closed consultations to hear a briefing on the mission by an eight-member Council delegation to Kosovo, which returned to New York yesterday.
Ambassador Chowdhury of Bangladesh, who headed the delegation, presented the report of the mission to the Council. That report noted that progress to peaceful coexistence remains fragile.
The issue of missing persons, the continuing violence and the return of internally displaced persons and refugees continue to be impediments to reconciliation, the mission reported. The mission particularly noted the strong support for the appointment of a special envoy for detainees and missing persons.
Daily Press Briefing - 2 - 1 May 2000
Kosovo also requires patience and persistence from the international community, the report added, with only 10 months having passed since the start of the United Nations Mission (UNMIK) there.
Copies of that report are available in the Spokesman's Office. Ambassador Chowdhury will be here at 12:30 p.m., to speak to you about his visit and to answer your questions.
Also in Kosovo news, we have available from Pristina a press release on the press conference given by the Council delegation as they were leaving Kosovo. At that conference, Special Representative Bernard Kouchner announced the formation of a Joint Committee on Returns, which is to be headed by Dr. Kouchner, Gen. Joun Ortuno, the Commander of the Kosovo Force (KFOR), and Bishop Artemije.
Later today, the Council President for the month of May, Ambassador Wang of China, will hold bilateral consultations with other members on the Council's programme of work for this month. Those bilateral discussions are expected to continue tomorrow.
**Secretary-General Welcomes Extension of Ceasefire in Sudan
The following is a statement attributable to the Spokesman:
The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement made by the Government of the Sudan on 29 April declaring a humanitarian ceasefire throughout the Sudan until 15 July. He also acknowledges the Government's decision on 19 April to suspend air bombings in southern Sudan to protect civilian lives and facilitate the continuing delivery of humanitarian assistance to hundreds of thousands of civilians, mostly women and children, by road, air and river.
He trusts that the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement/Army will also extend the humanitarian ceasefire and thus contribute to the creation of an enabling environment for humanitarian operations in the Sudan.
The Secretary-General counts on the continued support of all the parties for the unhindered and safe provision by the United Nations humanitarian agencies and non-governmental organizations of relief to all those in need of humanitarian aid throughout the country.
**United Nations Peacekeeper Seriously Wounded in Sierra Leone
A United Nations peacekeeper was shot and seriously wounded Sunday, after rebels from the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) surrounded and attacked six peacekeepers in northern Sierra Leone.
Ten Nigerian peacekeepers had deployed along the road near Port Loko to deter AFRC rebels who have been attacking, robbing and harassing civilians along this stretch of road, in the Occra Hills. About 100 heavily armed AFRC rebels confronted six of these peacekeepers, who were patrolling off-road. The rebels ordered the sergeant leading the patrol to surrender his weapon. When the sergeant refused, he was shot twice at close range. One peacekeeper managed to run for help; the four others were overpowered and their weapons confiscated. The wounded peacekeeper is in serious condition in a hospital, with bullet wounds in one lung as well as one leg.
The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNOMSIL) has protested the incident to the President of Sierra Leone and to Johnny Paul Koromah, the AFRC leader and now a member of the Government.
**Notes from East Timor: First Land Border Crossing between East Timor and Indonesia Opens Today
The first land border crossing between East Timor and Indonesia opened today in Batugade. Nine Timorese personnel and five international customs and immigration officers will staff this crossing. And on Saturday, the East Timor Postal Service was inaugurated in Dili. The first letters sent were to the United Nations Secretary-General and the President of Portugal.
Those positive developments were somewhat overshadowed on Sunday by acts of violence against spectators attending a football match in Dili. A gang of about 70 people used sticks, clubs and other weapons against the football spectators. Five people were taken to hospital.
The United Nations Civil Police, the Rapid Response Unit and United Nations peacekeepers brought the situation under control and arrested 11 people. Two more people were detained this morning.
As a result of this incident, United Nations Transitional Administrator Sergio Vieira de Mello has declared a policy of "zero tolerance" against individuals carrying machetes, knives, iron bars, club and sticks.
Mr. Vieira de Mello described the attackers as a group of people determined to sabotage the normalization process. "But they will not succeed", he said.
**Manuel Aranda da Silva Named Regional Director for Horn of Africa
I have another statement attributable to the Spokesman:
The Secretary-General has asked Manuel Aranda da Silva, a senior staff member with the World Food Programme (WFP) to travel immediately to the Horn of Africa and serve as the United Nations Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Drought in the Horn of Africa.
The Regional Humanitarian Coordinator will leave for Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, on 4 May. This is a follow-up to the visit last month to the region by the Secretary-General's Special Envoy, Catherine Bertini.
We have a brief biographical description of Mr. Aranda da Silva available for you upstairs.
**Danuta Hubner Named ECE Executive Director
Also attributable to the Spokesman:
The Secretary-General has decided to appoint Danuta Hübner as the Executive Secretary for the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), with effect from 21 July. Ms. Hübner has been Deputy Executive Secretary at the ECE since November 1998. She will succeed Yves Berthelot, who had indicated his wish to retire from his position. Ms. Hübner's curriculum vitae is available. The Secretary-General also wishes to acknowledge Mr. Berthelot's distinguished contributions during his tenure as Executive Secretary of the ECE.
**After Holiday, NPT Review Conference General Debate Resumes Today
Today, in the General Assembly plenary, the general debate of the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference resumed after the three-day break during the Orthodox Easter. We have revised lists of speakers for today and tomorrow available in the Spokesman's Office.
The debate is also expected to include speeches by representatives of non-governmental organizations on Wednesday, with the debate likely to wrap up by the middle of this week. The Review Conference is to end on 19 May.
**Payment
We have a payment: Nepal has become the eighty-fourth Member State to pay its full contribution to the United Nations regular budget for this year. Today, Nepal made a payment of just over $42,000.
**Press Releases Out Today
There are dozens of documents on the racks today. Among them is a letter by the President of the Security Council for last month, Ambassador Fowler of Canada, to the Secretary-General, promising that the Council will consider expeditiously his proposal to create a panel to deal with the exploitation of natural resources in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Also out is the Secretary-General's latest report on oceans and the Law of the Sea.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) issued a press release today noting the need for disaster preparedness in Mozambique. Starting Wednesday in Rome, the UNDP and the Mozambican Government will start a two-day meeting to build support for a $450 million appeal to rebuild Mozambique following the floods. President Chissano of Mozambique has also taken the opportunity of this week's meeting to thank people and governments around the world for supporting Mozambicans in what he calls "one of the bleakest moments in their history".
We also have a press release from Sadako Ogata, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), expressing condolences for former High Commissioner and Prime Minister of Denmark Poul Hartling, who died on Sunday at the age of 85. Ms. Ogata called Hartling "a champion for the refugee cause".
Lastly, we have copies of the opening statements by Under-Secretary- General for Public Information Kensaku Hogen to this year's session of the Committee on Information, which begins this afternoon.
**'Globalization, Readiness' Presentations Tomorrow
Presentations on the theme "Globalization and Readiness for a Networked World" will be made by author and columnist Thomas Friedman and Harvard Professor Geoffrey Kirkman, tomorrow at 12:15 p.m. in the Dag Hammarskjöld
Auditorium. This event is part of the Economic and Social Councils "Information and Technology" campaign.
You can get more information on this by contacting Tim Wall at (212) 963-5851.
**Press Conferences
Tomorrow at 1 p.m., Ambassador Chris Westdal, who is the Canadian Ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament, will discuss Canada's approach to the NPT Review Conference.
From the United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA): there is a press event today at 1 p.m. in the UNCA lounge. This event will feature Rob Green, retired Commander of the British Royal Navy; Admiral Ramdas, who is retired from the Indian Navy; and Andreas Toupadakis, who resigned last month from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The former military personnel will discuss the relevance of the NPT and their own change of position with respect to nuclear weapons. The event will also include an analysis on the P-5 statement on nuclear disarmament. Lunch will be provided.
Thank you very much.
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