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 Marie Okabe, Associate Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

Good afternoon. I'll start with Sierra Leone.

**Situation in Sierra Leone: Freetown Reported 'Quiet but Tense'

As of a short while ago, we were informed that there was no firing in Sierra Leone today. Freetown is reported quiet but tense.

We did revise the casualty figures at the start of the workday. According to the latest information from the field, the number of United Nations peacekeepers still missing and presumed dead is four. No bodies have been recovered yet. In addition, the latest reports say there are eight wounded.

We have no news of any releases today.

The number of detentions have, meanwhile, risen to at least 69. Thirty- nine are believed held in Makeni and another 30 in Kailahun. Makeni is in the north and Kailahun is in the east. A 23-man unit of the Indian battalion is reported to be surrounded by members of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in Kuiva near Kailahun. In addition, the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) has lost contact with some units.

The firing reported last night in Kambia, in the north-west, was reported to have died down before midnight. We have no further information from that incident.

The Force Commander has reported that reinforcements have been sent to Makeni and Magburaka.

The Secretary-General continues to be in touch with those involved in the peace negotiations and all those who can put pressure on Foday Sankoh to pull his men out so that the peacekeepers can do their work.

**UNICEF 'Deplores' Violence in Sierra Leone; Appeals for Successful Completion of Polio Immunization Plan

Meanwhile, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) deplores the violence in Sierra Leone and urgently appeals for action by all parties there to ensure successful completion of the third round of the polio National Immunization Days scheduled for 20-21 May throughout the country. The Children's agency said access to all of Sierra Leone's children is a global issue, as UNICEF and its partners work urgently to eradicate polio.

That statement is available upstairs.

Daily Press Briefing - 2 - 4 May 2000

**Secretary-General, UN Family Mourn Loss of 'Good Friend' Cardinal O'Connor

I have a statement by the Secretary-General on the death of Cardinal John O'Connor:

“It was with great sorrow that I learned of the death of Cardinal John O'Connor, who was a staunch supporter of the United Nations. I recall fondly the inter-faith services held annually at the United Nations Parish of the Church of the Holy Family, at which Cardinal O'Connor would join in prayer for the success of each new General Assembly session.

“His strong advocacy on behalf of the poor and vulnerable of our world, and his deep belief that politics ought not ignore the spiritual side of life, complemented the work of the United Nations. I am grateful to have known him and consider him a good friend and, along with the entire United Nations community, will mourn his loss.”

We have copies of that statement upstairs.

**Secretary-General Returns from Paris Today

The Secretary-General returned to New York from Paris earlier today. He is expected at Headquarters in the afternoon for internal meetings.

**Security Council to Be Briefed on Georgia, Afghanistan

The Security Council began its work today with closed consultations on Georgia, at which Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hédi Annabi briefed the Council on the recent report of the Secretary-General.

The Secretary-General's report noted the work of the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG), saying that the situation in its area of responsibility was "generally calm although unstable" over the past three months. The Observer Mission's current mandate lasts until the end of July.

After the consultations on Georgia, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Danilo Türk briefed the Council on developments over the past few weeks in Afghanistan. That briefing was requested by members of the Security Council.

Under "other matters", the Council is expected to hear an update on the situation in Sierra Leone shortly.

**Special Envoy Larsen Meets Lebanese President, Prime Minister

The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General, Terje Roed Larsen, continued his current visit to the Middle East today when he met with Lebanese President Emile Lahoud and Prime Minister Salim el-Hoss.

Upon arriving in Beirut yesterday, Mr. Larsen made a statement to the press, which we issued in the afternoon, in which he noted that he will report to the Secretary-General next week on his discussions concerning the implementation of resolutions 425 and 426, concerning Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon. Mr. Larsen noted that "at this point, no positions have been taken and no decisions made by the United Nations".

He thanked Lebanon for extending full cooperation to the United Nations’ chief cartographer and noted, in response to what he described as confusion on the United Nations’ role on border matters, that "demarcating borders is a matter for States". The United Nations, he said, is working with the parties in a "technical exercise" to identify the internationally recognized boundaries of Lebanon, to determine whether a full withdrawal has occurred.

Tomorrow, Larsen will visit southern Lebanon to inspect the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). He is scheduled to conclude his trip to the region and return to New York by 10 May.

**Cyprus Talks Update

I was asked yesterday in the briefing about President Clerides’ health, and indeed Alvaro de Soto (the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus) spoke with him by telephone yesterday to convey the Secretary-General's best wishes for a prompt recovery. President Clerides still hopes to come to New York for the 23 May talks. Accordingly, there is no change in the date for the talks. However, Mr. de Soto, who also spoke with Mr. Denktash today, has for the time being put off his planned visit to the island and to Greece and Turkey.

**International Pledges Exceed Expectations for Aid to Mozambique

There is good news to report today from Mozambique's donor reconstruction meeting in Rome today. The international community exceeded expectations, pledging $452.9 million -- nearly $3 million more than the Government of Mozambique asked for in response to this year's floods.

Mark Malloch Brown, head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said today, "This is a good day for Mozambique and a good day for development cooperation." He said that Mozambique's reputation for political and economic reform had led to extraordinary donor confidence.

A press release will be available on the racks today.

**Press Releases Out Today

Among the press releases today, we have the latest media briefing notes from the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), which notes the approval today by East Timor's National Consultative Council of a regulation on the establishment of representative offices of foreign governments to the United Nations Mission. Once East Timor is fully independent, those representative offices will become embassies.

We also have a release from the World Health Organization (WHO), stating that mental disorders are becoming more common, often beginning during a person's teenage years.

**UNCTAD Presentation on E-Commerce and Development

A presentation on the impact of electronic commerce on the developing world will be made by Bruno Lanvin, head of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) e-commerce section, at 3 p.m. today in the Trusteeship Council. Copies of UNCTAD's book on e-commerce and development will be available. The event is one in a series of information technology panels and workshops sponsored by the Economic and Social Council in its year 2000 session. For more information, contact Tim Wall at (212) 963-5851.

**World Chronicle

The recently recorded World Chronicle programme with Mahbub Ahmed, Chief, United Nations Technology Section, will be shown today on in-house television Channel 3 or 31, at 3:30 p.m.

**Guest at Tomorrow's Noon Briefing

At tomorrow's noon briefing, the guest will be Ambassador Abdallah Baali of Algeria, President of the NPT Review Conference.

**Questions and Answers

Question: Are the 23 peacekeepers that you said were surrounded in addition to the 69 that were reportedly being held?

Associate Spokesman: Yes, that is in addition to the 69. They are surrounded and apparently still have their arms.

Question: Can you give us any idea about the status of the negotiations for the release of any of these people, especially given Foday Sankoh's statement that he was supposedly taking immediate measures to free them?

Associate Spokesman: As all of you may be aware, there was a press release issued yesterday in Freetown by Mr. Sankoh after his meeting with the Nigerian National Security Adviser, and while Freetown is reported as “quiet but tense”, we have had no word on any releases since that statement went out.

Question: Are negotiations under way between [UNAMSIL Force Commander] General Vijay Jetley and Mr. Sankoh?

Associate Spokesman: Because this involves close to 70 United Nations personnel in detention, we really can't get into the details of the negotiations. As you know, in his remarks from Paris yesterday, the Secretary- General did mention that we are in touch with Foday Sankoh through various regional leaders and others involved in the peace negotiation process. They are all trying to exert pressure on him to resolve this situation as quickly as possible.

Question: What has been the response to Foday Sankoh's claims that the United Nations had attacked his men in an attempt to force disarmament? There also appear to be inconsistencies in his statements: on one hand, he has said that there are no hostages and, on the other, he has said that he will make every attempt to free them.

Associate Spokesman: We have been reporting the deterioration of the situation in Sierra Leone since Monday. We have been reporting to you what is happening on the ground there -- our personnel are coming under attack in at least four incidents now. The very fact that the number of detentions has risen to 69 and could go higher is obviously a cause for alarm. [Under-Secretary- General for Peacekeeping Operations] Bernard Miyet will again be reporting to the Security Council, and the Secretary-General has issued two statements in which he has said that Foday Sankoh is responsible and accountable for these acts.

Question: You mentioned that the United Nations has lost contact with various peacekeeping units in the region. How many have you lost contact with, and is there any indication that they are at risk?

Associate Spokesman: I'm only giving you numbers for which I have absolute confirmation in terms of the latest information that we have -- the 39 in Makeni and the 30 in Kailahun. We mentioned the 23-man unit because we just learned that they are actually surrounded near Kailahun. Yes, the Mission has lost contact with some units, but I cannot tell you exactly who they are or what is their composition. However, as you know, the Force Commander has been trying to reinforce Makeni and Magburaka, as well as Kailahun, so there were troops on the move trying to do that.

Question: Does the United Nations have any idea why the RUF is holding these hostages? Are they trying to test the United Nations, now that the Economic Community of West African States' Monitoring Observer Group (ECOMOG) is pulling out of Sierra Leone?

Associate Spokesman: Force Commander Jetley has been making remarks similar to those you've stated. Clearly, there has been a surge in the number of attacks and there does appear to be a pattern here. And, as I mentioned earlier, the Secretary-General has held Mr. Sankoh accountable for these incidents.

Question: Do you have any comment on what this might mean for future peacekeeping missions in Africa, specifically the mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC)?

Associate Spokesman: In his remarks yesterday, the Secretary-General expressed his strong concern about what's going on in Sierra Leone and he mentioned that if this situation were to continue, he was concerned that troop contributors might be more reluctant to send troops to another challenging African region like the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He cited the peacekeeping situation in Somalia and the repercussions on Rwanda.

Question: Are there any military observers being held, as well as peacekeepers? We hear that there is one British military observer, is that true?

Associate Spokesman: I can't give you a breakdown on the nationalities. I can only tell you that there are military observers, civilians and peacekeepers involved.

Question: There was a report in The Washington Post today that Great Britain and France had been notified that they may have to contribute troops to the "rapid reaction force". Can you confirm or deny that notification has been given to these countries or other nations that they may have to contribute peacekeepers to this mission?

Associate Spokesman: Various proposals are being considered, ranging from strengthening the "rapid reaction unit" -- which already exists -- to working on expediting the deployment of the remaining peacekeepers to Sierra Leone. On that latter point, as we mentioned to you yesterday, the personnel strength on the ground is at 8,700, and the mandate goes up to 11,100. There were already three battalions in the pipeline that were to be fully deployed by mid-June. Discussions are ongoing now to try and expedite that deployment on the ground as quickly as possible.

As far as specific requests, I think you'll have to talk to those missions. I have no specific details on that.

Question: Which national leaders has the Secretary-General been speaking to, specifically, to get this issue resolved?

Associate Spokesman: Throughout the last few days of his trip, the Secretary-General has been constantly on the phone with various leaders in the region, as well as other concerned parties. The night before he left Africa, he was up all night making calls, and the night before that he was up until 2:30 a.m.

Question: Is there any possibility that the Secretary-General may speak directly with Foday Sankoh?

Associate Spokesman: I have not heard that. Yesterday, however, he did say that various leaders who can exert pressure on Mr. Sankoh had been contacted. As you also know, Sankoh met with the Nigerian envoy and I understand that today, a representative from Mali is going in to talk to Mr. Sankoh, as well as some other regional leaders.

Question: On the issue of missing persons: is it only the four peacekeepers you mentioned as "missing and presumed dead" who are unaccounted for, or are there others?

Associate Spokesman: There are still numbers unaccounted for. I cannot, however, get into the breakdown of those numbers. What we're saying is that the number has been revised from the seven that we reported yesterday. We now believe that there are four missing and presumed dead. We have not found any bodies, therefore, we cannot make that confirmation.

Question: Were the missing men outside the disarmament camp when they were captured? Has that camp now been abandoned?

Associate Spokesman: I don't know the specifics of each of these incidents in terms of the circumstances, and I'm not sure we're in a position to report on all the details as the situation seems to still be evolving. What I can tell you is that when the reinforcements went into the disarmament camps at Makeni and at Magburaka, the conditions they reported to us were that both camps had been looted and “trashed”.

Question: Have both camps been retaken by the United Nations?

Associate Spokesman: It appears that it's quiet there today and those sites have been reinforced.

Question: Were the people who were wounded troops or civilian personnel?

Associate Spokesman: They were peacekeepers.

Question: Can you confirm that the four missing and presumed dead are Kenyans?

Associate Spokesman: Yes, they were.

Question: There have been reports that there are 100 peacekeepers surrounding Sankoh's house. Can you confirm that?

Associate Spokesman: What I can tell you about that is that Foday Sankoh is a senior member of the Government, and as such the United Nations forces have been providing security there for him, as well as for other government officials in Freetown. The current situation there is obviously very tense. Just last night, shooting erupted in Freetown for about five minutes when a Sierra Leonean soldier accidentally discharged his weapon and caused a panic among the population. The peacekeepers brought the situation under control. So with this kind of tense situation, movements of all the people there have to be controlled.

Question: So have peacekeeping troops actually been stationed outside Foday Sankoh's house?

Associate Spokesman: In his briefing to the Security Council yesterday, Mr. Miyet did mention that there were peacekeepers who were placed outside Mr. Sankoh's residence. In terms of reinforcing that number, I have not gotten any more information on that.

Question: Is Mr. Sankoh free to move around?

Associate Spokesman: As far as we know, he is in his home. From what I understand, the movement of various personnel in Freetown is restricted.

Question: So he is not under house arrest?

Associate Spokesman: No, he is not.

Have a good afternoon.

* *** *