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, and Shirley Brownell, Spokeswoman for the President of the General Assembly.

**Lebanon

We’ll lead today with Lebanon. This morning, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) monitored the situation following reports of Israel’s pullback from positions in southern Lebanon. Although the United Nations will still have to confirm Israel's withdrawal to its side of the border -- as it intends to do in an expedited fashion, as rapidly as possible -- the United Nations peacekeepers have been patrolling vacated areas in an effort to maintain calm on the ground.

The situation in southern Lebanon is described as relatively quiet, and even calmer than yesterday. The United Nations Force has been maintaining contacts with the Lebanese and Israeli authorities, as well as with the leaders of the armed elements, and have reported that the armed groups are currently taking a measured approach.

Lebanese President Emile Lahoud visited a village just six kilometres from the western town of Naqoura, where the United Nations Force maintains its headquarters. Some Lebanese officials have also been moving into the vacated areas, including the first customs official to visit the Naqoura area in several decades.

Meanwhile, the United Nations peacekeepers are helping the Lebanese Army collect heavy weapons that have been left behind all over the vacated areas.

This evening, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy, Terje Roed Larsen, will arrive in Beirut, beginning a trip to the region that he expects to last about a week to 10 days. He hopes to visit Israel and Syria during his trip, and also expects to go to Naqoura shortly. The United Nations still intends to take cartographers to the border area to identify the 1923 border on the ground and then to mark a practical line, in order to confirm Israel's withdrawal to its side of the border.

The Secretary-General talked to reporters on arriving at Headquarters today, and he said, "We are going to work with the Lebanese Government in assuring their own control over the territory and maintain peace in that part of the region." He noted that the Government of Lebanon remains responsible for law and order on its territory, but added that the United Nations might put in additional peacekeepers to calm the situation for a while.

**Cambodia

We had a question about Cambodia this morning and yes, I can confirm press reports out of Phnom Penh today that the Secretary-General received a letter from Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia, in response to his last letter to the Prime Minister, concerning internationally acceptable arrangements for a trial for Khmer

Daily Press Briefing - 2 - 24 May 2000

Rouge leaders. The letter arrived on Monday, and the text of both letters appears to have leaked out of Phnom Penh.

The Secretary-General considers the Prime Minister’s latest response a positive development. However, he has asked me at this stage not to discuss the details. Some of these details still need clarification, and for this purpose the Cambodian Government has invited the United Nations Legal Counsel, Hans Corell, to return to Phnom Penh, which he will do when a mutually convenient time can be agreed.

Of course, we can’t say a formal agreement has been reached until the Cambodian Parliament adopts legislation conforming to the understanding reached between the United Nations and the Prime Minister, after which a formal agreement may be signed.

**Sierra Leone

On Sierra Leone, this morning, the Security Council heard a briefing by Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hédi Annabi on the Secretary-General’s report on Sierra Leone and the most recent developments involving the mission in that country. Consultations are ongoing.

As you’ll recall, the Secretary-General in his report said that the United Nations will have to draw lessons from its experience in Sierra Leone. He will soon be sending a multidisciplinary high-level team, led by former Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Manfred Eisele, to assess these problems and make recommendations to improve the mission’s ability to discharge its mandate. Council members were informed of this mission, which is tentatively expected to begin work next week.

From the field today, no fighting involving United Nations personnel was reported. The 29 most recently released United Nations detainees are still in Liberian hands and are believed to be in the process of being handed over to the United Nations. A helicopter sent to the Liberian town of Foya yesterday did not find any new releases.

The Secretary-General, upon entering the Building this morning, said he had spoken to President Charles Taylor of Liberia on the release of the remaining detainees. Taylor expects to be able to see some more of the detainees released before the end of the week, the Secretary-General said. He also said he hopes that by the time the West African heads of State meet on Saturday -- that’s the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) -- most of the peacekeepers will be freed. That meeting, by the way, will be in Abuja, Nigeria.

An eight-member team, which went to the site at Rogberi Junction where bodies in uniforms with United Nations insignia had been found, could not confirm whether the bodies were those of United Nations soldiers. Further investigation will need to be conducted. The United Nations is actively seeking forensic experts for this purpose.

**Democratic Republic of Congo

The United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has welcomed the agreement by Uganda and Rwanda to withdraw their troops from the city of Kisangani. As you’ll recall, Kisangani is one of four locations where battalions will be deployed according to the concept of operations approved by the Council. That is, battalions of United Nations peacekeepers.

At the same time, the United Nations mission in the Congo also expressed its concern over troop movements by the MLC forces, that is the Congolese Liberation Movement led by Jean-Pierre Bemba. These were reported along the Ubangi River and around the city of Mbandaka in northern Equateur Province. It said that this advance by MLC forces violates the Lusaka accord and the planned disengagement of troops from the front agreed upon in a subsequent agreement, the mission said.

The mission’s positions were outlined in two press releases yesterday. We squawked them to you yesterday afternoon.

**Ethiopia/Eritrea

We have this statement on Ethiopia/Eritrea attributable to the Spokesman. “The Secretary-General wishes to state his strong support for the efforts of the Chairman of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who is currently in Addis Ababa. He hopes that President Bouteflika’s initiative will swiftly lead to an end to the fighting, the restoration of the status quo ante of 6 May, 1998, and the resumption of a process which will bring a lasting end by peaceful means to the current dispute between Eritrea and Ethiopia.”

On the humanitarian front, from the same region, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says it has now registered 18,000 Eritreans at three refugee encampments along the Sudanese border. You can see their update if you want more information on that story.

Inside Eritrea, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that the Ziron camp, about 90 kilometres from Asmara, seems to be the main location where people on the move are leading. There are 33,000 people reported in that camp, compared to the weekend figure of 5,000.

**Fiji

Today in Suva, the capital of Fiji, United Nations Special Envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello and Don McKinnon, the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, were able to see Fijian Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry and other senior officials who are being held hostage in the Parliament building.

They also met with George Speight, the Fijian businessman who leads the hostage-takers, and told him that his actions will not be acceptable by the international community.

The Secretary-General, on entering the Building today, said that Mr. Vieira de Mello asserted that the hostages should be released as soon as possible and that Fiji should be returned to constitutional rule.

Mr. Vieira de Mello, who is also the Special Representative for East Timor, travelled to Fiji yesterday to underscore the necessity of upholding the Constitution and internationally accepted norms of democratic governance. He is not there to play any role in negotiating with the hostage-takers.

**International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda

Francois-Xavier Nzuwonemeye, a former commander of the Rwandan Army during the genocide of 1994, was transferred to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda last night by the French authorities. He was arrested in France last February and is facing a number of charges, including conspiracy to commit genocide and crimes against humanity. His initial appearance before the Arusha- based Tribunal will take place tomorrow. A press release from the Tribunal provides further details, if you’re interested.

**Peacekeeping Memorial Jury

And finally, I think you’ve seen from the Secretary-General’s programme of today, a six-member jury will be meeting to select the winning entry among four finalists for a memorial dedicated to peacekeepers who lost their lives in United Nations service. This afternoon, the Secretary-General will visit the models of the four finalist entries, and the Peacekeeping Memorial Jury will present its recommendation. The cost of the memorial is covered by the proceeds of the Nobel Peace Prize received by the United Nations in 1988 for its peacekeeping operations.

We have the list of the jurors available in my Office if you’re interested. I’m told that the Nobel Peace Prize money, with interest, now amounts to some $700,000.

**Questions and Answers

Question: The Iranian Foreign Minister is going to Beirut. Does Mr. Larsen have any intention of meeting with him?

Spokesman: I don’t know. We’d have to ask him. We simply try to speak to him once a day. We haven’t yet spoken to him today.

Follow-up Question: Any contacts with Iran at all?

Spokesman: To my knowledge, he has not, but then I think we better ask him.

Follow-up Question: Given the influence they have over the Hezbollah and the bellicose statements from Syria and Iran that there will be no peace until all the occupied territories are returned, wouldn’t he be interested in speaking with the Iranians?

Spokesman: Let’s ask him whom he has met with.

Question: There are some rumours that Bernard Kouchner is leaving, and do you know if that is true or who his successor would be in Kosovo?

Spokesman: I’ve heard those rumours for about a year, and as far as I know they’re not true.

Question: And another thing, if I may stay on the Balkans for a little while, it was reported that one of the members of the IPTF [International Police Training Force] in Bosnia was involved with prostitutes in Bosnia. Apparently, he is a member of the Indian Battalion. Do you know something about that?

Spokesman: Well, if he is IPTF, he would be a policeman. So, then he wouldn’t be a member of the battalion. But, of course, the guidelines that we lay down for peacekeepers specifically indicate that they should not patronize prostitutes, and we expect everyone to live up to that. If this did happen, then there would be a normal disciplinary action that would be taken by the Mission. But I’m not aware of the specific case you’re talking about.

Question: About the trip to Washington tomorrow by Kofi Annan, do we know who he’s meeting with among congressmen and national leaders?

Spokesman: The last I heard there are just two things on his agenda -– the commencement speech at Johns Hopkins School of Advance International Studies (SAIS) and a congressional forum, I think it’s called the John Quincy Adams Society (I’d have to get the specific title), which is a lunch that will be attended by, last I heard, over 70 members of Congress. So, he won’t be meeting with any individual members of Congress or, to my knowledge at this point anyway, of the Administration, although that could change at the last minute. But this is a group of congressmen. He will address them briefly and then take their questions over lunch.

Question: What can you tell us about the contacts between UNIFIL and the armed elements? Was it local commanders? Was it just Hezbollah or other people? Or were there contacts in Beirut or outside the Zone? And when you say they are taking a measured approach, does that mean that UNIFIL believes that the Hezbollah would assist the Lebanese Army in moving into the Zone, which Israel has vacated?

Spokesman: No, I don’t know what specific elements are referred to or where these meetings took place, although I assume it would have been within the Zone. And the measured approach, I think what we’re referring to there is that the worst-case scenario was that there would be revenge attacks. These have not happened, and I think everyone is holding their breath and hoping that it continues like this.

Question: Can you give any sort of timetable for the Security Council’s actions on the Secretary-General’s report on Lebanon in terms of troop increases, and will it depend on how events develop with the Special Envoy’s mission?

Spokesman: I don’t think the two are linked and I’d have to get back to you on the timetable. I don’t know when it is.

Question: On Lebanon, do you have the timetable yet for when the cartographers will be deployed and when they’ll be able to start verifying?

Spokesman: Well, very soon. I mean the reports are that Israel has pulled out. Once we have been notified of that, then the cartographers will begin their activity. We need the assurances of Lebanon and Syria that we will be able to fly over the border area in helicopters. Once we get that clearance -- and that’s one of the items on Mr. Larsen’s agenda for this visit -- then I understand that they will fly over the areas where the border is not marked and will drop brightly coloured concrete canisters from a low altitude to mark the border. I think that’s the tentative plan in any case.

Follow-up Question: The official notification of the withdrawal would come from?

Spokesman: Israel would tell us they have withdrawn. We would get everyone’s clearance to mark the border -– not the border, what we call a “practical line” more or less corresponding to the border –- and then we would verify that Israel had withdrawn behind that line. There are also other elements that have to be met, namely, the disbanding of the South Lebanon Army (SLA), the elimination of their heavy weapons and all those other things.

Question: You said that peacekeepers were collecting heavy weapons left behind. What are they going to do with them? Are they supposed to deliver them to the Israelis or destroy them or “finders keepers”?

Spokesman: I think we’re just trying to take them out of action and what will happen to them eventually, I don’t know at this time.

Question: I was going to ask you about sequence and you look like you’ve gone mostly there. We were briefed on a kind of phased verification -– a first phase from the air, a second phase from the ground. I was wondering if you could now go to the next step beyond the aerial verification. How then do you go to ground verification? Can you verify at all if you just rely on aerial overflights? And how then does that work with this further deployment of UNIFIL troops, up to the 8,000 level that the Secretary-General asked for?

Spokesman: The first step is to mark the border for this practical line in the sand. Once that has been marked and we have the line against which to measure whether Israel has withdrawn from all Lebanese territory, then we would patrol on the ground through the interior to make sure that there were no remaining Israeli military elements and no SLA. I think that those are the two steps. The second step would require more troops. And the Secretary-General would be requesting those.

Question: There are no more troops until the first step is completed, is that correct? Even up to the 5,500 level? Initially, there was supposed to be up to 5,500 for verification. Obviously, the timetable has been greatly increased because of developments on the ground. Do you envision deployment of more troops, at least in this verification stage?

Spokesman: There may not be time to get more troops in for the first stage. We are just going ahead with that border demarcation and then we will bring in the additional troops as fast as we can to do the rest of the job.

Question: Will the United Nations peacekeepers be able to help protect the families of the Lebanese militia that had to leave and go to Israel?

Spokesman: It is not in their job description, but obviously we are there to see that this withdrawal takes place in an orderly way. Therefore, we would do everything we could to discourage any violence at all against any party, including against the families of the SLA.

Question: On that, they’re apparently being held and might be going on trial. About 1,600 former SLA members have been arrested and face the death penalty. Has the Secretary-General said anything about that in particular?

Spokesman: No.

Question: What about this letter from [Israeli Prime Minister] Barak yesterday, has the Secretary-General written back?

Spokesman: He said, when he came in this morning, he didn't think that letter required a response.

Question: Is the Lebanese army already in the area?

Spokesman: I am not aware, but we did report the movements of civilian personnel, such as these customs officers. The Secretary-General said, coming in today, that he hopes Lebanon would establish a civilian administration there as quickly as possible.

Question: On another subject, what’s the latest on Burundi? Is the Secretary-General’s envoy still active and is he making any progress?

Spokesman: You caught me on that one. I don't know. I would have to check.

Question: What is the financial aspect of UNIFIL, of the 8,000 people? Secondly, what would happen if a revenge massacre occurred in southern Lebanon? It has happened several times during the war.

Spokesman: On the finances, the Peacekeeping Department works up a financial implications report that it then submits to the Security Council in outline form, and then in greater detail to the General Assembly that has to approve it. I don't have any figures at this time.

I don't want to speculate about massacres. I am just saying that we have seen no signs in the first two days of revenge attacks, which might have been anticipated. We are very pleased that they haven't occurred, and we hope they won't occur.

Question: Do you have anything on the trial in Toronto, involving a former United Nations peacekeeper in Bosnia?

Spokesman: I am not aware of that and I don't think I would comment on a national trial, even though it might involve ... I don't think I would comment on that.

Question: Is UNIFIL authorized to fire on or capture Hezbollah if they find them in the act of trying to arm? On additional troop contributors, can you confirm reports that Denmark, France, Ireland and Italy are keeping their contributions?

Spokesman: No, on the second question. We don't talk about the recruitment phase of troops until all the new troops have been recruited. Then we'll give you the composition. Clearly, the most efficient way to expand the force would be to first go to those who currently are contributing to the force and ask them to expand.

As to your first question, no, this is a peacekeeping mission. Their job, if they saw Hezbollah or some other group doing something inconsistent with how it is supposed to be, would be to knock on the door and say please don't do this. They wouldn't go in with guns blazing. Question: Would the border marking only go to the limits of the UNIFIL operations and not include the Shaba farms?

Spokesman: You know the Secretary-General's view on the Shaba farms, it was laid out very clearly in his report. So we are talking about the Lebanese-Israel border as defined by the Secretary-General. Again, we are not demarcating a border. We are just laying a line on the ground, a practical line, corresponding to the border.

Question: You mentioned that patrolling on the ground is part of the last phase of the verification of withdrawal. Is there anything that can prevent UNIFIL from patrolling on the ground and completing withdrawal?

Spokesman: They are supposed to have absolute freedom of movement. In theory, there should be nothing to prevent them from going anywhere they want to go within their area of operations.

Follow-up Question: If there is fighting, if there are flare-ups, would that prevent them from patrolling?

Spokesman: Let’s not hypothesize about things getting worse when they are going reasonably well for now. As peacekeepers, they would take whatever steps they would have to in order to look after their own security. They wouldn't walk into the middle of a firefight, but let's not talk about firefights. We don't have any firefights today, and we are very happy with that.

Question: What does the United Nations think of the United Kingdom training the Sierra Leonean Army? Has that been endorsed by you?

Spokesman: They have also indicated that they may, after they decide to withdraw the troops that are there right now, leave some behind. I think the Secretary-General would welcome that, as he welcomed the arrival of the first 800 as a stabilizing factor. The idea was that Sierra Leone would have a coalition government. That government would have an army. There already was the beginning of the establishment of the new Sierra Leonean Army. I don't see how the training and arming of that army is inconsistent with our overall objectives. Of course, we'll have to get all the factions back to some agreement on the peace process. No, I don't see any problem with Britain's plans.

Briefing by Shirley Brownell, Spokeswoman for President of General Assembly

The General Assembly meets at 10 a.m. tomorrow to consider a report of the General Committee, two Economic and Social Council draft resolutions and a Fourth Committee report.

The Assembly will first take action on the General Committee’s recommendation that it include an item on HIV/AIDS in the agenda of the current fifty-fourth session and consider the item directly in plenary. Four countries -- Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Ukraine and Zimbabwe -- had requested an additional agenda item. A draft resolution annexed to their Explanatory Memorandum would have the Assembly convene a special session on HIV/AIDS in May 2001 to review the epidemic in all its aspects.

The Assembly will also have before it two draft resolutions recommended by the Council. The first draft, which is in document A/54/L.85, would have the Assembly convene the Second World Assembly on Ageing in 2002, in Spain. That Assembly would be called upon to review the outcome of the first one held in Vienna in 1982, and to adopt a revised plan of action and long-term strategy on ageing. The Commission for Social Development would be designated as the preparatory body.

The second Council draft, document A/54/L.84, would have the General Assembly adopt and open for signature, ratification and accession two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, recognizing that their adoption and implementation would make a substantial contribution to promoting and protecting the rights of the child. One Protocol deals with the involvement of children in armed conflict, and States parties would ensure that no one under the age of 18 would take a direct part in hostilities or be compulsorily recruited into their armed forces. The second Protocol pertains to the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. Both Protocols were finalized by the Commission on Human Rights.

The Fourth Committee report (A/54/577/Add.1) contains a draft resolution on the comprehensive review of the whole question of peacekeeping operations in all their aspects. That text would have the Assembly endorse the proposals, recommendations and conclusions contained in the report of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (A/54/839). They include proposals on civilian police activities; the safety and security of United Nations and associated personnel; reimbursement to troop-contributing countries; standby arrangements and rapid deployment; status-of-forces and of-mission agreements; and other proposals aimed at enhancing the peacekeeping capacity of the United Nations.

The President of the General Assembly, Theo-Ben Gurirab (Namibia), met this morning with the Secretary-General. Their meeting yesterday was postponed. They exchanged views on the upcoming “Beijing + 5” Special Session, as well as preparations and outstanding issues for the Millennium Summit.

The President then met with the Ambassadors of Algeria, Nigeria and the Deputy Permanent Representative of South Africa to discuss the upcoming special sessions on women and social development. He is also scheduled to meet with the Ambassador of Finland; with the two Facilitators for the Millennium Summit, Ambassadors Gert Rosenthal of Guatemala and Michael Powles of New Zealand; with the Coordinators of the special sessions, together with the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women, and the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs; and, finally, with the chairmen of the regional groups.

I would like to remind you that the drawing of lots for the list of speakers for the plenary debate of the Millennium Summit will take place on Friday, 26 May, at 10 a.m. in the General Assembly Hall.

The President departs tomorrow evening on an official visit to China, including Hong Kong and Macao. In China, the President will meet with Chinese leaders and will address the Foreign Affairs College of China. He returns to New York on 1 June and will take part in a journalists briefing, here in this room, on Friday, 2 June, before presiding over the Assembly’s special session on women starting on Monday, 5 June.

I will be travelling with the President, and have asked my colleague in DPI’s Radio Service, Ransford Cline-Thomas, to handle press inquiries during my absence. Randy’s telephone number is 963-6957.

Question: What are the outstanding issues for the Millennium Summit?

Answer: The outcome document still has to be drafted, and Member States still have not agreed on what the sub-themes of the discussions will be.

Question: Is there any finalization or decision on Summit-related events other than the plenary discussion?

Answer: Meetings are taking place on a whole range of proposed activities, but nothing is finalized.

Question: The NGO Millennium Forum is going on at Headquarters, and the participants are working on a draft. How will that document be incorporated into the work of the Millennium Assembly in September?

Answer: The recommendations of the Millennium Forum will be submitted as a document for consideration by the heads of State at the Summit.

Question: Does it become part of whatever final document will be produced at the Summit?

Answer: That has not been discussed in any of the informal consultations I have attended.

Question: What are the difficulties with respect to the role that the NGOs would be playing at the Millennium Summit? Has there been any decision taken with respect to that role?

Answer: That’s one of the outstanding issues now under consideration. It has to do with the number of NGOs that will be invited to speak in the plenary and which NGOs.

Question: Fred, where on the grounds will this Peacekeeping Memorial be placed once the design is chosen?

Spokesman: I understand it will be just outside the Visitors’ Entrance.

Question: Shirley, do we have a total number on the heads of State that have agreed to come to the Summit?

Answer: Not as yet.

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