DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
20000606The following is a near-verbatim transcript of the noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, and by Shirley Brownell, Spokesman for the President of the General Assembly:
**Sierra Leone
The overall security situation in Sierra Leone was reported calm over the past 24 hours, but the United Nations Mission is reporting a development involving United Nations peacekeepers. Twenty-one of the 23 Indian peacekeepers who had been surrounded by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in the eastern town of Kuiva in Sierra Leone were transferred last night to an unknown destination by the RUF.
The exact circumstances of their transfer were not immediately known, but the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone reported that they were moved out from Kuiva around 7 p.m. local time by truck and jeep. The peacekeepers had with them all of their equipment, including a rifle, sidearm and backpack each. They were apparently told that they would be moving to the town of Pendembu to meet with their Force Commander. Since then, there has been no contact with the group.
Pendembu, you'll recall, was the staging post for the detained personnel who had been released on their way to Freetown via the Liberian border town of Foya.
The two other Indian peacekeepers at Kuiva had been part of the supply convoy that went to the town of Kailahun over the weekend. That convoy of 10 personnel is now with the 224 personnel of the Indian battalion and the 11 military observers who remain surrounded in Kailahun, and their situation remains unchanged.
A few minutes ago, the Secretary-General spoke by phone with Liberian President Charles Taylor. President Taylor, you'll recall, was tasked by other West African heads of State with facilitating the release of all United Nations detainees in Sierra Leone. The Secretary-General emphasized to President Taylor that those whose movement is restricted must be free to move and that anyone who mistreats peacekeepers will be held accountable.
**United Nations Completing Task of Marking Line in Lebanon
Today in southern Lebanon, United Nations experts are carrying out their final activities in marking relevant portions of a withdrawal line on the ground for the purpose of confirming Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon in accordance with Security Council resolutions.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is preparing to deploy its troops to verify Israel's withdrawal once the marking of the "practical line" is completed, which is expected to happen later today. Four United Nations companies are ready to undertake verification activities as early as tomorrow, and, if all goes well, that verification exercise is expected to last no longer than 24 hours. Under a best-case scenario, then, a confirmation of Israel's withdrawal could be determined by Thursday.
In response to a question yesterday, I can confirm that the Secretary- General intends to inform the Security Council of a withdrawal, once it is confirmed, in a letter to the President of the Council.
Meanwhile in Beirut, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General, Terje Roed Larsen, is about to resume a meeting with Lebanese President Emile Lahoud and Prime Minister Selim el-Hoss. That meeting -- which had adjourned briefly to allow Mr. Larsen to hold a press conference, which just ended -- was described as very constructive. We hope to have a copy of Mr. Larsen's statement at his press conference available in my Office this afternoon.
After the resumed meeting with the President and the Prime Minister, Mr. Larsen expects to meet today with the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berri, and with several ambassadors. Mr. Larsen will return to Headquarters in New York tomorrow. That's also in response to a question we had yesterday. The situation on the ground in Lebanon remains calm, according to the United Nations Mission.
**Solomon Islands Statement
The following statement on developments in the South Pacific, specifically the Solomon Islands, is attributable to the Spokesman:
The Secretary-General is following closely developments in the Solomon Islands, where Governor-General Father John Lapli and Prime Minister Bartholomew Ulufa'alu have been taken hostage. The Secretary-General expresses his concern over this escalation of violence in the Solomon Islands and urges that the hostages be released immediately and constitutional rule restored.
He also calls on the militant factions to resume the Commowealth- facilitated talks aimed at returning the country to normalcy and re-establishing democratic governance as soon as possible.
**Security Council Briefing
The Security Council is holding consultations this morning on a number of topics. The first item on the agenda was the Iraq Programme with a briefing by its Executive Director, Benon Sevan, on the report of the Secretary-General on the oil-for-food programme. That report is available on the racks and we have in my Office copies of Mr. Sevan's talking points to the Council, if you're interested.
The Chairman of the Committee on Sanctions on Iraq, Ambassador Arnold van Walsum (Netherlands), also briefed the Council this morning and a draft resolution on Phase VIII of the oil-for-food programme was introduced. A vote is expected this week.
After the consultations on the Iraq programme, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hedi Annabi is expected to brief the Council on developments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The third item on the agenda is Ethiopia-Eritrea. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast will brief Council members on the current talks. It is possible that under other matters, Mr. Annabi will brief the Council concerning the recent release of the United Nations hostages in Georgia.
**Democratic Republic of Congo
The Security Council will hear a briefing on recent developments that have had an impact on the deployment of the United Nations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, notably the fighting in Kisangani and the difficulties encountered in the inter-Congolese dialogue. As you'll recall, Uganda and Rwanda had agreed to demilitarize the city of Kisangani by the end of last month and the United Nations had stepped up efforts to dispatch a battalion to that city and had increased the number of military observers there to 16.
Fighting broke out Monday between the two forces. The United Nations Mission reported that a shell struck a house in which the United Nations military observers were housed. So far, no casualties have been reported from that incident. Fighting was reported again this morning in Kisangani before a second ceasefire in as many days was brokered by the United Nations Mission. We have just learned that a shell struck a radio station behind the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) office in Kisangani. The incident took place today.
Four people, including the two United Nations staff -- one from UNICEF and one from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) -- were injured by glass splinters and falling debris. The wounded are being taken care of by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Fighting was reported about 300 to 500 metres from the United Nations compound, with approximately 10 shells and 300 bullets being fired per minute.
Meanwhile, efforts by the neutral facilitator, former President Ketumile Masire of Botswana, to carry out his mandate regarding the inter-Congolese dialogue -- a key part of the peace process -- have run into difficulties. The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has refused to take part in the preparatory committee convened by Mr. Masire in Cotonou, Benin, yesterday and today. In addition, representatives of civil society and political parties from the Democratic Republic of the Congo have not been allowed to leave the country to participate in that meeting.
** Kosovo
In the latest incidents of ethnic violence in Kosovo, a grenade was thrown from a car in the Serb town of Gracanica, triggering a melee that resulted in a number of Serbs being injured. Mr. Kouchner, who will be briefing the Security Council on the first anniversary of the United Nations presence in Kosovo, is also facilitating a visit by a small group of moderate Serbs from the province to present their story while in New York. Mr. Kouchner has agreed to brief you here, following his Council presentation on Friday. This could be followed by a background briefing by his spokesperson, if there is any interest in that.
**UNHCR -- Horn of Africa
According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the humanitarian situation in Eritrea has worsened over the past week, with new population displacements occurring in the southern Red Sea districts around Assab. A new outflow into eastern Sudan has also been reported. In Eritrea, the condition of many internally displaced persons is worsening, despite efforts by the local population and aid agencies. The UNHCR is purchasing salt, sanitary supplies, kitchen sets, bedding and other relief items on the local market for distribution by the end of this week. It is also preparing an airlift -- which could begin as early as next week -- of non-food relief items directly to Eritrea, including water tankers and additional trucks from the agency's operation in Kosovo.
The UNHCR's third relief flight to Sudan arrived today with 4,500 plastic sheets and 12,000 blankets. The next flight is expected on Thursday.
**Afghan Drought Appeal
In Afghanistan, the United Nations has launched a $67 million appeal to help address the worst drought to strike Afghanistan since 1971. New assessments show that the situation is even more widespread than previously estimated and the entire country has been seriously affected.
According to Ahmad Farah, Acting United Nations Coordinator for Afghanistan, between now and June 2001, at least half of the country's population may be affected. He noted that only about one-third of the needs identified in the 2000 Consolidated Appeal for Afghanistan had been met so far. Almost all the funding identified to address the drought is for new needs, in addition to those identified in the Consolidated Appeal.
**World Food Programme -- Hunger Site
The World Food Programme (WFP) announced today that the Hunger Site, the world's leading "click-to-donate" Web site, celebrates its first anniversary this month. Designed to make it easy to help fight world hunger every day, the Hunger Site also allows individuals to donate free food with a click of their mouse. In the last 12 months, more than 80 million people have clicked on the site in over 180 countries. Together, they have generated more than $3 million in pledges -- enough to provide 150 million cups of food for the world's hungry. You can read the press release for more details.
**Guest Tomorrow
Our guest at tomorrow's noon briefing will be Carolyn McAskie, Acting Emergency Relief Coordinator, and she'll be talking to you about her recent trip to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, including Kosovo.
**Press Conferences
At 11 a.m., here in Room 226, Progress of the World's Women 2000, a new report by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), will be launched by Noeleen Heyzer, the Executive Director of the Fund, and others. The report assesses how globalization impacts on women's lives using three indicators: gender equality and secondary education enrolment; women's share of seats in parliament; and women's share of paid employment.
And then at 2 p.m., US Women Connect will be hosting a press conference to release a report card on the United States follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women.
**Question and Answer Session
Since Afghanistan is the largest producer of opium, how do you ensure that aid sent to Afghanistan for crops doesn't go to the opium crop?
Spokesman: That system is very thoroughly observed. I would have to get someone from Pino Arlacchi's shop to give you the technical side of his operation and also the details of the commitments Afghanistan has made to us. But is true that they are a major producer of opium.
Question: How have the rebels been using the captured peacekeepers to bargain for the release of RUF leader Foday Sankoh? And why has it not been possible for the Mission to try military force to free those peacekeepers?
Spokesman: Well, on your first question, our position has been that the detainees have to be released unconditionally. While we did not negotiate directly -- President Taylor and others dealt with the RUF -- we're not aware of anything that was offered to them for the release of all those detained.
In addition to those detained, there is a second category of people -- United Nations peacekeepers who still have their weapons, uniforms and equipment -- but who are not allowed to leave the area where they are based because they are surrounded by RUF. The RUF has been allowing those people to resupply themselves, so trucks have been going in and out of that area freely throughout this crisis.
The Secretary-General, in talking to President Taylor this morning, in effect said the job isn't done yet. All those detained have been released, but now those whose freedom is restricted must be free to move and preferably move out of the RUF areas where they are.
Why do we not use military force? We're not there to make war against the RUF. As long as there is an indication that through President Taylor -- or for that matter, anyone else willing to talk sense to the RUF and get our people free to move by peaceful means -- that's always the preferred option.
Question: Why is the Lebanese Government unhappy with Mr. Larsen's line in the sand, calling it a fait accompli, and threatening not to recognize it?
Spokesman: For the last two days, I've been telling you that I'm not at liberty to discuss the specific issues that Mr. Larsen is taking up with the Lebanese and Israeli authorities. We're confident that the remaining issues can be resolved and that they will be resolved. We think the process is on track and we're predicting that we'll be able to confirm Israeli withdrawal by the end of the week.
Question: Is the Secretary-General concerned that perhaps Charles Taylor is playing a bigger role than he should?
Spokesman: No, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) asked President Taylor to take the lead in getting all the United Nations personnel freed and that happened in a reasonable amount of time. The remaining bit is to get freedom of movement back for the 200-plus who are still surrounded by the RUF, but who were never actually detained. So no, I don't think the Secretary-General is concerned about President Taylor's role exceeding its boundaries. I think he's grateful for what he's been able to do and he's pressing him to finish the job.
Question: What security measures are being taken for the safety and security of United Nations personnel?
Spokesman: The Security Council went on a retreat this weekend with the Secretary-General, and at his invitation, and they are looking at this question of what levels of force strength are needed to deal with a contingency, for example, where one party to a peace agreement would back off from its commitment.
I think you will see a shift in thinking when it comes to the planning and the design of peacekeeping missions, and those ideas are likely to come forward when Lakhdar Brahimi presents his report on United Nations peace operations to the Secretary-General later this summer, which the Secretary-General will then give to governments when heads of State meet here for the Millennium Assembly in September.
Question: Under the present circumstances, in what situation can peacekeepers use their weapons for their own safety?
Spokesman: Every mission has its own rules of engagement that are drawn up by the military. These are confidential documents, but every member of the mission realizes what he or she is authorized to do, to use deadly force if necessary to protect themselves or others.
The question is whether the peacekeeping mission as a whole needs more military punch as a deterrent to any parties to the agreement not living up to it.
Spokeswoman's Briefing
Good afternoon.
The General Assembly is in the second day of its twenty-third special session, entitled Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the Twenty-first Century.
Today, the Assembly is hearing a further 36 speakers, as governments review and appraise the progress they have made towards implementing the Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women at Beijing in 1995. The Journal lists the names and titles of all the speakers.
The Platform sets out actions to be taken, at all levels, to remove obstacles to womens advancement in 12 critical areas: poverty, education and training, health, violence, armed conflict, the economy, power and decision- making, institutional mechanisms for womens advancement, human rights, the media, the environment and the girl child.
Informal consultations are continuing today in two parallel working groups of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole, on an outcome document entitled Further actions and initiatives to implement the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action. All parts of the document (A/S-23/2/Add. 2, Parts I to IV) can be found on the racks today. Governments are expected to adopt the outcome text at the conclusion of the special session, on 9 June.
Yesterday, after hearing statements by representatives of United Nations agencies and some non-governmental organizations, the Ad Hoc Committee divided into the two working groups to consider the outcome document. Working Group I is dealing with three areas: part I, the Introduction; part II, on Achievements and obstacles in the implementation of the 12 critical areas of the Platform for Action; and part III, on Current challenges affecting the full implementation of the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action. Working Group II has responsibility for part IV of the document, on Actions and initiatives to overcome obstacles and to achieve the full and accelerated implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action.
Commenting on the progress being made in the working groups, the Chairperson of the Ad Hoc Committee, Christine Kapalata (United Republic of Tanzania), said that on the Introduction, agreement had still not been reached on two issues: reference to the report of the Fourth World Conference on Women; and to the sovereignty of Member States, the text of which is almost identical to paragraph 9 of the Platform for Action.
Concerning parts II and III, Ms. Kapalata said that contentious paragraphs dealing with family, health and armed conflict had been sent to the Contact Group, whose task is to craft language on which everyone can agree. That group had made some headway yesterday, she said.
Overall, no paragraphs had been completely cleared in Working Group I, Ms. Kapalata added, but portions within paragraphs had been agreed. As regards Working Group II, the mood was very positive, and 23 paragraphs had been agreed. Part IV constitutes the bulk of the outcome document.
Among his appointments for today, the President of the General Assembly, Theo-Ben Gurirab (Namibia), will meet with the President-elect of the Assembly's fifty-fifth session, Harri Holkeri (Finland), and with Ambassador Marjatta Rasi of Finland.
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