DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
20000620The following is a near-verbatim transcript of todays noon briefing by Manoel de Almeida e Silva, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
**Secretary-Generals Middle East Travels
This morning, the Secretary-General met with Sheikh Hassan Nasralleh, the head of Hezbollah, which, as you know, is in the process of transforming itself into a political party. They discussed Lebanons complaints about Israeli border encroachments in southern Lebanon. Sheikh Nasralleh emphasized Hezbollahs concern over the continued detention by Israel of Lebanese prisoners of war. They also talked of cooperation with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The Secretary-General thanked the Sheikh for the restraint shown by Hezbollah during Israels withdrawal from Lebanon. He spoke briefly to the press before going to the airport, where he gave a formal press conference. We do not have the transcripts of those press encounters, but once we get them theyll be made available to you.
The Secretary-General then flew to Amman, where he met with the Jordanian Foreign Minister, Abdul Ilah El-Khatib. Following that meeting, the Secretary- General had an audience with King Abdullah II, after which the King hosted a luncheon in the Secretary-Generals honour. During a press encounter at his hotel, the Secretary-General praised Jordanian peacekeepers performance in United Nations service around the world, and added that other United Nations Member States could use Jordan as a model.
The Secretary-General then travelled by helicopter to Petra, to tour an archaeological site. This evening, he is expected to be the guest of the Foreign Minister at an official dinner. The Secretary-General will leave for Jerusalem tomorrow. Once we have the programme confirmed, we will share that with you.
**Secretary-Generals European Travels
Still on the Secretary-Generals travels, Id like to announce that prior to this Middle Eastern trip, he had one scheduled for Europe. He will be paying official visits to Switzerland, Poland, Hungary and Germany from 23 June to 6 July. On the first leg of his trip to Switzerland, hell visit Basel and Geneva, where, on 26 June, hell open the General Assembly special session on social development. He will launch a landmark report entitled "Better World for All" at a press conference that day. This collaborative report, co-authored by the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), finds that by 2015 world poverty can be significantly decreased if developing and industrialized countries implement their commitments to attack the root causes of poverty. We have a press release in our Office with more details on the launch of that report.
The Secretary-General will continue on to Warsaw, where, among other activities, he will meet with top officials of the Polish Government and will address the "World Forum on Democracies" conference. His programme in Budapest, Hungary, will include meetings with President Arpad Goncz, Prime Minister Viktor Orban and President-elect Ferenc Madl.
Daily Press Briefing - 2 - 20 June 2000
In Germany, the Secretary-General will visit EXPO 2000 in Hanover, and will officially open the headquarters building of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg. In Berlin, he will give the inaugural address at the "Global Conference Urban 21". From Berlin, the Secretary-General will return to Geneva, where he will open the proximity talks on Cyprus on 5 July.
**Democratic Republic of Congo
Moving now to Africa, the United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo reports that, according to preliminary reports, the bulk of the Ugandan and Rwandan forces appear to have left Kisangani, and the United Nations military observers there are monitoring the situation to verify that those forces have withdrawn fully. The United Nations mission remains concerned at continuing tensions on the ground in Kisangani, and is continuing to monitor any activity by armed groups in the city in an effort to maintain order.
Yesterday afternoon, the International Court of Justice received a request from the Democratic Republic of the Congo Government alleging that "Uganda and another foreign army" have caused considerable damage over the past month to the Congo and its people, particularly in Kisangani. It urged the Court to indicate several provisional measures, including the cessation of any military activity by Uganda with the Democratic Republic. Those measures were then immediately transmitted to the Ugandan Government. The Court sent us late yesterday afternoon a press release on this, which is available in our Office upstairs.
**Sierra Leone
Today in Sierra Leone, two sick Indian peacekeepers who had been among the military personnel surrounded by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in Kailahun were allowed to travel by road to Daru, where they were evacuated by helicopter to the capital, Freetown. They are receiving medical care there. The departure of the two soldiers reduces the number of Indian peacekeepers surrounded at Kailahun to 222. There are also 11 military observers there. There has been no change in the situation of the 21 Indian soldiers detained by the RUF at Pendembu. The situation on the ground is reported as calm, with no incidents reported over the last 24 hours.
Tomorrow, the Committee of the Mediation and Security Council of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will hold a private meeting with the United Nations Security Council here in New York. That committee, including members from six West African countries, left Sierra Leone today after meeting yesterday with President Ahmed Kabbah to inform him of their work there during the past week.
UNHCR - West Timor
In West Timor, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has informed that it has suspended activities in three West Timor camps following three extremely worrisome security incidents on Friday and Saturday that point to a pattern of increased tensions. Activities have been halted in Noelbaki and nearby Tuapukan and Naibonat camps, near Kupang, following consultations among humanitarian agencies. Local authorities have been notified of the halt, and the Government informed that the UNHCR cannot resume its activities in the camps, which have a total population of more than 24,000, without security guarantees. These include a separation of the bad elements inside the camps and a clarification of the status of those camp residents who are former employees of the Indonesian Government and military. The UNHCR and Indonesian government officials met all day today and will continue to meet tomorrow to discuss the situation in the camps. The UNHCR briefing note with more details on the situation is available in our Office.
Africa Refugee Day
Still on the UNHCR, today is Africa Refugee Day, which marks the anniversary of the Organization of African Unitys 1974 African Refugee Convention, the legal tool that is the cornerstone of refugee protection in Africa. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadako Ogata, is marking the day today at a settlement for Sudanese refugees in Mungula, near Adjumani in northern Uganda. The High Commissioner, in a statement issued on the occasion of Africa Refugee Day, drew attention to an increase in xenophobia, in areas where refugees were once generously welcomed as brothers and sisters in distress. To reverse that alarming trend, the UNHCR has launched a public awareness campaign across Africa called Roll Back Xenophobia targeting individuals, governments and non- governmental organizations.
Nicolas Bwakira, who is the Director of the UNHCR Office in New York, is here with us, and as soon as we finish this briefing, he will be available to answer your questions on the situation of refugees in Africa (issued separately).
**Security Council
This morning, the Security Council is holding an open meeting during which it was briefed by Judge Claude Jorda, President of the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. Judge Jorda will be here in this room to brief you once that meeting is over. We have available in our Office copies of Judge Jordas statement, which he made in French. But we have copies in French and in English.
**Office of Iraq Programme
We have available in our Office the latest update from the Office of the Iraq Programme covering the period 10 to 16 June.
**ILO World Labour Report 2000
Seventy-five per cent of the 150 million people unemployed around the world lack any unemployment insurance protection, according to a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO). The World Labour Report 2000: Income Security and Social Protection in a Changing World states that even the worlds richest countries in Europe and North America reduced protection provided by unemployment insurance in the 1990s. Among the ILO member countries which provided the most generous unemployment protection systems were Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. Copies of an embargoed press release are available in the Spokesmans Office.
**WFP Emergency Airlift
The World Food Programme (WFP) announced that it will airlift today, from its new inter-agency warehouse in Brindisi, some 36 metric tons of emergency aid to Eritrea on behalf of several Italian-based relief agencies. This is the first emergency airlift to be organized by the WFP since it began operating a new rapid
response facility called the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot in Brindisi. That started on 1 June this year. Theres a press release with more details in our Office.
**United Nations Environment Programme
Also available on the racks is a press release from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) concerning the entry into force of the Caribbean Protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW).
This is all I have for you today. Are there any questions before we move on to Mr. Bwakira?
**Questions and Answers
Question: In the Security Council today, Ambassador Holbrooke said that the President of Sierra Leone, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, had written to the Secretary- General about the establishment of some kind of tribunal to try the RUF leadership, including Foday Sankoh. Can you confirm there is such a letter, and if so, can we get a copy of it? Also, if there is, is there a reaction from the Secretary General?
Answer: There is such a letter, which is being studied by the Legal Counsel. Unfortunately, at this point well not make copies of the letter, nor do I have a reaction to share with you, since they are still studying it.
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