DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
20000705The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Manoel de Almeida e Silva, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
Good afternoon, everyone. Before we start the briefing today, I would like to tell you that we will have three special guests today: Olara Otunnu, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Marjorie Newman-Williams, Director of the Division of Communications for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Guillemette Meunier, Programme Officer, Child Rights, also of UNICEF. Following the briefing, they will be talking to you, about the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its two Optional Protocols.
**Secretary-General Concludes Visit to Germany
The Secretary-General is in Geneva today. He arrived there yesterday after concluding his visit to Germany.
Yesterday in Berlin, he met with Angela Merkel, Chair of the Christian Democratic Union and leader of the opposition. He then joined Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder to open URBAN 21, and international conference on the future of cities hosted by the German Government.
Noting that within 25 years, two-thirds of the world's populations will be living in urban centres, the Secretary-General focused attention on the growing number of urban poor. "We know what to do", he said ",and we have the resources, were they not tied up in weapons-spending, wasteful subsidies or lost to corruption and mismanagement". What is missing, as usual, he concluded, is political will. "We need to make the urban revolution work for people, he said, not against them".
The Secretary-General then flew to Geneva where he met yesterday afternoon with his Special Envoy for the Balkans, Carl Bildt.
**In Geneva, Secretary-General Opens Cyprus Proximity Talks
This morning, before opening the Cyprus talks, he met with his Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kamel Morjane.
This afternoon, following those meetings, he first met with His Excellency Glafcos Clerides and, as we speak, he is meeting with His Excellency Rauf Denktash, both to resume the proximity talks on Cyprus that began last December.
The Secretary-General was scheduled to meet the press following these afternoon meetings, which should be shortly after 6 p.m. Geneva time.
Daily Press Briefing - 2 - 5 July 2000
The Secretary-General believes that the process of these talks must move on from here in an earnest way. He will be encouraging the parties to engage in a continuous and intensified process of discussions, which will enable them to engage in detailed examination of main issues.
Today, before the talks began, Alvaro de Soto, the Special Advisor of the Secretary-General on Cyprus, who also participated in today's meetings, told journalists in a press briefing this morning that while earlier sessions of the talks had tackled the core issues, the negotiations process had not begun. He hoped this latest session would see the beginning of negotiations.
The Secretary-General is scheduled to leave Geneva tomorrow. Alvaro de Soto will continue to chair the proximity talks.
**Following Reports of Fighting, UNAMSIL Troops Take Control of Masiaka
Yesterday afternoon, troops from the Jordanian and Indian contingents of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) moved into the town of Masiaka, about 50 kilometres east of Freetown, in response to reports of fighting there between Sierra Leone Government forces and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF).
The deployment followed reports of fighting Monday night in the town involving RUF combatants. On Tuesday morning, Force Commander Vijay Jetley conducted an aerial reconnaissance of the Masiaka area and decided to deploy troops from the Quick Reaction Company and from Indian and Jordanian mechanized companies.
After exchanging fire with the RUF, the United Nations troops took control of Masiaka by yesterday afternoon, and the Force Commander went on UNAMSIL Radio at about 5 p.m. local time to say that Masiaka was firmly under the control of the United Nations Mission. No casualties were reported.
The rest of Sierra Leone is described today as calm, but humanitarian workers in particular are worried that recent RUF activity in Masiaka and other areas could pose a threat to the large number of displaced persons in the area of Mile 91.
There is no change in the status of the 222 Indian peacekeepers and 11 military observers surrounded by the RUF at Kailahun.
**Security Council Considers Draft Resolution on Ban on Diamond Trade in Sierra Leone
Here in New York, at 4:30 this afternoon, the Security Council will resume its closed consultations on a draft resolution concerning a ban on trade in rough diamonds from Sierra Leone, with a view to a formal meeting to vote on the resolution once the consultations are concluded.
Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 5 July 2000
As we speak, the Security Council has scheduled its informal consultations on the programme of work for this month, following bilateral consultations by the Council President for the month of July, Ambassador Patricia Durrant of Jamaica.
For the record, for those of you who were not here on Monday, that afternoon, the Council held consultations to hear a briefing by the Chief of the United Nations Cartographic Section, Miklos Pinther, on Lebanon.
Tomorrow, the Council is expected to hear briefings on recent developments in Afghanistan and Haiti.
**Frechette Stresses Bridging 'Digital Divide' as Economic and Social Councils High-Level Segment on Information Technology Opens
Also at Headquarters today, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) began its 2000 substantive session this morning with the opening of its High-Level Segment on the role of information technology in the global economy.
Addressing the opening session, Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette stated that with strong partnerships, appropriate resources and political will, the digital divide could and would be bridged. The President of ECOSOC, Ambassador Makarim Wibisono of Indonesia, opened the session and United States Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers gave the keynote address.
Following that, the Deputy Secretary-General and Ambassador Wibisono opened the Information Technology for the World, which is on view in the basement of this building.
Also on the subject of information technology, we have in our office a press release from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, who on Tuesday urged the information technology industry to put its talents to work for the betterment of the worlds refugees.
You can also pick up a press release from the United Nations Volunteers Programme (UNV), which has just launched a United Nations Information Technology Service (UNITeS) Web site to mobilize volunteers to help bridge the technological divide between developed and developing countries.
If you have any questions relating to ECOSOCs high-level segment, you can contact Tim Wall in the Department of Public Information at (212) 9635851.
**Democratic Republic of the Congo
The United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) has just announced the withdrawal of Ugandan troops from Kisangani. As you recall, Ugandan and Rwandan troops had agreed to withdraw from the city following a week of pitched battles in June.
According to the mission, four Ugandan battalions had withdrawn to the city of Banalia, about 100 kilometres north of Kisangani.
Daily Press Briefing - 4 - 5 July 2000
The Rwandan troop withdrawal was confirmed on June 21.
Meanwhile, troops belonging to the Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD) still remain in Kisangani in violation of the latest Security Council resolution calling for the demilitarization of the city, the United Nations mission says.
According to the mission, the Ugandans said they took rebels from the Movement for the Liberation of the Congo (MLC) with them. The United Nations could not confirm this information.
**United Nations Team in Addis Ababa to Study Concept of Mission in Ethiopia-Eritrea Region
The United Nations team dispatched to Ethiopia and Eritrea by the Secretary- General to develop a concept of operations for a United Nations peacekeeping operation has arrived in Addis Ababa and has begun the first leg of its trip.
The seven-member team is expected to travel later this week to Asmara, Eritrea.
Meanwhile, preparations for the deployment of liaison officers to the two capitals to assist in the planning are underway.
**Notes from East Timor
A seven-member multinational team from Kings College Centre for Defence Studies, London University, will on Saturday begin an independent study on the future of the security forces of East Timor.
We have more details on this in the briefing notes sent by the Mission in Dili (UNTAET). Those notes also include the transcript of the press briefing given today by Sidney Jones, Head of UNTAETs Human Rights Unit. She was asked by the press on the occasion of the completion of her mission how many people had been killed in the violence there. She said that, while it was very hard to give exact figures, probably between 1,000 and 1,200 people had been killed during the last year, but that a more accurate estimate could be given as the investigation proceeds and the forensic work continues.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that aid workers yesterday resumed relief activities at the refugee camps in West Timors Kupang area, which had been suspended for two weeks following assaults on UNHCR staff and refugees.
During a meeting on Monday, the provincial governor announced acceptance of UNHCRs proposals to secure workers and refugees against pro-Indonesian elements opposing repatriation to East Timor. The measures include police taking charge of security in the camps and maintaining a 24-hour presence.
The UNHCR briefing notes are available in our office upstairs.
**United States Set to Sign Two Optional Protocols on The Rights of The Child
Daily Press Briefing - 5 - 5 July 2000
The Deputy Secretary-General, Louise Frechette, will greet United States President Bill Clinton this afternoon at 3:00 p.m., at the delegate's entrance.
The United States has made an appointment to sign two optional protocols relating to the rights of the child. President Bill Clinton will sign on behalf of the United States. Both the Deputy Secretary-General and the American President are expected speak at the signing ceremony, which will take place in the Indonesian Lounge. Ms. Frechette's speech is available under embargo, but in that address, she will be expressing the hope that in due time the Unite States will also ratify those protocols, and of course, ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The first document is the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflicts. It seeks to limit the actual participation of the use of children in armed conflicts as well as limiting the recruitment of persons under 18 into the armed forces.
The second is the Optional Protocol to the convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Pornography. This optional protocol seeks to provide detailed requirements for the criminalization of violations of the rights of the children.
Accredited journalists wanting to attend this ceremony need to meet Janet Tan from the Press Accreditation Office no later than 1:30 p.m., at the top of the escalators at the delegate's entrance. If you have any problems with access to the site, contact Press Accreditation at (212) 963-6934. The event will be carried live on UN-TV.
**Russian Federation Deposits Instruments of ratification to Nuclear Test- Ban Treaty
Still on international instruments, we have been informed by the Treaty Section that on Friday, 30 June, the Russian Federation deposited its instruments of ratification with the Secretary-General to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty.
To date, 59 countries have ratified the treaty.
**Oil-for-Food Weekly Update Available
The regular weekly update on the Oil-for-Food Programme is now available.
It shows that last week, Iraq exported 10.4 million barrels of oil for revenue estimated at around $282 million. This means the revenue in phase eight - which began 9 June 2000 -- is now over $1 billion.
The full text of the update is available at the Spokesmans office.
I would also like to inform you that the information officer for the Oil- for-Food Programme, John Mills, is back at work, at least part-time. He can be reached at (212) 963-1646, in the mornings.
Daily Press Briefing - 6 - 5 July 2000
**WFP Appeals for Aid to Fight Starvation Caused by Drought in Kenya
In an effort to tackle growing hunger caused by one of Kenyas worst droughts in recorded history, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today urgently appealed for $88 million to feed 3.3 million Kenyans until the end of the year.
The WFP press release is available in our office with more details.
**Press Release Available
Also available in our office is a report on the recent two-week visit by the Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention, Pino Arlacchi, to Turkey, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, as well as a note on his current visit to Italy.
**Press Conference
Finally, I would like to inform you that tomorrow at 4:00 p.m., there will be a press conference in this room by Mr. Michel Dufour, French Secretary of State for Heritage and Cultural Decentralization, and head of the European Union's delegation to the opening session of the Economic and Social Council's High-Level Segment.
Are there any questions before we move on to our guests?
**Questions and Answers
Question: Could you clarify what the United States position is on the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Have they signed or ratified the Convention?
Deputy Spokesman: The United States has signed, but not ratified the Convention. Our guests, however, will be able to give you more details.
Question: Do you have any information on when the Security Council is going to adopt the resolution on increasing numbers of peacekeepers in Sierra Leone?
Deputy Spokesman: No I don't. That is still being discussed by the Council.
Thank you.
[Correction: The last sentence of the second paragraph of page 2 of the near-verbatim briefing transcript of 3 July should read as follows: "In the evening, he's also to be the guest of honour at a dinner hosted by the President of Germany, Johannes Rau."]
* *** *