DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
20000706The 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.
**UN, Cambodian Government Complete Talks on Tribunal for Khmer Rouge
I'll begin with a statement attributable to the Spokesman on Cambodia:
Earlier today, 6 July, in Phnom Penh, Mr. Hans Corell, Under-Secretary- General for Legal Affairs and the United Nations Legal Counsel, completed formal discussions with the Royal Government of Cambodia on the establishment of a tribunal to try Khmer Rouge leaders. The tribunal envisaged would be a Cambodian court with the participation of international judges and prosecutors. Because the Secretary-General and Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen resolved the outstanding substantive issues, the discussions focused on technical issues involved in forming the tribunal, and were frank and comprehensive.
Mr. Corell provided his Cambodian counterpart, Mr. Sok An, Senior Minister and Chairman of the Counsel of Ministers, with a draft Memorandum of Understanding that would govern the relationship between Cambodia and the United Nations. The Memorandum of Understanding would be signed by the United Nations and Cambodia after the Cambodian parliament passes legislation that is in keeping with the understanding between the parties. As Mr. Corell and Mr. Sok An agreed in a post meeting press conference, the responsibility for moving the process toward completion now lies squarely with the Government of Cambodia.
**Security Council Briefed on Recent Developments in Afghanistan, Haiti
At Headquarters this morning, the Security Council began its closed consultations with a briefing by Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast on the latest developments in Afghanistan. There are indications that the warring parties may resume heavy fighting in Afghanistan in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation is described as bleak, particularly as a result of the recent drought.
After the Afghanistan briefing, the Council is set to discuss Haiti, on which it will receive a briefing by Angela Kane, Director of the Americas and Europe Division of the Department of Political Affairs.
The Security Council is also expected to discuss Ethiopia and Eritrea, on which it will be briefed by the Peacekeeping Department. You'll recall that an assessment team dispatched by the Secretary-General has arrived in Ethiopia on the first leg of a mission to develop a concept of operations for a future United Nations operation.
Daily Press Briefing - 2 - 6 July 2000
Under "other matters", the Council may also consider a draft resolution concerning AIDS and peacekeeping issues.
**Security Council Resolution Prohibits Diamond Trade in Rebel Areas of Sierra Leone
Early yesterday evening, the Security Council voted in favour of a resolution that decided that states take the necessary measures to prohibit the direct and indirect import of all rough diamonds from Sierra Leone to their territory for an initial period of 18 months. Exempted from the ban are diamonds certified by the Government of Sierra Leone.
The resolution, aimed at banning trade in diamonds from rebel areas in Sierra Leone, was approved with 14 votes in favour and one abstention. It was the first of three resolutions the Security Council is working on regarding Sierra Leone.
The United Nations Secretariat will work with the sanctions committee on Sierra Leone, to convene a hearing on the role of diamonds in the Sierra Leone conflict and the link between trade in Sierra Leone diamonds and trade in arms, as well as to name the panel of experts as stipulated in the resolution.
**Secretary-General Concludes Three-week Middle East Trip, Heads to Ghana
The Secretary-General left Geneva today, concluding a three-week trip to countries in the Middle East and Europe. He is now on his way to Ghana. Although he will be there on a private visit, tomorrow he will open an exhibit organized by the Government and the United Nations Information Centre in Accra on United Nations peacekeeping. The booklet "Ghana: Four Decades of UN and Regional Peacekeeping" will also be presented.
The Secretary-General is scheduled to leave Ghana on Sunday, 9 July, for Lomé, Togo, for the thirty-sixth annual meeting of the heads of State of the Organization of African Unity (OAU). The Secretary-General will speak at the opening ceremony on Monday, 10 July. The summit will run through Wednesday, 12 July.
**Secretary-General Welcomes President Clinton's Invitation to Middle East Powers for Summit at Camp David
For the record, late yesterday afternoon we issued a statement by the Secretary-General warmly welcoming President William Clintons decision to invite Prime Minister Barak of Israel and Chairman Yasser Arafat of the Palestinian Authority to a summit meeting at Camp David.
The Secretary-General strongly supports this effort and feels that a Peace of the Brave between Israelis and Palestinians would not only end more than 50 years of hostilities, but also pave the way for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East based on relevant resolutions of the United Nations.
Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 6 July 2000
I should also add that the Secretary-General has been in regular contact with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on this issue. He thinks that during her numerous visits to the region she demonstrated the necessary determination and inspiration to bridge differences between the two sides.
**Day Two of High-Level ECOSOC Segment Opens with Round Tables on e-commerce, info-ethics
The second day of the high-level segment of the Economic and Social Councils (ECOSOC) 2000 substantive session began this morning with a ministerial round table breakfast hosted by the President of ECOSOC, Ambassador Makarim Wibisono of Indonesia. Five simultaneous round tables were held on the themes of e-commerce, knowledge sharing, investment and finance, e-governance and info-ethics.
When the Council met at 10 a.m., it heard keynote addresses by the President of Mali, Alpha Oumar Konaré, and the Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus, Gennady Novitsky. This afternoon, in addition to hearing from delegations, the Council will hear presentations from industry representatives on the potential of information communication and technology.
Please note that todays meetings are taking place in the Trusteeship Council Chamber and not in the Economic and Social Council Chamber, due to technical difficulties. You will be able to view them on UN TV channel 12.
**Notes from East Timor: Timorese Athletes Head for Olympic Training in Australia
The Mission in East Timor (UNTAET) tells us that 10 East Timorese athletes travel today to Canberra, Australia, for a training and selection process for the Sydney Olympic Games. The team consists of three boxers, three marathoners, two weightlifters and two athletes competing in tae kwon do. While the majority of the athletes will remain in Canberra, the boxing team will leave the Australian capital on 17 July. They will then travel to Darwin to train with the Australian boxing team for five weeks. Following that, the boxers will go on to Colorado Springs in the United States for additional training.
Also today, five journalists from Kupang, West Timor, are currently visiting Dili in what is seen as an important step following meetings between West Timors Governor, Piet Tallo, and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Sergio Vieira de Mello, in Dili on 8 June. It was decided that an exchange of journalists from both countries would help accelerate the repatriation of the roughly 100,000 refugees currently in West Timor.
The four-day visit includes meetings with United Nations officials, as well as representatives of the CNRT and the National Consultative Council.
I should add here that, as you well know, the number of refugees in West Timor is not a firm figure. We've never had a precise count, so it is estimated to be around 100,000 or so refugees.
Daily Press Briefing - 4 - 6 July 2000
**Ruggie Stresses Global Corporate Responsibility in Address to International Trade Conference
Today in Seattle, Assistant Secretary-General, John G. Ruggie, is addressing the Washington Councils International Trade Conference. The Washington Council is a private, non-profit association that brings together representatives of the private, public and consular sectors in Washington State that all share a common interest in international trade.
In his speech today, Mr. Ruggie will renew the United Nations call for greater corporate responsibility as a way to increase the benefits of globalization for all. He will encourage United States corporations to embrace the Secretary-Generals global compact, telling them, You have created the single global economic space; only you can help sustain it.
The full text of Mr. Ruggie's speech is available in the Spokesman's Office upstairs.
**Despite Peace Agreement, Thousands Still Need Food in War-torn Eritrea, WFP Warns
The World Food Programme (WFP) said today that, despite a recent peace agreement between Eritrea and Ethiopia, hundreds of thousands of war-affected Eritreans would continue to need large amounts of food aid for some time to come.
The WFP announced that it would be providing food relief until next April to 750,000 internally displaced and war-affected people of the Eritrean Governments estimated 1 million, with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other agencies supplying food for the rest of the displaced population. Most of the people in need of food assistance are women and children who continue to live in makeshift camps, dry riverbeds and caves. A press release with more details is available upstairs.
**Emergency Relief Coordinator Begins 10-day Humanitarian Assessment Mission to Horn of Africa
Also on the Horn of Africa, Carolyn McAskie, the United Nations Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, left yesterday for a 10-day mission to that region to further assess the humanitarian situation as a result of the drought and the conflict. She will also review existing coordination arrangements to meet the needs of the affected populations in the region. Ethiopia will be among the countries she will be visiting.
After her visit to Ethiopia, she will head to Burundi where she will visit "regroupment" camps of internally displaced persons and discuss with the United Nations country team the implications of the peace process for the humanitarian community.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has also asked us to inform you that for those of you who are interested in how the Ethiopian Government coordinates its response to human-made and natural
Daily Press Briefing - 5 - 6 July 2000
disasters, the Head of the Ethiopian Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Commission, Mr. Simon Mechale, is here in New York until tomorrow. He is available for interviews, and may be reached through the office of the Deputy Permanent Representative of Ethiopia at 212-421-1830.
**UNHCR Media Advisory on Human Trafficking Study Available
We have a media advisory on a new independent study commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) showing that human trafficking is the only escape route for many genuine refugees who flee persecution and seek protection in Europe. It recommends that European nations review their migration and asylum policies to open other channels to people fleeing persecution in their native countries. The report will be released in Geneva tomorrow. The media advisory contains information on how to access the report, which is embargoed until noon GMT Friday.
**Budget News Update
In budget news, Germany has become the ninety-seventh Member State to pay its dues in full to the regular budget for this year by making a payment of just over $103 million.
In other budget news, we have available in the Spokesman's Office the "Status of Contributions to the Regular, Peacekeeping and International Tribunals' Budgets"; that information is updated as of 15 June.
As of mid-June, Member States owed just under $2.9 billion to the United Nations -- I repeat, $2.9 billion -- approximately $820 million for the regular budget, just under $2 billion for the peacekeeping budget and around $80 million for the two international tribunals.
**Press Conferences Tomorrow
And finally, before I take your questions, I would like to tell you about the press conferences scheduled for tomorrow.
At 10 a.m., Dr. Ellen Sirleaf and Ambassador Stephen Lewis, Members of the International Panel of Eminent Personalities, which was established by the Organization of African Unity (OAU) to investigate the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, will be here to launch the Panel's report. Advance embargoed copies of the report will be available by 4:30 p.m. this afternoon at the press documents counter on the 3rd floor.
At 11:15 a.m., Ambassador Makarim Wibisono of Indonesia, President of the Economic and Social Council, will report on the outcome of the Council's high- level segment.
Are there any questions?
**Question and Answer
Question: Will the Secretary-General attend the OAU summit in Lomé, Togo?
Daily Press Briefing - 6 - 6 July 2000
Deputy Spokesman: Yes. As I announced earlier, he will be delivering a statement at the opening ceremony on Monday, 10 July.
* *** *