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 Manoel de Almeida e Silva, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

**Ethiopia and Eritrea Report

The Secretary-General's report detailing a concept of operations for a United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) has just been circulated today to the members of the Security Council, who plan to discuss it in an open briefing tomorrow.

The Secretary-General says that, given the difficult terrain and weather conditions, as well as the length of the security zone, it is estimated that the United Nations Mission would require a total military strength of up to 4,200 personnel, including 220 military observers, three infantry battalions and support units.

He adds that the parties should exercise restraint and avoid provocative moves in complying with the Algiers Agreement. He notes that the parties have proposed under the Agreement that the United Nations peacekeeping operation terminate with the successful conclusion of the delimitation and demarcation of the border between the two countries.

This report follows a United Nations reconnaissance mission, led by Major General Timothy Ford of Australia, which visited the region from 4 to 18 July and explored what kind of United Nations presence would be needed to monitor observance of the Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities, signed by Ethiopia and Eritrea in Algiers on 18 June.

The United Nations Mission is to monitor the redeployment of Ethiopian forces to the positions they had held on 6 May 1998, and to monitor the position of Eritrean forces, which are to remain a distance of 25 kilometres away from the redeployed Ethiopian troops. It is also to monitor the temporary security zone, and coordinate and provide technical assistance for mine clearance.

In the conclusion to the report, the Secretary-General says, "The people of Eritrea and Ethiopia have suffered terrible losses during two long years of war." Now, he says, he would like to assure both nations that the United Nations Mission and the entire United Nations family will make every effort to assist them to create conditions for peace and prosperity.

**Ethiopia and Eritrea

Still on Ethiopia and Eritrea, we have an update from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on its work in the Horn of Africa. In it, the UNHCR notes that, by yesterday, more than 21,000 Eritrean refugees had returned home from three camps in eastern Sudan.

Daily Press Briefing - 2 - 10 August 2000

The movement has been particularly heavy from the Shagarab camp, about 70 kilometres from the border, where more than 12,000 of some 17,000 refugees who had registered have already returned with UNHCR’s assistance. The agency has been using more than 200 trucks to assist the daily return trips. You can get more details from the update, which is available upstairs in our Office.

**Security Council

The Security Council this morning held closed consultations on Sierra Leone. Member States have been considering a draft resolution on the trial of Sierra Leonean nationals accused of egregious crimes, and work is proceeding on the text of that draft.

Council members also discussed a draft resolution on children and armed conflict, which follows the open Security Council meeting that took place on that topic two weeks ago. They plan to vote on the resolution tomorrow.

Also tomorrow, the Council has scheduled an open meeting to consider the situation in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

**East Timor

Moving now to East Timor. Today at 5:45 p.m. local time, a peacekeeping patrol had an encounter with a group of militia 14 kilometres north-east of Suai. There was an exchange of fire, in which four Nepalese soldiers from the patrol and one Timorese civilian bystander were wounded. At this time, we do not have details regarding the size of the patrol or the militia group.

The two Nepalese soldiers and the Timorese civilian are being treated at the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) Military Hospital in Suai, while the two other soldiers, who have sustained more serious injuries, have been evacuated to the United Nations Military Hospital in Dili. [Following the briefing, the Spokesman announced that one of the seriously injured soldiers had died.]

Yesterday, if you will recall, I announced the death of one Australian peacekeeper in East Timor. Today, I have a bit more detail to give you. Preliminary investigation has indicated that Corporal Stuart MacMillan Jones was travelling in an armoured vehicle on rough terrain, when one of the weapons inside the vehicle discharged, wounding him severely in the chest.

**Democratic Republic of Congo

Going back to Africa. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kamel Morjane, returned yesterday to Kinshasa from a visit to the Rwandan capital, Kigali, where he met with a number of senior government officials.

The Rwandan authorities told him that they are prepared to withdraw their forces from the frontline. A delegation of the RCD -- the Rally for Congolese Democracy (a rebel group supported by Rwanda) -- that was also in Kigali confirmed to Morjane that they too are ready to withdraw from current positions.

Daily Press Briefing - 3 - 10 August 2000

Mr. Morjane welcomed the initiative and expressed the hope that the other parties will adhere to it. He reiterated the importance of cooperation of all parties for the implementation of the Lusaka Agreement. We are still seeking further details on the withdrawal plans.

The Secretary-General's report to the Security Council on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is expected to be out around 24 August.

**Afghanistan

Today, the Office of the United Nations Coordinator for Afghanistan and its mine-action programme observed a day of respect and mourning for the seven Afghan aid workers, belonging to the non-governmental organization OMAR, who were killed on the way to the western province of Herat on 5 August.

In a ceremony held in Islamabad, Pakistan, more than 200 people offered prayers and sympathies for the seven victims, who had been working in a United Nations mine-clearance programme. All United Nations mine-clearance activity in Afghanistan was suspended today so that the 5,000 Afghans working under its umbrella could mourn the dead.

Erick de Mul, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, opened the ceremony in Islamabad by saying, "It is tragic that they lost their own lives while saving the lives of others. There can be no higher calling than this." He cited the Holy Quran, saying, "The person who saves one life, it is as if he saves the whole world."

We have copies of his statement available upstairs.

**Kosovo

Also available upstairs is a press release from our mission in Pristina, which notes that Special Representative Bernard Kouchner yesterday appointed an additional 139 judges and prosecutors and 309 lay judges in Kosovo. The new appointments bring the number of judges and prosecutors in Kosovo to 405. The new appointments will not take effect until the end of this year, when a budget can be authorized for them.

**Peacekeeping Deployment Figures

We have available in the Spokesman's Office the "Monthly Summary of Military and Civilian Police Personnel to Peacekeeping Operations". This document is updated as of 31 July.

The chart illustrates that by the end of July there were just over 37,000 military and civilian police personnel, contributed by 89 Member States and deployed in 14 United Nations peacekeeping operations world wide.

[There were no questions.]

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