In progress at UNHQ

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

13 September 2000



Press Briefing


DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

20000913

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, and Susan Markham, Spokeswoman for the President of the General Assembly.

Briefing by Spokesman for Secretary-General

Good afternoon.

**United Nations Begins Deployment in Ethiopia and Eritrea

We’ll start with Ethiopia and Eritrea. The United Nations today began deploying the first of 46 military observers as part of its mission to Eritrea and Ethiopia. We just spoke with the Mission which confirmed the arrivals of seven military observers -- four in Asmara, Eritrea, and the three others in Addis Ababa.

Upon completion of their deployment to the two capitals, the observers will undergo a four-day training program before being sent to operational positions in the demilitarized zones, and that is expected to start on 22 September.

As you’ll recall, military liaison offices were established at the outset of the mission in both Addis Ababa and in Asmara following the decision by the Security Council to establish the United Nations mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea, consisting of up to 100 military observers.

The Security Council is expected to take up a resolution next week authorizing a peacekeeping mission to the region, as recommended by the Secretary-General in his most recent report.

**Drug Talks Open

A high-level meeting of the Six plus Two Group on Afghanistan, that is the six neighbours plus Russia and the United States, will take place this afternoon here at United Nations Headquarters.

The Group is expected to adopt a Regional Plan of Action with measures to combat the Afghan drug trade. These measures include the promotion of regional cooperation in areas such as the exchange of information, interdiction of cross- border shipment of illicit drugs and control of the precursor chemicals used to produce the drugs.

The meeting will be co-chaired by Kieran Prendergast, the Under-Secretary- General for Political Affairs, and Pino Arlacchi, the Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention.

The Drug Control Programme is expected to issue a press release late this afternoon with the results of the meeting.

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Pino Arlacchi, as we announced yesterday, will be our guest tomorrow at the noon briefing. He will launch the official results of the annual Opium/Poppy survey in Afghanistan, and of course take your questions on the Regional Action Plan being discussed this afternoon at the Six plus Two meeting. Copies of the Opium/Poppy survey will be distributed during the briefing tomorrow.

**Security Council

This morning the Security Council started consultations on East Timor. Council members are discussing arrangements and reviewing aspects of the planned Council mission to Indonesia and East Timor.

**East Timor

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General in East Timor, Sergio Vieira de Mello, and the President of the Timorese National Resistance Council, Xanana Gusmão, will meet tomorrow with General Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security Affairs.

The meeting, which will take place in Denpasar, Indonesia, is expected to focus on the situation in West Timor. Other senior officials of the United Nations Mission in East Timor, as well as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Director for Asia, will also participate in this meeting.

Meanwhile, some 500 people, including international and Timorese United Nations staff, attended a memorial service today at the Dili Cathedral in honour of the three UNHCR staff members killed last week in Atambua, Indonesia.

In his eulogy, Sergio Vieira de Mello said that it was our obligation to keep alive the spirit for which the UNHCR staff members died.

He went on, “That means we are obliged to keep on living, to keep believing in the fact that most human beings are good and that it is within our power to make a difference”.

**Panel on Illegal Exploitation of Resources in DRC Meets

On the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), throughout the course of this week, the panel of experts examining the illegal exploitation of natural resources and other forms of wealth in the DRC is holding meetings at the United Nations.

The five-member panel, which is chaired by Safiatou Ba-N'Daw of Côte d'Ivoire, gathered in New York yesterday. They will be conducting meetings with various officials to familiarize themselves with the issues.

Those meetings are expected to wrap up later this week, after which the panel members will start to relocate themselves to the United Nations Office at Nairobi, where the panel is to be based. The panel's arrival in Nairobi is to be completed before the end of this month, and it intends to visit other countries in the region and elsewhere over the course of its work.

This panel was named by the Secretary-General in mid-August, following a request by the Security Council, in a Presidential Statement issued on 2 June, for the establishment of a panel to collect information on the illegal exploitation of natural resources in the DRC, and to analyze the links between that exploitation and the continuing conflict in the country.

The panel has a six-month mandate and is to provide the Council with a preliminary report on its initial findings within three months and a final report, with recommendations, at the end of its mandate.

**Cyprus

Concerning the Cyprus talks, the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Alvaro de Soto, will be meeting this afternoon with his Excellency Rauf Denktash. We will give you the precise time once we know it and, as usual, the news blackout continues.

**United Nations Mission Battles Acid Leak

On Kosovo, the United Nations mission in Kosovo reports that more than 130 KFOR troops and United Nations Mission personnel toiled through the night in the fight to contain an acid leak at the Trepca industrial plant in south Mitrovica. Today, efforts continue to neutralize the acid through the use of tons of lime being brought here from all over the province.

The area, known as the "industrial park", housed a battery factory and a zinc and cadmium production facility, but is virtually derelict because of poor maintenance and a disastrous fire that swept the battery facility earlier this year.

The United Nations Mission had drawn up contingency plans to deal with emergencies in the complex and, ironically, an emergency exercise involving the effects of an acid leak had been scheduled for today.

We have a press release on the acid leak in my office.

We also have available a statement issued by the Special Representative, Bernard Kouchner, on the murder on Monday night of an official who had worked for the city of Pristina for more than 30 years.

**Guatemala

Available on the racks today is the latest report to the General Assembly on the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala (MINUGUA), which covers events in that country through the first six months of this year.

The Mission noted in the report that, during that period, the Guatemalan public continued to view the lack of public security as a major threat to the enjoyment of fundamental rights.

The Mission also pointed to continuing reports of human rights violations, and confirmed that 26 extra-judicial executions and nine attempted executions took place over the first half of this year, with what it called an "alarming increase" in involvement by members of the National Civil Police in such acts.

**More Member States Ratify Treaties

The Millennium Summit may be over, but the effort by nations to sign, ratify or accede to major legal instruments while their leaders are here at the United Nations has been continuing.

Today, among other signings, Belarus is scheduled this afternoon to deposit its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. That would make Belarus the 62nd country to become a party to that treaty.

And today, just before this briefing, Russia signed the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, bringing the number of countries who have signed that treaty to 112. So far, 19 countries have ratified the Rome Statute, including four last week; it needs 60 ratifications to enter into force.

These signings follow the rapid pace during the three-day Millennium Summit, when a total of 84 countries -- 59 of them represented by their Head of State or Government -- signed a broad range of legal instruments. Over the three days, 187 signatures and 86 ratifications or accessions were recorded. Yesterday, we issued an information sheet with updated numbers on those signings, which is still available in my office.

**World Bank Report Says 2.8 Billion Live on Less than Two Dollars a Day

The World Bank, in the latest edition of its World Development Report for 2000/2001, which was issued yesterday, said that today some 2.8 billion people, or almost half the world's population, live on less than two dollars a day. Of that number, some 1.2 billion people live on less than a dollar a day, on the very margin of survival, and in poorer countries, as many as 50 per cent of all children suffer from eating too little food.

You can get the details in that report.

**Troop Contributions

We also have the latest summary of troop contributions in the Spokesman’s office, illustrating that by the end of August, there were just over 37,000 military and civilian personnel serving in 14 United Nations peacekeeping operations worldwide. Contributions come from 89 Member States, and you can pick that up in my office.

**WFP/FAO Release Report on Child Malnutrition in Iraq

The World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have issued a joint report on child malnutrition in Iraq. The report finds there is a stark difference between the situation in the northern part of Iraq and that in the southern and central parts of the country. In southern and central Iraq, child malnutrition rates have not improved. Nutritional problems remain serious and widespread. On the other hand, the situation in the north, where humanitarian aid is distributed by the United Nations on behalf of the Government of Iraq, acute malnutrition has virtually disappeared and levels of chronic malnutrition have been reduced by half. The report also urges the Government of Iraq to implement projects already approved under the oil-for-food programme to the benefit of malnourished children. Please see the press release for more details.

**UNICEF Report Calls for Protection of Children in Armed Conflict

We just got a press release from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) a few minutes before the briefing, saying that there was launched today a report by Graca Machel, the former first lady of Mozambique and South Africa, calling for “the international community to develop a new sense of urgency in protecting children affected by armed conflict”.

This is the “first major review of global progress made since her groundbreaking 1996 study, the Impact of Armed Conflict on Children”. You can pick that up in my office.

**Budget

Budget news -- we got a cheque for over $21,000 today from Cape Verde, which became the 127th Member State to be paid in full to the Regular Budget for this current year.

With today’s payment, Cape Verde is now above the level needed to maintain its vote in the General Assembly, and there are now just 22 countries remaining who may not vote in the General Assembly because of the size of their arrears. That is down from 52 at the beginning of the year.

**Press Conferences

Finally, press conferences. In just 10 minutes, in this room, Hubert Vedrine, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of France, and Javier Solana, the High Representative for Common, Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union, will be joined by Chris Patten, the European Commissioner for External Relations. And then tomorrow at 11 a.m., you have Lloyd Axworthy, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Canada, in this room.

That is all I have for you. Questions before we go to Sue. Yes, David, oh Jim. I am sorry, Jim.

**Questions and Answers

Question: On Sierra Leone, two things. One is, now that the Council is getting ready to approve an expanded force, is there any indication of what countries will be contributing what kind of troops or what kind of materials yet? The second question related to that is, what has the Secretary-General decided in terms of the gap widening between General Jetley and the West African Governments?

Spokesman: I don’t think we’ve sorted out the troop contributor question and until, I think, we have all the details settled, we won’t be giving you the latest troop contributors list. And [on your second question] I have nothing to add to what the Secretary-General said yesterday. He was pretty blunt when he came into the building yesterday in response to a question, saying that this situation cannot be allowed to fester and that he would be taking prompt action. I would expect an announcement to be made by the end of the month. Yes, Ronnie. Question: Is there any reaction by the Secretary-General to the bombing in Indonesia this morning, and is there any concern that the President of Indonesia is not going to accept the Security Council delegation that is coming and that he has been playing a waiting game?

Spokesman: I think the Council is still waiting to get the final word from the Indonesian Government, despite some statements that were made yesterday. And on the bombing, I have nothing yet. Yes?

Question: Last Friday, the Secretary-General issued a statement talking about his concerns on the impact of high oil prices on poor countries. On Monday Ian Kinniburgh, of the Social and Economic Affairs Department told me that that the United Nations would be willing to play a role in talking with The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on the issue. Today the Italian Prime Minister, in talking about the issue, said that he believed that there should be dialogue. I wonder if the United Nations can fulfil this role, and if the Secretary-General has considered or will consider such a role?

Spokesman: I have nothing to say on that today. I have no specific guidance on that point.

Question: The Secretary-General met with Mr. Win Aung from Burma yesterday. Could you give us some details on the meeting, what issues of concern were raised?

Spokesman: I have something on that. I can tell you that the Secretary- General reiterated his concern about the well-being of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders of the National League of Democracy during that meeting. And, underscoring the necessity for national reconciliation, the Secretary-General also asked that a political dialogue with opposition leaders, in particular Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, should take place. Yes?

Question: Is the Six-plus-Two meeting you mentioned going to take place this afternoon dealing exclusively with the drug problem in Afghanistan, or will they also be dealing with the insurgency emanating from the Taliban as has been announced by a number of speakers?

Spokesman: I understand that the agenda for today is drugs and that there may be a meeting later in the week on the broader political issues. Yes?

Question: Fred, just a follow-up on Indonesia. I know that the Secretary-General met with [President] Wahid earlier this week. Is there some concern on his part that the civilian administration in Indonesia may not be able to really control what is going on in West Timor and, even though it has promised for months to curb the violence, it really cannot do that? And is this what Sergio [de Mello] will be discussing in his talks?

Spokesman: I don’t plan to get into an analysis of why things are the way they are in West Timor. Our position is clear: if our humanitarian workers are to go back to West Timor, the militia are to be disarmed and demobilized and that is our very firm position. And we expect Indonesia to do that. Yes, Elvie?

Question: Where is this Six-plus-Two meeting taking place today and what time? Which conference room? Spokesman: I have an answer for you, Elvie. The Six plus Two meeting will take place at 3 p.m. in Conference Room 9 and UNTV will cover the opening ceremony but not the speeches.

Question: Is it true that the Greek Cypriot leader did not show up for his meeting today or that he refused to come?

Spokesman: No, I don’t think there was a meeting scheduled, and there is no set pattern to the meeting schedule that if you meet one on one day, you have to meet the second party on the same day.

Question: There is a report that he sent a letter to Annan [the Secretary-General] complaining about his statement yesterday giving Mr. Denktash an elevated status.

Spokesman: I have no comments on that and the meetings. As far as we know, are going ahead as planned. Yes?

Question: Could you tell us if the Secretary-General played a role in the postponement of the declaration of the Palestinian state?

Spokesman: I don’t think he would take credit for that. No. He has quietly been in touch with all the parties but I don’t think he would like to say that he had such a direct influence as what you suggest.

We have three minutes left. Can we go to Sue?

Briefing by Spokeswoman for Assembly President

Presiding over first day of the general debate yesterday, the President of the General Assembly, Harri Holkeri, was very pleased with the positive reaction to the Secretary-General’s opening statement, which, as you know, focused on the important role of the General Assembly. The Secretary-General made the President’s own views clear on the central role of the General Assembly and its importance in follow-up to the Summit, which as you know, the President had articulated in his press conference on Monday.The President was also very much in agreement with the Secretary-General‘s statement on the need for the United Nations to reach out to the civil society in its broadest sense. It is something that the President has emphasized in his acceptance speech –- the need for the Organization to reach out and not to be, in the President’s words, a hermit society. The President noted the Secretary-General’s request that the General Assembly consider expeditiously the recommendations of the panel on United Nations peace operations. In this respect, the President has already yesterday met with the Deputy Secretary-General, Louise Frechette, to begin discussions on this process.

As you know, the President of Djibouti yesterday welcomed the establishment of a new Government in Somalia, and the President of the General Assembly is pleased to note that the Head of State of Somalia will address the General Assembly on Friday afternoon. He views the participation of Somalia as a positive development.

The general debate continues this morning with eight speakers and 11 this afternoon. I am sure you know the names and titles of the speakers today and tomorrow, which you can get at the Spokesman’s office. If you want more updates on what the President is doing, please check out his website at un.org/ga/president which we update daily. Thank you.

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For information media. Not an official record.