DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
20001006The 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. I would like to welcome to the briefing some visiting journalists from Japan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. You're filling up the room, thank you.
**Statement by Secretary-General on Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
We have the following statement by the Secretary-General concerning the events in Yugoslavia:
"I continue to follow events in Yugoslavia with intense interest. It is clear to me that, with the collapse of the Milosevic regime, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is on the verge of a new era, which offers hope of a better future for its people.
"I warmly welcome this momentous change, and in particular the wide recognition of Vojislav Kostunica as the choice of the people and the duly-elected President. I call on the people of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to rally behind Mr. Kostunica, and on the international community to support him, as he proceeds to form a democratic government.
"I appeal for calm during this critical period of transition. I also wish to stress that the United Nations is ready and eager to work with Mr. Kostunica, and to help the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia achieve full reintegration into the international community, with all the rights and responsibilities that that entails."
The Secretary-General's Special Representative to the Balkans, Carl Bildt, welcomed the developments in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in a statement today, expressing relief and happiness at the peaceful nature of events. He added, "Now, the task is to establish a new constitutional order in Yugoslavia and Serbia."
Among the problems to be addressed, he said, is the need for Mr. Kostunica to initiate talks with President Milo Djukanovic of Montenegro on a new relationship between Serbia and Montenegro. The United Nations, Mr. Bildt said, stands ready to help and assist Yugoslavia at this stage in its history.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, today said that "the people of Yugoslavia have, over recent days, bravely demonstrated their commitment to human rights and democracy. I particularly welcome, she says, the essentially non-violent manner in which this political transition has been achieved and I note in this regard the role played by the security forces."
Daily Press Briefing - 2 - 6 October 2000
Meanwhile, on the humanitarian front, United Nations relief workers in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia have been continuing their work through these events of the last few days in Belgrade, as they worked through the bombing in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia last year. They are looking after a half million refugees and displaced persons and also seeing to the needs of orphans, the poor and the elderly.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is preparing a fresh Consolidated Appeal for Southeastern Europe, which will now be amended to account for the special needs of Serbia, on the assumption that governments will now be more willing to contribute, especially to reconstruction and rehabilitation projects in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
**Kosovo-Serbia
The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Kosovo, Bernard Kouchner, welcomed the news of change in Belgrade with great joy and relief, but reminded the world that many challenges remain ahead for the people of Kosovo.
In his statement, Kouchner said he intended to start a meaningful dialogue with the new Government of Belgrade to begin work on resolving crucial issues facing Kosovo -- first of all, that of detainees in Serbia and the thousands of missing people.
Mr. Kouchner has called a special meeting of the Interim Administrative Council, the highest policy-making body in Kosovo, in an hour's time to discuss the changes in Yugoslavia and their implications for Kosovo and how to address the new Government.
**Announcement
I have a statement here attributable to the Spokesman:
The Secretary-General welcomes the release today of the two British Police Officers working as part of the United Nations Interim Administration in Kosovo who were arrested in Montenegro by Federal Armed Forces on 31 July.
The Secretary-General believes that the release of the two British Police Officers is encouraging and he calls for an early release of the remaining Canadian and Dutch nationals still under detention in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
**Security Council
The Security Council today began its work at 11 a.m. with a briefing from United Nations Legal Adviser Hans Corell, on the establishment of a special court for Sierra Leone. Mr. Corell presented the report of the Secretary-General, which was issued yesterday, and called for a special court to be created that would try those "most responsible" for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sierra Leone since the Abidjan Peace Agreement was concluded in November 1996.
Following that briefing, the Council is expected to hear another briefing, this one by Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hédi Annabi. And that would be on recent developments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Yesterday, Council members also received a draft resolution concerning the extension of the mandate of the United Nations Mission to that country, which they will now begin to consider.
The Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been reporting difficulties in obtaining approval from the Government to conduct flights to Mbandaka to resupply the four United Nations military observers there. Attempts to fly to Mbandaka were denied again today, and the observers have also faced restrictions on their activities.
Then, the Council will pick up where it left off early this morning by resuming closed consultations on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. Some of you must have been around to witness last night's consultations on that topic, which lasted from about 10:30 p.m.to 3 o'clock this morning.
The Council has been discussing a draft resolution supported by the Non-Aligned Movement, and has made some progress, although some text remains to be agreed. It's difficult to say right now whether there could be a formal meeting later this afternoon, or even this evening, but we certainly expect further discussion on the text and it could be either a late evening or a busy weekend as those discussions continue.
**Security Council Mission
Eleven members of the Security Council will travel to West Africa starting tomorrow to review United Nations operations in Sierra Leone and to explore ways to promote stability in the region.
The delegation, led by Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock of the United Kingdom, will arrive in Conakry, Guinea, on Sunday, spend three days in Sierra Leone beginning Monday, and then proceed to Bamako, Mali, and Abuja, Nigeria finishing their trip with a stop at Monrovia, Liberia. They will return to New York on the following Sunday, 15 October.
We have copies of a press release on this mission with details of the itinerary and then Ambassador Greenstock will be here, in room 226, to brief you in person at 12:30 p.m. In other words, right after this briefing.
After returning late Sunday, the members of the mission will brief the Security Council on its findings on Monday, 16 October. And they also plan to brief you.
**Myanmar
The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Myanmar, Razali Ismail, will visit Myanmar from 9 to 12 October for discussions with the Government, as well as other political actors. This is Mr. Razali's second visit to Myanmar since assuming his responsibilities. His first visit took place from 29 June to 1 July this year. He will be discussing issues related to General Assembly resolution 54/186, and report back to the Secretary-General.
**Press Releases and Reports
Some press releases today. The World Health Organization put out a fact sheet on bottled drinking water. If you live in New York, you drink a lot of that. And a media advisory announcing donations for polio eradication by tennis player Martina Hingis - I think she's the tennis player, isn't she -- and Rotary International.
A joint Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Programme note to correspondents announces the release of the joint report on the food supply situation in Armenia. That's available also on the FAO Web site.
And then from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance or Affairs comes the announcement of a cease-fire in Afghanistan for the National Immunization Days from 10 to 12 October, which will target more than 5 million children.
**Budget
Chad became the 135th Member State to pay its dues to the regular budget for the year 2000. And that was with a cheque for 10,000 dollars.
**Week Ahead
We have the Week Ahead for you. Pick it up in my office. A few highlights: On Monday of next week, the Secretary-General's report to the Security Council on Angola is expected out.
On Tuesday, the General Assembly will hold elections - Am I stealing your thunder, Sue? - on the five rotating members of the Security Council, and it's also World Mental Health Day.
Thursday, the United Nations Assistance Mission in East Timor, which is a precursor to the current United Nations Transition Administration in East Timor, will receive this year's Elie Wiesel Ethics Award. The Secretary-General will deliver remarks at a ceremony.
And then the Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, Jayantha Dhanapala - this is also on Thursday -- will moderate a panel on "Civil Society and the United Nations Conference on Illicit Trade in Small Arms". That will begin at 10:30 in the morning, at the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium.
So, that's all I have for you. Any questions, before Sue?
**Questions and Answers
Question: This is for Fred and Sue, if you guys could refresh our memories on Yugoslavia's status. What part of the General Assembly is it permitted to participate in. Does the Secretary-General have a view on the broad question of whether Serbia needs to re-apply as a successor State.
Spokesman: The Secretary-General won't take a position on that. It's for governments. The General Assembly has already spoken; indeed, it has decided in a resolution that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia may not automatically assume the seat of Yugoslavia, which, I think, was the Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia. That position was further clarified by a note by the United Nations Legal Counsel that said that it would apply to the United Nations General Assembly and all its subsidiary organs. And that's about as expert as I can get. I don't know whether Sue has any more details. Spokeswoman: If you want to go back to the resolution, it's 47/1 which does lay out the decision of the General Assembly. Yugoslavia remains a Member and, if, as Fred said, if a new country wants to apply, it has to do so in the normal way, i.e. send in a letter to the Secretary-General who will forward it to the Security Council. It will make a recommendation to the General Assembly. So, they could either decide to change the name, or they could make a new country - and the old country will no longer exist.
Question: And so, they are not considered a Member in good standing in the General Assembly?
Spokesman: The old Yugoslavia remains a Member. Its seat is there. The name Yugoslavia is on the seat. The old Yugoslav flag flies out front. And in the meantime, the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has been told in the same resolution that if they want to claim that seat, they have to apply as a new Member. They may not inherit the seat as the successor State.
Question: So, basically, there's a seat, an unfilled seat that no one gets to acquire at this point?
Spokesman: That's right.
Question: However, they do have diplomatic credentials that permit them a certain amount of Can they just show up?
Spokesman: Yes. They can come into the Building, and can give press conferences Credentials? I'm not sure what the status of the credentials is.
Spokeswoman: The legal ruling was that they cannot participate in the General Assembly, or Economic and Social Council or its subsidiary bodies. But it is not an issue now for the Credentials Committee. It's an issue of membership of a new country. So, it will not go before the Credentials Committee. It's not an issue for them.
Question: Could there not be an intermediary position concerning the credentials of their current representative in his position here at the United Nations?
Spokeswoman: The Credentials Committee doesn't meet to look at credentials of diplomats. They are presented to the Secretary-General when they arrive to take up their job. But, the Credentials Committee would meet when there were some question raised about the credentials of someone taking a seat in the General Assembly.
Question: In the light of the opening statement, it seems almost like a recognition by the Secretary-General of the new Government or its legitimacy. What will happen next week or so, when they send a representative here. Would he, presumably accept that representative?
Spokesman: You'll have to ask the 189 Member States how they would receive that person. Remember, Somalia had an empty seat for a long time. An interim President elected by a peace process, sponsored by Djibouti, came to the Assembly and we were waiting to see whether he would be accepted as head of State. No Member State objected. And so, therefore, he just took his seat and gave two
speeches. And then you can get the lawyers to look at the word "automatically". This is all for Member States to sort out.
Question: The General Assembly resolution 47/1. Was it the one adopted on 22 September 1992?
Spokeswoman: Yes, 22 September 1992.
Spokesman: Any other questions?
Question: So, if some representative of the new Government shows up, and nobody objects, is the current representative who has a pass to get into the building does that come to an end or does the Credentials Committee have to meet? He has very few privileges, and what would it take for him to lose those privileges?
Spokesman: You probably have to talk to the lawyers. First, there is a resolution saying that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia may not automatically succeed Yugoslavia. The Assembly as a whole would probably have to deal with this question and adopt a new resolution in response to the change of government in Belgrade. Am I going too far on that?
Spokeswoman: No, I think that's the case. Its an issue not so much of credentials as about a new membership of a country.
Question: Somebody would have to apply. I'd presume it won't be the current representative who would apply for the membership. Therefore, there would have to be some sort of a status for the new representative.
Spokeswoman: The Ambassador would present his credentials to the Secretary- General of whatever the new country is. There would be many things before the new Ambassador presents his credentials.
Spokesman: And it's the Foreign Ministry that issues the credentials to the Ambassador who brings them to the Secretary-General.
Question: Is the Secretary-General or any one in the Secretariat trying to discuss with the Chargé d'affaires of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia or perhaps with the Russian Prime Minister about the importance of Mr. Milosevic turning himself over to the Tribunal or some other effort to bring him to justice?
Spokesman: I think the pressure we have seen on governments to get more active on the arrests of Balkan war criminals has most recently come from Carla del Ponte, the Prosecutor. I think governments are well aware of their responsibilities under international law to deliver to The Hague any indicted criminals, and that includes former President Milosevic. I don't think this is necessarily a matter which would be taken up with the local Chargé.
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