In progress at UNHQ

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL

8 November 2000



Press Briefing


DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL

20001108

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Manoel de Almeida e Silva, Deputy 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 am going to start with the Secretary-General’s activities in Geneva, where he arrived this morning at about 9:30.

**Secretary-General in Geneva

At his hotel, he met with Mary Robinson, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, before her departure for the Middle East today.

At around noon, he consulted with his Special Advisor on Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto, and Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Kieren Prendergast. They reviewed the current state of de Soto’s talks with Cypriot leaders Glafcos Clerides and Rauf Denktash, the current round of which has been under way in Geneva since 1 November.

At 3 o’clock, the Secretary-General and his team met with His Excellency Glafcos Clerides and his delegation, and, at 4:30 p.m., they met with His Excellency Rauf Denktash and his delegation.

After these sessions, the Secretary-General told the press that he had shared with the two parties his assessment of where things stood with the Cyprus talks together with some thoughts on where things should go from here. He did not go into details. He added that he had asked Mr. de Soto to travel to Athens, Ankara and Cyprus later this month. He also invited the two leaders to resume talks in January.

“I hope that they will understand my words”, the Secretary-General said, “as an effort to take further steps in the direction of a comprehensive approach to a settlement”.

“The United Nations is seeking to facilitate the parties’ efforts to reach that goal”, he concluded, “and my observations are offered to them in this constructive spirit”.

The full text of the Secretary-General’s remarks to the press are available in our office. He also took a few questions on different topics, and we expect to have the transcript later this afternoon.

In the early evening today, he is expected to be briefed by his Special Envoy for the Balkans, Carl Bildt.

**Security Council

The Security Council is holding consultations this morning on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.

The Council is also scheduled to hear a briefing on last week’s shooting incident in Freetown, and this briefing will be by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

**Kosovo

Last night, the Secretary-General, in a statement issued through his Spokesman, urged the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, to take all necessary measures to ensure the security and well-being of all prisoners, and, in particular, the Kosovo Albanian detainees. The statement was issued in response to unrest in several detention facilities in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

In Kosovo, demonstrations went on overnight in Pristina and Djakova over the prison situation in Nis.

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Kosovo, Bernard Kouchner, has been in touch with Yugoslav authorities and other countries to ensure the well-being of the Kosovo Albanian detainees in Serbian prisons. These calls continued through the night.

Please see the briefing notes from Pristina for more information regarding this situation. There is also an item on a large seizure of weapons near the border with The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

**Food crisis in Afghanistan

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is urging donors to make additional assistance available to alleviate the deteriorating food supply situation in Afghanistan. There is a shortfall of about 1 million tons which needs to be covered by food aid, and the FAO is appealing for additional pledges and support for a speedy delivery and distribution of relief assistance.

Earlier this year, a joint FAO and World Food Programme (WFP) assessment mission estimated the total cereal production in the Year 2000 would be about 44 per cent below the 1999 total, and estimates of cereal imports have climbed to 2.3 million tons -- more than double the 1999 figure.

More than 3 million people are affected by two consecutive years of drought and the continuing conflict mainly in the north of the country. Eighty-five per cent of the population of 21.9 million depends directly on agriculture, and the drought, along with the deteriorating economy and physical infrastructure, has seriously affected the country’s food supply.

**East Timor

Changing continents, today in Suai, East Timor, officials of the Indonesian Army returned to the United Nations peacekeeping force a weapon which had belonged to Private Leonard Manning, a soldier belonging to the United Nations force’s New Zealand contingent who was killed in a clash [with militia members] near the Indonesian border on 24 July.

The weapon, a Minimi Light Support weapon, was retrieved by the Indonesian Army near East Timor’s border with West Timor on 27 October, three months after armed militia stole the weapon after Manning was killed.

Acting Force Commander General Mike Smith welcomed the return saying: “It was the expressed wish of Private Manning’s family that his weapon be returned and not used to kill or injure anyone else”. Further details you can find in the briefing notes that we have upstairs that were sent from Dili.

**Humanitarian Relief Reports

On the racks today, still on East Timor, there is a report of the Secretary- General on humanitarian relief and rehabilitation operations. Actually there are two reports, one on East Timor and one on Somalia.

The one on East Timor says that the problems following the violence and massive displacement after the popular consultation in August 1999 “have been overcome, in large part, owing to the rapid and generous response of donors to the needs emanating from the crisis”.

The report notes that the food supply situation in East Timor has improved, although it cautions that “significant numbers of people will remain vulnerable to food insecurity during the remaining months of 2000 and the pre-harvest months of 2001”. The Secretary-General also mentions the re-establishment of a regular immunisation programme in East Timor by this March, and success in preventing malnutrition and reducing the incidence of illness related to poor diet.

The report on Somalia emphasizes that some 750,000 Somalis are highly vulnerable following three consecutive years of below-normal rainfall. The Secretary-General asserts that, over the next six months, “Somalia will remain a disaster-prone country with a significant proportion of the population remaining structurally vulnerable to the vicissitudes of conflict and nature”.

United Nations agencies have established best-case, mid-case and worst-case scenarios for Somalia over the next six months and are preparing contingency plans for humanitarian assistance, depending on how the situation develops.

**Respect for Refugees Stamps

And my last note for this briefing today is on a new set of stamps which will be issued tomorrow by the United Nations Postal Administration on the theme “Respect for Refugees” in commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The stamps, souvenir sheets, souvenir card and official cachet were designed by Armenian artist Yuri Gevorgian or Yuroz, as he is known.

The stamps and cancelled first day covers will be available from 9 a.m. at the United Nations Postal Administration sales counter in the General Assembly building and the counter in the north end of the Secretariat lobby.

Copies of the Philatelic Bulletin No.52 and colour contact sheets of these stamps are available in our office upstairs.

Are there any questions before we move to Sue?

Question: Will Yasser Arafat be coming to the United Nations on Friday?

Deputy Spokesman: I understand that the Council is in consultations this morning, and that’s one of the topics that has come up. They are still in their meeting, so I cannot confirm that to you but, indeed, that’s what I have been hearing. But we have to hear what the Council will have to say on that.

Question: Whom will he meet in the Secretariat?

Deputy Spokesman: I think it will depend very much on time availability. I understand that he would like to meet with senior Secretariat staff, but, again, it very much will depend on his own agenda. Sue.

Briefing by Spokeswoman for President of General Assembly

Thank you. The President of the General Assembly chaired the discussion in the plenary this morning, which is ongoing on the Inter-Parliamentary Union. We expect a resolution to be adopted at the end of this morning’s session.

Tomorrow, the plenary will take up the item on the United States embargo against Cuba. We have 20 speakers listed so far on that item, and the list is available in the Spokesman’s Office.

**Third Committee

In the Committees, this afternoon, the Third Committee is expected to take action on 19 resolutions. These relate to racism issues, refugees, migrants -- and on that resolution, they are proposing that 18 December become International Migrants Day -- and then a number on direct human rights issues including on Cambodia, Myanmar, religious intolerance, the right to development, coercive measures and a number of other human rights issues.

**Sixth Committee

The Sixth Committee this morning adopted a draft resolution on the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law.

**Fourth Committee

The Fourth Committee began its review of peacekeeping operations. They heard a statement and introduction by Under-Secretary-General Guehenno, and the text is available in the Spokesman’s Office.

In answer to a question that was raised yesterday about when the report will come to the Fourth Committee from the Working Group that’s been meeting to discuss the Brahimi Report, I’m told that it’s not expected for another few days and, indeed, it was not available in the Fourth Committee this morning.

Also this morning, the General Assembly agreed to extend the work of the Fourth Committee until 17 November. The Fourth Committee was expected to end its work on 9 November, so its been extended until the following Friday.

**Fifth Committee

The Fifth Committee this morning discussed the twenty-fifth anniversary of the International Civil Service Commission. The Chairman of the Fifth Committee Gert Rosenthal, who is a former civil servant himself, observed that the creation of an objective and independent international civil service is an important innovation of the twentieth century. But he noted that the twenty-fifth anniversary of the International Civil Service Commission was not just a

celebration, but a time to consider if the functions need to be adapted to strengthen it in the context of the reform proposals submitted by the Secretary- General on human resources.

The full text of the Chairman’s remarks is available in the Spokesman’s Office and also the text of the statement of the Chairman of the Commission Mr. Mohsen Bel Hadj Amor. That’s all I have. Thank you.

Deputy Spokesman: Any questions for Sue?

Question: On Cuba, is there prospect of a resolution on the situation?

Spokeswoman: I haven’t seen a resolution yet, but it’s probably in the journal. In fact, let me just look. Yes, there is a draft resolution (document A/55/L.7). I’ll look for it and give it to you.

Question: Will they decide on it on Friday?

Spokeswoman: I think so, yes.

Deputy Spokesman: Thank you very much, have a pleasant afternoon.

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For information media. Not an official record.