DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
20001208The 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 the Spokesman of the Secretary-General
Good afternoon everyone. I'd like to welcome Philippe Kirsch, Chairman of the Preparatory Commission for the International Criminal Court, who'll brief us on the sixth session of the Commission, which ended today. First, we'll have my briefing and then Sue's. (See separate note on briefing on Philippe Kirsch)
**Secretary-General Names New Special Representative for Kosovo, Praises Kouchner's 'Inspirational Leadership'
The Secretary-General today informed the Security Council of his intention to name Hans Haekkerup, the current Defense Minister of Denmark, as his new Special Representative in Kosovo.
Mr. Haekkerup will replace Bernard Kouchner, who has headed the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) since July 1999. Dr. Kouchner had indicated to the Secretary-General his wish to relinquish his responsibilities in Kosovo following the successful completion of the recent elections. The changeover is expected to take place in January.
The Secretary-General would like to take this occasion to pay tribute to Dr. Kouchner for the inspirational leadership and dynamism with which he led this extremely difficult and challenging mission, and for the remarkable success he has achieved there in its first year and a half.
He is also very pleased to have recruited a man of Hans Haekkerup's stature and ability to take over from Dr. Kouchner the complex tasks of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo.
**United Nations, Iraq Agree on New "Oil-for-Food" Pricing Mechanism
Late yesterday evening, an agreement was reached between the Iraqi State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) and the United Nations oil overseers on a pricing mechanism for the export of Iraqi oil under the oil-for-food programme for the month of December.
The Iraqi State Oil Marketing Organization submitted a new pricing mechanism. The oil overseers, taking into consideration a number of factors, including the present fair market value of oil -- as the price of oil has dropped since Iraq's initial submission of prices for December -- as well as a considerable erosion of confidence in Iraq as a reliable source of oil supply, have recommended the acceptance of SOMO's new prices to the Security Council's Sanctions Committee.
Daily Press Briefing - 2 - 8 December 2000
The recommendation has been submitted to the Chairman of the Committee for circulation with a deadline of 6 p.m. today, under no-objection procedures.
**Secretary-General "Deeply Concerned" by Refugee Situation in Mano River Basin Subregion
The Secretary-General has been following, with growing concern, the deteriorating situation along the Guinea/Liberia/Sierra Leone borders. He deplores the loss of innocent lives as a result of the vicious attacks perpetrated over the last several days by armed elements on Guinean towns and villages. He is concerned at the displacement of large numbers of Guinean nationals and Sierra Leonean and Liberian refugees away from affected areas, which these attacks have caused.
He is also concerned that the situation will further impede the already difficult task of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and its humanitarian partners.
The Secretary-General calls on all parties inside and outside the Mano River Basin subregion to use whatever means necessary to curb this spiraling violence that is likely to have serious security and humanitarian consequences, not only inside Guinea, but also for the subregion as a whole.
The Secretary-General calls on the international community to actively support the Economic Community of West African States' (ECOWAS) ongoing efforts to expeditiously deploy a military observer mission to this troubled area.
**UNHCR Appeals for Help to Secure Guinean Border
From the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the latest, unconfirmed reports indicate the town of Gueckedou in Guinea is under government control, but many residents have fled amid fears of further rebel attacks. The Office of the UNHCR is still trying to determine if all of its staff are accounted for. The agency appealed to the international community to help Guinea implement measures to secure its border areas, where some 400,000 refugees reside.
**Security Council
The Security Council meets this morning in closed consultations to take up the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Specifically, they will discuss the Secretary-Generals report on the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) and they will also hear a briefing by Kamel Morjane, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative there.
Late this afternoon, at about 4:45 p.m., the Council will resume their discussion of a draft resolution, sponsored by the Non-Aligned Movement, on the creation of a United Nations Monitoring Force in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
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**Secretary-General Leaves Ethiopia with Message of Hope, Greeted by Cheering Crowds on Arrival in Eritrea
As the Secretary-General was leaving Ethiopia this morning, he gave a press conference saying he hoped other leaders would follow the example of Africa's heads of State who had spoken "so knowledgeably and passionately" about the issue of HIV/AIDS at the just-concluded African Development Forum there. "We need more such commitment," he said, "and we need it fast."
Commenting on the peace agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea, which is to be signed in Algiers next Tuesday, and which he will witness, he said it was a "very positive step for both sides and for all of Africa".
The Secretary-General arrived in Asmara, Eritrea, at midday today, where he was briefed by Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, his Special Representative for Ethiopia and Eritrea, and other United Nations officials. He then travelled by helicopter 100 kilometres south to the town of Adi Kehy, where there is a United Nations military observer station. He was greeted by thousands of villagers who cheered him. Children ran alongside him carrying hand-painted signs saying "We want peace."
He addressed the crowd, saying, "As you begin to pick up the pieces and rebuild your lives, you must know you are not alone."
He then flew by helicopter to a United Nations logistics base at Dek'emhare, where he spoke to Dutch and Canadian peacekeepers, taking coffee with them at their canteen. He returned to Asmara this evening.
Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will conclude his visit to Eritrea and fly to Palermo, Italy, where next week he will attend the signing of the Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime.
**UNOMSIL Team, RUF Leader Sesay, Discuss Ceasefire Implementation
This is just in from our Mission in Sierra Leone (UNOMSIL): A team from the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone, led by the Force Commander, Lieutenant General Daniel Opande, travelled to the outskirts of the town of Mile 91 today and met with the interim leader of the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF), Issa Sesay, to discuss implementation of the Abuja ceasefire agreement. It is the first meeting between Sesay and a high-ranking United Nations Mission official since the accord was signed on 10 November.
Meanwhile, more than 90 ex-Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC) combatants - who had been providing security for Johnny Paul Koroma -- turned in their arms today in Freetown. Koroma, who is now Chairman of the Government's Commission for the Consolidation of Peace, turned in his own personal pistol and some ammunition. Koroma called on all faction leaders to do what he has done in order to bring peace to Sierra Leone. He said United Nations mission security personnel will provide security from now on.
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**UN Political Affairs Department Organizes Meeting on Arusha Accords
This morning, the Department of Political Affairs is organizing a meeting of Special Envoys and Representatives for Burundi to discuss the steps the international community can take to support the implementation of the Arusha Accords.
As you know, as a result of the Arusha accords, which were signed on 28 August of this year, the United Nations has been given the task of chairing the Implementation Monitoring Committee. The Secretary-General has named his Special Representative to the Great Lakes Region of Africa, Berhanu Dinka, to chair that Committee.
Todays meeting is being attended by, among others, Ambassador Dinka, Jean Arnault, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative in Burundi, and by representatives of the European Union, the Francophonie, the United States, Belgium and the United Kingdom.
**UNAIDS Announces Meeting on Combating Epidemic in Conflict Regions
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has organized a meeting of civilian and military experts, which begins in Stockholm on Monday. The meeting, announced in a press release, will make recommendations on tackling the epidemic in areas affected by conflict.
**ICC Update
The International Court of Justice has rejected a request by Belgium that the case, Arrest Warrant of 11 April 2000, be removed from the Courts List. The case involves an international arrest warrant issued by a Belgian investigating judge against Yerodia Ndombasi, who was, at that time, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The warrant called for Ndombasis detention pending request for extradition to Belgium to face charges of serious violation of international humanitarian law.
We have a press release available if you're interested.
**New UNCA President Announced Today
I'd like to just say a hearty congratulations to Norberto Svartzman on his election as the new President of the United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA) for 2001. And an equally hearty "thank you" to Erol Avdovic, the outgoing President, who is here in the front row today. In this past year, I think we've made some real progress on some issue of importance to UNCA, including office space and accreditation, and I look forward to working with Norberto on those and other issues in the coming year.
**World Chronicle
World Chronicle Programme no. 815, which will feature Dr. Astrid Heiberg, President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
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Societies, will be shown today on in-house television channels 3 or 31 at 2:30.
**United Nations Broadcast Center
Yesterday, we had a question -- from Norberto, in fact -- concerning a possible reduction in the hours that the United Nations broadcast center is open. We have looked into that, and we've been told of no plans to alter the current hours, which are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
**The Week Ahead at the United Nations
We have the "Week Ahead" available for you. The one item I'll highlight for Monday, 11 December, is that the Security Council will hold consultations on Cyprus.
And finally, before your questions, we've just been told that Special Representative, Kamel Morjane, will come to this room after he finishes his briefing to the Security Council on the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
[Shortly after the briefing, the Spokesman's Office announced that Mr. Morjane would make a brief statement at the press "stake out".]
Now, are there any questions before we go to Sue?
**Questions and Answers
Question: Is there a bio available on Hans Haekkerup? Can you tell us exactly when he will take up his position as Special Representative in Kosovo?
Spokesman: We do have a bio available in my office. The changeover will probably happen in mid-January.
Question: Does the United Nations have plans to put Dr. Kouchner's talents to use elsewhere in the Organization?
Spokesman: I have nothing to announce now. The Secretary-General has been talking to Dr. Kouchner about a possible future assignment.
Question: Do you have any specific details of the new "Oil-for-Food" pricing mechanism?
Spokesman: We can't go into any details until the 661 Committee (Sanctions) reacts, by the end of this afternoon.
Briefing by the Spokeswoman of the President of the General Assembly
Good afternoon.
This morning, the President of the General Assembly, Harri Holkeri, opened the Assembly's observance of the fortieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and
Daily Press Briefing - 6 - 8 December 2000
Peoples. In his statement, Mr. Holkeri announced that he will be visiting East Timor early next year. As you know, East Timor is one of the 17 non-self- governing territories to which the Declaration applies. The purpose of his visit is to familiarize himself with the situation there, as well as the work of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET). Mr. Holkeri's visit will take place in January, and he will also visit Singapore and Indonesia at that time. We will provide you with more details of the President's schedule nearer to the time of his departure.
As I announced earlier this week, Mr. Holkeri will be traveling to Bonn, Germany, to address the opening ceremony of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, which begins its meeting Monday afternoon, 11 December, and continues for two weeks. We will make the text of his speech available to you on Monday morning.
In the plenary this morning, following the observance of the fortieth anniversary of the Declaration, the Assembly took up the reports of the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization). There are a large number of resolutions expected to be adopted, some by recorded vote. We can update you on the details as the Assembly goes through the reports.
Also this morning, the General Assembly President took the opportunity to pay a visit to the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) as it winds up its work for the current session. So, this means we're left with the plenary and the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary). As you know, at the moment, the scheduled closing date for closure of the Assembly's fifty-fifth session is 15 December, but we anticipate work will go on past that date. As soon as we have another definite date, we'll let you know.
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