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

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

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

**Burundi

We spoke with the United Nations office in Bujumbura, Burundi, a few minutes ago, where there appears to be a coup under way.  We are following the developments in that country with a great deal of concern.  From the conversations we've had with UN officials on the ground, we know that a lieutenant claiming to represent a group of heretofore unknown officers called the “Patriotic Youth” announced on the radio in Bujumbura that a coup had taken place.

The lieutenant gave no further details except to say that Burundi’s new leadership would be announced soon and that a curfew would be imposed as of 8 p.m. local time, which is about two hours from now.  Our staff reports that the atmosphere on the streets, in Bujumbura, is calm, at the moment.  As you know, Burundi’s current President, Pierre Buyoya is in Gabon for talks with Jean Bosco, the leader of the Hutu-based FDD rebel group.

**Ethiopia-Eritrea

From Ethiopia-Eritrea, we have some groundbreaking news:  Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the United Nations Mission for Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), today announced the establishment of the Temporary Security Zone, which he described as a “milestone in the Ethiopian-Eritrean peace process”.  The establishment of the buffer zone marks the formal separation of the forces of the two sides.

Legwaila said, “It allows for the immediate restoration of civil administration and the return of internally displaced persons in the areas of the Temporary Security Zone.”  We have the text of the statement he made to the press today and we expect also a little later today to get the transcript of the Q and A that he had with the press.  The Security Council has scheduled discussions on Ethiopia-Eritrea tomorrow.

**Liberia - Statement

We have the following statement attributable to the Spokesman on the situation at the borders between Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone:

"The Secretary-General continues to follow with concern the security and humanitarian situation at the borders between Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.  The recent escalation of fighting in Lofa County in northern Liberia, which has caused the displacement of several thousand civilians, underscores the need to address the underlying causes of this growing instability. 

"The Secretary-General believes that the best way to stem this instability is through dialogue.  He supports the recent call by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for the three leaders of the Mano River Union

countries to meet without further delay and devise ways to resolve the crisis peacefully."

The Mano River Union countries, of course, are these same three countries, and when the Secretary-General visited that area a couple of years ago, he encouraged them to revive the Mano River Union talks as a way of increasing stability in West Africa. 

**West Africa - Humanitarian

We checked with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which does not have a presence in Lofa County, where the latest fighting took place.  But there are reports from Monrovia that there are movements from Lofa County of both Liberians and Sierra Leonean refugees who had spontaneously settled in the area.

The UNHCR says that a number of them are crossing the border, into eastern Sierra Leone, rather than into Guinea, where passage is impossible.  The number of Sierra Leonean refugees and Liberian nationals from Lofa into Sierra Leone is not big, but it has started intensifying in the middle of last week, according to the UNHCR.  The Liberian Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission estimates the number of displaced at 8,000 from Lofa.

**Angola - Monitoring Mechanism

The United Nations panel dealing with sanctions on Angolan rebels recommends the need to tighten regulations governing the activities of arms brokers, and to consider establishing an international register of companies that are involved in sanctions-busting.

The Monitoring Mechanism dealing with sanctions against the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) issued the addendum to its final report today, and copies are available at the documents counter.  The addendum reviews the activities by the Monitoring Mechanism to follow up on its investigation of companies that are accused of busting the UN sanctions against UNITA.

The report notes that, although UNITA diamond trading has been driven deeper underground by the sanctions, there are still major weaknesses in the system to control diamond trading, in part because of the many available alternate routes that traders can use.

The addendum concludes, "Although the attitude of impunity may have lessened, the intentions of sanctions busters to continue to derive profit from this cruel war remains firmly intact."  It notes that more work needs to be done to complete the Mechanism's mandated tasks, and says that it "would send a very bad signal to leave its work unfinished" at this juncture.

The Council expects to hold consultations and an open meeting tomorrow to discuss the Monitoring Mechanism's report.

**Democratic Republic of Congo

The Secretary-General's report to the Security Council on the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known as MONUC, is out as a document today.  In it, the Secretary-General deplores the obstructive attitude of the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD) rebel group in blocking the deployment of the Moroccan contingent to Kisangani.  He says the deployment of the UN Mission should not be made conditional on any factor, including the investigation of alleged ceasefire violations.

He says, “RCD must permit the deployment of MONUC troops without further delay, fully restore its cooperative relations with MONUC and desist from further harassment and obstruction”, adding that, “the international community has waited long enough for progress in resolving the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and will have little patience for yet further delay from this source”.

He also warns the Council that, if and when the second phase of the Mission’s deployment is complete, the third phase could be incalculably more difficult, complex, risky and expensive.  He said the Council mission to the Congo next month will be an invaluable opportunity for members to examine the situation and determine what action may be needed to facilitate the initiation of Phase III. The next report is expected to be submitted before the mandate expires on 15 June containing recommendations for the way ahead.

The Council will discuss the current report on Friday of this week.

Meanwhile, on the ground, the Force Commander for the Mission, Major General Mountaga Diallo, accompanied a group of ambassadors representing the permanent members of the Security Council.  They were today in Goma, where they met with the RCD leadership with the aim of resuming the UN deployment.

**Security Council

The Security Council is holding consultations this morning.  They started with a briefing by Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping, Hédi Annabi, with an update on recent violations of the Blue Line in Lebanon

The Deputy Secretary-General, Louise Fréchette, will then brief Council members on her recent visit to Sierra Leone.

That is to be followed by a discussion of the report by a panel of experts on the exploitation of natural resources in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The panel’s Chairperson, Safiatou Ba-N’Daw, who briefed you here on Monday, will introduce the report. 

By the way, there has been some confusion in some media reporting of this report, attributing the report's recommendations to the Secretary-General.  This is not a report by the Secretary-General.  It is a report by the panel which was appointed by the Secretary-General at the request of the Security Council.  So we've had a lot of confusing feedback from a few misplaced words in some of your reports.

**Bosnia and Herzegovina

Early this morning in Bosnia and Herzegovina, troops of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)'s Stabilization Force (SFOR) raided the Mostar headquarters of the Herzegovacka Bank, which High Representative Wolfgang Petritsch had placed under a provisional administrator two weeks ago.

Unlike a previous attempt to seize the bank on 6 April, when Bosnian Croat protestors clashed with SFOR and other international personnel, today's action took place without incident, and five truckloads of documents were retrieved from the bank for further inspection.  The bank was placed under provisional administration following charges that it was involved in corruption and the funding of a Bosnian Croat separatist group, which was trying to set up an illegal parallel government.

The United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH) and its International Police Task Force did not participate in today's raid.  However, following the violence on 6 April, the Police Task Force suspended for 30 days

16 police officers who had been suspected of participating in the demonstrations that day.  Those police have complied with their suspensions by turning in their uniforms and badges.

**Kosovo

The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) reports a car bomb explosion around 3 p.m. local time today in Pristina, about 50 metres from the Centre for Peace and Tolerance, which houses a Yugoslav government building.  Details are still sketchy, but, according to preliminary information, at least one person was killed and four others were injured –- one critically.

**Rwanda Tribunal

Yesterday in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania, the trial of former Rwandan Education Minister Jean de Dieu Kamuhanda began at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, with Judge Laity Kama presiding.  Kamuhanda, one of the ministers of the interim Rwandan Government that took charge following the death of President Juvenal Habyarimana, is charged with genocide and crimes against humanity  -- including rape, murder and extermination -- carried out in the commune of Gikomero.

He is one of 11 former Cabinet ministers who are now in the custody of the Tribunal; you'll recall that the former Prime Minister in that Government, Jean Kambanda, pleaded guilty and has been sentenced to life imprisonment.  We have additional details upstairs.

**Human Rights Commission

The fifty-seventh session of the Commission on Human Rights is continuing in Geneva today.  This morning, the Commission passed three resolutions on the question of the violation of human rights in the occupied territories, including Palestine.  We have copies of those resolutions, including sponsors and roll-call votes.

A very short while ago, the Commission passed, by a vote of 23 to 17, with

12 abstentions, a motion of "no-action" on a United States-sponsored resolution on human rights in China, thereby blocking a vote on that resolution.  The roll-call for that vote is also available in my Office.

**ESCAP Meeting

We have a press release upstairs from the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) which will open its annual session tomorrow in Bangkok, Thailand.  This year, the main topic of discussion will be “Balanced development of urban and rural areas and regions within the countries of Asia and the Pacific”.

During the opening session, ESCAP’s Executive Secretary, Kim Hak-Su, will deliver a message to the Commission on behalf of the Secretary-General.  Ministers and senior officials from 61 countries are expected to take part in the meetings which will conclude on 25 April.

**Oshima in Kiev

In Kiev, Ukraine, today, the Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Kenzo Oshima, delivered a message from the Secretary-General to the international conference titled “Fifteen Years After the Chernobyl Accident: Lessons Learned”.  In his message, the Secretary-General said that he hoped the conference would provide ideas on how to strengthen emergency preparedness worldwide and to address the recovery needs of areas which continue to be affected by the Chernobyl disaster.

After delivering the Secretary-General’s message, Mr. Oshima went on to add that an effective and rapid emergency capacity and the means to protect personnel before, during and after a disaster were both essential.  We have the text of both messages upstairs.

**Press Conferences

We mentioned these yesterday:  3 o’clock this afternoon, Kjell Larsson, the Swedish Minister of the Environment; 4 o’clock, Dominique Voynet, the French Environment Minister -- both talking about the Commission on Sustainable Development.

Then tomorrow at 12:30 p.m., right after the noon briefing, the Deputy Secretary-General, Louise Fréchette, will be here to talk to you about the global fight against HIV/AIDS and the United Nations' efforts in this regard. 

As we announced a few days ago, the Secretary-General will be in Abuja next week for the African Summit on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and other related infectious diseases.  He will be calling for major mobilization in the fight against AIDS.  His statement in Abuja will be an important contribution to the UN special session on HIV/AIDS, which will be held in New York from 25 to 27 of June this year.  The Deputy Secretary-General will put all of this in context for you.

And then, finally, a press conference tomorrow, at 11 a.m. Mohammed

El-Ashry, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Global Environment Facility, will be here to talk about the High-Level Panel Discussion on Renewable Energy, dealing specifically with the opportunities poor countries have in financing their energy needs affordably and sustainably.  The panel discussion, which will be taking place this afternoon in the Delegate's Dining Room, is in conjunction with the ninth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development.

**Questions and Answers

Bill?

Question:  Relating to the Burundi situation, is there a name attached to this lieutenant representing the Patriotic Youth?

Spokesman:  Not that we were given.

Question:  You mentioned that the atmosphere was calm at the moment.  Had there been any reports of earlier violence?

Spokesman:  No, they did not mention to us that there had been earlier violence.  They said people were going about their business on the streets normally.

Question:  The President of Burundi is in Gabon for talks with whom?

Spokesman:  Jean Bosco.  That's his first name and middle name.  His last name is so long that no one uses it.  He heads something called the FDD -- you can check with Stephane in my office to get that spelled out for you -– which is a Hutu-based rebel group.  Yes, Edie?  [FDD = Force for the Defence of Democracy.  Jean Bosco's last name is Ndayikengurukiyewere.]

Question:  There have been reports that the Secretary-General spoke to Bashar al-Assad yesterday.  Do you have anything to say about that talk?

Spokesman:  Yes, he spoke to the President of Syria yesterday morning, I think around 10 o’clock.  This is part of a two-day blitz of telephone calls that he has been making concerning the events in Israel and Palestine.  I don't think I have anything to say about the conversation.  It was a rather long conversation.  The President was, I think, rather firm in his view that what the Israelis were carrying out was a form of aggression.  The Secretary-General's line really was consistent with his public statement that we issued just a couple of days ago.  Apart from that firmness, it was, I would say, a friendly conversation.

Question:  Could you tell us some of the other people he's spoken to in this blitz?

Spokesman:  He asked me not to get into that.  But he's been phoning around widely to heads of State and government in the region, as well as a few outside the region.  Yes, Jerome?

Question:  On Burundi, do you have any information on officials being arrested?  And do you have any further information on the slave ship confusion in West Africa?

Spokesman:  On your first question, we have no further details about what's happening in Burundi.  As I mentioned, we placed a phone call and got through about five minutes to twelve, just before the briefing.  Everything I got, I gave to you. 

On the slave ship, I think the Benin Government is taking the lead.  I understand today that they launched an official investigation into this slave ship, and as I mentioned yesterday, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is cooperating with that investigation.  But the Secretary-General has nothing to add at this time.  Betsy?

Question:  Are the events in Burundi likely to disrupt humanitarian activities there? 

Spokesman:  We don't know.  They'll be respecting the curfew along with everyone else, I assume, in about an hour and a half or so.  Then I think everyone will be hunkering down and waiting to see how this thing turns out. 

Question:  Is there much concern about the situation?

Spokesman:  Of course, I think I said at the beginning that we're following developments there with considerable concern.  We have supported the efforts to negotiate some kind of a settlement between the Tutsi-dominated Government and the

Hutu-dominated rebel movement. The implementation of a peace agreement that does exist between those two sides has been postponed now for a considerable amount of time because of fighting in and around Bujumbura.  The hope was that that could have been gotten under control, starting with these Gabon-hosted talks between the two sides.  So we'll be watching to see how it goes and hoping for the best, not the worst.  Richard?

Question:  Did you already state the level of United Nations presence there?

Spokesman:  We have a political office there.  I frankly don't know the size of the staff, but it's something we could find out for you and give to you afterwards.  [After the briefing, correspondents were informed the UN had approximately 500 national staff and just under 100 international staff in Burundi.]

Question:  Does the UN have any type of coup/crisis plan that goes into effect when this somewhat familiar kind of event happens in a country?  In the first few hours, what happens in the UN system?

Spokesman:  The tendency in recent years has been to beef up our preventive efforts, so as we see things beginning to go wrong, we make every effort to support reconciliation and reduction of tensions.  Once it explodes into a coup, we don't have many options but to wait to see what the outcome would be.  We have no military options, as you know.

Question:  How about in the system, back home, are there people calling, management crisis teams or inter-agency meetings?

Spokesman:  In this case, we do have a mission in the country.  The Situation Centre in the Peacekeeping Department would be monitoring the news.  The Political Affairs desk officer would be in touch by telephone with the UN office in Bujumbura.  Then, most likely, what will happen is that there would be an interdepartmental meeting that takes place in the Situation Center to share information and discuss strategy.

Thank you very much.

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