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.

Sorry for the delay.

**FYROM

We have a statement here attributable to the Spokesman, concerning the events in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia:

"The Secretary-General continues to follow with deep concern the evolving developments in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.  He is very troubled by the renewed armed hostilities and concerned that the situation, if unchecked, will spiral into a more grievous conflict with dire consequences for the entire Balkans region.

"The Secretary-General remains in touch with European Union High Representative Javier Solana and with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)Secretary-General George Robertson on this matter, and fully supports their ongoing activities as part of a concerted effort aimed at helping the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia avert a deeper crisis.

"He reiterates his call for a complete cessation of violence and the importance of continuing the dialogue among the political leaders of the country, aimed at strengthening multi-ethnic relations and democratic norms and restoring stability."

**Bosnia

Thousands of Bosnian Serbs today violently broke up an international ceremony to break ground for the reconstruction of a sixteenth-century mosque in the town of Banja Luka.

Right now, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jacques Klein, is among about 100 people, including international officials and Muslim clergy, who took refuge in an Islamic community centre once the Bosnian Serb mob broke through police lines.  Klein is working to resolve the situation peacefully, and other officials -- including Werner Blatter, the local representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) -- are with him.

In recent hours, about a hundred other people who had taken refuge in the community center have been escorted safely out by Republika Srpska police, and some Republika Srpska officials have been trying to calm the crowd down, but with little apparent success.  At least three buses that were being used to bring people to the ceremony, as well as a local bakery, were set on fire.

The United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH) condemned the incident, which directly threatens the reconciliation and return process.  On Saturday, that Mission also condemned mob violence by Bosnian Serbs in the town of

Trebinja, which prevented a ceremony from being held at the Osman Pasha Mosque, which is also to be reconstructed.  We have a press release from the Mission on the Trebinje violence, and we expect one to come out later today on the incident in Banja Luka.

**Kosovo/FYROM

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Kosovo, Hans Haekkerup, is on his way to New York where he is scheduled to have consultations with the Secretary-General tomorrow and brief the Security Council on Wednesday. On the agenda will be the status of the so-called legal framework for Kosovo and the regional security situation.

He is also expected to meet with President Vojislav Kostunica, who is scheduled to be in New York at the same time.  The Yugoslav President is scheduled to meet with the Secretary-General tomorrow.

Earlier today during a stopover at Skopje airport, Haekkerup met with European Union High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana and also with NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson, to discuss the security situation in the region.

Meanwhile, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)reported today that since the fighting in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia started on 3 May, more than 3,800 people had entered Kosovo from FYROM. Over the weekend, more than 1,500 people from the Tetevo region had entered the province after a nine-hour journey by foot over the mountains.

UNHCR Special Envoy Eric Morris says the refugee agency is particularly concerned about the well-being of civilians caught in the conflict areas.  We have briefing notes from Pristina with more details.

**Liberia

The Security Council President has asked me to make the following announcement regarding Liberia:

"The President of the Security Council wishes to inform Member States that, in accordance with paragraph eight of Security Council Resolution 1343, the measures contained in paragraph six -- which referred to a diamond ban -- and seven -– which referred to a travel ban -– came into force at one minute past midnight today."

Liberian Foreign Minister Monie Captan will hold a press conference in this room at 2 this afternoon, to discuss the sanctions and the situation in his country.

**East Timor

The report of the Secretary-General on the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) is out.  In it, he says that East Timor “has continued to make progress on the path to independence.”  However, he adds, “a great deal remains to be done until that objective is reached.” 

The report notes that in the past year East Timor’s gross domestic product grew by an estimated 15 per cent and crop production reached over 70 per cent of the pre-September level.  However, much of this growth occurred in Dili, in donor-funded reconstruction programmes.  The refugee problem remains unresolved, says the report.  Despite the increased information efforts by the UN mission, very few refugees are coming back to East Timor.

On the justice sector, the UN Mission is seeking urgent clarification from the Indonesian Government on the jurisdiction of the ad hoc tribunal established in Indonesia to deal with gross violations of human rights in East Timor.  The Presidential decree of 24 April, as we discussed here some weeks ago, limits the temporal jurisdiction of the tribunal, which, as a consequence, would leave out some serious crimes, like the massacres in Liquica and Suai.

Elections for the Constituent Assembly are scheduled for 30 August.  In order to encourage public participation in the constitutional development process and to facilitate a broad public consultation, a national civic education framework was developed.  To distill the results of these civil society discussions, district constitutional commissions will be established.

Though the security has been generally good, the population fears that the political process may not remain peaceful.  The Timorese look to the UN Mission to prevent and, if necessary, to protect them from political violence.  We also have news from Dili today that the registration of political parties started this morning.  You can pick up more details from their report.

**Security Council

There are no meetings or consultations of the Security Council scheduled for today, but this afternoon at 4 p.m., there is a so-called “Arria formula” meeting of Council Members, organized by France, to hear from human rights rapporteur, Roberto Garreton, on the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Tomorrow, the Council has scheduled consultations on Ethiopia-Eritrea, during which the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, is now scheduled to brief the Council.  The Council is also expected to discuss the upcoming mission of the Council to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

**Rwanda Tribunal

Judge Laïty Kama of Senegal, who had served as the first President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, died yesterday in Nairobi following a short illness.

In a statement, the full text of which we have in my office, the Secretary-General notes the passing of Judge Kama with sadness, calling his death "a great loss for the United Nations," and underscoring his vision, his commitment to the Tribunal's work and to human rights in general.

The current President of the Tribunal, Judge Navenethem Pillay of South Africa, who took over from Kama in 1999, said he had dedicated his life to justice for his fellow human beings.  The Tribunal's registrar, Adama Dieng, said the loss was "a severe blow to the Tribunal."

At the time of his death, Kama, although no longer Tribunal President, was still a sitting judge in the Tribunal, presiding over one of its trial chambers.  The Tribunal will send a delegation to Dakar, Senegal, for his burial.  We have a press release from the Tribunal with more information, including highlights of his 42-year judicial career.

**Budget

The Secretary-General this morning presented his proposed programme budget for the years 2002-2003 to the Advisory Committee that deals with administrative and budgetary questions.  He presented the advisory group with the first programme budget proposal to use results-based budgeting, which also includes steps to streamline procedures and strengthen UN preparedness.  We don't have any numbers to give for the budget until it is officially presented, and, of course, the Advisory Committee meetings are closed.

**Inter-Agency Mission to West Africa

Out as a document today is the report of the United Nations inter-agency mission, which visited 11 West African countries in March, which the Secretary-General submitted to the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council.  The 32-page report highlights the need for an integrated subregional approach by the international community to prevent the further emergence of conflicts, restore peace and stability and promote economic and social development.  The report, which contains a series of recommendations towards those objectives, is scheduled to be discussed by the Council a week from today.

**FYROM/Greece Talks

We have a statement out today, noting the meeting held last Wednesday,

2 May, under the auspices of the Secretary-General, between representatives of Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

The Secretary-General was represented by his Special Representative, Matthew Nimetz, and the parties continued to exchange views pursuant to the 1995 Interim Accord signed by them.  They decided to meet again on a date to be agreed.

We have the full text available in my office.

**Press Conference

Finally, a press conference to announce for tomorrow:  the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece, George Papendreou, will be here at 3 p.m. to talk to you about the meeting of the board of directors of the International Olympic Truce Foundation, which is scheduled to take place here at Headquarters tomorrow morning.

That's all I have for you.  Bob?

**Questions and Answers

Question:  Is there any idea of what set off this latest incident in Bosnia?  It seems to be a sharp escalation in tension between the ethnic groups.

Spokesman:  Yes, the two incidents came as a bit of a surprise.  I don't know that we're ready to give you any line of analysis.  Edie?

Question:  Since they seem to be surrounded, is there any concern over the safety of Jacques Klein and any of the other officials in the area?

Spokesman:  No.  The Republica Srpska Police are trying to do their work as professional law enforcement officers.  They did manage to get a number of those who had been in that cultural centre out of it.  I don't think Klein expects to leave until all the others have also gone out.  As we mentioned, efforts are underway to calm the crowd, but they're not to be calmed for the moment.  It remains a hot situation.  I don't think, though, that there is serious concern about their security, but until that calm is restored, I don't think we'll be fully confident in that judgement. 

[After the briefing, he announced that the last of those trapped in the compound had been able to leave, as of around 12:30 p.m. EDT, escorted out by Republika Srpska police.  The situation, he said, was now under control.]

Question:  Has the Secretary-General had any contact, in advance of the imposition of sanctions, with the Liberian President or Foreign Minister?  Have they made any attempt to plead their case through Mr. Annan?

Spokesman:  I don't believe he has spoken personally either to the President or to the Foreign Minister, but I can double-check for you.  The Foreign Minister has requested a meeting with the Secretary-General and that is in the process of being set up for tomorrow in the late afternoon.  But, I cannot confirm that as final.  It's still tentative.

Question:  Mr. Kostunica is going to meet Mr. Annan tomorrow?

Spokesman:  I didn't say that, but I believe that also is being planned.  We don't have a time but I think that he is going to see the Secretary-General.  What I did say is that he is going to be seeing Hans Haekkerup sometime tomorrow.  I don't have a time for that either. 

Question:  Mr. Haekkerup visits the Council Wednesday, you said?

Spokesman:  Yes, Wednesday.  Yes, Edie.

Question:  Is Kostunica also coming here to see the Security Council?

Spokesman:  I haven't heard about him meeting with the Council.  He will be coming here, as I understand it, to see the Secretary-General sometime tomorrow.  I assume the Secretary-General's meeting with Hans Haekkerup would also be in this building.

Question:  Is there any chance of talking to Haekkerup and Kostunica?

Spokesman:  We'll try for you.  We'll ask the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia mission on the President and we'll ask the peacekeeping department about Haekkerup.  Yes?

Question:  Is there any difference between the temporary constitution that you mentioned for Kosovo and its legal framework?

Spokesman:  I'm going to have to get a lawyer to answer that question.  The legal framework, as I understand it, is what will govern the conduct of the elections.  Whether you could call that an interim constitution, I don't think so.   As far as I know, Kosovo is still governed by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.  But again, we'd have to get a lawyer to give you a technical answer to that question.

Question:  Have all the details been worked out in that legal framework?

Spokesman:  No, we mentioned last week that Hans Haekkerup is still hoping to take into account some of the concerns expressed by the Serb community.  There had been reports out of Belgrade last week that as Special Representative he had been ignoring the views of the Serb minority.  He came out with a statement saying that's not so, the process is not complete, and he hopes to take into account the views of the Serb community.

Question:  Do you know if the Secretary-General, or someone else on his behalf, has been in touch with Washington concerning the budget proposals the Secretary-General has proposed for 2002 and 3, since the House has considered paying part of the outstanding debt of the United States?

Spokesman:  The Secretary-General himself has not been in contact with Washington officials on the budgetary issue.  I don't know that the Under-Secretary for Management might not have touched base with a number of capitals as this budget has come together.  The budget has been coming out in fascicles, in slices, as official documents.  I think all of them are out by now.  So I think Member States have had a chance to study all the pieces of the puzzle. 

The Secretary-General's summary statement, that kind of gives you the bottom line, would not be out until the budget as a whole is presented as a document.  The next steps are that it goes to the Committee on Programme and Coordination, later this month or early June, and then it goes to the budget committee of the General Assembly, the Fifth Committee, in the fall.  I don't know at which point it comes out as a total package document; I'll have to find out for you.  Any connection of votes being taken in Congress, I'm just not aware.

Question:  There was a strong comment in the New York Times today about not paying back dues because of the Human Rights Commission vote.  Are you aware of that?

Spokesman:  That was by a single columnist.  Yes, we took note of that.

Question:  What caused the Mosque incident and who were the 3,800 people who fled?

Spokesman:  Those are two questions.  I think I answered your first question when I said we don't yet know.  We most likely will be analyzing these events, but I haven't seen anything in the cable traffic yet to explain what might have triggered these two acts of violence. 

The people who have fled northern former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia for Kosovo are civilians fleeing villages in which Government forces and Albanian extremists have been fighting.  Yes?

Question:  There are reports of Albanian civilians being killed by Slav troops, the Macedonian guard.  Has the United Nations expressed any concern about this matter?

Spokesman:  I haven't seen reports of civilian casualties.  I would say that our position is the same in all conflicts.  The rights of civilians should be respected, particularly in conflict areas.  But on this specific case, I don't have any comment.  Yes?

Question:  There were also reports that Slav military groups were fighting alongside Macedonian Government troops.

Spokesman:  I haven't seen that.

Question:  That was according to an Albanian parliament member of the Macedonian Government.

Spokesman:  I haven't seen any internal reports of ours of that.  We can look into it for you, if you'd like.

Question:  Any further read-out of the Colin Powell/Secretary-General Annan phone call or have there been subsequent calls regarding the human rights vote and fallout?

Spokesman:  As far as I know there has been no contact between the Secretary-General and the United States Secretary of State since, was it Thursday evening?   The Secretary-General made some comments to you before your camera this morning, coming in, did he not?

Question:  He didn't speak at length.  He rushed off.

Spokesman:  Yes.  There's nothing, I think, we have to add to what we said last week.  As far as the Secretariat goes, in the Human Rights Commission vote, the Secretariat counted the votes, that's all.  So please don't shoot the messenger.

Question:  Are there any chads dangling anywhere, still?

Spokesman:  Is that it?  Thank you very much.

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