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.

Good afternoon.

**International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia

Today in The Hague, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia said it was "convinced beyond any reasonable doubt" that a crime of genocide had been committed in the Srebrenica enclave in 1995, and it found General Radislav Krstic guilty of that crime.  The Tribunal sentenced Krstic to 46 years in prison.

The Tribunal found that between 7,000 and 8,000 men were captured during the takeover of Srebrenica, then a United Nations "safe area," by Bosnian Serb forces -- under the command of General Ratko Mladic, General Krstic and several others -- and that almost all of these men were killed.

Presiding Judge Almiro Rodrigues told General Krstic today, "You are guilty of the murder of thousands of Bosnian Muslims between 10 and 19 July 1995, whether these be murders committed sporadically in Potocari or murders planned in the form of mass executions."  Judge Rodrigues said, however, that in determining the penalty for Krstic's crimes, the Tribunal wished to show that there are other people whose individual responsibility for those crimes was greater than his own.

We have copies of Judge Rodrigues's statement available in my office.

This case is the first one where the Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia has made a judgement of genocide; the Rwanda Tribunal has delivered several such sentences, most notably against former Prime Minister Jean Kambanda.

**Security Council

At today's Security Council open debate on the question of small arms, the Secretary-General welcomed the Programme of Action reached at last month's United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, but added that the progress made at the Conference must now be consolidated.

"A programme of action is a beginning," he said, "not an end in itself. Implementation will be the true test."

He also urged governments to continue the work on issues on which they could not find consensus at the Small Arms Conference, and said in particular that the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons is conspicuous for its lack of a framework of binding norms and standards.

The Secretary-General also mentioned the need to address the supply side of the problem, with the number of companies and countries that manufacture small arms on the rise since the mid-1980s.

We have copies of his statement in my office.

The open debate, which is chaired by Colombian Foreign Minister Guillermo Fernández de Soto, is continuing now, and there are 40 speakers so far inscribed on the speakers list.

**Videotape

The Secretary-General has completed his review of the report of Mr. Joseph Connor, Under-Secretary-General for Management, concerning the United Nations handling of a videotape taken by peacekeepers the day after the abduction of three Israeli soldiers on the Israel-Lebanon border last October.

The Secretary-General has asked Mr. Connor to brief the Security Council tomorrow morning and the press immediately afterwards.  He has also asked that the report be made available in full as an unofficial document, both to Council Members and also to the press at the time of the briefing.

**Afghan Refugees

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Government of Pakistan today signed an agreement establishing a joint screening process for Afghan refugees in Pakistan.  Thirty joint teams will begin screening the refugees in the Jalozai and Nasir Bagh camps in north-west Pakistan.  Within three weeks the number of teams will increase to 55 and the camp at Shamshatoo will be added.  There are an estimated 180,000 Afghans in the three camps.

During the exercise, the refugees will be asked for general family information and whether or not they wish to return home.  Those wishing to return will be given a repatriation grant.  Those who need protection will be relocated to settlements in Pakistan and will receive assistance from UNHCR and its partners.  Afghans will have the right to appeal if their case is rejected, but once a final decision is made, they would have to return home.

**Appointments

The Secretary-General has decided to appoint Mr. Amos Namanga Ngongi of Cameroon as his Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mr. Ngongi currently serves as Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) and has had a distinguished career within that organization and in the diplomatic service of his country.  He will succeed Mr. Kamel Morjane of Tunisia as the Secretary-General's Special Representative and will assume his functions at the end of this month.

The Secretary-General expresses his deep appreciation for the tremendous efforts made by Mr. Morjane in bringing peace to Central Africa and wishes him well in his next important assignment.

The Secretary-General has also decided to appoint Chen Jian to be his Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services, replacing Yongjian Jin, who is retiring.

Ambassador Chen has most recently served as China's Ambassador to Japan, a position he has held since 1998.  He also served in China's Mission to the United Nations several times, most recently as China's Deputy Permanent Representative to the Organization from 1992 to 1994.

We have a copy of his curriculum vitae available upstairs.

**Cambodia

Peter Leuprecht, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Human Rights in Cambodia, released a statement in Phnom Penh today in which says that he “remains convinced that properly conducted, free and fair commune elections will contribute to the consolidation of pluralist democracy in Cambodia.” He said, however, that he is gravely concerned about recent instances of violence against election candidates and members of political parties.

He adds that such violence could have a serious and negative effect on the public’s confidence in the elections planned for February of 2001.

Mr. Leuprecht calls on the Cambodian Government to take swift action in response to these incidents.

We have the full text of the statement in my office.

**Iraq Programme

On the oil-for-food programme for Iraq, the Secretary-General has approved the distribution plan for the current phase, which is Phase X, and which is in effect from 4 July to 30 November.  The plan was submitted by the Government of Iraq on 23 July. 

It is based on a foreseen budget of $5.5 billion for the humanitarian programme, spread over 12 sectors countrywide, including an allocation of

$600 million for oil industry spare parts and equipment and $384 million to meet the needs of especially vulnerable groups.

Over $1.27 billion is earmarked for the food sector, while $250 million is set aside for the purchase of medicines and medical supplies.

The Secretary-General’s approval letter, together with the plan, will be issued on Monday as a Security Council document, and in the meantime you can access it through the Office of the Iraq Programme’s Web site.  Apparently it is close to 100 pages long.

**Human Rights

The Secretariat of the World Conference on Racism has issued a press release with background information on the meeting tomorrow in Geneva of the nine members of the Eminent Persons Group set up by Mary Robinson, High Commissioner for Human Rights, to strengthen efforts to generate a sense of common purpose in the struggle for racial harmony and tolerance.

Tomorrow, the panel members will attend the ongoing preparatory meeting to discuss the draft declaration and programme of action for the World Conference. They will also hold a press conference.

**East Timor

The United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), along with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has established a mediation panel to assist East Timorese parties and candidates in resolving any disputes that may arise from the media coverage of the August 30 elections for the Constituent Assembly.

The panel will function independently of the Mission and will evaluate any complaints that could be made about the coverage by the Mission's radio, television and print media of the political campaign.

Meanwhile, the Mission today received 4,000 wind-up radios from the Australian Government, which are to be used to spread messages about voter education in the run-up to the elections.

**Myanmar

There have been some reports in recent days about a possible visit to Myanmar by the Secretary-General's Special Envoy Razali Ismail.  At this point I can confirm that he will be arriving in the capital, Yangon, on 27 August.  More details concerning the visit will be released as they become available. 

**Press Releases

In a press release today, the WFP announces it will provide food to 405,000 people in Central America who have lost between 50 and 100 per cent of their crops due to drought.  Nearly 1.4 million people have been affected by drought and about half are facing critical food shortages.  WFP says it can provide assistance to about half of the vulnerable population in the region, and is appealing for more funds for its Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation.

**Press Conferences

There is one press conference to announce for today.  At 1:00 p.m. in this room the Minister of Foreign Relations of Colombia, Guillermo Fernández de Soto, will brief correspondents among other issues on Colombia's Presidency of the Security Council during the month of August.

As of now there are no press conferences scheduled for tomorrow except of course for Mr. Connor's briefing on his investigation.

**Questions and Answers

Question:  What time is Mr. Connor's briefing?

Spokesman:  We don't know.  We have not firmed the time he will go to the Council.  We don’t know how long the Council will keep him.  But right after he is finished with the Council briefing he will come here and of course we will

squawk it.  I don't really want to predict but I would say midday to early afternoon.

Question:  Will the Council session with Mr. Connor be consultations or is it likely to be an open meeting?

Spokesman:  It will be closed consultations.

Thank you very much.

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