Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
19981102
..........
With regard to Iraq, Mr. Eckhard said, the President of the Security Council for the month of October, Jeremy Greenstock (United Kingdom), had called Council members to closed consultations on Saturday at 4 p.m. to deal with the question of Iraq on that last day of his Presidency. The Office of the Executive Director of the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM), Richard Butler, had informed the Council in writing that on Saturday evening, Baghdad time, UNSCOM had been informed by the Iraqi authorities that the Revolutionary Command Council had decided to suspend all activities of the Special Commission, including monitoring.
Following its meeting on Saturday, Mr. Eckhard said, the Council had issued a statement to the press unanimously condemning the Iraqi decision, which the Council considered a flagrant violation of Council resolutions. The Council was expected to continue consideration of the issue this week under the presidency of United States representative Peter Burleigh, who had now assumed the Council presidency for November.
The Secretary-General had met with Mr. Butler this morning and would meet with Mr. Burleigh this afternoon, the Spokesman continued. He also said that when asked by the press on Saturday about his role, the Secretary-General had told the CNN television audience, "It's the Council's responsibility, and I will see what the Council wants to do".
Many would be watching the Council this week on that matter, Mr. Eckhard noted, adding that UNSCOM had reported that today its inspectors had been allowed to visit the sites equipped with surveillance cameras in order to change video cassettes and maintain the equipment. However, that was not the bulk of the monitoring programme, which involved visits by inspectors, the activity blocked by Iraq.
The Council today was involved in bilateral discussions between the new President and the individual members, as they discussed informally the programme of this month, he said. No consultations had been scheduled for today.
Some action had occurred with regard to getting oil spare parts for Iraq during the past week, he said. The Security Council's Iraq Sanctions Committee, also known as the 661 Committee, had approved 23 contracts and had lifted the "holds" on 13 more, bringing to 36, the total of contracts approved -- worth more than $15 million. That brought to 111, the overall total of approved contracts -- worth close to $88 million out of the $300 million authorized by the Council for spare parts. As the Iraqi Government had noted, none of those spare parts or equipment had arrived in Iraq. The Office of the Iraq Programme had said that was not surprising. "Most of the equipment is specialized and much has to be made to order. We're not talking off-the-shelf items; delays are normal and many of the contracts specify delivery periods of up to 160 days."
Also available from the Office of the Iraq Programme was the weekly update on oil spare parts, Mr. Eckhard said. The update could be obtained in room S-378, and the Office had reported no disruption in oil-for-food activities as a result of Iraq's decision of Saturday.
...............
In response to a question on Iraq, Mr. Eckhard said the Secretary-General would not "fire" the UNSCOM Executive Director, Richard Butler, in whom he had full confidence."The United States Secretary of Defense William Cohen has said it's Kofi Annan's reputation on the line in this crisis. How do you respond to that"? the same correspondent asked.
"The Secretary-General considers this to be a situation where it is the Security Council resolutions that are being defied", Mr. Eckhard answered. "The Memorandum of Understanding that the Secretary-General had worked out with Iraq last February had been merely to get Iraq to once again comply with those resolutions. So the underlying basis for the conflict was the resolutions and Iraq's refusal to comply."
"So he'll take a back seat on this?" the Spokesman was then asked.
"He will follow the instructions of the Council on this", Mr. Eckhard responded. "It is primarily the Council's responsibility. He is waiting to see what they will do and what, if anything, the Council will ask him to do."
When asked if it could be said that the Secretary-General did not consider his credibility to be on the line, Mr. Eckhard said, "the Secretary-General does not see this as a matter of his credibility".
Upon being asked for a read-out of the meeting this morning between the Secretary-General and Richard Butler, the Spokesman said a detailed read-out would be requested. "Overall, I think the Secretary-General wanted to know
Daily Press Briefing - 5 - 2 November 1998
how UNSCOM's work would be affected by Iraq's decision, and he had been informed, as I already mentioned, that UNSCOM had been allowed to maintain its surveillance equipment. However, that in no way constitutes an adequate monitoring function, so the monitoring activities are effectively blocked".
..........
* *** *
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
