Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
19981112
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As is already known, the Council yesterday had requested to meet with the Secretary-General to review the situation with Iraq, the Spokesman continued. The Secretary-General and the Council President, A. Peter Burleigh (United States), had agreed that the meeting would take place tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.
A statement had been issued by the Executive Director of the Office of the Iraq Programme, Benon Sevan, and Mr. Eckhard read highlights from the full text available in the Spokesman's Office (room S-378). "This morning, the Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq, Hans van Sponeck, had decided to retain about 50 international staff in Baghdad in order to maintain a capacity to continue observation of the Iraq Programme. In Baghdad this morning, the WFP had sent out 18 national observers to observe food distribution by food agents and to make random checks of households receiving the official rations. Those observers had reported that food distribution was continuing normally."
Independent inspection agents at border crossings were working normally and had reported no change in the pace of arrivals, Mr. Eckhard continued, reading Mr. Sevan's statement. The independent oil inspectors stationed at Zakho in the northeast of Iraq, at the port of Ceyhan in Turkey and at the Mina Al-Bakr platform in the south of Iraq, had reported that oil exports were proceeding normally. Applications for the approval of contracts for the supply of further food, medicine and other essential supplies, were continuing to be processed and circulated to the Security Council's Committee overseeing the sanctions. The Secretary-General's report to the Security Council on the implementation of the current phase ending on 25 November was now being finalized.
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Daily Press Briefing - 4 - 12 November 1998
In response to a question, Mr. Eckhard recapped the number of humanitarian United Nations workers remaining in Baghdad by saying that as of this morning, 50 workers would stay in Baghdad, 10 more than expected as of yesterday.
Another correspondent said that just before the noon briefing, one of her colleagues had asked the United States representative to the United Nations, who was also this month's Security Council President, A. Peter Burleigh, a question regarding a statement allegedly made by someone in the United Nations Spokesman's Office to the effect that the Secretary-General would be willing to go to Baghdad if the United States would, basically, drop its opposition. "Has anybody in the Spokesman's Office said anything today about conditions under which the Secretary-General might or might not go to Baghdad?" the correspondent asked the Spokesman.
"Anyone in the Spokesman's Office who would make that statement would be strangled", Mr. Eckhard responded and received affirmative laughter. "Seriously", he continued. "The Secretary-General is just returning and he'll be in touch by telephone this afternoon from his residence with a number of people reacquainting himself with the situation. Tomorrow afternoon, he will meet with the Council. As I've said, the United Nations Charter gives the Secretary-General a good offices function whenever he wants to exercise it, but he will be staying in close contact with members of the Council."
As far as he knew, the Spokesman added, although he had not talked directly with the Secretary-General so far today, the Secretary-General did not see a possible role for himself in the situation. The Secretary-General was coming back to get fully acquainted with the situation, which was not to say the Secretary-General would not be available if the Council asked him to do something. At the moment, however, the Secretary-General had no plans to go to Baghdad.
Why was this situation different from the situation in February, when the Secretary-General had travelled to the Middle East? a correspondent asked.
First of all, Mr. Eckhard answered, in February before the Secretary-General had left, there had been an indication from Baghdad, communicated to the Secretary-General through Middle Eastern leaders essentially, that there was a readiness for compromise. Also, at that time, the Council had indicated that under the right conditions, it would be ready to compromise. Prior to that trip, the Secretary-General had met on four separate occasions with members of the Council to establish among them a consensus position on what could be discussed with the Iraqis if he went to see them. Thus, in February, the Secretary-General had gone with clear, although narrow, parameters on what he could discuss, and he had gone with an indication from the Iraqi side that they were ready to talk. "I don't think he's got those two conditions today", the Spokesman added.
Daily Press Briefing - 5 - 12 November 1998
Another correspondent asked the Spokesman to be more specific. "Under what conditions would the Secretary-General consider a trip to Baghdad, both in terms of Iraq's position and that of the United States or the Council?"
"First, he would want an indication from the Iraqis that they were prepared to return to full compliance", Mr. Eckhard answered. "Then he would want the support of the Council, that they would like him to mediate."
"Is there movement?" the correspondent asked. "No", Mr. Eckhard answered, adding that at this time the Secretary-General was coming back to listen.
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