PRESS BRIEFING
16 NOVEMBER 2001
(Near Verbatim)
MS. MARGARET NOVICKI - UNAMSIL SPOKESMAN AND
MAJ. MOHAMMED YERIMA- UNAMSIL MILITARY SPOKESMAN

UN SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN HAILS ACCORDS REACHED AT WORLD TRADE TALKS IN QATAR

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday welcomed the successful conclusion of the World Trade Organization's (WTO) conference in Qatar, calling the agreements reached in Doha "an important achievement for multilateralism."

"The decision to launch a new round of talks on global commerce holds great promise for all countries, especially in the developing world," Mr. Annan's spokesman, Fred Eckhard, told a press briefing at UN Headquarters in New York. "The Secretary-General hopes that these negotiations will lead to a true 'development round' that removes trade barriers to developing-country goods, opens additional market opportunities and helps developing countries build up the capacity to take advantage of those opportunities."

Mr. Annan was especially pleased by the WTO's affirmation that nothing in the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) should prevent developing countries from taking measures to protect public health, the spokesman said. "This will lead to increased availability of drugs to combat AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other epidemics."

The Secretary-General pledged that the UN system would continue to work with all countries to make the new round of negotiations a success, while ensuring full and timely implementation of agreements reached during the Uruguay Round, Mr. Eckhard said. "Helping developing countries to trade their way out of poverty is in everyone's interest, especially at a time of considerable uncertainty for the global economy," he said. "The WTO's Member Governments must now follow through and realize the potential embodied in the Doha agreements."

SIERRA LEONE POLICE DEPLOY TO MAKENI

Yesterday, 15 November, 120 officers of the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) successfully deployed to Makeni, led by the Senior Assistant Commissioner responsible for operations, Mr. Francis Munu, who represented the Inspector General of Police. The police, who were escorted by UNAMSIL Civilian Police (CIVPOL) advisers, received a warm welcome from the RUF leadership and the general public. Thousands of people lined up to welcome them amid dancing, cheering and celebration.

The SLP are co-located with B Company of Nigerian Battalion 7, whose Commanding Officer, Lt. Col. J.A.P. Oladipo, briefed them on the security situation in the area. Representatives of UNAMSIL Civil Affairs, the Acting Paramount Chief of Makeni, religious leaders and representatives of RUFP welcomed the officers. The special assistant to RUF interim leader Gen. Issa Sesay, Mr. Jordan Kano, said that the deployment of the SLP represents an important step in the stabilization of the country.

UNAMSIL FORCE COMMANDER WITNESSES FINAL PHASE OF DISARMAMENT IN TONKOLILI AND TOURS KAILAHUN

The Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), Lt. Gen. Daniel Opande, on 13 November witnessed the start of the final phase of disarmament in central town of Magburaka in Tonkolili District. Several combatants of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) handed over various types of weapons, including AK-47s, rifles, and self-loading machine-guns, to UNAMSIL peacekeepers.

At a gathering before the commencement of the disarmament, the RUF 5th Brigade Commander, Col. Base Marine, told the civilians who supported the RUF during the war to also register with the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programme. However, the Force Commander explained that the humanitarian needs of Sierra Leonean civilians would be addressed through the National Commission for Reconstruction, Resettlement and Rehabilitation (NCRRR). He also reminded the RUF leadership in Magburaka that all the parties to the conflict had agreed to adhere to the National Committee for Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (NCDDR) criteria on disarmament.

Later in the day, the Force Commander met with the RUF interim leader, Gen. Issa Sesay, and Brig. Gen. Morris Kallon to discuss the forthcoming disarmament exercise in the eastern district of Kailahun. Gen. Sesay assured the Force Commander that the RUF would hand over the heavy weapons it captured from the West African peacekeeping force, ECOMOG. The weapons include a vehicle-mounted BM-21 multi-barrel rocket launcher.

On 14 November, the Force Commander visited the eastern district of Kailahun to commission a field hospital and to assess progress in the construction of a demobilization center in the area.

In a brief speech in the town of Kailahun, Lt. Gen. Opande said the hospital, which is run by the Pakistani Battalion (PAKBATT) 2 deployed there, "will serve not only the peacekeepers but the entire Kailahun District." More than 2,000 patients from local communities received free treatment from the Pakistani doctors on Wednesday.

After commissioning the hospital, the Force Commander visited the Kailahun demobilization camp to assess progress in its construction. The contractor explained that because of bad roads and other logistical problems, it will take two weeks to complete construction.

Lt. Gen. Opande also met with the Revolutionary United Front Party (RUFP) district chairman, Eric Senesie, and the RUF's Military Police Commander, Col. Tam Sandy, who assured him that the RUF was committed to a full disarmament exercise in the district.

The Force Commander later visited Koindu to verify reports of the presence of Guinean troops on Sierra Leonean territory. It was established that Guinean troops are present in Yinga, Kisseyteng Chiefdom. The Deputy Paramount Chief of the area, Fayie Jimmy Bends, speaking on behalf of the population of the area, expressed concerns about their presence. Lt. Gen. Opande responded that the Government would soon deploy the Sierra Leone Army along all the border areas.

Speaking at the same occasion, the RUF Battalion Commander in Koindu, Maj. Mohammed Khalil, promised the Force Commander that he would disarm together with more than 200 combatants when disarmament commences in the chiefdom.

UNAMSIL's Chief Military Observer, Maj. Gen. Syed Athar Ali, and other senior UNAMSIL officers accompanied the Force Commander.

CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO SIERRA LEONE PAYS COURTESY CALL ON UNAMSIL FORCE COMMANDER

The Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Mr. Fan Guijin, yesterday paid a courtesy call on UNAMSIL's Force Commander to extend his Government's hand of friendship to UNAMSIL for its contributions to peace in Sierra Leone.

Ambassador Guijin commended UNAMSIL for providing security not only to Sierra Leoneans, but also to other international organizations working in the country. He said his country was interested in helping to support the development of the African economy.

In his welcome remarks, Force Commander Lt. Gen. Opande paid tribute to China for providing military observers to UNAMSIL, noting that it was a sign of its commitment to sustainable peace in Sierra Leone. He briefed Ambassador Guijin on the general security situation in Sierra Leone, the progress achieved to date on the disarmament process and the level of UNAMSIL's preparedness for the forthcoming national elections.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q: What is the status of disarmament in the Bombali district? And have the interim leader of the RUF, General Issa Sesay and his bodyguards disarmed?

Ms Margaret Novicki: As of 14 November, combatants were still coming in in Bombali. We had 52 combatants that came in that day. So as of now Bombali is still open for disarmament, but hopefully this weekend the camp in Makeni is going to be closed. For your second question, no, they have not as of yet. I believe they will be disarmed in Kailahun at the end of the disarmament process.

Q: What are the general disarmament figures for the whole country?

Ms Novicki: As of 18 May through yesterday [15 November], the total number of RUF disarmed is 11,246 and the total CDF disarmed is 21,418. Western Area: From 1 November to 14 November, 1,628 combatants have disarmed, of which 1,627 are CDF and 1 is RUF. Tonkolili District: 2, 764 combatants, of which 1,387 are RUF and 1,377 are CDF. Kailahun District: 19 CDF [15 November]. Pujehun: 418 CDF Zimmi: 1,124 CDF

Q: What is the status of the remaining bodies from the UNAMSIL helicopter crash? And have you salvaged the helicopter?

Ms Novicki: We have not yet salvaged the helicopter. Since the accident, we have been searching for the wreckage, which is somewhere on the seabed, but as of yesterday [15 November] we had not yet discovered the wreckage. We have had assistance from the British Forces with their Naval Frigate, which did sonar scans of the bottom of the ocean. We also have a Ukrainian team that is here now that also has sonar capabilities. They have also been doing sonar scans and divers went down yesterday and are going down again today to investigate those areas where they pick up information from the scan.

Q: Are you deployed in Kailahun district and where have you deployed the Nepalese troops?

Ms. Novicki: We have deployed a battalion of Pakistani troops in Kailahun district. The Nepalese have started deploying in Moyamba district and some will also deploy in Bonthe district.

Q: Given all these delays are you sure disarmament will end by 30 November?

Ms. Novicki: If we are all realistic, it will be very difficult for disarmament to end on 30 November. From the Tripartite meetings, when 30 November was set as a date, everybody regarded it as a target date, a date that we will all try our best to work towards but indeed recognizing the fact that there are a lot of potential difficulties in completing disarmament in such a fast period of time. And those problems are primarily of a logistical nature. So we do expect that disarmament will run over into December. But the end is in sight.

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For additional information, contact UNAMSIL Public Information Office: UNAMSIL Headquarters, Mammy Yoko, P. O. Box 5, Freetown, Sierra Leone. Tel: 232-22-273-183/4/5 Fax: 232-22-273-189