UNMEE PUBLIC INFORMATION
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of the press briefing chaired in the Eritrean capital, Asmara by UNMEE Spokeswoman and Chief of Public Information Office Gail Bindley Taylor-Sainté, via a videoconference linking Asmara to Addis Ababa. Also present in Asmara was Brigadier-General Walid Kreishan UNMEE's Deputy Force Commander.
POLITICAL
On 22nd July, The Special Representative of the Secretary General Legwaila Joseph Legwaila met with the French Ambassador to Eritrea, His Excellency Gerard Sambrana, and discussed the current situation of the peace process. On the same day, the SRSG received the new German Ambassador to Eritrea, His Excellency Ulf Hanel, who was paying a courtesy call on him. The SRSG briefed him on the current situation of the peace process.
MILITARY
The situation in the Area of Responsibility remains militarily stable, with normal activity across the Area Of Responsibility.
In Sector East the final preparations for Operation Rest In Peace have concluded successfully.
The rotation of Force troops has continued with the final 200 JORBAT 5 peacekeepers leaving the Mission area, while the last 207 replacements of JORBAT 6 arrived in Asmara on 17th July. Both the Jordanian field hospital staff and the Slovak de-mining contingent also completed their rotation this week. In addition the rotation of the INDBAT peacekeepers continued throughout the week.
On 18th July, the Force Commander, Major General Robert Gordon paid a visit to the Eritrean Commissioner for the Commission for Coordination with the Peacekeeping Mission, Brigadier General Abrahaley Kifle, to discuss the operation to repatriate the mortal remains and the forthcoming 18th Military Coordination Commission (MCC) meeting. On the matter of the MCC scheduled date, Brigadier General Abrahaley confirmed that he was content with the proposed date and location.
During the previous weekend (19-20 July) the Kenyan Battalion (KENBAT) De-mining Teams A and B cleared and accounted for 116 mortal remains in Sabalita and 94 in Baala. While clearing and de-mining these areas they also recovered a total of 3 rockets, a 1 x 105 mm artillery shell, 15 x 82mm mortar shells, 44 x 60mm mortar bombs, 13 x 20mm rounds and 2 x 5.56 mm rounds. Arrangements have been made to demolish the UXOs in-situ.
On the 21st of July, the Force Commander visited Sabalita in Sector East where he was briefed by the Sector Commander Lt. Colonel Walter Raria on the progress of the ongoing preliminary operations to clear mines and UXOs in and around the area of the mortal remains and supporting helicopter landing sites.
KENBAT De-mining Team A cleared and accounted for a further 7 mortal remains in Baala, bringing the total recovered and inspected to 217. While de-mining the area they also recovered a total of 6 rockets, 17 x 60mm mortar bombs and 1 hand grenade. Team B cleared a further 15 x 60mm mortar bombs while de-mining in the Sabalita area. With the completion of this work, the clearance of mines and UXOs in both locations was successfully completed with a total of 112 UXOs of differing types having been destroyed.
One UXO (a rifle grenade) was found by a shepherd in a canal near the base camp of Bangladesh Engineer Company at Barentu. The UXO was marked and later disposed of.
On 22nd July, the Force Commander and the Officer-In-Charge of the Human Rights Office visited Addis Ababa. During the course of their visit they held a meeting with the Ethiopian representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). During this meeting the details of the repatriation of mortal remains was discussed. Special emphasis was placed on how the ICRC would be able to assist the Ethiopian authorities in the identification of the mortal remains following the handover ceremony. The Ethiopian ICRC official expressed content with all details of the operation.
On the same day, the Force Commander visited Brigadier General Yohannes Gebremeskel, the Ethiopian Commissioner for the Commission for Coordination with the Peacekeeping Mission. Also present was the Chief Military Liaison Officer in Addis Ababa, Colonel Keijo Suominen. The Force Commander and General Yohannes discussed issues concerning the repatriation of mortal remains and the forthcoming 18th MCC meeting.
In all Sectors, UNMEE peacekeepers continued to provide medical assistance to local civilians, including Internally Displaced Persons, along with supplies of bulk water to civilian communities in the Temporary Security Zone and adjacent areas.
HUMANITARIAN
On 16th July, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General (DSRSG-Asmara) Angela Kane and the Principal Political Affairs Officer (PPAO) Leandre Bassole attended the UNDP launch of the 2003 Human Development Report (HDR) in Asmara. The 2003 HDR introduces a new plan of action, the Millennium Development Compact, which aims to implement the UN Millennium Declaration and sets out a series of time-bound and quantifiable targets to halve extreme poverty by the year 2015. According to the report, Eritrea ranks 155 out of 175 countries assessed and has slightly improved its Human Development Index to 0.446 (2003), as compared to 0.419 in the year 2000. Progress was noted in the areas of child mortality and primary school enrolment. On the other hand, the situation with regard to gender equality had reportedly deteriorated. According to UNDP, many other goals could not be assessed due to the lack of pertinent data.
Meanwhile in Ethiopia, the Human Development Report was launched on 21st July. The launch was preceded by a panel discussion, in which the Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi participated. Ethiopia ranks 169th out of 175 countries, with a Human Development Index of 0.322. Available data shows steady progress in human development in Ethiopia over the years. "However, as one of the priority countries, much progress needs to be done," stated Samuel Nyambi, the UDP Resident Representative. UNMEE was represented at the launch by the DSRSG -- Addis Ababa Cheikh Tidiane-Gaye.
MINE ACTION
On 23rd July, the Mine Action Coordination Centre issued a preliminary report on the mine incident investigation of 19th July 2003, which occurred about 10.5 km from Asmara on the road to Dekemhare. It involved a truck that struck an anti tank mine, placed 500 metres from the main road. The investigations established that the mine was an old one.
The MACC Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team is involved in the repatriation of mortal remains in Sector East.
In Sector west, MACC is preparing tasking orders for demining in Shilalo, in a heavily mined area. This area has been a threat to the movement of Force assets and civilians living in the area.
PUBLIC INFORMATION
On 22nd July, the SRSG, accompanied by the Chief of Public Information visited the Asmara Outreach Centre after PIO was informed by the staff there that two Eritrean policemen were outside the Centre and were stopping members of the public from going into the premises. The SRSG spoke with the Outreach Centre staff who informed him about the sequence of events. Later on the same day, Ambassador Legwaila, again accompanied by the CPIO, met with Eritrean Commissioner, Brigadier Abrahaley Kifle to discuss the matter.
PIO has also been very involved with recording the entire process involved in the repatriation of the mortal remains. The Section has a video and photographic team in Assab, which has been recording for archival purposes the entire process of the removal of the mortal remains, through the demining, identification, tagging and bagging process. Coverage will culminate with a ceremony on Friday 25th July to hand over the remains.
UPDATE ON OPERATION "REST IN PEACE"
Meanwhile, the Force Commander accompanied by UNMEE Chief of Staff are on a visit to Sector East to supervise the final preparations for the ceremony, of Operation "Rest In Peace." 220 bodies were identified, bagged and made ready for airlifting tomorrow Friday 25 July. All administrative arrangements have been completed for the handover ceremony.
Questions & Answers
Spokeswoman: Just to bring you up to speed on what's happening first with Operation "Rest in Peace," as we have said in the Briefing Notes, the preliminary operation has taken place over the last 5 days starting over the last weekend. We started with demining and since then we have had the Joint Identification Team made up of 3 Ethiopians (Military Officers) and 3 Eritreans (Military Officers,) who (in the presence of) representatives of UNMEE and ICRC identified every body in the Baala and Sabalita area. They satisfied themselves that the vast majority of the bodies were in fact Ethiopians except for seven. I know that the numbers have changed and the numbers have changed during the recovery process. As all the mines were found and moved, more bodies have been found so the number has in fact risen from 164-- the last 3 were discovered yesterday-- to 220. So we now have a final tally of 220. There were 7 bodies of which they were not sure and the Ethiopians have agreed to take responsibility for those bodies. Every body was photographed for forensic evidence. The film will be passed to the Ethiopian authorities to assist in later identification, which is a requirement of the ICRC. The second copy of the film will be passed to the ICRC in Ethiopia. The bodies, which have all been numbered-- and the numbers have been put inside the body bags with their personal effects--have been grouped into 2, on both the 2 helicopters landing sites. All the personal effects, this includes wallets and bits of clothing have been included in the bags with them. The Force Commander went today to make sure that everything is in place for the ceremony tomorrow. The bodies will be guarded tonight and tomorrow by KENBAT and we are waiting for helicopter's air lift, which starts tomorrow morning at 6 am. The bodies will be taken by helicopter from where they are now to point 44 and point 46, then they will be moved by convoy from point 44 and 46 along the Assab-Bure road to the site where the ceremony will take place tomorrow at 1 PM. It will be a military ceremony. Wreaths will be laid by the SRSG and the Force Commander, who will also say a few words of condolence. We will have a Guard of Honor, which will fire a traditional salute and then the ceremony will end with the handing over of a representative body in a coffin, which will be handed over to the Ethiopians. At the end of the ceremony all the bodies will then be handed over. That's basically all the information on what will take place tomorrow. If you have any questions on that, Brigadier General Walid is here. He has been very involved in the preparations and he will also be willing to answer any of your questions. We have also been given permission by the Boundary Commission to give you the latest schedule and we will give that to you this morning. Of course I cannot answer any questions on the Boundary Commission. What I will give you it's what they have allowed us to give you and that's the schedule.
Q [from Asmara]: Do you know when the ceremony will be finished tomorrow? When you will be able to comment or give us a final statement about the operation?
Spokeswoman: Absolutely. Unfortunately because of the logistics, and I think I said last week, the logistics are horrific, we will not return from Assab until almost 5 PM, which kills tomorrow almost completely. What we will do however, we will prepare a press release. We will also try to get you photographs of the ceremony, which we will give to you on Saturday morning at 11 am. We will try to do that by videoconference.
Q [from Asmara]: If we call UNMEE tomorrow at 6 pm for example would it be possible to have someone answering a few questions on the operation? Do you think it would be possible to call the Force Commander or to call someone, because it would be better to do it tomorrow than Saturday?
Spokeswoman: Well, we can try to see if we can set things up. The problem would be if everything is ready, whether the photographs will be ready for you, we are trying to see whether we can do them digitally. I don't know whether we will have them all ready and that was the only reason we put it conservatively at 11 AM that we would have all the materials ready to give you. We can try to see whether we can do it perhaps at 6 PM but I think, that maybe pushing it, because the problem we have is that in terms of the flight schedule-- we have 3 flights. We are trying to come back on the first flight, but it's one hour and 20 minutes for us from Assab, so we may not get here probably until 5:45 PM. We will try as much as we can. If we can send it out to you and embargoed until Saturday morning we can do that, to be fair to everybody.
Q [from Asmara]: I don't know if it is only for me, but the photographs are not really the priority... I am only speaking on my behalf, I don't know how it is for the other journalists, I wouldn't use the photographs. It's more to have someone just to talk to and answer some questions at any time when you're done tomorrow.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: Just in terms of identification of the bodies, I am just curious how they were identified? I mean, in what state of decomposition were the bodies?
Spokeswoman: We told you the last time; many of them are not in terrible state of decomposition. We have photographs of them, which attest to that.
Brigadier General Walid Fares Kreishan [Deputy Force Commander]: They were identified (by the Joint Identification Team through different pieces of evidence including uniforms, boots, webbing and personal effects) as Ethiopians; they did not identify each one as individual. They were just identified just as Ethiopians and pictures were taken of all of them and at a later stage they may be identified as individuals.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: Do I understand from this that the face may still be recognizable?
Spokeswoman: The Force Commander I think two weeks ago said that he expected that a mother would be able to recognize her son, so I think that means that a face is recognizable.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: I am not clear though, if you are saying they all are identified as Ethiopian, and yet they are saying there are seven they can not identify, what was it about this people identify that was Ethiopian?
Spokeswoman: Well the Ethiopians would be the best people to ask that, because they were the people who came and looked at them and identified them as Ethiopians. I will be speculating to tell you how because I wasn't physically there. I can find out and ask whether there was a way that they could identify...
DFC: They were wearing their military uniform and it's not difficult to identify people from their uniforms. As the Spokeswoman has just said, they were not decomposed. Some of them look like they have died only a week ago.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: Is there any indication how they may have died?
Spokeswoman: We know that they were in the war, that's the most that we know. They were in the war and they died in the war. This is all we know at this stage.
DFC: It was a battlefield, it was obvious for us because there are many unexploded mortar rounds, artillery rounds and mines and for some of them it was obvious that they were hit by bullets.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: You are saying it is in the battlefield. So the assumption being they were killed in battle.
Spokeswoman: That is our assumption.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: Do you know what the battle was that was fought there? I mean do you know the name of the battle that was fought there or is there, any kind of record of what the battle was that was fought there?
DFC: We don't have any available records.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: So the photographing of the remains when, where they had been found etc... has nothing to do with potential sort of late investigation into how these people were killed, it is clearly an archiving process?
Spokeswoman: I am not quite sure I understand the question. Could you repeat the question?
Q [From Addis Ababa]: You say that you are taking photographic teams there to record the bodies, where they died etc... and this is an ICRC process. I just wondered why, do you have to do this, or is this to do with how these people might have been killed, if there is a later investigation into how these people might have been killed, or whether it is a process you do automatically?
Spokeswoman: There are 2 sets of photography going on. The first set of photography was done by UNMACC and this is to help with the identification process, so that at the point in time that the Ethiopians-- and that's why we said that the film will be handed over to them--because this is to help them in identifying who these people were. For us it was just a matter of archival record, that UNMEE was part of this process and that we followed this process from the beginning to the end.
DFC: May I add something to that? The Joint Identification Team who participated in the identification consisted of the Sector Commander, the Senior UNMO, a representative from the African Union and national authority representative, 3 Eritrean Officers as well as 3 Ethiopian Officers, the Human Rights representative was also included and the ICRC representative as well as CIMIC representative, so all sides were part of that Joint Identification Team.
Q [from Asmara]: Do you know on the Ethiopian side what kind of officials are going to attend the ceremony, if the Prime Minister is going to be there?
Spokeswoman: No, the Corps Commander is going to be the person to whom we hand over the bodies. The Corps Commander from the 105th Command.
Q [from Asmara]: What's Corps?
DFC: It is something more than a divisional (Commander,) the largest Army Unit.
Spokeswoman: Within that area.
Q [from Asmara]: Is he a Colonel?
DFC: Yes, he is.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: What's his name?
Spokeswoman: The Corps Commander is Colonel Haile Selassie and he is the Corps Commander of the 105th EAF Corps.
Spokeswoman: Haile is the first name last name is Selaisse.
Q [from Asmara]: This is only the first name Gail.
Spokeswoman: But unfortunately the way it was written in the Military Report here it is 2 names. I will double check on that. (Spokeswoman confirmed that this is the name as given to UNMEE).
Q [from Asmara]: Is there going to be some other repatriation of other bodies in the coming weeks or months if you find some more?
DFC: Of course if we find some more we will have another operation, if we find some more.
Q [from Asmara]: Because you are not sure because you think that these 220 might be all the bodies you could find in this area?
DFC: In the 2 areas we found only 220 bodies, in case in the future we find more then of course a similar thing will take place.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: Is it correct to say that the mortal remains were collected from inside Eritrean territory, and brought to point 44 and 46. Is that the way it is?
Spokeswoman: No, they are at the moment still in Eritrean territory. What has happened is that they have been bagged, they have been identified, they are now at the 2 helipads awaiting movement to point 44 and 46. Tomorrow morning at 6 am we will take the bodies by helicopter to point 44 and 46, but at the moment they are still inside Eritrea in Sabalita and Baala.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: These two points are not inside the TSZ, right?
Spokeswoman: Point 44 and 46 are in the TSZ, yes.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: But the other places you just mentioned?
Spokeswoman: Sabalita and Baala, yes. They are within the TSZ.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: Clarification, what is point 44 and 46? What does that mean?
Spokeswoman: Point 44 and point 46 are at the entrance of the TSZ; 44 is, as the Force Commander put it to me, it's the entrance to the TSZ from the Eritrean side and 46 is not very far, just a few kilometres from point 44.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: I am just confused about Sabalita and Baala. I mean if they are not in the TSZ they were still found by UN peacekeepers, is that right, or UN Mine Action workers?
Spokeswoman: We didn't find them. We were told that the bodies were there.
DFC: We have the main road from Assab to Bure and at around 15 Kms east of that road, so they are in the middle of the desert. They are far away from the road that we patrol.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: So the bodies were not found, the bulk of the bodies ( it seems) that they were not found by UNMEE, is that right?
Spokeswoman: KENBAT was informed.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: What situation were the bodies? Were they found in a mass grave or what?
Spokeswoman: No, I think you weren't here for a while. The bodies are lying in this area between Sabalita and Baala. The bodies were scattered in various parts of both Sabalita and Baala.
Q [from Asmara]: What happened with the problems with the Outreach Centre in Asmara. Were you able to resolve it?
Spokeswoman: I don't know if we have been able to resolve it. We have in fact spoken with the Commissioner and we have sent a report to New York and we will see what New York has to say.
Q [from Asmara]: Are the policemen still there, at the gate of the Outreach Centre?
Spokeswoman: Actually I didn't check today, but I don't think that they would have moved from the day that they were put there.
Q [from Asmara]: What was the reason given for them being put there?
Spokeswoman: Because it was felt that it (the Outreach Centre) was unnecessary.
Q [from Asmara]: That the Outreach Centre existed?
Spokeswoman: Yes.
Q [from Asmara]: Who said that?
Spokeswoman: This was said to us by the Commissioner.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: Gail you said when they closed the Barentu or when they put guard out side the Barentu (Outreach Centre) UNMEE was concerned. Is that still the case?
Spokeswoman: Yes, we are very concerned. We put these Centres up for the benefit of the people in the area and the people in the area obviously, in both Asmara and Barentu appeared to find them very useful because they were visiting. In Asmara they were even coming in on Saturdays, so I think I would say that at the moment more than being concerned, I think we are very saddened that this has happened.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: Can you tell us why you are concerned?
Spokeswoman: I have just explained. I said that we were saddened by this move.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: But people can still use them...?
Spokeswoman: They cannot go into the Centres. I think we made it very clear, they cannot enter the Centres.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: They are not allowed into the Barentu or the Asmara Centre?
Spokeswoman: No.
Q [from Asmara]: Are there any more Outreach Centres?
Spokeswoman: Yes we have other Outreach Centres in Ethiopia
Q [from Asmara]: All the ones in Eritrea are being closed?
Spokeswoman: Let me put it this way, we have been informed by the Commissioner that they would like the Centres closed.
Q [from Asmara]: Because they find them unnecessary.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: Are the guards outside these centers armed?
Spokeswoman: No they are not. There are Police outside the Centres.
Q [from Asmara]: Can you just explain to us what the problem about Outreach Centre is?
Spokeswoman: That's what I was just explaining. The reason for the Outreach Centre was really to give information on the peace process as well as the UN in general to the general public because in this area you don't have a UN Information Centre for example and in many parts of the world the UN operates what are called the UN Information Centres where the public can go in and find information and that was what it was. It was a documentation centre where people can find out more about anything that they would like to find out about the UN in general, and for us here the peace process in particular.
Q [from Asmara]: Do you have any idea how many people used it or do you have any sort of data.
Spokeswoman: I don't want to give you figures off the top of my head, but we do have figures. We have weekly figures that we compile, so we know that people have been using both Centres.
Q [from Asmara]: Hundreds of people a week?
Spokeswoman: Yes, we can say we had hundreds of people coming in.
Q [from Asmara]: Hundreds of people a week?
Spokeswoman: A week, yes. Barentu is smaller, so the numbers weren't in the hundreds, but we did have people coming. In large measure I would say that it was used by university students, who find the information relevant to research that they are doing on various topics.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: Gail, is it correct that the Barentu Outreach Centre was closed after some students visited and then some parents complained to the Eritrean Government about the information they were given?
Spokeswoman: No it is not true. I have heard it as a story, (regarding the Asmara Outreach Centre) but I can't confirm that is a fact because the way we operate we send out invitations to schools. We don't operate independently and it usually it goes to the head master or head mistress of the school, who would then in turn send the school to visit, so this is all I can tell you. I have never heard of a school going to any of our centres on its own without an invitation or having a problem.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: Is human rights also discussed as the peace process and human rights, or just the peace process?
Spokeswoman: No, we don't discuss anything. We provide information. We don't have any discussion at all. All we do is we provide information. We provide information on human rights, we do have copies of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which as I am sure you are aware the UN promotes in countries around the world.
Q [from Asmara]: Are the two centres closed at the moment?
Spokeswoman: We have not closed the Centres, but if the Centres are not patronized then we will be forced to close the Centres.
Q [from Asmara]: So Barentu is still keeping going even though there is no one going there, they still open up?
Spokeswoman: We do have the military from UNMEE who also use the Centre, (UN Agencies and NGO's) so in that way we haven't closed there because our own people use it as well. Here (in Asmara) our own people have more access to information than they do there.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: Sorry are they closed or not? I thought a while ago you said that they were closed and now they are not closed?
Spokeswoman: I said that we have been asked to close the Centre.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: A question for the General about the mortal remains. Were they found intact or were they eaten by wild animals because they were there for two years?
Spokeswoman: No, we said from the beginning when they were found that although they are in different stages of decomposition, the bulk of them, because of the weather, apparently the weather in the area has managed to keep them in good condition, so the bulk of them, as I understand it, are easily identifiable by photographs.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: I'm not talking about the weather. I said wild animals. Have they been eaten partly or were they intact?
Spokeswoman: No sign of this as far as we know.
Q [from Asmara]: When and where is the next MCC meeting going to take place?
Spokeswoman: The next MCC meeting is scheduled for the 30th of July and it should be held in Nairobi.
Q [from Asmara]: What is UNMEE's reaction to the receipt of the schedule?
Spokeswoman: We don't have a reaction.
Q [from Asmara]: Do you welcome it, are we now ready to do our work or?
Spokeswoman: We have said it from the beginning that we were waiting on the schedule and we now have the schedule and we will continue to do our work based on what we are given. That's what we said a long time ago and that stands.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: Sorry, again just clarification on the mortal remains. Could you actually say who found them and who reported the bodies to UNMEE or KENBAT? Who reported the find?
DFC: By the militia and the police in the area.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: I suppose this sounds a bit confusing. Why did this take so long to come to light, I mean surely the militia and the police should have been aware of them. When were they notified and then why do you think now were they notified?
Spokeswoman: I think we are not the people to ask that. I think you would have to ask them. (those who reported the remains to UNMEE)
Q [From Addis Ababa]: But when were you notified?
Spokeswoman: That I will have to ask the Force Commander, exactly when we were notified.
(The Force Commander has confirmed that he was informed of the existence of the mortal remains through the UNMO network in UNMEE, in May 2003. The UNMO'S had been given the information by the Eritrean militia in the area.)
Q [From Addis Ababa]: Does UNMEE give any figures in public for the number of people that you think may have been not buried by either side, I mean do you have any idea of what fraction of unaccounted for bodies this 210 represent?
Spokeswoman: No, we don't. We don't have any idea. It was reported to us and we acted on the information that we had. We don't know what fraction this represents. We don't have any idea.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: Do you ever give out any figures about how many you think actually perished in the war in all?
Spokeswoman: But this is not our business, how many people perished in the war ...that's the business of the respective governments not ours.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: So, the answer is no.
Spokeswoman: I wouldn't say that the answer is no, I would say that this is not our business.
Q [from Asmara]: Just about survey work in Sector Centre and Sector West, do you know the two liaison officers or the four, two in Ethiopia and two in Eritrea, have they started working? I have heard various things so it is quite unclear; is survey work taking place at the moment or not?
Spokeswoman: You are asking me about Boundary Commission issues and I can't answer anything on the Boundary Commission. I have no idea what is happening with the Boundary Commission. I think they have been generous enough to give us the schedule to give it to you and I think that is the most that we will get. After that you have to wait on the reports to come from them as to what is happening.
Q [from Asmara]: Now it says it is the ninth report of the Secretary General of the United Nation's appendix, so there is like a full report, or is there something else?
Spokeswoman: If you remember when the report of the Secretary General went out there was an appendix. This is an update to be added to what was already there.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: Just back to the Outreach Centres. Does UNMEE think that, when Eritrea says that it is because they are not necessary, does UNMEE think that it is the case or do they think there is an ulterior motive to closing them?
Spokeswoman: I think UNMEE tends to take people at their word. If this is the reason they have given us, this is the reason we accept.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: Why would they say that they are unnecessary when you say that they are very useful to...
Spokeswoman: I think you need to ask them. Sorry I can't help you any further than to tell you what has happened.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: What did they tell you though?
Spokeswoman: About what?
Q [From Addis Ababa]: Well, about the Outreach Centres, Gail.
Spokeswoman: I have given you the information that they have given us.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: But when the Commissioner said that he feels that they are unnecessary, did you ask him why he thought they were unnecessary?
Spokeswoman: Because they have Internet cafes around and the feeling is that they can get the same information from those. (and UNMEE's Radio programmes)
Q [From Addis Ababa]: But why should they be bothered if someone can get this information in two places rather than in just one?
Spokeswoman: You are asking me questions that I cannot answer. You asked me a question and I gave you the answer that I have. I am not going to speculate. I think I have given you the reasons that we have been given and we have accepted those reasons.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: Two separate issues. Just one, actually I noticed this last week. just curious as to why outside this building here in Addis Ababa you have put concrete blocks. It seems to be extra security. Have you had any warning or, I mean, why are you stepping up security?
Spokeswoman: Well, I think that some weeks ago, probably 2 months ago there were general concerns about terrorist threats in the region and as a result the Force Commander looked at the situation of UNMEE both in Addis Ababa and in Asmara and decided that we needed to take these precautionary measures and that's what we have done.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: Have you received any specific threat?
Spokeswoman: No we haven't received any specific threat.
Q [from Asmara]: Just to make sure, you have not increased the security here in the last weeks have you?
Spokeswoman: No we haven't increased the security, no. We have just secured the building in a better way.
Q [from Asmara]: Yes but not in the last weeks have you, it's been done some months ago?
Spokeswoman: No, it has been a while. And the same thing in Addis. It has been a couple of weeks now since that we have put in (the concrete blocks.) I think in Addis it happened a little bit later than Asmara, but it really isn't new.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: Are you aware of any incidents where UNMEE stationary is being used to help Ethiopians to get exit visas?
Spokeswoman: No, this is the first time I am hearing of that. I am not aware of that at all.
Q [From Addis Ababa]: You have never heard of any known UNMEE staff where they have been able somehow to get hold of UNMEE stationary to help their application to leave the country?
Spokeswoman: No, this the first time I am hearing of that.
For further enquires please contact:
Gail Bindley-Taylor Sainte,
Spokeswoman and Chief of Public Information
UNMEE Headquarters Addis Ababa,
telephone: 251-1-726895;
Mobile: 251 9 223031
Or
UNMEE Headquarters Asmara, telephone: 291-1-150411
or our tie-line in New York: 00-1-212-963-3779