UN IN LEBANON REPORTS QUIETEST TWO DAYS IN 22 YEARS

The UN Mission in southern Lebanon reported that for a second day in a row, not a single rifle shot was fired an all of south Lebanon. These two days have been the quietest in twenty-two years, the mission said, and many local people seem disoriented by the tranquillity.

The quiet is a result of a cease fire, arranged initially for two days by the five-nation Monitoring Group (set up under the April 26, 1996 understanding after Qana, composed of Lebanon, Israel, Syria, France and the US), to recover the bodies of six Islamic Resistance fighters killed in clashes in the Israeli-controlled area.

The evacuation of the remains is being carried out by the International Committee of the Red Cross, assisted by the United Nations. At dusk today, one body remained to be recovered and the cease-fire was extended for another 24 hours.

HEAVY SHOOTING REPORTED THROUGHOUT ABIDJAN, COTE D'IVOIRE

The UN security coordinator in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, reported heavy shooting throughout the Ivoirian capital.

Some of our staff are pinned down in UN offices across the street from the radio station, which appears to be under attack. Two vehicles in the UN compound have been damaged by gunfire.

Until the situation is clear, the United Nations will have no further comment.

UN IN EAST TIMOR DENIES REPORTS OF 20 DEATHS FROM STARVATION

Humanitarian experts with the UN Mission in East Timor today denied reports of 20 deaths from starvation in the Manatuto area in the last week. The deaths were reported by Jose Ramos Horta, an independence leader, and were carried by international news wires.

UN officials, accompanied by representatives of CARE International and Assistencia Medica Internacional (AMI), visited the area today and concluded there had been no hunger-related deaths. AMI runs a mobile clinic in Manatuto. In November and December, aid agencies delivered 375.5 metric tons of food to the six districts of the region.

The UN mission is concerned that the inaccurate report could further impede the return from West Timor of refugees, who have already been the targets of a misinformation campaign designed to discourage them from going home.

Sergio Vieira de Mello, the UN Interim Administrator in East Timor, today left for Thailand, where Friday he will meet with senior Government officials and representatives of the private sector. Those talks will focus on Thailand's future participation in the UN Mission and the private sector role in the reconstruction of East Timor.

ANNAN SAYS ALLEGATIONS AGAINST KOUCHNER ARE "MALICIOUS"

The Secretary-General, in a statement issued through his spokesman, said he has been informed about allegations leveled recently against his Special Representative for Kosovo, Bernard, Kouchner, by the Yugoslav authorities.

"The Secretary-General views these allegations as a malicious and transparent attempt at character assassination which have no basis and deserve no attention," the statement said.

"The Secretary-General reaffirms his total confidence in Dr. Kouchner, and commends the extraordinary efforts he has undertaken to create a just and civil society in Kosovo under difficult and demanding conditions," it said.

ANNAN APPOINTS NEW ENVOY FOR GREECE-FYROM TALKS

The Secretary-General, in a statement through his Spokesman, said he has accepted the resignation of Cyrus Vance, his Personal Envoy for the talks between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Yugoslavia. Vance resigned for personal reasons.

"The Secretary-General wishes to pay tribute to Mr. Vance. A great statesmen, for his untiring efforts and unvaluable service to the United Nations. He will miss his wise counsel," the statement said.

The Secretary-General appointed Matthew Nimetz of the United States as his Personal Envoy for the Greece-FYROM talks.

Nimitz has been involved in this process since March 1994 and has acted as deputy to the Peronal Envoy and chaired the talks between Greece and FYROM since November 1997.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Security Council did not schedule any meetings today.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that its website "Reliefweb" will expand its normal coverage of humanitarian issues and events during the rollover period from December 31 to January 4 and serve as the UNs central web site for public information and analyses related to significant Y2K impacts around the world, with special attention to their humanitarian implications.

Responding to reports about the closure of the UN building starting the afternoon of December 31, the Spokesman said that there had been no specific threats directed at the United Nations. The UN headquarters building will be closed beginning 1 p.m. December 31 until the start of business on January 4, 2000 to deal with contingency planning Y2K-related computer issues.

In response to a question about the Secretary-General's response to the Cambodian draft proposal on the trial of the Khmer Rouge, the Spokesman said after the briefing that the Secretary-General had responded to the Government of Cambodia and looked forward to further contacts.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

There will be no regular briefings next week, but highlights of developments in the UN system will be made available by the Spokesmans office. Noon briefings will resume the week beginning Tuesday, January 4, when UN Headquarters will re-open for normal work. Monday, January 3, is a UN holiday.

Monday, December 27

The Secretary-General's report to the Security Council on Guinea-Bissau is due.

The west side of the UN Headquarters (facing First Avenue) will be lit up to read "UN 2000" in honor of the millennium and next year's Millennium Summit. The east side of the UN Headquarters (facing the East River) will be lit up to read "UN 2000" on Tuesday.

Wednesday, December 29

The Security Council has scheduled informal consultations on Kosovo and Guinea-Bissau.

The Secretary-General will deliver a message to commemorate the International Day for Biological Diversity. Today marks the fifth anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention on Biological Diversity, approved in Nassau in 1994.

Thursday, December 30

The Security Council is scheduled to hold informal consultations on Somalia.

Friday, December 31

UN Headquarters will close at 1 p.m., so that special contingency arrangements to handle the "Y2K" computer problem can be put in place.

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