Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, began today's noon briefing by welcoming Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services Karl Theodore Paschke, who would brief correspondents on the report produced by his office on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

Eckhard announced that the Secretary-General had appointed, with immediate effect, Jamsheed K.A. Marker of Pakistan as his Personal Representative for East Timor.

Eckhard recalled that the previous day he had spoken of the need for swift action in Liberia by the Committee of Nine of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the parties there to agree on the electoral package.

he Security Council would not meet today, Eckhard said. Tomorrow, it would take up Sierra Leone and also hear a Secretariat briefing on the Great Lakes region of Africa.

As of this day two new Member States had paid their dues to the United Nations in full. Colombia had paid $1.4 million, which included partial future payment to the United Nations regular budget, and Cyprus had paid about $320,000. Thirty-four Member States were now paid in full for 1997.

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MEETINGS COVERAGE

Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services Karl Theodore Paschke introduced his report on the financing of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (document A/51/789). He said the report reflected the findings and recommendations of an Office of Internal Oversight Services field review of operations in Arusha and Kigali, which took place in October and November 1996.