Brussels, Belgium - Secretary-General's press conference following his meeting with European Union leaders (unofficial transcript)

17 February

SG: Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press. I've just had an important exchange with leaders of the European Union countries in what I believe is a defining moment for international co-operation.

I told them that we must keep the focus on Iraq and on its obligations to disarm. On that critical point, I think we all agree that Iraq must disarm and do it proactively and immediately. And I think it is important that we focus on that principal task and avoid the tendency of turning on each other.

I also believe we should approach this issue positively and what is required at this stage is co-operation, persistence and constant pressure. It is imperative that the Iraqi leadership understand the gravity and urgency of the situation. I urge the Iraqi leadership to choose compliance over conflict. If they were to continue their defiance under Security Council Resolution 1441 the Members may have to make a grim choice--a grim choice of whether to declare further material breach and the serious consequences that should follow.

But I hope that will not be necessary and I believe, I have always believed, that it is possible to resolve this issue peacefully and that war is not inevitable.

Finally, I believe that if the Security Council manages to resolve this crisis successfully and effectively, its credibility and influence will be considerably enhanced. If on the other hand, the international community fails to agree on a common position, and action is taken without the authority of the Council, then the legitimacy and support for that action will be seriously impaired.

I also expressed my concern about the tensions that are emerging among nations and the tensions in the transatlantic relationship. I believe that if the Council were to come to a decision and were to be able to resolve this, these tensions would diminish considerably. But we live in a difficult world and we cannot afford to have such tensions or have them sustained over a long period.

And this is why I hope that Member States will come together and argue their case out in a patient, persuasive diplomacy that is required to produce a common front.

We must all remember that when we started working on Resolution 1441, most people did not believe that the Members could agree. In the end, they did not only agree, it was passed unanimously, but it took difficult and patient negotiations and persuasion, together, and I hope that lesson will guide us as we move ahead in our search for a common solution.

Let me also say that what is happening in Iraq, or what happens in Iraq, will not happen in a vacuum. The broader our consensus on Iraq, the better the chance we can come together again as an international community and deal effectively with all the burning conflicts in the world. And that is extremely important because when you look around you, we have many, many difficult issues to tackle.

I think I'll pause here and take your questions.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, I will ask my question in English. I wonder whether you have informed the 15 leaders if Iraq is already in material breach of previous UN resolutions. My first question and then...

SG: May I ask you to just ask one. There are lots of other people...

Q ... a small question on Cyprus if I may. Do you think that the shift of international attention towards Iraq can compromise the chances of having a solution in Cyprus. Thank you.

SG: Since I suggested that you ask one question so that others can ask, which one do you want me to answer? (laughter) Cyprus or Iraq?

Let me take your questions seriously. Let's say on the question of material breach, in accordance with resolution 1441, it is up to the Council to determine, based on the report of the inspectors, if there is material breach and then to determine what serious consequences follow. The Council has not made that judgment.

On Cyprus, I hope that Iraq will not-- it may push Cyprus off the front pages, but it is not distracting me from my objective of working with the parties to try and get a resolution or a settlement by the 28th of February. I think it is possible. I know that we have a new leader in Cyprus and I congratulate Mr. Papadopoulos, who is familiar with the issue. He was a previous negotiator and has followed it and I think it ought to be possible with him and former President Cleridis working together with my team for us to meet that deadline. Obviously he would need to form his own position and judgment, but I think it is still possible.

Q: Vu les résultats tangibles des inspecteurs internationaux en Iraq, et leur besoin de continuer leur travail, est ce que vous soutenez l'idée de certains pays européens et autres de prolonger le travail des inspecteurs jusqu'à la moitié du mois de mars?

SG: Evidemment il y a eu quelques progrès mais il y a encore énormément à faire. Et je crois que Blix et ElBaradei ont dit cela clairement au Conseil de Sécurité. les membres du Conseil, qui les apprécient beaucoup, leur a demandé de continuer leur travail. Ce qui est important, ce que l'on doit comprendre c'est qu'il n'y a pas un délai fixe dans cette résolution mais, le conseil peut décider que l'on est en train de perdre notre temps et qu'il faut arrêter les inspections. Le Conseil n'a pas pris cette décision. Donc le travail continue jusqu'au moment où il décide qu'il faut arrêter.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, I am a Kurdish journalist and I would like to ask you whether the United Nations is prepared on the eve of war to safeguard the Kurdish people because they are in the middle of that and in Turkey and Northern Iraq they fear a war in this area.

SG: I think we are worried about the fallout of the war and the humanitarian implications. And this is why we have doing contingency planning, not that we take it for granted that a war will come, but we do not want to be caught unprepared. As far as protecting the Kurdish people, as you indicate, first of all if there were to be a war, the UN will not be on the ground running the operation. And whoever are involved will have to respect international humanitarian law and laws of war and protect innocent civilians as they wage war. Of course, we would insist on respect for human rights and international humanitarian law, but I hope it will not come to that.

Q: Jack Straw a dit cette après midi qu'une deuxième résolution était souhaitable mais qu'elle n'était pas nécessaire pour intervenir militairement en Iraq. A son arrivée, Jacques Chirac lui a estimé qu'une deuxième résolution n'était pas souhaitable et que la France s'y opposerait. Est-ce que vous avez entendu cette divergence dans l'enceinte du sommet ? Qu'étiez-vous venu dire aux 15 et qu'attendez-vous des 15 de l'Europe ?

SG: Je pensais que je venais de partager avec vous certaines idées que j'avais partagé avec eux, mais je dois dire en ce qui concerne une résolution, je crois que la logique est claire dans la résolution 1441. Dans cette résolution, il est envisagé que si c'est dans le rapport des inspecteurs, le Conseil de sécurité décide qu'il y a une « violation patente », le Conseil doit décider que des conséquences graves s'en suivront. Le Conseil n'a pas décidé qu'il y a une «violation patente ». Il y a certains Etats membres qui estiment que le moment est venu pour le Conseil d'agir. Pour que le Conseil agisse, il faut d'abord qu'il décide qu'il y a une violation patente, et ensuite les conséquences. Evidement le Conseil n'a pas encore pris ce genre de décision. Je ne sais pas ce qu'il va faire dans les semaines à venir. Donc la question d'une nouvelle résolution, dans la logique de la résolution (1441) n'est pas posée, mais j'estime que si on va prendre une action, le Conseil doit prendre certaines décisions et ses propres responsabilités parce que si c'est lui qui doit décider des « violations patentes » et des « graves conséquences », il doit prendre ces décisions avant d'agir.