Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
I will start off with a couple of statements, the first one being on Darfur.
**Darfur
The Secretary-General is deeply concerned about the deteriorating security situation in Darfur following reports of an escalation of hostilities between the Government of Sudan and the Darfur armed movements in Central Darfur and the resulting displacement of civilians. The UN has confirmed that at least 36,000 civilians have been displaced in Darfur due to these hostilities. The Secretary-General condemns the reported aerial bombardment and destruction of villages in the Golo locality of Central Darfur State on 27 January.
The Secretary-General also urges the Government and the armed movements to exercise maximum restraint, without delay, and fully assume their responsibility to prevent further displacements and suffering of civilian populations, and resume dialogue to reach a political settlement to the Darfur conflict. The Secretary-General also calls on the parties to the conflict to fully cooperate with the UN-African Union Joint Mission [in Darfur] (UNAMID) and the humanitarian partners in their efforts to protect and provide assistance to the civilian population of Darfur.
**Mali
On Mali, the Secretary-General deplores the incidents that took place on 27 January during a demonstration in front of the MINUSMA [United Nations Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali] base in Gao town in the north of Mali. He is saddened by the violence that surrounded the demonstration and the reported death of at least 3 protesters and the injury of several others. The Secretary-General has decided to launch an inquiry to determine the facts surrounding this tragic incident. The UN will collaborate with the Government of Mali and all parties on the ground in this effort.
The Secretary-General presents his sincere condolences to the families of those who have died, and wishes a prompt recovery to those who were injured. The Secretary-General reiterates the United Nations' commitment to supporting the stabilization of Mali. He remains deeply concerned over the continued fighting in many parts of the country. He reminds all parties of the need to respect their ceasefire commitments to enable the urgent resumption of the peace talks in Algiers.
**Lebanon
From Lebanon, a memorial service was held this morning at the Beirut International Airport in honour of a peacekeeper from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) who lost his life yesterday in the line of duty in southern Lebanon. Lance Corporal Francisco Javier Soria Toledo of Spain was killed while deployed at a UN position near Ghajar during the serious fighting incident yesterday along the Blue Line. The precise cause of death is as yet undetermined and remains the subject of investigation.
Also today, Sigrid Kaag, the new UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, met with Prime Minister of Lebanon Tamam Salam and said that she had reiterated the Secretary-General's deep concern over the security situation and the violations of resolution 1701 (2006). She said that the UN continues to provide its good offices and calls on all parties to continue to exercise caution and restraint to avoid any action which could destabilize the situation.
As you will recall, yesterday afternoon, the Secretary-General expressed his concern about the serious deterioration of the situation in Southern Lebanon and the violations of the cessation of hostilities agreements and resolution 1701 (2006). The Secretary-General is also concerned about recent violations of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between Israel and Syria.
He condemns all violence and calls on all concerned to exercise maximum calm and restraint, to refrain from any action that would undermine the stability of the area, and to act responsibly to prevent any escalation in an already tense regional environment. The Secretary-General urges respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries in the region, and adherence to all relevant Security Council resolutions.
**Deputy Secretary-General’s Travels
The Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson, is participating in the Stockholm Peace Talks 2015 at the Swedish Parliament today. He will travel to Brussels on 1 February to meet with senior representatives of the European Union and the Government of Belgium. The Deputy Secretary-General will then travel on to Berlin on 3 February. While there, he will meet with German Parliamentarians and will deliver a keynote speech on global trends at the Allianz SE’s Public Dialogue on Social and Demographic Change in the Twenty-First Century Conference. Mr. Eliasson will then travel to Munich on the fifth, to attend the Munich Security Conference from 6-8 February.
As for the Secretary-General, he is on his way to Addis Ababa, as we told you, and he will be arriving there shortly.
**Security Council
Meanwhile, back here, the Security Council held a meeting this morning to discuss the mission that it sent last week to Haiti. Prior to that discussion, the Security Council voted unanimously to extend the mandate of the UN Mission in Cyprus, UNFICYP, until 31 July 2015. And it also extended the sanctions regime applying in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
**Democratic Republic of the Congo
And on that very subject, I just would like to flag a statement by the Head of the UN [Organization Stabilization] Mission in [the Democratic Republic of the Congo] (MONUSCO), Martin Kobler, regarding the announcement today by the Congolese Army of the beginning of military operations against the Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda — better known as FDLR. Mr. Kobler’s statement is available in my office.
**Iraq
From Iraq, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General there, Nickolay Mladenov, has welcomed the announcement by the Iraqi Government of its decision to conduct a full investigation into the alleged killings of dozens of civilians by armed groups in the village of Barwanah in Diyala Province. Mr. Mladenov said it is the responsibility of the Government to ensure that all armed forces are under its control, that the rule of law is respected and that civilians are protected in all areas of the country, including those recently liberated from Da’esh. He said that any individual found by this investigation to have been responsible for killings must be held accountable according to the law.
**Somalia
From Somalia, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Nicholas Kay, today welcomed the Somali Government’s announcement to nominate a new federal cabinet. He said the announcement is an important step towards the establishment of a new cabinet. Mr. Kay stressed that, once approved by the Parliament, the federal Government will need to address Somalia’s state and peacebuilding goals urgently. He added that the UN is committed to support the process. On the humanitarian front, the latest assessments conclude that despite improvements in parts of the country due to relatively good rainfall, an estimated 731,000 people need humanitarian assistance, including more than 200,000 acutely malnourished children.
**UNICEF
On the subject of children, UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, today launched in Geneva its largest appeal ever, for $3.1 billion to reach 62 million children at risk in humanitarian crises worldwide. That is a $1 billion jump in funding needs since last year’s appeal. Growing numbers of children are facing increasingly complex and destructive conflicts, natural disasters and other emergencies, including the Ebola epidemic. Those emergencies are placing them in extraordinary danger of violence, hunger, disease and abuse — and require increasingly more resources to address those needs.
**Journalists
Just to flag a statement by Irina Bokova, the Head of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, known as UNESCO, on the killing of five journalists in South Sudan, urging measures to improve the safety of media workers in the country.
**Lakes and Rivers
We also have a press release from FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] on the concluded Global Conference on Inland Fisheries, which concluded in Rome. International experts stressed the need to better manage lakes, rivers and streams that provide fish and freshwater to millions across the world.
**Press Conference
Tomorrow, at 10:30 a.m., there’s a press conference here by the Permanent Representative of Ukraine, Ambassador Yuriy Sergeyev.
**Honour Roll
And our daily honour roll: today we thank Azerbaijan, Mauritania and Switzerland for paying in full their membership fees to the United Nations. That brings up the total number who have paid today to 19.
I'm done. Madame?
**Questions and Answers
Question: Stéphane, on the [Democratic Republic of the] Congo, my understanding is that the army has launched operations, which means that the MONUSCO is not joining in? Why is that? We were under the impression it was a joint operation. And are we to assume that the joint directive was signed by [President Joseph] Kabila?
Spokesman: Those are all very good and legitimate questions. I would… let me rephrase that. I would refer you to our colleagues in Kinshasa. I don't have the operational overall details I would like to have to be able to share with you. The announcement was made just a short while ago by Mr. Kobler. So, I would ask you to ask your colleagues in Kinshasa to follow up. Mr. Bays and then Matthew?
Question: Just a follow-up question on that. Has the UN's role been scaled back from what was originally planned?
Spokesman: Again, I think to the operational details of what the UN's role actually is currently, I would ask you to talk to Kinshasa. Mr. Lee and then Ms. Lederer?
Question: Sure. I want to ask about that and also Ethiopia in a related way. Mr. Kobler had again to express concern about the limitations on the Internet in DRC, ordered by the Government in Kinshasa. So, I wanted to know, first of all, do you know whether these limitations impact MONUSCO itself, its own Radio Okapi or the ability to communicate? I want to tie this into… there's a Human Rights Watch report out about press restrictions in Ethiopia. So, you said the Secretary‑General is going to Addis. Basically saying that journalists are denied entry visas, there are restrictions on what could be published. So, I wanted, I guess, to put the two together, what's the UN… does the UN believe that the coverage of the summit and of its operations in Ethiopia are impacted by the restrictions on the Internet and the press there? Thanks.
Spokesman: Taking things apart a little bit: on the [Democratic Republic of the] Congo, my understanding, last I saw, is that Internet service through cable to offices and such had been restored. I don't know if the issue of the wireless Internet has been restored. But, obviously, it is critical that it is. I don't have any details on Ethiopia, but obviously, our principled stand is for freedom of the press and to allow journalists to do their work and obviously a free and accessible Internet is critical to that. I'm not aware of any impact on the AU [African Union] summit.
Question: Just one follow-up: What I'm wondering, the Human Rights Watch report is pretty long. It's like 66 pages. It describes all, a variety of clampdowns on the press. But, I never heard the UN Economic Commission on Africa that's based there speak on it. Are they in some way limited on what they can say?
Spokesman: I don't think they are limited. And you are not limited in your ability to ask them, either. Ms. Lederer?
Question: Stéphane, one follow-up on Congo. You've been giving us updates on the fact that President Kabila had not signed the joint declaration. Can you at least check and see whether…?
Spokesman: I can check, definitely. I don't feel I have enough facts and figures to actually share with you, but I'm happy to check.
Question: Secondly. On Lebanon, has the Secretary‑General or the Deputy Secretary-General made any phone calls or initiated any other contacts, aside from what Ms. Kaag has done, to try and defuse the situation between Hizbullah and Israel?
Spokesman: No, at this point, I think the contacts are really with… various parties are being, at the political level, are being led by the Office of the Special Coordinator, by Ms. Kaag, who has a wide political mandate to conduct these contacts. On the peacekeeping side, its partners, UNIFIL's partners are the Lebanese armed forces and the Israeli Defense Forces and contacts have been made. I think the situation on the ground remains tense, but we're pleased to see that it also remains calm. And we hope, very much hope that continues. Mr. Klein and then we'll move to the right. Yes?
Question: Yes. Just a follow‑up first on Lebanon: Is the Secretary‑General considering undertaking a formal investigation of what happened, the circumstances?
Spokesman: I think that's exactly what our peacekeeping colleagues are doing. After any tragic loss of life of a UN peacekeeper, there is an investigation that kicks into gear. And that is being undertaken. So, we see what is going on. There will also be a broader investigation into the incidents overall and to see what has happened. And the Secretary‑General will report back to the Security Council, with a monthly report or in another way.
Question: Actually, what I meant was, maybe you're saying this, as to investigation as to the cause of the peacekeepers' death, specifically, who was responsible?
Spokesman: Yes. There is an investigation underway trying to determine the exact circumstances of the death of our Spanish colleague.
Correspondent: All right.
Spokesman: Your real question?
Question: My real question involves Ukraine. Does the Secretary‑General have any comment on reports of the Ukrainian's Government's imposition of severe restriction on travel between the rebel‑held territories and the rest of Ukraine?
Spokesman: I had not seen those reports. But, it's obviously important that all the parties involved in this conflict refrain from doing anything that would further complicate the situation and also that could also further hamper the delivery of humanitarian goods. Olga, then Benny, and then Linda and then we'll go back.
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. Syrian talks ended yesterday in Moscow. And if the new round takes place, what will give the UN presence…?
Spokesman: We'll take it as it comes. I also saw that the discussions in Moscow ended with, what seemed without any hard conclusion. Mr. [Staffan] de Mistura's office will continue to follow the situation closely and be involved as necessary. Mr. Avni? That's nice.
Question: A follow-up on the sort of Lebanon situation. The Spanish minister said that he wants an investigation. Has Spain contacted the UN in what exactly it wants? It wasn’t clear from what they said.
Spokesman: There are different processes at play here. On one hand, there is kind of an automaticity of an investigation when a peacekeeper dies. In some cases, the national contingents will also conduct their own investigations. We'll have to see if that happens on the Spanish side. I can only speak to what we're doing on the UN side.
Question: And just a different question. You used the term "Da’esh". Is there a concerted effort to use that term instead of IS, ISIS [Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham/Levant], ISIL?
Spokesman: I think the multiplicity of terms that we use in the UN is a reflection of the multiplicity of terms that is used in the broader context. And, again, as I think I've said before, the focus is not so much on what these people call themselves, what we call them, but is on repeatedly condemning the atrocities that they commit. Linda, Masood and then… sorry. If you want to ask questions, come forward, you know? My eyesight's pretty bad.
Question: Thanks, Stéphane. Following up on the Ukrainian issue and the imposition of possible travel restrictions, a couple of weeks ago, I believe there were reports that the Ukrainian Government was putting restrictions on the provision of pensions to those living in the separatist areas. Has anything come to pass about that? Or does the UN know if that happened?
Spokesman: I will have to check. I know this is an issue our human rights colleagues were raising. I'll have to check if anything came out. Masood?
Question: On the situation in Gaza, where the United Nations were forced to stop aid because of lack of funds, does United Nations think the Israeli occupying Power…?
Spokesman: Can you speak louder? It's not only my eyesight; it's my hearing.
Question: Okay. What I'm saying is in the backdrop of kind of the fund for the Palestinians, does the United Nations think that Israel as the occupying Power has a responsibility of, what do you call it, providing aid for rebuilding the houses that were destroyed, like 18,000 or so?
Spokesman: Obviously, there are responsibilities on all sides. I think we have called, repeatedly called for Israel to ensure the prompt payment of tax revenue to the Palestinian Authority. I think we are also seeing a very difficult situation in Gaza. We saw the assault on the UN compound yesterday. And as a result of that, UN monitors who are supporting the Gaza reconstruction mechanism have temporarily left Gaza, pending a full review of the political and security environment in which they're operating. We are not withdrawing from our work with the reconstruction mechanism, which continues to function and has been benefitting Gazans. And just to give you an update: As of today, I'm told, about 35,000 homeowners have procured construction material and 47 large‑scale construction and infrastructure projects have been submitted for clearance, out of which the first few have been approved and already been implemented. And we very much hope the security situation calms down, so we can return to do our work.
Question: Since you brought that issue up about withholding of tax revenues by the Israelis: Have there been talks with the Israelis to release those?
Spokesman: These are issues that are regularly raised. Sorry. We'll go and then. Go ahead.
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. A couple of clarifications, if you don't mind: So, that Permanent Representative of Spain explicitly mentioned Israeli side as the side who fired and killed the UN soldier. Why is it it's not clear from the UN side that it was the fire came from the Israeli side? Are there two different investigations? And also, my other question is about that Hizbullah and Israel both express that they don't want to escalate the situation more. What role does the United Nations play in order to convey these messages?
Spokesman: A couple items in your question there: I think as I answered Benny, there are a number of investigations going on. As it sometimes is the case when a peacekeeper dies, it is not only an investigation by the peacekeeping department or by the mission, but also one by the national contingent. We'll have to see… we can check whether Spain has notified UNIFIL that such an investigation will happen. I heard what the Spanish Permanent Representative said. It's not for me to comment on what he said or anything to that, anything like that. What I can tell you is that, you know, we don't… the death of a peacekeeper is a very serious thing. And I think it's incumbent on us to ensure that there is a proper and methodological, if you'll excuse my bad English, investigation into the death of peacekeeper. We do that as lessons learned and out of respect for our fallen comrade. So, these things sometimes take a little bit of time. But, they need to be done according to set procedures.
And on the contacts, as I mentioned, UNIFIL's standard partners are both the Lebanese armed forces and the Israeli Defense Forces. Our Special Coordinator in Lebanon has a much broader mandate for contacts with different parties, political parties within Lebanon and other interested parties. And I know Ms. Kaag has been working the phone, I think, as have others, and it is her mandate and part of her work of good offices. Yes, you have been very patient.
Question: So, two questions again on that incident in Lebanon, and understanding that there is ongoing investigation: First, did Israel warn UNIFIL about its intention to bomb that area where the Spanish soldier was positioned? And the second one, did UNIFIL communicate that position prior to that incident to Israel? Meaning, did Israel have any prior knowledge of that position? And then third follow-up on Gaza, because I don't think I heard an answer on the question: Under international law, does Israel have any obligations to pay for the reconstruction of Gaza?
Spokesman: I think Israel under international law has a number of obligations. And I will leave it at that. On Lebanon, your second part of your question, our partners, whether it be the Lebanese armed forces or the Israeli Defense Forces, are all well aware of where UN positions are. I think UNIFIL has been in that area for quite some time. Those positions are well communicated. On your first part, I think we'll have to see what the investigation puts out. I can't… I don't have the information to answer that question from here. Mr. Lee and Mr. Avni?
Question: On Lebanon, Mr. [Edmond] Mulet, when he left the meeting yesterday, had said to some of us that this Board of Inquiry, he said yes, it will be public. So, I wanted to know in terms of timing, I know there have been a number of peacekeepers who have been killed in Mali over the last months of 2014; are any of those Board of Inquiry reports, were Boards of Inquiry done into the killing of those peacekeepers? Have they been finished and are they public?
Spokesman: All very good questions. We can check.
Question: A Mali question. I saw the statement that the Secretary-General put out. But, there was a report that there was some kind of a memo that was leaked between MINUSMA and the rebel coalition, talking about the demilitarization of Tabankort. And that it was this memo and the publication of it that led to the protest in Gao. Is this the case? Was the memo authentic and…?
Spokesman: I would ask you to take a look at what the Deputy Head of Mission said yesterday or two days ago in his press conference, where he acknowledged the existence of that memo, saying it was a draft. And he said it was a calculated leak of the memo. And it had been… I think it had been used and misused by parties. And it was just a plan, which has now been withdrawn. So, I think the questions you asked have been answered in that transcript.
Question: Can I ask you this, as sort of a larger question? The concern that it raised seemed to be: Why would MINUSMA be moving to disarm in one place and not in Kidal, i.e. one group and another group?
Spokesman: I think the whole point was that memo, the leaked memo was misinterpreted. And I think that MINUSMA's mandate is well laid out in the Security Council resolutions. Mr. Avni?
Question: Two current questions. One on Gaza, you cited security situation in regard to the suspensions? Can you tell us more?
Spokesman: Sure. I don't know if you missed my webcast yesterday, but we did refer to an attack on the UN compound, the [United Nations Special Coordinator’s] compound yesterday by a group of demonstrators, to which the Special Coordinator, Mr. [Robert] Serry, had said that the security authorities, Palestinian security authorities, Hamas had been pre-warned that this demonstration had been… was going to be held. And we felt we were not protected in the way we should have been. And Mr. Serry holds Hamas fully responsible for the security and safety of all UN personnel and operations in Gaza and calls on them to provide the necessary assurances. So, that's what we were referring to.
Question: Sorry, I missed the webcast yesterday. Is there any update on Jamal Benomar's efforts in Yemen to put back together the political process?
Spokesman: We checked again this morning. We've reiterated the call… our request for him to brief you. He is head-down, knee-deep, shoulder-deep in discussions with a variety of political parties, and he's asked for us to wait a little bit before he's to put his head out and come and talk to you. But, the discussions are ongoing.
Question: Is there any indication of progress or regression?
Spokesman: I don't want to give a mid‑operation prognosis. Mr. Carpenter?
Question: Hi, Stéphane. There's reports that Hizbullah sent a message to Israel through the United Nations Interim Force, saying they don't intend to escalate. Can you confirm that?
Spokesman: Not to that detail. I think, as I've told some of your colleagues, whether it's our Special Coordinator in Lebanon or the peacekeeping colleagues, they have contacts with various parties. Mr. Klein and then Masood?
Question: Just back to Gaza… how many monitors of the UN were there? And how many have actually, you said, have been temporarily withdrawn? And in their absence, who's taking the responsibility to check to make sure that these construction materials are truly for civilian purposes?
Spokesman: I think this is very much a temporary suspension. I'll get you exact numbers. It's not such a large number, but they obviously play a critical role. And I'll get you an update on the impact. But, I think, obviously, the stuff that has been cleared is continuing, but it will put a delay on the clearance of material. Masood and then we'll go back.
Question: Yes, Stéphane. Do you have any update to the United Nation's point of view on the talks going on in Syria, on Syria in Moscow?
Spokesman: No. I think Olga had asked the question. But I have no… it hasn't changed since I answered her. There is no update for me to share. Yes?
Question: I believe you used… you said the UN facility in Gaza was attacked. Can you be more specific? Was it under fire? What do you mean by attack?
Spokesman: It was a demonstration that got out of hand. It was the Office of the UN Special Coordinator. No, exactly. Thank you for helping me clarify. Mr. Avni?
Question: One more on Gaza. I saw somewhere that UNRWA [United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East] was complaining about or even suspended some of its work for lack of funds. Is there a problem with pledged funds? And can you specify if they didn’t deliver?
Spokesman: Sure. We flagged this yesterday, something UNRWA put out yesterday. The problem is there's not enough money, whether it's money that UNRWA needs, whether it's the transforming of pledges into hard cash from Cairo. And for that it's really the Norwegians and the PA [Palestinian Authority] and the World Bank, who are the lead in coordinating the change from a pledge to hard cash. But, the problem is, there's not enough money. That's to put it simply.
Question: But have there been pledges…?
Spokesman: I think you can talk to the World Bank, but my understanding is there have been quite a lot of pledges that have not been fulfilled, as it is in many cases, unfortunately. Masood?
Question: On Gaza again, sir, the thing is, even the Israeli human rights group are saying the Israeli Government should be held responsible for the rebuilding of Gaza. And the funding that is coming, why isn’t the Israeli Government being asked to fund this?
Spokesman: You know, I think I've answered those questions. Mr. Lee?
Question: Sure. I wanted to ask you on the Government in Sri Lanka, they've announced that they're going to do their own, again, second bite of the apple, local review of the events of 2009, possible war crimes. I wanted to know what the Secretary‑General thinks, given that he's called for the previous Government to cooperate in Geneva?
Spokesman: We've seen those reports. Obviously, we're trying to figure out what it means in terms of cooperation with the UN human rights investigation. And we hope that there is positive movement in the cooperation between Sri Lanka and the UN system on the investigation of what happened.
Question: Okay. And I just wanted to ask you one more thing about the Colombian defence minister. Thanks for the putting out the readout. But, I wanted to ask you specifically, is the UN requesting from Colombia peacekeepers, as opposed to police, which they have in MINUSTAH [United Nations Integrated Stabilization Mission in Haiti]. And what time frame? They basically congratulated them on their participation in MINUSTAH. But, I wanted to get something from your side about what came out of that meeting in terms of contribution of peacekeepers?
Spokesman: Sure. I have something, in fact, for you, which I will share. I'll e-mail it around. I had some language on that. For some reason, I'm not prepared and I can't find it. Don't hold me against it. And I release you all to have lunch. Thank you very much.
[He later issued the following note in response to the question: This past Monday, the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations signed a pre-agreement with the Government of Colombia, paving the way to the country's participation, as a potential troop contributor, in UN peacekeeping operations. This pre-agreement is the first step in a well-established process. The Department of Peacekeeping Operations welcomes the signing of this pre-agreement, congratulates Colombia for its willingness to join the peacekeeping partnership, and looks forward to reaching a full and formal agreement that will includes all relevant UN policies and practices; including in relation to human rights screening of Colombian soldiers and officers to be deployed in peacekeeping missions.]