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.

All right.  Good afternoon.

**Syria

The Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, met today in Istanbul with delegations from Syrian armed opposition groups.  Yesterday, he met with a delegation of the National Coalition for the Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (SOC).

In his meetings, Mr. de Mistura briefed the opposition delegates on the outcomes reached by the International Syria Support Group, including the close linkage between a ceasefire and a parallel political process pursuant to the 2012 Geneva Communiqué.

In this context, the Special Envoy elaborated on his efforts to prepare for the intra-Syrian talks under UN auspices, with a view to a Syrian-led process aimed at establishing a credible, inclusive and non-sectarian governance and drafting a new constitution in Syria.  He said that this initiative, now called the intra-Syrian talks, is building upon the Working Groups proposed by the Secretary-General and Mr. de Mistura to the Security Council in July and endorsed by the Council in its 17 August presidential statement.  In this regard, Mr. de Mistura welcomed Saudi Arabia’s initiative to convene a delegation of the Syrian opposition.

**Yemen

Meanwhile, on another front, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed’s consultations with both Yemeni parties have been ongoing.  The Special Envoy for Yemen has been traveling in the region, as we have been telling you, where he just met with the Houthi delegation in Muscat to discuss a proposed agenda and composition of their delegation, following his discussions with the Government of Yemen’s delegation last week.

All parties continue to be committed to a political settlement of the conflict, and the Special Envoy has been encouraged by his recent talks.  However, further consultations are still required to ensure smooth and constructive discussions at the negotiating table.

The Special Envoy will be travelling to Riyadh today to continue those discussions with the Government of Yemen’s delegation and he hopes to announce a date for the talks soon.  He also commends the regional and international actors for their support in the process.

And meanwhile, also on Yemen, our humanitarian partners now estimate that 21.2 million people in Yemen — that’s about 82 per cent of the population — require some kind of humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs or protect their fundamental rights — that’s according to the Yemen Humanitarian Needs Overview 2016 — that was published today.

Six months of conflict have taken a severe toll on civilians’ lives and their basic rights.  Health facilities report more than 32,000 casualties since the end of March, many of them civilians.  In the same period, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has verified close to 9,000 reports of human rights violations.

Aid organizations estimate that 14.4 million people do not have enough food; 14.1 [million] people don’t have sufficient access to healthcare; and 9.3 million don’t have proper access to clean water or sanitation.  Meanwhile, [nearly] 320,000 children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition.  And 1.8 million children have been out of school since mid-March.

There are currently some 2.3 million people displaced within Yemen, while 121,000 [people] have managed to flee the country.

**Western Sahara

An update from Christopher Ross, the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara:  Christopher Ross was just in Algeria, where he met with President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Ministers of the Algerian Government — and he is travelling to Rabat, capital of Morocco.

Over the next few days, he is also expected to visit Tindouf and later on Nouakchott, in Mauritania.

**Balkans

And the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) today warned of new humanitarian problems at crossings from Greece into the Balkans, resulting from the profiling of people based on their alleged nationalities.

It said that at the borders between Greece and The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and between The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia, nationals of Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq are being allowed to cross.  But 1,000 people are stuck at the main entry points from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia into Greece.

Growing frustrations have led to protests among hundreds of people, mainly Iranians, Bangladeshis and Pakistanis.  Some 60 people are on hunger strike, including 11 individuals are reported to have stitched up their mouths in protest.

With refugees and migrants expected to continue to arrive in Europe via Greece over the winter and into 2016, the UN Refugee Agency stresses that it is imperative that the situation be managed in such a way as to minimize the risks of new problems being created.  All people have the right to seek asylum, irrespective of their nationality and have their individual cases heard.

**Security Council

And back here, Security Council today held closed consultations on issues relating Sudan and South Sudan and on the UN Interim Security Force in Abyei. On the former, Council members received a briefing by video-teleconference by Haile Menkerios, and on the latter, they were briefed by the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hervé Ladsous.

**Nepal

The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) today said that it is alarmed by reports that at least four people have been killed and many injured, from both sides, in violent clashes over the weekend during protests in the Terai area of southern Nepal.

These killings bring to at least 50 the death toll since protests against the new Constitution began this August.

The Human Rights Office stressed that any obstruction of essential supplies and services is a serious violation of international human rights law.  It called on all parties involved on both sides of the Nepal-India border to immediately ensure effective, safe and rapid passage of supplies.

The Office also said it has been urging all parties to engage in a meaningful, inclusive and open dialogue, to create a climate where minority and dissenting views are respected.

**UNICEF

And a couple of climate-related notes as we head towards the Paris COP (Conference of Parties) meeting: The new UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) report says that more than half a billion children live in flood-prone areas and 160 million live in high drought severity zones, leaving them highly exposed to the impacts of climate change. Executive Director of UNICEF Anthony Lake said that the sheer numbers underline the urgency of acting now.

He noted that today’s children are the least responsible for climate change, but they, and their children, are the ones who will live with its consequences. He added, as is so often the case, disadvantaged communities face the gravest threat. That report is available online.

**FAO

And still on climate, in the run-up to the Paris Conference, the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] released today new guidelines to assist countries in better conserving and sustainably using genetic resources in times of climate change.

Genetic resources for food and agriculture encompass the diversity of plants, animals, forests, aquatic resources, and micro-organisms and invertebrates that play a role in food and agricultural production.

While these life forms are themselves threatened by climate change, their genetic makeup makes them key players in addressing future challenges.

**Press Conferences

We had planned to have the Executive-General of UN-Women here today but she cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.

However, tomorrow we will have Kyung-wha Kang, the Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator [of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs].  And she will be here to brief on her recent trip to Ethiopia.

**Questions and Answers

Sylviane?

Question:  Thank you, Stéphane.  Do you have any comments on the shooting down of the Russian airplane by Turkey?

Spokesman:  Sure.  The Secretary‑General is very much aware and has been watching the situation.  He’s clearly seriously concerned about the downing of the Russian military jet by the Turkish Air Force earlier today.  The Secretary‑General urges all relevant parties to take urgent measures with a view to de‑escalate the tensions.  And he hopes that a credible and thorough review of the incident will clarify the events and help prevent future recurrences.  And, also, I think, just to reiterate what the Secretary‑General has been… said a number of times, that he urges all those who are engaged in military activities in Syria, especially air campaigns, to maximize operational measures to avoid unintended consequences and, of course and most important, to do whatever they can to avoid civilian casualties and to protect civilians.  The Secretary‑General believes today’s worrying developments once again underscore the importance of international unity and cooperation in international action against violent extremists in the region, as well as the urgent need to agree to a solution to the tragic events in Syria.  Yes, sir, and then Matthew?

Question:  Have you received any letter from Turkey explaining the incident?

Spokesman:  I don’t believe we have.  [Cross talk] I understand some letters may have gone to the Security Council.  I have not seen a letter, as of now. [He later said that a letter had gone to the President of the Security Council, copied to the Secretary-General.]  Mr. Lee?

Question:  It seems to be cc’d to Ban Ki‑moon so…

Spokesman:  I… I just said I had not.  But, you know…

Question:  Okay.  Sure.  I wanted to ask about Western Sahara.  You gave the readout of Mr. Ross being in Algeria and on the move.  You may have seen it.  There’s a report by EFE from Algiers saying Christopher Ross confirmed on Tuesday that UN Secretary‑General Ban Ki‑moon will visit the territory in the coming months in an attempt to give impetus to the peace process.  So I know that you’ve said… I mean, he is Mr. Ross.  He is the envoy.

Spokesman:  He is Mr. Ross.

Question:  Was he misquoted?

Spokesman:  I don’t know if he’s misquoted.  But what I can tell you is that any travel by the Secretary‑General is confirmed from this podium in a statement, and that’s what I would say.

Question:  I want to ask, on another travel issue, I noticed the readout you put out, belated, I guess, partial transcript of the Secretary‑General’s comments at the South Korean mission, if I’m correct.  I wanted to ask, I guess it’s kind of a procedural question.  It seems like recently he went to sign the condolence book at the French Mission.  It was put in his schedule, trying to cover this.  Like, why wasn’t this in his public schedule, and how did the journalists who were there know to be there?

Spokesman:  This was… the Secretary‑General was… added this at the last minute.  We did not invite other journalists to attend.  I think you would have to ask the Mission of the Republic of Korea.

Question:  Just to know going forward, generally, if you know about such a visit, you put it in the public schedule or try to inform journalists?

Spokesman:  We try to do as much as we can ahead of time.  But obviously, the Secretary‑General was traveling.  He basically landed, went home, changed, and went to the mission.  So this was…

Question:  And how… how should we interp… I mean… we have the readout.  Does this mean his visit… a visit to DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) is now closer?  What are the issues being negotiated or discussed?

Spokesman:  Well, I would… I think you have… I think the Secretary‑General was very clear in what he said.  We translated the comments from Korean.  He’s obviously in discussions.  Details are still being worked out as to the trip, and when we’re ready to announce it, he will announce it or I will announce it.

Correspondent:  Or Mr. Ross?

Spokesman:  Abdelhamid?

Question:  Good morning, Stéphane.

Spokesman:  Yes, good morning.

Question:  First question on Saudi Arabia.  There is a Palestinian poet called Ashraf Fayadh, who published his collection, and the Saudis understood from these poems that he doesn’t believe in God.  So they sentenced him first to four years and few hundred lashes.  But then, when he resumed the sentence, they sentenced him to death.  And he’s now on… standing on the way to be really executed.  So is the Secretary‑General planning to issue a statement and add his weight to the international demands?

Spokesman:  I think, as we have done with other cases involving the death penalty and other cases including in Saudi Arabia, I think this particular case is of concern to us.  I think the Secretary‑General has made it very clear — his opposition to the death penalty and to ensure that the process, that people are afforded all their rights within the judicial process, but this is obviously a case that is of concern to us and that we will continue to follow closely.

Question:  My second question about Libya and Mr. [Martin] Kobler had left Tobruk and he’s in Tripoli.  And today there is news that 92 members of the parliament in Tobruk had endorsed the political statement and the national government or the national consensus.  Is that… is there any development on that?  Do you have any update…?

Spokesman:  No, I don’t have… I think Mr. Kobler is involved in a lot of discussions as he takes on his new post, obviously, trying to close the deal that was laid out by his predecessor; but, you know, as always, sometimes we get close to a deal.  There is a lot of information that comes in and out.  Yes, Britney?

Question:  Thank you, Stéphane.  Good afternoon.  We listened to you read out a litany of atrocities being committed now in Yemen.  And I’m just wondering, like, how much of the population is going to be just considered collateral damage, and when is the UN going to step in to put a stop to the situation that’s going on in Yemen?

Spokesman:  Well, I think, you know, beyond the litany, as you so well put it, of numbers that I read out, you know, every one of those numbers is an actual person, which we’re very well aware of.  I think the Secretary‑General has spared no efforts, either directly or through his Special Envoy, to try to bring the parties to the table.  As I said, Mr. … the Special Envoy is currently in Muscat.  He will be going to Riyadh in an effort, like his colleague in Tripoli, to close the deal, to get the parties to the table.  I think, whether it’s the Secretary‑General or humanitarian envoys or many people from this podium, have decried the increasing suffering and the daily suffering of the Yemeni people.  Mr. Lee?

Question:  I want to ask you, I guess, the question that I asked you yesterday on Burundi, one had to do with this free… it turns out it’s now more than freezing bank accounts; it’s actual suspension of these NGO’s (non-governmental organizations) and also the… the… the… the imposition by the U.S. on these sanctions on four individuals, one of whom I’d asked you about before about possible involvement UN peacekeeping.  Is there any, like, involvement of Mr. Benomar… [Cross talk]

Spokesman:  Mr. Benomar is currently in Bujumbura meeting with various parties.  We hope to have some details of his meetings.  He’s also been in Addis meeting with the AU (African Union) and in Uganda, preparing to report back to the Security Council on the options they asked for, looking at various aspects of the conflict, including contingency planning.  Obviously, anything that limits the legitimate rights of civil society in any country is of concern to the United Nations.

Question:  And I wanted just… I know that yesterday you’d said that UNDP’s (United Nations Development Programme) legal position is looking into this Lubumbashi thing, which I know it sounds like a… like a kind of a very local situation, except these guys have, you know, filmed videos of what they were told by the UN staff there, and also they now say that many of the OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) people have been pulled from the office by orders of OCHA in Kinshasa.  In their mind, it’s kind of a cover‑up.  I’m wondering…

Spokesman:  I understand.  I will see what else I can get, but I don’t have anything with me.

Question:  Okay.

Spokesman:  Seana?

Question:  Just a logistical question about the letter… going back to the DPRK, the letter that was partially translated, do we assume…

Spokesman:  The letter?

Question:  The statement.  Sorry.  The statement that was translated based on yesterday’s meeting with the SG (Secretary-General), the part that wasn’t translated…?

Spokesman:  No, this was just… the Secretary‑General went there to…

Question:  The condolence.

Spokesman:  … pay his respects and sign the book of condolences for the death of the former President.  On the way out, he was ambushed… door‑stepped by a number of journalists.  It was a bit of a scramble.  I did my best to get my microphone in there.  So what was transcribed is what I got on audio.  I think it reflects… it reflects the spirit and the gist of what he was saying.  I don’t think… there’s nothing… from what I understand, from my extremely limited Korean, I don’t think there was anything else you missed.  All right.  Thank you.

Correspondent:  Thanks for your translating.

Spokesman:  My pleasure.