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 Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
Good afternoon, everyone. First of all, I would like to welcome visiting fellows from the International Peace Institute Fellows who are here to see how the briefing goes. Welcome.
**China
The Secretary‑General was in Beijing today, where he met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang before traveling to Hangzhou. Tomorrow, the Secretary‑General will speak at the Xin Philanthropy Conference in Hangzhou and we’ll provide those remarks once we get them. He also met at lunch today with a group of Chinese philanthropists and we’ll try to provide a readout later this afternoon.
Yesterday, the Secretary‑General had meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and with Foreign Minister Wang Yi. In those meetings, the Secretary‑General and his interlocutors discussed Syria, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Sudan and South Sudan and he encouraged China to remain seized on these issues. They also discussed the situation on the Korean Peninsula and exchanged views on ways to de‑escalate the heightened tensions and find a path for denuclearization through dialogue. The Secretary‑General reiterated the readiness of the United Nations system to continue to work with the Government of China to advance all three pillars of the UN Charter: Peace and security, development and human rights. The full readout of his meetings yesterday is online.
**Syria
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is extremely concerned at the unfolding situation in Aleppo, Syria, particularly the situation for the estimated 300,000 people trapped in the eastern part of Aleppo City due to heavy clashes along Castello road, the only road in and out of this part of the city. Heavy fighting over the past few days has continued to put civilians at risk of death and injury while effectively cutting off humanitarian’s access to people in need of assistance.
This follows intensified fighting by all parties to the conflict in Aleppo city and surrounding areas in recent weeks, including reports of airstrikes, shelling and heavy clashes, causing many civilian casualties and injuries. It has also caused damage to schools, hospitals and other civilian infrastructure, and hindered humanitarian aid operations.
The United Nations calls on all parties to the conflict to take all measures to protect civilians, as required under international humanitarian law, in order to safeguard the lives of all civilians living in Aleppo city. We also call on all parties to the conflict to take all measures to facilitate humanitarian access, particularly to eastern Aleppo city, as required under international humanitarian law.
**Iraq
Ján Kubiš, the Secretary‑General’s Special Representative for Iraq, strongly condemned the attack which targeted the Shia shrine of Seyyed Mohammad in Balad, north of Baghdad, yesterday, in which many innocent people were killed or wounded. He said that it is clear the attack on the shrine aims to spark sectarian tensions and drag Iraq back to the dark days of sectarian conflict. He added that with the people’s awareness and unity, the terrorists’ goals will not be achieved. Mr. Kubiš also expressed pain and shock at the staggering death toll from the 3 July Da’esh suicide bombing in Baghdad’s Karada neighbourhood. The UN [Assistance] Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) has a press release with more details.
**Central African Republic
The Under Secretary‑General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hervé Ladsous, briefed the Security Council this morning on the Central African Republic. He said that recent developments on the ground since the finalization of the Secretary‑General’s special report risk reversing the positive trends that have prevailed since the completion of the transition. Mr. Ladsous also stressed that the UN [Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization] Mission in[the Central African Republic], MINUSCA, cannot act alone in support of the Government’s efforts, and cannot replace the leadership of the national authorities.
He said that the country needed a real commitment by the national authorities to inclusive and transparent governance and to addressing the root causes of the crisis, as well as continued international support. The UN refugee agency says today that thousands of people from the Central African Republic have crossed the border into Chad and Cameroon to escape renewed tension and fighting since mid‑June.
UNHCR [Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] staff in southern Chad have helped the Government’s national refugee commission register more than 5,000 Central African refugees in the villages of Sourouh and Mini. A further 555 refugees have crossed to Yamba village in eastern Cameroon. Before the new influx, UNHCR and its partners were providing protection and assistance to over 67,000 Central African refugees in southern Chad and some 260,000 in Cameroon. There are also 415,000 internally displaced people within the Central African Republic. UNHCR has so far only 11 per cent of the funding needed for its Central African Republic operations.
**South Sudan
On South Sudan, the UN Mission in the country (UNMISS) condemns in the strongest terms the resurgence of violence in the country. The Mission also deplored the indiscriminate shooting attack on a senior United Nations agency official that took place yesterday evening in the Tomping area of Juba. Such an act constitutes a grave violation of the Status of Forces Agreement between the Government of South Sudan and the United Nations, and the Mission calls on the authorities to investigate this incident and bring the perpetrators to account.
The UN refugee agency for its part stresses that nearly one in four of South Sudan’s citizens is displaced within its borders or in neighbouring countries, affecting some 2.6 million people against a population that stood at 11.3 million in 2013. A large majority of the displaced are children.
**Central America
And still from our UNHCR colleagues, I want to flag the end, yesterday in Costa Rica, of the San José conference on forced displacement in Central America. The participants, who came from Governments, international organizations and civil society, agreed on a number of responses, including on the reception of asylum seekers and refugees, opportunities for self‑reliance and local integration, and enhanced regional cooperation.
The number of people fleeing violence in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras has surged to levels not seen since armed conflicts wracked the region in the 1980s. In 2015, asylum seekers from this region topped nearly 110,000 — a more than five‑fold increase over three years — with most of them seeking safety in Mexico and the United States, as well as Belize, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama.
**Somalia
The UN Peacebuilding Fund started sending $2 million to the National Window of the UN Multi‑Partner Trust Fund for Somalia, from which the funds will flow to the Central Bank of Somalia. Peter de Clercq, UN Resident Coordinator for Somalia, said that this marks a milestone in our efforts to strengthen national systems and provide the federal Government of Somalia with the means to bolster its legitimacy with its citizens.
**Honour Roll
And for the honour roll, Ethiopia paid its dues becoming the ninety-fourth Member State to pay its contributions to the UN in full.
**Press Conferences
For guests, in a short while, I will be joined by the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Sigrid Kaag. And then on Monday, the guests at the noon briefing will be the President of the Economic and Social Council, Oh Joon, and Under‑Secretary‑General of Economic and Social Affairs, Hongbo Wu. They will brief on the High‑Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, which will take place from 11 to 20 July. At 1 p.m., in this room, there will be a press briefing by the President of the General Assembly, Mogens Lykketoft, on the High‑Level Thematic Debate on Human Rights, which takes place on 12 and 13 July. Anything for me before we go to our guest? Yes? Joe.
**Questions and Answers
Question: Yes. In listening to Under‑Secretary Ladsous' presentation to the Security Council this morning on [the Central African Republic], I didn't hear any references to the continuing issue of sexual exploitation by UN peacekeeping forces. What is the reason for the omission of that glaring issue in the status report to the Security Council?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, we are providing updates, regular updates, to the Security Council, as well as to you about the situation having to do with allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse. As you know, Stéphane was providing some details about this just over the past couple of days. Now, in this case, there's a real problem where we're worried that the transition that had been going well heretofore is facing some real risks. And so, there was a need to have a real focus on the challenges that are being provided by the various parties on the ground including the ex‑Séléka groups, members of the anti‑Balaka group, and trying to make sure that the hard‑fought effort to achieve stability in the Central African Republic is not reversed. And so that is what he was trying to get the members of the Security Council to focus on. But, we'll continue to provide updates about the problems within the mission which we're continuing to try to address.
Question: But, aren't those problems, unresolved and continuing problems within the mission, themselves contributing to distrust and some instability? And considering that there was a request for… I believe you said an 18‑month extension of the mandate, shouldn't have that been addressed at all even… even in a few sentences? It just seemed very odd that there was an entire and complete omission of any reference to that issue.
Deputy Spokesman: As you know, whenever there are updates to the Security Council, there's also a written report from the Secretary‑General which does include a lot of the information that you're talking about. As for the main problems with that transition, at this stage, the worry really is about actions by different forces, basically spoiler forces on the ground, and what that could do to reverse the progress that we've seen. And so, that is ultimately what we need to focus on. We are trying to rectify the problems with different peacekeepers, and you'll have seen the efforts that we've made. And you have seen the reporting that we've done. And we also do keep up even more regularly here in this room with updates about the investigations that are underway, and we'll keep doing that.
Question: Same topic. Yeah. I've been wanting to ask you this: There's an IRIN story about the French troops that were charged with sexual abuse in the Central African Republic, and they quote the office of the Paris Prosecutor in charge as saying there's been no significant progress in the case since May 2015, and they predict that no one will ever be held accountable for… for the… the alleged sexual abuse that underlay the firing of Kompass, and that gave rise to a lot of this scrutiny. So, I wanted to know: since it's been said from this podium that the UN is very happy with the way the French are proceeding, could a process that results in no… no indictments and no discipline be viewed positively by the UN?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, we actually have to see how the process plays itself out. I'm not going to prejudge what happens at the end of the road. It's still under way, and we've been assured by our French colleagues that they are following up. We always try to make sure that different Member States adhere to their own responsibilities in terms of investigating these kinds of acts and making sure that people are held accountable. And we do that in this case as it proceeds.
Question: And in the case of the Burundians that… that Stéphane said yesterday that he named them as the nationality charged in the most recent charges, I guess, you know, he didn't… what did the mission respond to the UN in terms of what they're supposed… steps they're supposed to take, and what is the connection between that process and the impending deployment in September of 800 more Burundian troops to [the Central African Republic]?
Deputy Spokesman: Stéphane, I believe, made clear that if there are problems that are unresolved, there are a number of steps that can be taken, and those would include changes made to… involving the repatriation of troops or contingents. So, that remains the case as we try to get to the bottom of what these latest allegations, which date from May, entail. We have informed the Permanent Mission of Burundi by note verbale of… of these allegations and the need to take steps, and we're now going to be in dialogue with them about what their follow-up is. Was there something in the back? Yes? Yes? Way in the back.
Question: Thank you. Farhan, any reaction to yesterday's violence in Dallas?
Deputy Spokesman: Certainly we are keeping track of these reports which are extremely alarming. We offer our condolences to all of those who have lost their lives. Obviously, it's very hard work and demanding work being a… being a police officer anywhere in the world, and to face this kind of seeming targeting is clearly unacceptable. But, we have also, as you know, commented about the unresolved shootings, and we know that those are also to be investigated. And we certainly hope and expect that these investigations will proceed, and hopefully we can have a process that will bring people together rather than the sort of actions that took place yesterday which have the danger of drawing people apart. Yes?
Question: Is there a role of the United Nations in assisting the United States? Because, I mean, this has been a topic of conversation now for years, and we don't see any real progress being made. I mean, is there a role for an independent organization like the UN to come in and assist?
Deputy Spokesman: I'm not aware that there's any request for that sort of assistance. As you know, there are different human rights mechanisms we have including Human Rights Rapporteurs who have looked into cases involving racial disparities in the way that the police force or the UN justice system works with different racial groups. And I'd refer you to the work of the Special Human Rights Rapporteurs who have dealt with this. So, this is something that we have sometimes had advice to provide through those mechanisms, but there's no formal role regarding the incidents of the last several days nor is one being asked for by the Government of the United States. Yes?
Question: Sure. I wanted to ask you: There's been a new… new filings in the Ng Lap Seng case in the Southern District, and since you'd said previously that the UN is… is, you know, monitoring this, these filings have to do directly with South‑South News. And they quote… they have put into the record a letter in which South‑South News is described as wanting to have part of this Macau Centre that was the… the thing that Ng Lap Seng was trying to procure these documents for. It's described as a global media platform authorized by the UN. And they put these in as… as essentially saying that this is a conduit for bribery. So, I wanted to know: Since you've said that the UN is monitoring this, given that the prosecutor [inaudible] has put this… this letter, I guess they got it in discovery or in some other fashion in, what is the UN's response to it?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, like I said, we have been monitoring it and are looking at all of the information that's coming up. And in that regard, as you know, there's an ongoing review of the status of South‑South News. There's no conclusion to that review at this point.
Question: And can… I'd asked on Tuesday. I'd asked Stéphane in writing… there was a meeting held down in 1D Basement, DPI [Department of Public Information] and something called the Malko Investment Group. And since I googled Malko Investment Group and nothing came up, I sent him an e‑mail and asked what is this entity and why is this meeting being held in the UN? And I wanted to… I guess I wanted to reiterate to you, why… why would DPI be having a meeting in a UN briefing… in… in a meeting room with an investment group and particularly one that doesn't… that's either misnamed on the sign or doesn't exist at all?
Deputy Spokesman: I'm not aware of the circumstances of the meeting. I will check with DPI, what they have to say about that. But, at this stage, I'm not… I'm not aware whether they're the sponsor of that… of that particular meeting or not.
Correspondent: There's a picture of the sign. I mean, I wrote to you.
Deputy Spokesman: I'm not aware of the details of whether they're the actual sponsors. Sometimes meetings are set up by Member States’ organizations. We'd have to check. Yeah?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. There were reports about the release of Saif al‑Islam Qadhafi in Libya. Are you aware of those reports, and do you have any comment on that?
Deputy Spokesman: There are some contradictory reports, some which were suggesting that he was being or had been released and others which suggest that he has not been released and is still being held in Zintan. So, we wouldn't have any comment until we get some clarity about what the actual case is. Yes?
Question: I wanted to ask: there's been an announcement of the US deploying these advanced missile system in South Korea. It's something that it's said… I know he's in China now. I don't know if the issue has come up, but it's also something that North Korea has put out a number of statements condemning. Does the sec… in terms of peace and security and stability and dialogue on the Korean Peninsula, does the Secretary‑General have any view of this deployment?
Deputy Spokesman: We don't have any particular comment on the deployment at this stage. It's something to be monitored. Of course, for us the priority is that all concerned parties need to step up efforts to reduce tension and find a path to resume dialogue for denuclearization. And with that, I will get to our guest. One moment, please.