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.  Thanks for waiting.

**Somalia

As your reward, we have the following statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary‑General on Somalia:  The Secretary‑General condemns today’s terrorist attack in the vicinity of Mogadishu International Airport.  He expresses deep condolences to the friends and families of the deceased, and wishes the injured a speedy recovery.

The Secretary‑General reaffirms that such criminal acts will not diminish the strong resolve of the United Nations to continue supporting the people and Government of Somalia in their work to build peace and stability in the country.

The Special Representative of the Secretary‑General for Somalia, Michael Keating, also condemned the attack in the strongest possible terms.

Suicide bombers detonated two vehicles laden with explosives near the perimeter of the airport enclave this morning.

No United Nations personnel are among the confirmed dead but we would like to pay homage to the security personnel that prevented the vehicles from entering the airport enclave.

On behalf of the entire UN community in Somalia, Mr. Keating extended his heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the deceased.

Also on Somalia, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) today appealed to donors for an additional $115.4 million to fund the voluntary return and reintegration of Somali refugees from Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya.

Following the Government of Kenya’s announcement of its decision to close Dadaab Camp, UNHCR presented a plan of action at a recent meeting of the Tripartite Commission, where Kenya, Somalia and UNHCR all sit.

The plan outlines a process intended to reduce the population of Dadaab by 150,000 by the end of 2016.  The camp currently hosts 343,043 people.

It is anticipated that the majority of the remaining refugee population would return to Somalia during the course of 2017.

**Syria

Staffan de Mistura met with senior US and Russian officials today in Geneva on initiatives related to the urgent need for progress on the Cessation of Hostilities, humanitarian access, counter-terrorism and political transition in Syria.

He told reporters afterwards that the participants had made some progress today but more details need to be worked out in the next few days.

Mr. De Mistura said that the aim is to proceed with a third round of Intra‑Syrian Talks towards the end of August.  At the same time, he expressed the hope that concrete progress will take place on the understanding reached between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.  This will create the right atmosphere both on the ground and for the Intra‑Syrian Talks.

**Migration

In a statement we issued yesterday afternoon, the Secretary‑General welcomed the approval by the General Assembly of the relationship agreement between the United Nations and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).  Upon signature of the agreement on 19 September 2016, IOM will become a related organization of the United Nations system.

The Secretary‑General trusts that the relationship agreement will contribute to a more effective global response to the challenges posed by large and sudden population movements.  It will help to strengthen the support provided by the United Nations system to Member States in implementing the migration‑related elements of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

**South Sudan

I had been asked yesterday about an announcement concerning the replacement of Riek Machar as First Vice President of South Sudan.

We call on all parties to ensure that the ceasefire is maintained and that any divisions within the Opposition, or between the parties, be dealt with peacefully through dialogue.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) will continue working with the Transitional Government of National Unity and all stakeholders in support of the implementation of the peace agreement for the benefit of the South Sudanese people, as mandated by the Security Council.

I was also asked yesterday about the detention of a staff member in Yambio last week.  According to the latest information from the UN Mission in South Sudan, she has not yet been released.  UNMISS is continuing to press for access and visitation, but has thus far been denied.  We are aware that her family has been able to visit her.  UNMISS is continuing its engagement with the authorities in this regard.

Our colleagues at the UN Refugee Agency say today that the recent fighting in South Sudan has to date forced more than 37,000 people to flee the country to Uganda.

This represents more refugee arrivals in Uganda in the past three weeks than in the entire first six months of 2016.

The new arrivals in Uganda are reporting ongoing fighting as well as looting by armed militias, burning down of homes, and murders of civilians.

Some of the women and children said they were separated from their husbands or fathers by armed groups, who are reportedly forcibly recruiting men into their ranks and preventing them from crossing the border.

The humanitarian response to the influx of South Sudanese refugees is sorely lacking due to severe underfunding, with the inter‑agency appeal being only funded at 17 per cent so far.

**Security Council

The Security Council expects to discuss the UN Mission in Western Sahara, MINURSO, in consultations this afternoon.  Council members will receive an update from Under‑Secretary‑General for Peacekeeping Operations Hervé Ladsous about the work of the Mission, nearly three months after the passage of resolution 2285.

The Council will also hold meetings in the afternoon on Cyprus and the Central African Republic.

**Senior Personnel Appointment

And I have an appointment:  Today, the Secretary‑General is announcing the appointment of Major General Mohammad Humayun Kabir of Bangladesh as Force Commander of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, known as UNFICYP.  Major General Kabir will succeed Major General Kristin Lund of Norway, who will complete her assignment on 29 July 2016.

The Secretary‑General pays tribute to Major General Lund’s service with UNFICYP, the first female Force Commander in the UN, where her dedication, professionalism and leadership greatly contributed to UN efforts in Cyprus.

Major General Kabir has over 32 years of wide‑ranging command and staff experience, and we have more on this in a biographical note in my office.

**Press Conferences Tomorrow

For press conferences tomorrow I will be joined at the noon briefing by Kyung‑wha Kang, Assistant Secretary‑General and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator.  She will brief you on her recent trip to Malawi and Madagascar.

**Questions and Answers

Deputy Spokesman:  And that is it for me.  Yes, Edie? 

Question:  Farhan, two follow ups on South Sudan:  First, has the new Vice President actually shown up in Juba, and has anybody in the UN met him?  And, secondly, you said that the appeal was 17 per cent funded.  How much is the appeal? 

Deputy Spokesman:  I need a figure for the full appeal.  I don't have it on me.  We've said it in the past, but I'll have to get back to you on that.  Regarding the case of Taban Deng, I'm not aware of any meetings with him.  I would like to point out that any political appointments need to be consistent with the provisions outlined in the peace agreement.  Yes, Carole? 

Question:  On MINURSO, I don't want to pre-empt what Hervé Ladsous will be saying to the Council, but our understanding is that 25 of the MINURSO staff have returned.  And so given that there was a three‑month period for return to full functionality, clearly that hasn't happened because we're… we're still below… far below what the staffing levels were before the expulsions.  Is that a correct read? 

Deputy Spokesman:  That is correct, we're not at the level of staff that we were before.  And at the point… at the time that we announced that 25 people would be going back, we had said at that point that it was part of a phased arrival of staff.  We have not had any more staff come back since that tranche of 25 people. 

Question:  What's happening on that track and also on a visit by Christopher Ross? 

Deputy Spokesman:  There's nothing to announce in terms of Mr. Ross' travels at this stage.  Regarding Western Sahara, as you see, we have been in discussions with Morocco.  There was an agreement on a phased return, and the first phase of that was the return of those 25.  We'll have to see what further returns can happen.  And, of course, we'll also have to see what the response is of the Security Council to the developments that have been achieved thus far. Yes?

Question:  Hi.  I'm Gabriel from Al Jazeera, just filling in for James while he's away.  On Somalia, thank you for your… the Secretary‑General's comments on Somalia, his response to it.  A follow up on that is:  How troubling is it that these attacks are happening against peacekeepers or seem to be increasing at this time in Somalia?

Deputy Spokesman:  Well, certainly it is disturbing, both the attack and the scale of the attack.  It is clear that the explosives in the trucks were of immense high power.  And we're very grateful that the guards on site prevented the vehicles from traveling any further past the gates, or there would have been considerably more damage and potentially more loss of life.  But certainly in recent months, there had been progress made in terms of dealing with Al-Shabaab, and we hope that that would continue.  Oh, by the way, Edie, regarding your question, the interagency appeal for the South Sudan refugees is $638 million. 

Question:  Can I just follow up briefly?  Do you mind? 

Deputy Spokesman:  Sure.

Question:  About that progress you speak of, in the past, the Secretary‑General has spoken about progress in the fight against Al-Shabaab in the hopes of transitioning in to handing over security to local forces.  Does the Secretary‑General still think that that's possible and on track, given the latest attacks? 

Deputy Spokesman:  Even in face of the latest attacks, there have been other developments that make progress.  And, of course, we continue to brief the Security Council on the progress that is being made.  Of course, we certainly hope that the work that's been done by the African Union Mission, AMISOM, will continue and that we'll continue to make progress also with the establishment of the Government of Somalia throughout the country.  Yes? 

Question:  Sure.  I want to ask you about South Sudan.  Thanks for coming back on the… the detention… the detained staff member.  I wanted to ask you about the… a situation where UN staff are reporting that they're harassed by South Sudanese militia, who they claim are out… either outside of any chain of command… and this is taking place right near that Terrain Apartments in which UN staff were… were attacked.  And I… I've seen the e‑mails sent to UNMISS from staff members under threat, and they say that nothing has been done.  So I wonder what steps is UNMISS taking when they receive threats not just from civilians but from their own staff in Juba of imminent threats by heavily‑armed militia to protect them? 

Deputy Spokesman:  Yes.  We have been receiving this sort of threat.  As I mentioned last week, we take all of the harassment of our personnel very seriously, and this has been happening.  We've been warning, as we had mentioned a week ago, about actions taken, including by the Sudan People's Liberation Army.  And we want all of this harassment to stop.  We are trying to take this up at the highest levels.  And we do intend to keep pressing the case that it's not acceptable either to restrict the movement of our staff or to harass or threaten them in any way. 

Question:  And do you… yesterday I'd asked you about the… a situation of… also in an UNMISS memo… of… of UNMISS turning over people to the Government as… as… as a law enforcement action.  Can you… I mean, it's a particular case that's mentioned in this memo, so I wanted to know from you, you said generally that the UN follows up.  The UN is not, as appears to me, not even protecting its staff in Juba.  How do they follow up?  Do they ask… do they ask about the name of this individual they turned over once a day, once a week, once a month? 

Deputy Spokesman:  This is what we do with our people on the ground.  We follow up on all cases.  This is what we do throughout in all countries.  Of course, the UN is not a supra-legal force.  When there are actions that need to be taken with legal authorities, you have to deal with authorities on the ground in whatever country you're based.  And that's the practice we follow in South Sudan, as well as in other countries.  But, yes, we do have to keep up with continual follow up, just to make sure that the basic rights and basic due process is observed.

Question:  And on the detained staff member, when were… was it… was there… it doesn't seem to have been a problem to confirm it from the podium.  When do you announce when UN staff have been detained for political reasons in a country in which they're serving? 

Deputy Spokesman:  It depends upon the circumstance, and it depends upon our evaluation on the ground about what is the most helpful way of making sure that the staff member's safety is guaranteed.  Yes, Mr. Abbadi? 

Question:  Thank you, Farhan.  On the Middle East peace process, the Quartet Report appealed to the parties to initiate contact with the members of Quartet.  What has occurred since then? 

Deputy Spokesman:  Well, the various envoys continue to meet out to our counterparts, and that includes Nickolay Mladenov, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, who is on the ground.  And he is working to reach out both to his Quartet counterparts and to the parties.  We'll have to see what sort of progress can be made.  Yes, Edie, you had your hand up?  I mean Evelyn.  Sorry. 

Question:  In Western Sahara, what do the civilians do?  I'm not asking it sarcastically, but I'm curious because the one thing that may not happen in our lifetimes is a referendum. 

Deputy Spokesman:  That, as you know, is an issue that's been the subject of a fairly long process at the United Nations and a process that continues with today's discussions at the Security Council.  Yes, Anne? 

Question:  Yes.  During the time that Ban Ki‑moon was running for Secretary‑General, Latvian President, Dr. Vaira Vike‑Freiberga, had been nominated for the position of the Secretary‑General by the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.  Can you confirm that Dr. Freiberga, who had been appointed a Special Envoy on UN Reform by Kofi Annan, was the first woman to be a candidate for the post of Secretary‑General, or were there other women candidates before her? 

Deputy Spokesman:  Ultimately, since I'm not a historian of UN elections and I don't have the list of all the candidates, I wouldn't be able to confirm that.  It is… it's a matter of historical record what the final list of candidates are for polls, but it… I'm not aware whether the lists for votes are the final and exhaustive lists each year.  So I wouldn't necessarily know whether there had been any outliers.  I am aware of her candidacy, however.  Yes?  Yes? 

Question:  Ask you again about Burundi.  A… a… a high‑profile journalist there named Jean Bigirimana of IWACU has… was arrested on Friday by intelli… by Government intelligence, and it's not clear where he's been taken and his family has complained.  And I'm wondering whether the UN and its country team on the ground are looking into this case and if they have anything to say particularly about getting him released or at least brought to… in front of a judge? 

Deputy Spokesman:  I'll have to see whether there's been any specific action that's been taken about that case.  Yes, Farnaz? 

Question:  Two questions on…  sorry, is this working? 

Deputy Spokesman:  I think it's working.  Oh, it's not? 

Question:  Does the UN plan to bring out staff, evacuate staff, after the car bombs [inaudible].  And also on Turkey, has Secretary‑General spoken to President [Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan about the ongoing crackdown since his last statement?

Deputy Spokesman:  On your second question, no, he has not contacted President Erdoğan in recent days.  It is possible that in the coming days, we'll have something further to say on Turkey, and we'll let you know at that point.  What was your first question again?  Try that.

Question:  Whether you're planning to evacuate UN staff from Somalia. 

Deputy Spokesman:  No.  At this point, we're… we're standing our ground in Somalia.  Yes? 

Question:  The meeting that just… that took place at 11 between the Secretary‑General and Laura Boldrini.  Is there going to be a readout?  And I wanted to ask you whether, in fact, Libya and the issue of removing chemical weapons was discussed.

Deputy Spokesman:  We'd have to see whether there is a readout.  I'll check whether a readout is forthcoming.  It's not necessarily the case for this particular meeting, but if there is one, we'll put it out.  [He later issued the following readout:  The Secretary-General met today with H. E. Hon. Laura Boldrini, President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies.  They exchanged views on climate change, as well as questions related to large movements of refugees and migrants.  On climate change, the Secretary-General called for the swift ratification of the Paris Agreement.  The Secretary-General commended Italy for its compassion and commitment to help those in need of protection, especially through its search and rescue efforts in the Mediterranean.  The Secretary-General and Ms. Boldrini also discussed the threat posed by terrorism and violent extremism.  They agreed on the importance of addressing the root causes of this phenomenon, as highlighted by the Secretary-General’s Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism.]  Yes, you first.  And then Evelyn. 

Question:  Farhan, thank you.  Back to Somalia again.  Does the Secretary‑General concede that there are increase in attacks in Somalia or not? 

Deputy Spokesman:  There certainly have been a greater number of high‑profile attacks in recent days.  It's up to the Mission to evaluate the pattern of these.  Certainly though, as you know, in Somalia, there's been cases where attacks crest up for a period and then ebb again.  And our hope is that ultimately there will once again be a united effort to drive Shabaab out of areas such as Mogadishu.  Yes, Carole?  Sorry.  And then Evelyn.  You've had your hand up.  You can go and then Evelyn.

Question:  Farhan, you've probably seen the reports of this attack in a French church, where a priest's throat was slit by men who claimed to be followers of ISIS.  And this follows Nice, and this follows attacks in Germany.  I'm wondering if in the UN is there new thinking surrounding the issue of violent extremism, given the high levels of what appears to be rapid radicalization behind these attacks in Europe? 

Deputy Spokesman:  Well, you're aware of the Plan of Action that we have against violent extremism.  And I think this rash of attacks shows how urgent it is that all member Governments deal with this issue.  It's really genuinely horrifying, and the Secretary‑General was appalled by what he heard today of this killing of a defenceless priest in France.  But in any case, you're quite right that there has been a spate of examples where radicals have pursued extremely violent methods and killed a number of innocent civilians in many different countries.  And it shows the need to take this seriously, and we are hoping that more countries will engage with the Plan of Action.  Yes, Evelyn?

Question:  There's a lot of talk about the… of talks on Syria again, United States, Russia, Staffan de Mistura, but there's been no cessation of hostilities and the humanitarian situation seems to be getting worse after having improved; especially in Aleppo.  What is your reading of this? 

Deputy Spokesman:  Well, you heard about what I just said about Mr. de Mistura's meeting.  He is hoping that there can be concrete progress to move forward on the understanding that was reached between Secretary of State Kerry and Foreign Minister Lavrov.  Ultimately, the point is that he fully intends to have the next round of Intra-Syrian Talks start next month.  But we need to have the right atmosphere in place, and for that to happen, there has to be concrete action on that understanding.  Yes, in the back? 

Question:  Thank you.  I'm not sure if you've seen these media reports of abuse and apparent torture of… of youth in prisons in Australia, particularly of indigenous youths.  It seems to be reminiscent of Abu Ghraib‑style torture.  I'm not sure if the UN has any response to this.  It would be helpful.  Thank you. 

Deputy Spokesman:  Yeah.  I've been checking with our colleagues in the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights.  They're aware that there is an investigation going into this, into these charges, which really give us pause.  And… and they look forward to that investigation and would welcome that to proceed.  Yes?

Question:  Sure.  I wanted to ask you, there's… it seems like there's a UN report which says that the group of experts has determined that a source that had been used by MONUSCO (United Nations Organization Stabilisation Mission) in the DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo), known as Mr. X, and who would describe a number of attacks including on Tanzanian peacekeepers in the Force Intervention Brigade to the ADF (Allied Democratic Forces), in fact, was a Congolese Army soldier.  And, in fact, that attack was conducted by the Congolese Army.  There's a UN report.  There's an art… there's a detailed article in something called African Arguments.  But it seems… or I wanted to ask you, and maybe you can get an answer from DPKO (Department of Peacekeeping Operations), what is their takeaway from… from their own group of experts on the DRC concluding that they had a… a… a false informant for a number of… almost a year, never… and… and… and acted on this false information.  What steps are taken, I guess, to assess the veracity of the intelligence collected by MONUSCO? 

Deputy Spokesman:  Well, the intelligence collected by MONUSCO is not intelligence that is collected by the Government of the DRC.  Those are two separate entities

Question:  No.  No.  No.  I'm saying that their source turns out to be a Government colonel going undercover and saying that he’d been with the ADF.  Are you aware of this case? 

Deputy Spokesman:  And when it comes to the evaluation of intelligence, we also try to make sure that our intelligence sources are accurate.  If they're found to be inaccurate, we would evaluate that accordingly.  Yeah?  Yes.  You.

Question:  When CPJ (Committee to Protect Journalists) was denied NGO (non-governmental organization) consultative status, the SG had a statement.  Now that the ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) has voted in their favour, is there any reaction from him? 

Deputy Spokesman:  Well, as you're aware, the Secretary‑General had emphasized the importance of making sure that human rights non-governmental organizations, including those that defend the rights of journalists, can be represented fairly and participate thoroughly in the activities of the United Nations.  So this is a welcome evaluation and a welcome step taken by the Member States.  Yes?

Question:  Sure.  I just wanted… I'll keep this brief.  But today there was a meeting at ECOSOC in the ECOSOC chambers.  One of the meetings involved Haiti.  The other one involved South Sudan.  MALU (Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit) escorted me there, but then said they had to leave, and then security told me to leave.  So I'm wondering, what is the procedure for green Ps, the vast majority of journalists that you have, to be able to cover meetings and stake out meetings, such as ones on Haiti and South Sudan? 

Deputy Spokesman:  You have the ability to stake out these when you have escorts.  We try to provide escorts as much as possible.  In fact…

Question:  Why were there only two people in MALU…? 

Deputy Spokesman:  There's… we accommodate you to the best of our abilities and to the extent that our staffing allows.  Like I said, I spoke with the Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit this morning, and, again, they're trying their very best to accommodate.  We can't have so many staff devoted simply to… 

Question:  Why is a journalist standing in front…

Deputy Spokesman:  Please. 

Question:  Please.  Go ahead.  I'd like to hear your answer.

Deputy Spokesman:  …simply to the convenience of one individual.  But they… to the extent that their staffing allows it, they do it.

Question:  Given that other journalists here can stand freely in front of it, what's the difference between these two classes of journalists?  Do whatever you want.

Deputy Spokesman:  You're making pleading for your special case.

Question:  No, I'm not.  I'm saying there are 2,000 green Ps.  Why can't they cover the meeting? 

Deputy Spokesman:  Yes, you are.  And if there were 2,000 green Ps who were making an issue of it, that would be one thing.  There's one individual journalist, yourself, making an issue of it.  I've told you what the response is from my Media Accreditation colleagues, and they are trying to help you.

Question:  What's the response from security?  What is the security problem?

Deputy Spokesman:  Security… Matthew…

Question:  I talked to an ambassador there who said Ban Ki‑moon is inaccessible and unaccountable. 

Deputy Spokesman:  Matthew… Matthew, quit trying to drown me out.  It's unprofessional.  It is blatantly unprofessional. 

Question:  Go on.

Deputy Spokesman:  Security abides by their own rules.  They do not make exceptions simply for an individual.  They do that to keep the building secure.  Within those parameters, we're trying to accommodate your request.

Question:  What's the security problem of a journalist just standing in front… 

Deputy Spokesman:  That's all I've got to say to you.  Beyond this, it's just arguing.  Thank you.  Have a good afternoon, everyone.