Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
Good afternoon.
**Security Council
The Secretary-General, as you saw, spoke at the Security Council open debate this morning on health care in armed conflict, telling Council members that, this morning, we awoke to reports of airstrikes on two more hospitals in Aleppo. He said that those in Syria using ever more destructive weapons know exactly what they are doing. They know they are committing war crimes. And the Secretary-General said that even a slaughterhouse is more humane, adding that hospitals, clinics, ambulances and medical staff in Aleppo are under attack around the clock.
The Secretary-General also pointed to attacks on healthcare workers and facilities in Yemen and Pakistan, and he told the Council that there must be action and accountability.
International law is clear, he added: medical workers, facilities and transport must be protected. The wounded and sick – civilians and fighters alike – must be spared. Deliberate attacks on hospitals are war crimes. Denying people access to essential health care violates international humanitarian law. His remarks are in my office and online.
**Secretary-General’s Travels
I wanted to flag an upcoming trip of the Secretary-General: he will leave for Geneva on 1 October to meet with representatives from the World Economic Forum, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and with UN staff. He will also be meeting with officials of the City of Geneva, as well as the State Council of the Republic and the Canton of Geneva.
On 3 October, the Secretary-General will hold a press conference and give a major address to the students and faculty of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (HEID) in Geneva. He will also be addressing the Executive Committee of UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). He will then travel to Bern on 4 October, where he will meet with the Federal Council of Switzerland.
That same day, the Secretary-General will travel to Belgium to attend the Brussels Conference on Afghanistan hosted by the European Union and the Government of Afghanistan – that will take place on 5 October.
From Brussels, he will travel on to the Vatican, where he will participate in the First Global Conference on Faith and Sport. He is also expected to have a private audience with His Holiness Pope Francis.
On 6 October, in Rome, the Secretary-General will meet with President Sergio Mattarella of Italy, as well as with Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and other Italian officials.
On 7 October, he will be in Hamburg, Germany, to attend the twentieth anniversary of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, the independent judicial body established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to adjudicate disputes arising out of the interpretation and application of the Convention.
While in Hamburg, he is also scheduled to receive the National German Sustainability Award and meet with Joachim Gauck, Federal President of Germany, and other senior officials.
The next day, the Secretary-General will be in Reykjavik, Iceland, to address the Assembly of the Arctic Circle, the largest network of international dialogue and cooperation on the future of the Arctic with participation from governments, NGOs (non-governmental organizations), corporations, universities, environmental associations and indigenous communities. The Secretary-General will receive an Award on behalf of the Assembly for his work in the fight against climate change.
The Secretary-General will also deliver a speech at the University of Iceland on international peace and security on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the 1986 Gorbachev-Reagan Summit, and meet with President [Guðni Thorlacius] Jóhannesson of Iceland, as well as the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister of Iceland.
We expect him back in New York on 9 October.
**Shimon Peres
In a statement we issued last night, the Secretary-General expressed his sadness at the passing of Shimon Peres, the former President of the State of Israel and offered condolences to his family and friends, as well as to the people of Israel.
The Secretary-General said Shimon Peres played a central role in Israel’s founding and worked tirelessly for a two-state solution that would enable Israel to live securely and harmoniously with the Palestinians and the wider region, a commitment duly recognized when he received the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize with Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat.
The Secretary-General added that he had met Mr. Peres on many occasions, and always benefitted from his views. Even in the most difficult hours, Mr. Peres remained an optimist about the prospects for reconciliation and peace. That statement was issued online.
**Mali
You will also have seen we issued a statement yesterday evening in which the Secretary-General welcomed the judgement of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Al Mahdi case.
The Secretary-General noted that this judgement represents an important step forward in the fight against impunity in Mali. He further noted that the path to healing wounds between communities in the country must be premised in greater accountability, justice and the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali.
The Secretary-General expressed his appreciation for the efforts undertaken by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and the UN Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) in support of national authorities, to protect and reconstruct Mali’s heritage and to preserve cultural diversity in the country.
**Iraq
For the first time in more than two years, the World Food Programme (WFP) has distributed urgently-needed food for people in and around the northern Iraqi town of Shirqat, 80 kilometres south of Mosul. Until this month, the town was under siege and cut off from humanitarian aid – and that is since 2014. Through its local partner Muslim Aid, WFP distributed a one-month supply of food for families in the Khadhraniya area of Shirqat.
The people of the town have been living under very harsh conditions, struggling to obtain water, food, medical services and a functioning local market. More than 3 million Iraqis have been displaced by conflict since mid-June 2014. In response, WFP has provided food assistance to more than 1 million vulnerable, displaced Iraqis across all 18 governorates.
**Press Briefings
Tomorrow 11 a.m., there will be a press briefing with David Nabarro, the Secretary-General’s Advisor on the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, and Selwin Hart, Director of the Secretary-General’s Climate [Change] Support Team.
**Honour Roll
The Syrian Arab Republic has become the 125th Member State to pay its regular budget dues in full. And we thank them for that.
**Questions and Answers
Khalas. Masood?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. I know Secretary‑General today expressed extreme outrage, with what happened in Syria and what is happening in Syria, which is absolutely outrageous. What I'm saying is that similar situation exists in Kashmir, and… and Pakistan and India are now getting ready to go to war. I mean, war [inaudible]. Has the Secretary‑General talked to either the Prime Minister of India or Prime Minister of Pakistan offering good offices again or not? Or will he do that…
Spokesman: Without commenting on the comparison you make, obviously, I think you've seen what we've already said on the situation in Kashmir. I have nothing to add to what we've already said and what already stands.
Question: [inaudible] will… I mean, what I'm saying is, knowing what the situation is there and…
Spokesman: I think we know what the situation is, and I said, our position on good offices and the current situation remains the same, and I would refer you to what we've been saying the last couple of… the last…
Question: So he's not going to talk…
Spokesman: I'd refer you to what we've said in the last couple of weeks. Mr. Lee?
Question: Sure. I guess I want… first, I want to ask you about, in Thailand, there's been a pretty high‑profile threat by the Government to Amnesty International that was preparing to release a report on torture by the military. And, based on the threat, they have not released the report, but I wonder whether the UN system… what do you think of that? And what… what can be done when a government does that?
Spokesman: I haven't seen the details of this particular case, but it is clear that civil society organizations like Amnesty International play a very important role in the global world in which we live. I think the Secretary‑General was very clear in his defence of civil society and the need to give them the space in his speech to the General Assembly.
Question: Sure. And I wanted to ask, I'd asked you, I think it was during the general debate, that the Foreign Minister of Morocco had said that the MINURSO (United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara) mission was back to full functionality. And you'd said you heard what he said and had nothing to say. Yesterday, Farhan [Haq] said only 25 are back, and it's not fully functional. I guess I wanted to know, when was the UN… what's the plan by the UN to actually get it to functionality? Will Mr. [Christopher] Ross be travelling to the region? And is it true that the Secretary‑General will be making a… a… a MINURSO‑related visit prior to the COP (Conference of Parties) meeting in…
Spokesman: Well, I think it's no secret the Secretary‑General will attend the COP meeting, which is being hosted by Morocco in Marrakesh. As to any other visits related that he may have also in Morocco on more bilateral issues, we'll announce in due course. No updates on Mr. Ross's travel. Obviously, everybody's still trying to find an appropriate date for him to go to the region. As far as the mission, we are continuing to move in an upward direction. Evelyn?
Question: Thank you, Steph. The Dutch have come out with a report on the Malaysian flight that was downed in Eastern Ukraine, and it… it sort of points to the separatists, which everyone knew anyway, probably miss… thought it was another flight. Do you see any kind of action in this place, comments, anything?
Spokesman: Well, I think we've seen… we welcome the release… the presentation of the Joint Investigation Team's preliminary results of the criminal investigation into the downing of Malaysian Airways Flight 17. You'll recall that the Security Council, I think in Resolution 2166, demanded that "those responsible for this incident be held to account and that all States cooperate fully with the efforts to establish accountability". The Secretary‑General appreciates the extensive effort of the joint investigative team, which was made up of police and judicial authorities from the Netherlands, Ukraine, Australia, Malaysia and Belgium, to conduct a thorough, impartial and independent international criminal investigation into the incident. We believe that the final conclusion of the criminal investigation, together with those of the technical investigation led by the Dutch Safety Board that identified the cause of the crash, will be crucial in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
Question: They did identify it, did they not? Just now?
Spokesman: As I said, we welcome the presentation of this preliminarily result… of this preliminary report, and I think the criminal investigation needs to go through its course.
Question: Do you think anything will happen?
Spokesman: I'm not… I can barely speak about the present. It's hard for me to speak about what will happen. Yes, sir?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. France just proposed a resolution about ceasefire, Aleppo. Any comments about that?
Spokesman: I haven't… you know, obviously, I haven't… we haven't been able to… I haven't seen the draft of the resolution. I think our position on the need for a ceasefire, for a cessation of hostilities in Aleppo and all parts of Syria could not be clearer. Without such a pause or cessation of hostilities, we just cannot get the humanitarian aid that we need into Eastern Aleppo and other places that continue to be… where civilians continue to be targeted and continue to suffer.
Question: Stéphane, right now, as you can see the situation, the ceasefire has failed and not much diplomacy is going on at the international level, and the military situation in Aleppo is getting worse every day. What… from the perspective of Secretary‑General, what should be next other… other… the resumption of the talks is almost… it's impossible right now so, what should be the next step?
Spokesman: Well, we need… in the immediate, the suffering of the people of Syria, the suffering of the people in Aleppo and other cities needs to be addressed. I think the Secretary‑General said it very clearly and eloquently today about what the situation is like in Aleppo. We need to see at least a cessation of the current violence for us to get the humanitarian aid as a first step to move in the right direction. Masood and then Olga. Sorry.
Question: Thank you. Stéphane?
Spokesman: Yes, sir.
Question: Can you speak something or can the United Nations tell us something about situation in Iraq, where United States is now sending 700 more troops? The situation is so bad over there. Does the United Nations…
Spokesman: Well, I think we've been reporting quite regularly on the situation in Iraq. Our concern at the humanitarian situation is continuing, as I've just said earlier today. Obviously, we are aware that there will be military operations against ISIS and Da’esh and other extremist groups. Our… we do not question the legitimacy and, of course, of anyone fighting Da’esh. We are concerned at the possible humanitarian ramifications of the fight, and that's why we're trying to work with our Iraqi counterparts in trying to pre-position as much humanitarian aid as possible, because there will be a flow of people coming out of Mosul. And, obviously, people in the town will need as much help as they can get. Olga and then Linda.
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. Secretary of State John Kerry just said today he… United States would cut off the cooperation with Russia over the Syrian issue unless Russian and Syrian Governments stop attacks on Aleppo. Do you have an understanding how it might affect the situation on the ground if it happens?
Spokesman: Well, you know, I've seen the press reports like you have. The leadership… the joint leadership of the United States and the Russian Federation in the International Support Group for Syria (ISSG) is crucial. Their joint leadership in getting a cessation of hostilities in place is crucial. Their cooperation… their continued cooperation to solving this conflict is crucial, from where we stand. Linda and then Matthew.
Question: Thank you, Steph. This is also on Ukraine but a different aspect. Do you have the latest developments in terms of the status of humanitarian conditions, particularly in Eastern Ukraine, and the role of the UN in providing…?
Spokesman: No, I will try to get an update from my humanitarian colleagues of the general picture in Eastern Ukraine. I have not gotten an update in a couple of… I think in more than… more than ten… two weeks, I think, since before the GA (General Assembly). We'll see what we can get for you. Matthew, then Masood.
Question: Sure. I wanted to ask you on… on… on Burundi, there's another deployment question. There's a guy called Cla… Claver Nahimana, who was widely described as being involved in the recent arrest and assassination of another military figure, Claude Mangera, who was supposedly killed with a grenade. And he's being deployed, it's reported by Radio Publique Africaine, to the UN… to the UN African Union mission in Darfur as a military observer. And it seems like these are pretty high‑profile human rights cases in Bujumbura. Is there some kind of… I mean, I'm asking you here, and maybe you can ask them. Is there…
Spokesman: I'll find out. Obviously, I don't have those sort of granular details…
Question: Right. But I guess what I'm saying is it's reported publicly. It's not just me asking you here. It's reported publicly in Bujumbura. Is there somebody within either DPKO (Department of Peacekeeping Operations) or the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights that is in Bujumbura that listens to media reports, not that it accepts them at face value, but just make sure that some of the worst human rights abusers are not, immediately after their act, sent to UN missions as a…
Spokesman: It is clear we would expect everyone to be… who's deployed to a UN Mission to be screened thoroughly. Masood?
Question: Not to belabor the point so much, but the… what do you call… the head of the United Nations Human Rights Commission had asked India to allow one of the delegations to come and… to India and Pakistan to… what do you call… look at the human rights violation over there. And he… he was denied that… that entry by the Indian Government. Now, my question is this. Will the Secretary‑General at any point in time… I'm… to… what do you call… call the leaders of the India and Pakistan to ratchet down the… the war rhetoric?
Spokesman: I think we've… in a recent statement, I think we've stated clearly our position on the situation between those two countries. I don't have… I have not heard of the case that you mentioned. But I'm happy to look into it. Sir?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. And I have a question as to the Paris agreement. The historical moment has… is coming soon, and the… India already ratified the Paris agreement. And I heard that the… this weekend in the EU (European Union) will hold a ministerial meeting maybe to talk about the ratification for the Paris agreement. At what timing the Secretary‑General will expect to ratify this Paris agreement…
Spokesman: We've heard that the European Union may deposit its ratification instruments with us much sooner than we had expected, which would be tremendous news, because that would put us over the top in terms of the percentage of emissions, because we're already there in terms of the number of countries needed. As soon as we are able to announce something officially, we will. But obviously, it would be a huge step, and I think if it happened in the next… you know, in the next few days or week, it would also be able to bring the accord into effect before the COP‑22 in Marrakesh, would itself send a very strong signal to the rest of the world. Mr. Lee?
Question: Sure. I want to ask a couple questions. One has to do with the Secretary‑General's son‑in‑law, Siddharth Chatterjee. I know I'd asked you in writing… I don't know… maybe ten days ago to be able to ask him the questions that your office hadn't answered. And I did find him in the lobby yesterday, and he said to me, "Oh, we'll find an opportune time." So it wasn't clear to me… and he also said, as to some of the questions, you know, "They're not pertinent." I don't know if that referred to whether who the selection panel was or who the other candidates were. But it led me to want to ask you, did your office, in fact, ask him ten days when I asked you whether he would answer the questions? Because it seemed like he was unaware of the request. That's how he came off.
Spokesman: I think everyone is aware of your interest in speaking to Mr. Chatterjee, and it's not… you're welcome to contact whomever you want and request an interview. Whether or not they grant you one is really up to them.
Correspondent: Sure.
Spokesman: Okay.
Question: I… okay. I guess, relatedly, because there's now… I've seen this controversy around the resident coordinator for Syria. And some people are saying it's Mr. Ali Al‑Za’tari to replace Mr. [TYacoub El] Hillo. And I just wanted to know, was the same process used? Can you say a little bit more about the inter‑agency panel, DOCO…?
Spokesman: The inter‑agency panel… every resident coordinator goes through the same process with the inter‑agency panel. A recommendation is then sent to the Secretary‑General, whether it's Mr. Za’tari or any of the other ones. I told you many-a-times on his… on Mr. Chatterjee that the Secretary‑General stayed away from that process. We do expect the new humanitarian coordinator, resident coordinator, to arrive in Damascus very early next month and to take up his position. There is an acting… somebody acting in that stead until his arrival.
Question: But in the same way that I asked you whether UNDPA (Department of Political Affairs) and the Secretariat was… played a role in the Kenya resident coordinator, because it seems that it's clear that they did in Syria… so did they in Kenya?
Spokesman: I will not go into any further detail than I already have.
Question: The other one has to do with the book, but I can wait.
Spokesman: No, no, let's go with the book.
Question: Okay. You'd said don't review the book until I see it, and I did see it. I've seen it, and I've read some chapters. So I wanted to ask… there's something I wanted to ask you about the ones I've seen. I also noticed that one way that it was online has since been taken offline, which I find it strange. I don't know if you're aware of that, but somebody…
Spokesman: The book will be in bookstores within… early October…
Question: But it was online for sale, and now it's no longer online at all.
Spokesman: I don't know, Matthew.
Question: Okay. But here's my question. In the chapters that I saw written by various USGs (Under-Secretaries-General), including Mr. [Hervé] Ladsous, Prince Zeid, Mr. [Yukio] Takasu, it didn't seem that, for example, Mr. [Anders] Kompass and the idea of whistleblower protection as to the rapes in CAR (Central African Republic), which is, I think, you would admit is a major event. It may not be a positive event, but it's not a small event. It was talked about in newspapers all over the world. I didn't see it in the book. So I'm back with the same question: Is this a book of only highlights, positive events of the Ban Ki‑moon era or is it an attempt to do lessons learned?
Spokesman: This is an open end‑of‑mission report, if you will, of the Secretary‑General and his senior staff of the challenges, the successes and the challenges. No one has ever claimed that it will be the definitive history of tenures of the Secretary‑General, Ban Ki‑moon. My personal sense is that this was a very positive exercise. Whether it satisfies you or not, you know, c'est la vie, but it's… others will be… you know, others have written about the tenure. I look forward to your own book. You know, I don't really know what more words to use about the book.
Question: I say this because you were saying that it's not a positive spin. It's a review. Would you agree that Mr. Kompass… this was a major event?
Spokesman: Matthew, there are… if you look back ten years, there are a lot of things that happened in the last ten years. Some of them are more important to different readers than others. You know, it's… this is why it's an open book, and everybody's entitled to have an opinion about it. On that, I will close my book, and I will close that… this briefing. Enjoy the rest of your day.