[The Austrian Foreign Minister first made an opening statement in German].
SG: Thank you very much, Minister. I'm extremely happy to be back in Vienna. And as you've heard from the Minister, we've had a very exhaustive discussion on many critical topics of the day. And we have also discussed the UN operations here in Vienna and the steps we need to take to strengthen it. And I expect to also appoint a new head of our operations here very shortly.
But I think we live in a critical -- and, of course, I've often used the word -- we live in a "messy" world. And unfortunately, from my point of view, given the job I hold, the messier the world is, the more difficult and busier we get. And I hope the world will be better as we move forward, but I'm afraid I cannot say that the year [2002] has started very well.
As the Minister has indicated, I've been to several of the trouble spots, and we're all going to work together to try and bring peace and stability to Afghanistan. To do that we need the Afghans to work together; we need the neighbors of Afghanistan to work with us in establishing a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, which is also in their own interest.
The grave situation in the Middle East is also of concern to all of us and we need to be creative in finding ways to pull the parties back from the brink of the abyss.
The Balkans we've discussed, and of course we will continue our discussions later on during the day.
Maybe we can take your questions now.
Q: [An Israeli journalist from the newspaper Ma'ariv referred to EU criticism of United States policy on the Middle East.] ... one news story calling the American policy stupid and dangerous. What would be your position concerning the attitude that the international community should take in regard to the situation in the Middle East?
SG: I think the international community, I believe, should work together, to influence the situation on the ground and, in my judgment, to get the parties working together. I think we have tended to focus too much on security only. I don't think we can move forward by focusing only on security. I think the security should be linked with improvements in the conditions of the Palestinians and it should also be linked with political prospects of getting the parties to the table and discussing a settlement of their differences at the table.
I believe the international community will have to work hard, and with both parties, because that is the only way you'll be able to influence them and influence the situation. And so, the collective international action, initiative, to break the impasse and it should be sustained. And we should work with both parties.
Q: Mostafa Abdalla, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Al-Ahram newspaper, and reporter for Egyptian TV and radio [unofficial translation from German.] How does the Secretary-General see the Israeli terror vis-a-vis the Palestinians?
SG: I think I have been very frank in my assessment of the situations on the ground. And I have not condoned actions by either side that I think is against the interest of civilians who are not armed or are not involved.
So I have been very clear in the past in making statements on actions that I consider unacceptable by one side or the other. And I've also made it clear, that now that the killing is going on, innocent Israelis and Palestinians are being killed, this is the time that we should press the parties to get to the table. It is very urgent, and I do not believe that we can do so with preconditions of seven days of total peace or 48 hours of total peace. And, as I've said, if one does that, then you're giving vetoes to the extremists. Any extremist on either side can make sure you never get to the table to discuss your differences.
And I believe one should move ahead in search of peace, once you've made the strategic choice for peace, to get to the table and stay there and search for peace. But at the same time, deal firmly with extremists and terrorists. That is the only way I believe we're going to make progress in the situation.
Q: Michael Thurston, Agence France-Presse, with a question on the Middle East situation. How concerned are you about President Arafat's continuing isolation, both physical and diplomatic?
SG: Arafat is the leader of the Palestinian people. By being isolated and virtually being under house arrest makes it difficult for him to lead. He is in an extremely difficult situation. He's being asked to stop the violence. He's being asked to lead and yet, as a leader, he and his institutions are under so much pressure that I really do not see how that is going help, you know, how he is going to go about delivering what the international community is asking him to do.
And I think we need to be careful how we deal with the situation because when the leader who is supposed to act is weakened to the point of impotence, we have a real problem on our hands.
Q: Do you think the Israelis should lift the physical blockade around him or allow him more liberty?
SG: I think if he's to lead, he should have a bit more liberty to move around and talk to his people and deal with them. He must be given the space and the political time to act.
Q: On the ODCCP - I'm from the Italian News Agency ANSA - Italy has offered three possible names for the succession of Mr. Arlacchi and that means they are trying to get the next Italian there. Is it possible that he is going to change for instance for another European country offering better support for the company?
SG: I'm looking for the best candidate possible and I will select the best candidate regardless of nationality. Thank you. *****