Secretary-General's press encounter with Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark (press encounter)

SG: The Prime Minister and I have had a chance to review the post-conflict Iraq situation and the progress that is being made by Member States. And we also discussed the humanitarian situation and the need for us to work together to ensure that assistance gets to the needy as quickly as possible.

And we both stressed the need for governments to come together, to work together and to heal the divisions which have emerged.

PM Rasmussen: I'd like to thank the Secretary-General very much for a very fruitful conversation. Denmark wants the UN to play a very important role in post-war Iraq. We see an important role for the UN in several areas of course, in the humanitarian field, where the UN has already taken important initiatives; in the establishment of an interim administration in Iraq; in the re-construction of Iraq, and we think it would be an advantage, in the long term, if the UN could mandate a security force in Iraq, and we have exchanged views on that.

And we will encourage the members of the Security Council to achieve a conclusion in the very near future.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General what sort of role should the UN play in Iraq?

SG: I think the discussions are still ongoing. I think the UN has an important role to play, and the Member States are discussing the exact nature of that role. I think the Prime Minister has given you an indication of some of the areas where the UN has considerable experience, but I think things will become clearer as we proceed with the discussions.

There are a lot of discussions here this week and this will continue in capitals and in New York.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General will it be possible to combine a UN reconstruction role with U.S. military presence?

SG: I think there are various phases of post-conflict Iraq and I am not saying exactly when the UN gets in. But, of course, the Council will have to take some decisions and if the UN were to go in, regardless of what stage it goes in, one will have to define the relationship between the UN, the occupying power and occupied Iraq.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General would you appreciate Danish participation in a force, now, before a mandate from the Security Council?

SG: I think that is a decision for the Danish Government to make. The Prime Minister and I discussed that briefly.

Q: I understand, Secretary-General, that you have said today that you wish the UN takes a greater, broader role in post-war Iraq than it played in Afghanistan. Would you define exactly what role you are referring to?

SG: I am not sure where I said that today….

Q: … with Ivanov….

SG: No –I said that or he did? [laughter] I think I've said enough about the UN role and indicated that discussions are going on and I expect it to be concluded in the not-too-distant future.

Q: What about the killing of the Iraqi demonstrators yesterday in Mosul by the occupation forces?

SG: The loss of life is always a tragedy and as you know, right from the beginning, I have appealed to all to ensure that civilians' lives are protected.

PM Rasmussen: I fully agreed with the Secretary-General. The loss of lives is, of course, always a tragedy. I am sure that the coalition forces on the ground in Iraq do their utmost to minimize civilian losses and ensure law and order in Iraq.

Q: But is it not the result of invasion.

PM Rasmussen: No, unfortunately there are always tragedies in war.