Secretary-General's press encounter following Security Council monthly luncheon (unofficial transcript)

SG: The Security Council members are discussing this matter, so I would withhold my comments at this time. This is a matter they are now discussing.

I had a very good, useful exchange of views with Security Council members over lunch. Our discussions mainly focused on African issues, particularly with emphasis on the Darfur situation, Chad, Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, and we also had brief discussions on my forthcoming visit to the Middle East.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, your visit does not include Darfur or Sudan?

SG: This time my visit is to the Middle East, on my way to participate in the League of Arab States Summit meeting. It is true that I was invited by President [Omar Al-] Bashir of Sudan to visit Sudan. This is a matter which I will consider in due course. I told him that while I accept his invitation in principle, the detailed matters should be discussed through diplomatic channels.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, you have not said much publicly since President Bashir's letter arrived. So can you take this opportunity to really speak out? Are you disappointed? Do you find it acceptable, do you find it a set back? What are the key things you would say or can be concluded in your mind from in this letter?

SG: I expressed my regret, while talking over the telephone last Saturday with him, that he made a number of reservations on jointly proposed ideas, which were jointly proposed by the United Nations and the African Union. I urged him that he should accept all the contents as were proposed by the African Union and by the United Nations.

Q: [inaudible, question about French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin]

SG: We discussed the situation in Côte d'Ivoire, and I told him that the United Nations appreciated the French contribution, to have French peace and security in Côte d'Ivoire by dispatching a number of soldiers there, and also we agreed that while we are encouraged by the recent peace agreement between by President [Laurent] Gbagbo and Mr. [Guillaume] Soro, there are still some issues to make some clarifications. But it was an encouraging development that situation, and it was necessary for the international community to support and encourage such a peace agreement.

Q: But did he talk about the withdrawal?

SG: We have not discussed this issue, and this may be a decision for the French Government.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, you are hosting an Iraq conference here. Is this a sign of direct UN involvement?

SG: In Iraq? This is an ongoing effort by the United Nations. As you may remember, the United Nations has initiated this International Compact for Iraq. By holding this Compact tomorrow morning, we hope that this will give, first of all a substantially and politically important message to the Iraqi people, so that they will be encouraged to do their own to bring peace and security to their country, and also to give a strong message that the international community is behind them to support their noble efforts.

Q: On the backdrop of your visit to the Middle East, one of the issues which has really defied any resolution has been the Palestinian/Israeli issue. Are you going to put any special emphasis? Do you have any particular plan, or any ideas to resolve this, which was described as today by the Prime Minister of France as four conflicts now growing in the Middle East at this point in time. Probably that's one of the reasons you are going there? So, on Palestinian and Israeli issues, do you have any fresh ideas, anything to move this process forward?

SG: The purpose of my visit to the Middle East at this time is first of all to assess myself the current situation in the Middle East, and exchange views with the leaders in the region. I would like to make my own contribution to the ongoing peace process in the Middle East.

Q: Just a follow up on the Bashir letter, on the heavy support package, do you accept his requirement to reopen the heavy support package for negotiation(s), and also he challenges the notion that this heavy support package mission will have a mandate to protect civilians. Do you share that view, or do you think his assessment is wrong?

SG: This was the proposal made in close agreement between the African Union Chairman and the UN Secretary-General, and this was done in accordance with the Addis Ababa and Abuja Agreements, and therefore this is not a matter to revisit or reinterpret.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, you met today with the Special Envoy on Kosovo. Can you tell us a little bit about the meeting, and about the proposal, your impression about the proposal, and when are you going to be forwarding it to the Security Council?

SG: Of course, I was briefed by Ambassador Albert Rohan, Deputy Special Envoy for the Future Status Process for Kosovo, about the recent meeting which was held in Vienna on March 10th. He said that the meeting did not bring any mutually satisfactory conclusions on that issue. I understand that this report will be presented to the Security Council around the end of this month.

Q: Do you have any views, Mr. Secretary-General, on the Saudi proposal for peace in the Middle East, the Arab plan?

SG: The Saudi proposal?

Q: The Saudi initiative, also known as the Arab plan.

SG: The Arab Peace Plan contains many positive elements which were also accepted by many parties concerned, including Israel. Of course, there are certain countries according to the countries concerned that some concerns may be shared by certain countries. But I think that can provide a good basis for the peace process.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, in the same vein, are you encouraged by the Mecca Agreement between the Palestinian factions. [Prime Minister] de Villepin this morning said that he was very encouraged and hopeful. What is your view, and do you think it offers any potential to break the deadlock in negotiations between the Palestinians and the State of Israel?

SG: As I said in my previous statement when the Mecca Deal was announced, it was a significant step in promoting the peace process in the Middle East. I know that there are some different interpretations and expectations of the Mecca deal, but what is important at this time is that for the international community to encourage such a peace process, the Mecca deal was made, the Quartet was reenergized, and Arabs are getting more on board in this process. We are going to have another Quartet meeting, maybe next month, and negotiations for the formation of a unity government were completed. We note with encouragement these developments, therefore we hope that the international community should encourage, and at the same time, the parties concerned, including the Palestinian Abbas regime, to adhere to the already agreed international agreements, including the principals laid out by the Quartet.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, you met a Moroccan delegation yesterday, and they talked about the proposal to give larger autonomy to the Sahara region, and today Mr. de Villepin, the Prime Minister of France, mentioned this issue as one of the topics that you discussed with him. How encouraged are you about this plan, the Moroccan plan, to move beyond this stalemate and to break the deadlock?

SG: Recently I met and had good discussions with the special envoy of the King of Morocco and also I met representatives of the Polisario and we discussed on how to peacefully resolve Western Sahara issues. I know that still there are no agreements, and the Security Council has not been able to make any decisions on that. I was briefed by the Moroccan delegation on the initiative that King Mohamed VI has made himself, and I hope that with all these initiatives the parties concerned will discuss this matter to find a mutually acceptable resolution on this issue.

Q: There is a world view that the UN is useless in Sudan. There's a hopelessness that after more than two years, there's been no action. How do you address those concerns?

SG: I know that there are growing frustrations among members of the United Nations particularly in the Security Council. What is important at this time even though we are frustrated, is that the political process has been going on, and my Special Representative [for Darfur Jan Eliasson] and AU representative [for Darfur, Salim Ahmed Salim] are going to visit Sudan next week again, and we will see how this political process will have quick positive results on this issue. I am also in the process of making my own initiative, talking with the leaders of the African Union, and African Union Commission Chairman [Alpha Oumar] Konare. This is what we are doing –putting forth our best efforts to resolve this situation as soon as possible.

About your question, these sanctions measures are something which should be discussed by the Security Council members. I'm not in a position at this time to mention about particular issues but my own hope is that as we have been going through this political dialogue with the Sudanese government, and even though the response letter of President [Omer Al-] Bashir was not a satisfactory one, now I'm in the process of making all diplomatic efforts including AU leaders, as well as Commission Chairman Konare of the African Union.

Q: What are you yourself going to tell [Sudanese] President [Omer Al-] Bashir when you see him in Saudi Arabia, and what do you specifically want Arab and African leaders to do to try and put some pressure on him to accept this package that Sudan agreed to in November?

SG: We can take all different tracks. As I said, we have already initiated this political track is going on. On the part of the African Union, many distinguished African leaders are in the process of discussing this matter directly with President [Omer Al-] Bashir of Sudan, and also, as the Secretary-General of the United Nations, I am also taking all possible diplomatic initiatives and efforts.

Thank you very much.