Press encounter after delivering the Dag Hammarskjold Lecture (unofficial transcript)

SG: I think so. Lots of work is being done. The South African government has worked very hard to produce a new text on the Middle East and they are working with other governments to come up with a compromise text on the issue of slavery, colonialism and reparation. And I'm hopeful that they will succeed.

And as I indicated earlier in answer to a question, that unfortunately often at these conferences, the give and take and the decisions are taken at the last minute. But I'm quite hopeful that with the good work that the South African government, Mary Robinson [Secretary-General of the Conference] and other governments are doing, including the European Union and the African Group and others, that we will find a solution. And the Arab Group is also very much engaged in a new spirit of compromise. So I'm quite hopeful.

Q: You do not concede that it's a major blow to the prestige and credibility of the United Nations -- the United States walking out, and so forth?

SG: I think, as I said, it was regrettable that the US left. In these situations, I always urge the Member States to stay on to defend their views, to defend their values and push for the right language. And I'm happy that many of them stayed because if you don't speak up and if you are not in the room to steer things right and to contain those who may direct things in the wrong direction, we will get the results we do not want. And that's why I'm so happy that most of the Member States stayed and are doing the necessary work to ensure that we have the right compromise.

Q: Can I press you slightly? Do you fear it will impact the credibility of the United Nations?

SG: I think the way it has gone -- let me put it this way. The Conference has achieved a lot already. It has achieved a lot in raising awareness on this crucial issue of racism, xenophobia and intolerance. And I've had the chance to say that no society is immune from racism. We just have to look around us. And therefore, it was important that governments went to South Africa, NGOs and others, to highlight this issue and to press for action, and a declaration and a plan of action.

The way it turned out, the difficulties among the Member States to come to an agreement was unfortunate and really created an image of an organization that is not able to get its act together and to tackle the essential issues. And I hope that in future conferences -- this is the third one we've had on racism -- we've had other conferences which have been equally contentious, but the Member States have shown the necessary give and take. We had the same contentious issues at the Special Session on AIDS. But in the end they made the compromise to come up with the right language. And I am happy that they did. I am sorry; I think it was unfortunate the US walked out.

Q: Sweden has decided to send back a 19-year-old homosexual man to Iran, despite the fact that sex between men is punished with death in Iran. And I would like to know your reaction to that.

SG: I don't know enough about the details to want to offer an opinion, but normally if a refugee, if someone with refugee status runs a risk of persecution, one would want to protect them. I don't really know the situation, the law at home, and so I really cannot go into details.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, do you as Secretary-General and the UN still after so many decades accept the occupation by Great Britain of Northern Ireland?

SG: Let me say that the Northern Ireland issue is not an issue before the Security Council or the General Assembly. It is an issue I have followed, and I know that the British Government and the parties in Northern Ireland are trying very hard to solve the problem. They seemed very close and they are still attempting to do it, and I hope they will succeed.

The recent incidents, particularly with the children, we've all seen it on television. But I would urge that the efforts to resolve it continue, and I'm sure that with determination and persistence they will find a solution.

Q: Can you in a few sentences describe what former Secretary-General Dag Hammarskj÷ld meant to you?

SG: I think in a way, I said a bit about it during the speech. As I mentioned, I joined the UN system a year after his death. And of course, as a young man, watching him take principled positions, and doing it in an era where I myself as somebody from a colonial territory was very much involved in issues of independence, of freedom - I mean, following it, not that I was party to it - and to see the way he went about his tasks, the way he stood up to powerful forces in a serious attempt to defend the weak and honour the obligations or the principals of the Charter, was an inspiration to me and people of my generation. And I recall the day he died. The announcement came on the radio. I noticed how we were all shocked and couldn't believe that it would happen to him. And of course, as somebody who's worked with the UN, he's never left the organization. His spirit and what he stood for is always with us.

Q: What is the worst crisis you are facing today?

SG: I think from a global point of view, the Middle East is a really worrying problem for us. And I think the entire international community is focussed on this issue. And luckily, we're also trying to cooperate with each other -- the Americans, the European Union, the Russians, myself and with some of the Arab leaders, Egypt and Jordan. I would also say that the situation in the Great Lakes Region in Central Africa -- [Democratic Republic of the] Congo, Burundi, Rwanda -- which has pulled in so many countries, is also something that we need to press ahead and find a solution. It's affected so many civilians. The humanitarian situation is tragic. I just came back from that region, and unless we resolve that crisis, the countries in that region are not going to be able to focus on the essential work of economic and social development. Nor are they going to be able to attract investors. Nobody invests in bad neighbourhoods.

Q: There's not much attention being paid to that.

SG: You say there's not much attention? No, unfortunately. But I think it is beginning to change. The French Foreign Minister was there ten days, two weeks ago. The European Union Presidency, the Belgian Foreign Minister and [EU security chief Javier] Solana are going there next week. I've just come back from there. Claire Short, the British Minister, was in this. There's been much more international engagements. And I think we are pressing the protagonists to work with us to make peace. But we've also told them that they are the ones that can make peace. The inspiration for a viable and long-term peace has to spring from the leaders and the peoples of the place. And we are beginning to see that now. And the international community generally wants to work with them. The Inter-Congolese Dialogue process is moving forward. They had a preparatory meeting in Botswana and they're going to continue the dialogue in Addis Ababa. And I think the international community would want to work with them.

Q: I would like to know how you personally would like to be remembered.

SG: I have tried since I took office to try and stress that whatever the UN does, we must put the human being at the centre of our work. In this interdependent world, there are things that the UN can not do alone. And we should reach out and work in partnership with the NGOs, with the private sector, with the universities and the foundations, and pool our efforts to have greater impact on the crises that we are dealing with. And if at the time I leave it could be said that the UN is functioning a little bit better, I'll be very happy.

Q: You mentioned how shocked you were at Dag Hammarskj÷ld's death. Today there are theories coming out. Do you think we will ever know the truth about what really caused that airplane to crash?

SG: If we don't know more than we do after 40 years, it's difficult to say. But in life, you never know. Something may come up that will shed additional light on it, but I really cannot say.

Q: I wonder if we could get back to the Racism Conference for a minute. If you could say what you think the worst-case scenario that can still happen and what the chances are now for that to happen.

SG: I think the worst-case scenario would be for the Member States not to come to an agreement on the controversial issues, issues of the unacceptable language on the Middle East, and not to come to agreement on slavery, colonialism and reparation.

If they come to an agreement and adopt a document, the Conference would have been a success. The worst-case scenario is for them not to agree on a document or for them to come up with language that large numbers of delegations disassociate themselves with. And I hope we don't get there.

Q: What are your ambitions to make the Security Council a more efficient body in the future?

SG: I think the Council itself has been looking at its rules of procedure and I think the report by [Lakhdar] Brahimi will help strengthen peacekeeping operations, which also deals with the question of mandate, it also deals with what the Security Council needs to look for before it gives us a mandate, we think is going to help.

We talked earlier about the reform of the Security Council, but that is something that the Member States have not agreed on. So we have to talk about the efficiency of the Council as it is. And you will notice that the Council has become much more proactive, much more proactive in not just passing the resolutions but going to the field, visiting the crisis spots to see for themselves and engaging in some cases the people on the ground. They've been to Kosovo, they've been to (The Democratic Republic of the) Congo. They've been to Eritrea/Ethiopia. And you are going to see a much more dynamic Council. And they are working also much better, much more freely and openly with me and the Secretariat. And that itself is also important. And what is important is generally the Permanent Five are in contact. They're talking to each other. There's no ideological differences that divides the Permanent Members. So I think it's working much better. *****