Secretary-General's press encounter upon arrival at UNHQ (unofficial transcript)

SG: Well, I wouldn't call it a collapse. By collapse you mean we haven't got an agreement yet. But I think we will assess where we are and then see how we move forward, so I wouldn't say it has collapsed. We haven't got an agreement.

Q: …disappointment, Sir. I think the United Nations, all the international community invested a lot in this effort, the most serious one for some.

SG: Oh absolutely. We were very close and I was very hopeful that we could get an agreement, and I recall telling [leader of the Justice and Development Party, Recep Tayyip] Erdogan that, like an old soccer player like himself –the game is not over until the final whistle, and it looks as if we are not going to get there.

Q: What is the next step? I know that it not a question that you can answer maybe…

SG: No, I think we need to take stock, reassess, analyse what happened and decide how we move forward.

Q: Can we say who is responsible for the failure?

SG: I think it is too early for me to get into that yet.

Q: We have elections in Cyprus, Sir. We asked you about one and a half months ago and you said, it's too early to make an assessment. Now the elections in Cyprus are a couple of months away…

SG: It's in February, yes.

Q: What is going to happen now?

SG: Well, I hope the work that has been done will not be wasted and that the people of Cyprus –both Turkish and Greeks –will see an advantage in pursuing this effort and bringing it to a fruitful conclusion.

Q: Will you ask the [Security] Council to endorse your plan, Sir?

SG: As I said I am going to analyse the situation and determine what further steps I should take. At this stage I haven't determined to go to the Council to seek endorsement.

Q: On another part of the world, the Korean Peninsula. I am wondering how concerned you are with the tension in the Peninsula?

SG: We are all concerned about the tension in the Peninsula. We are in touch with the Atomic Agency [IAEA] in Vienna, and they are also taking steps, and are in touch with the Koreans. And I know there is diplomatic pressure to get them not to take the course they have announced.

Q: There is concern now that the North Koreans might…

SG: We need to see how that develops. As I said, the Atomic Agency is dealing with them and I am hoping to get a report from them as to how things are evolving. But, I hope we will not get to the stage where they will kick out the inspectors. I know there are hints about that but I hope it doesn't happen.