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

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, assuming that the [Security] Council goes ahead and passes the oil-for-food resolution this afternoon, as is expected, what will be your first practical step in terms of implementing the procedure reviewing contracts and so forth. How soon do you really think you can get going to get some results on that?

SG: I think the question of reviewing the contracts received, what the urgent needs are, some work is being done. We will need to move very quickly. As far as resuming the operations on the ground, obviously the military situation on the ground will dictate how quickly we get back. We have been able to work very effectively on the ground over the years where the Iraqi authorities have established 45,000 centres of distribution and we would hope, once we get there, depending on the situation on the ground, to be able to tap into that distribution network.

Q: What role does Mr. [Tony] Blair [Prime Minister of the United Kingdom] want you to play for post-war Iraq in terms of governing?

SG: I think it's more what role the Security Council will ask me to do. The Prime Minister and I discussed the humanitarian situation and the discussions in the Council. And we were both encouraged with the progress which has been made. And I expect today the Council will pass a resolution. I think as to what role the UN will play down the line is an issue that is under discussion and the Council itself will have to give me a specific mandate for any additional responsibilities that the UN takes on in Iraq, over and beyond the humanitarian and the oil-for-food programme which they would endorse today.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, following up on that, there seems to be perhaps some differences on how big a role the United Nations could or should have. How big a role could the United Nations handle; I mean could the United Nations actually run a civil administration in Iraq as it has been doing in Kosovo and as it did in East Timor?

SG: As I said, these are issues that the Council will be discussing, and of course it also depends, we don't know how this is all going to pan out, and how the post-conflict situation will look like on the ground in terms of security and other aspects. But I think the Council will have a chance to discuss all these issues and determine which role the UN would be. Of course, there are certain “red lines” for the Council, which as we move forward everybody has to be aware of. In my discussions with Council members, they do not want to see any situation where the UN is subjugated to authority of a country or several countries. Some are concerned that they should not be placed in a situation where they take initiatives or action which appears to legitimize the military action ex post facto. Obviously, if the UN is going to be on the ground, we will have to determine the relationships between the UN, occupied Iraq and the occupying power. So there are lots of issues that would have to be tackled by the Council in discussions and determine what role the UN should play and to what extent.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, obviously there can be no oil part of the oil-for-food programme -- export from near Basra at this point. I understand that the port in Turkey, Ceyhan, is still authorized to export. Should the UN encourage companies to purchase oil through Ceyhan [terminal] to try to give money for the programme?

SG: I think the resolution the Council will pass now deals with the oil-for-food as it is now constituted and the orders in the pipeline, and is limited to 45 days. And it will be reviewed, and that doesn't deal with the issue that you've raised.

Thank you.