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

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, this morning a spokesman for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in Amman that the occupying forces –the US and the UK –were violating the Geneva Conventions by their inaction in allowing lawlessness and chaos and looting to go on? Is that a violation of the Convention? What should they be doing to clear up the situation?

SG: Let me first say that from what we have seen in the reports it appears there is no functioning government in Iraq at the moment. We also saw the scenes of jubilation, but of course when you think of the casualties - both military and civilian - the Iraqis have paid a heavy price for this. We have also seen scenes of looting, and obviously law and order must be a major concern.

Regarding your question I think the [Security] Council has also reaffirmed that the Hague Regulation and the Geneva Conventions apply to this conflict and that the coalition has a responsibility for the welfare of the people in this area. And I am sure that will be respected.

Q: Mr. Secretary, why did you call in [Iraqi] Ambassador [Mohammed] Aldouri, and what do you understand his status at the moment to be?

SG: I don't know what his status is, but I did talk to him on Monday. We reviewed the situation in Baghdad and what was happening. He didn't have much information. I don't know where he is or what his status is at the moment, but naturally we did talk about what happens, depending on the evolution of things on the ground.

Q: Did he ask at that point for asylum or discuss the question of asylum or potential need for protection in any way?

SG: No, he didn't ask for an asylum or protection. He had indicated some time earlier that he and his staff sometimes felt harassed and followed by local authorities and police –this was some time ago and I think we had raised it with the authorities and that has stopped. When I saw him on Monday he didn't ask me for help with his status.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, you said in your report on Cyprus that you don't see [the need] soon to take an initiative. Could you elaborate why on that?

SG: I need to see a genuine desire and change on the part of all the parties to want to settle this issue. I think in the report I made it clear why we didn't make progress, and what I believe needs to be done for us to move forward. I also indicated that, when I see a change in attitude and a genuine desire to move forward on all sides, I will be prepared to see what I can do to help.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, do you believe there will be a role for weapons inspectors in the aftermath of the conflict in Iraq, and how long do you think it will take for a resolution to pass to lift sanctions?

SG: I think on the question of the weapons inspectors –their mandate is still valid. It is only suspended because it became inoperable on account of the war. I would expect [Hans] Blix and [Mohammed] ElBaradei to be able to return as soon as it is possible and I think they are the ones with the mandate to disarm Iraq, and when the situation permits they should go back to resume their work. As to the question of lifting of sanctions, I know there has been some preliminary talk about it but the Council has not really discussed it.

Q: Mr. Secretary, it appears that there is no functioning government in Iraq –if I heard you correctly –it is kind of low here.

SG: Yes.

Q: What does that mean in practical terms as far as how the UN deals with an entity in Iraq, the future of Iraqi authority. What does that mean?

SG: These are the things we need to sort out in the next few days.