Secretary-General's press encounter after meeting the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (unofficial transcript)

SG: Good morning ladies and gentlemen. I have with me Jan Egeland, who is the new head of OCHA and the UN Humanitarian Coordinator who also chaired the meeting this morning. I have just had very good discussions with my colleagues from the humanitarian community. We discussed the situation in Iraq, especially the reduced but on-going humanitarian operations of UN agencies, NGOs and the Red Cross and Red Crescent movements.

This meeting was an opportunity for us to exchange ideas on where we are and where we go from here following the attacks of 19 August on the United Nations, but also earlier and deliberate killings of ICRC and NGO workers.

We discussed what security and other measures are necessary for us to continue our work. We all stressed that our responsibility [is] for the Iraqi people, whom we are there to serve, and we should not abandon them in their time of need.

While there was a broad understanding of the need to provide essential assistance, we also clearly acknowledged our moral and legal responsibility towards our staff, both national and international.

We need to find a way to maximize the contribution we are making to the people of Iraq while minimizing the risk to our staff.

It is also important that any humanitarian assistance must be seen as being independent and impartial from political or military processes, and that we should really try our best to create space for humanitarian actors.

As you know, tomorrow I will be meeting with the Foreign Ministers of the permanent members of the Security Council. One of the issues that will be discussed is the security environment, and how we secure the environment, and possible creation of a multi-national force and how it may impact on the security environment, in particular for humanitarian work. I will convey the concerns of my humanitarian colleagues to the Ministers tomorrow. We will now take your questions.

Q: There were some misgivings about how the UN staff was being protected in Iraq, especially concerning the top UN officials in Iraq. How can you assure your staff worldwide on how you will step up your security measures in Iraq?

SG: Let me once again say how sad we all were when we lost our dear colleagues and friends. And I think all of you here mourned with us. The UN staff obviously need protection as everyone who operates in a crisis situation. But we also have to be clear here. The UN cannot be protected, sitting behind fortresses or barracks. Our work is with the people. We need to be able to get to them and they need to be able to get to us. How else do you help provide humanitarian assistance or facilitate political process. So while measures were taken to protect our staff, we really did not go to the other extreme. We are now reassessing our security needs, not only in Iraq but around the world. The staff have been assured that we are taking measures to do this. We have reduced our presence in Iraq, but we have maintained core staff to be able to continue our activities with our competent and able national staff. Of course, we are monitoring the situation on a daily basis, and as soon as the situation permits, we will gear up again.

Q: Quelle est votre opinion concernant l'expulsion de Yasser Arafat?

SG: Je viens de dire ce matin que ce ne serait pas sage d'expulser Arafat. Je crois que cela va compliquer la situation politique. On a vu déjà hier les implications et j'espère que le Gouvernement israélien ne va appliquer la décision de principe qu'il vient de prendre. Évidemment, demain, quand les Ministres seront là, je suis sûr qu'ils vont chercher à discuter de ça aussi. Moi-même, j'avais cherché au début, aussi, à avoir une réunion du Quartet et je ne sais pas si on va pouvoir le faire demain ou non; mais en tout cas je suis sûr que les Ministres vont discuter du Moyen-Orient.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, after this meeting and the results that are coming out, tomorrow, what will be the request from the United Nations to the five Foreign Ministers, especially to the United States which is responsible for stopping the suffering of the Iraqi people?

SG: I think obviously I am going to be discussing with the Ministers the situation that we are confronted with, and our efforts to take steps to protect ourselves - and of course the Security Council is also discussing a new resolution - in this new resolution, what measures will be introduced that will facilitate humanitarian work and the protection of the UN agencies. This will all be part of the discussions. I do not want to go into details of what I will be telling them and discussing with them, because I would want to tell them directly tomorrow rather than tell them through the press.

Q: What is the stage of the investigation on the attack of 19 August, and have you concluded anything?

SG: No, we are setting up an independent investigation. We have done some preliminary investigations, but we are setting up an independent investigation led by a prominent person and experienced investigators to come up with a definitive report.

Q: Do you think that it is possible that there will be an agreement tomorrow on a resolution, or is that too soon?

SG: I don't think tomorrow we are going to discuss a text of the resolution. We are going to discuss the situation and the way forward, and I hope there can be some convergence that will facilitate discussion in New York with the full Council. Hopefully we will be able to come up with a common framework and a sense of direction and purpose that will help facilitate transactions when the full Council meets in New York. Only the five [permanent] members are meeting here, and they cannot take a decision without the other 10. I will be meeting the other 10 members as soon as I get back to New York.

Q: We understand that some of the humanitarian agencies have such grave concerns about security in Iraq that they are suggesting that they leave. With those kind of concerns, how did you respond?

SG: I think everyone in the meeting is extremely concerned about the humanitarians' situation, but perhaps I would ask Mr. Jan Egeland to answer that question.

Jan Egeland: I answer then as Emergency Relief Coordinator of the UN system. We are as the UN, and indeed the other humanitarian agencies, committed to stay. We feel we have a moral obligation towards the Iraqi people. We are however concerned that we are facing some of the worst security threats in the history of the United Nations. There are staff who feel, yes, we are now at some stage of brinkmanship in staying on, we will not be deterred, but we will not either be reckless, and the programmes that we are continuing, lifesaving and essential programmes, are continuing through a core of courageous international staff which is voluntarily there and is committed to stay on, and also hundreds of national staff who are committed to stay on and who do a fantastic job every day and save lives. [ … ] The Secretary-General reminded me that the humanitarian community at large is having more or less the same attitude. Most of the non-governmental organizations stay on. Some are pulling out. But I think it is important that we now are able to convey through the Secretary-General that we are in a way hanging on with our finger nails in Iraq, and there are many who have already left and we are down to a fraction of the kind of a presence we had before 19 August.

SG: Thank you very much.