Secretary-General's press encounter with Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar of Spain (unofficial transcript)

SG: Thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister. I think the Prime Minister has given you the gist of the topics we covered; and I would not want to repeat all of it.

But let me take this opportunity to thank the Prime Minister and Spain for the very important role they are playing in the UN and on the international scene.

We talked about Iraq, of course, and the Middle East, and that region is of great importance to all of us. And I think Spain has a special leadership role to play, given its proximity and its understanding of that region.

And I was very pleased to see that the King and the Queen of Spain went to Syria and visited the region. And I think it is that sort of contact, dialogue and constant communication that we need and I was very pleased to read that the visit went extremely well. And these kinds of visits are of extreme importance, much more important than one would, on first view, think it is.

I would also want to say that I look forward indeed to joining the Prime Minister and other leaders of the Ibero-American meeting in Bolivia because it is an important meeting and a lot is happening in that region. We have been working with the governments on strengthening democratic institutions and encouraging development of economic and social progress. I look forward to being able to be at that meeting to engage the leaders directly.

A lot has happened in Latin America in the area of democratic reform, and I´ve often used that as an example for other regions, where, in a relatively short period of about ten or fifteen years, we saw all the Generals return to the barracks, democratic institutions coming into force. And we would want to see those institutions strengthened. And we support the democratic programmes and processes that are going on in that region. And the UNDP and other UN programmes are working very, very closely with these governments.

But we´ll pause here and take your questions.

Thank you very much. And my friend is going to take me to a football match, and so please don´t delay us. [laughter]

[The Prime Minister then called on a journalist]

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, some officials have suggested that the amount of money, the amount of money raised here is not really important, that what really matters is simply the international show of support. Do you agree? What would be a successful outcome for you?

And secondly, how can you assure the skeptics that the money raised here will not be simply used to cement US control over Iraq? Thank you.

SG: Well, I think the Conference is off to a good start. First of all, early last week the Security Council unanimously agreed on a resolution on Iraq. And I think when you look at the attendance between tomorrow and Thursday, you're going to have a very wide and senior representation. And that in itself is a good sign.

In terms of actual contributions, I think the next two days will be a start. I would expect that we will get substantial contributions from governments. I don't expect governments to announce everything they are going to do for Iraq in the future tomorrow. But tomorrow and the day after will be an important beginning, and I think we will be able to raise the amount necessary to start the reconstruction of Iraq in a robust and determined manner.

What is important is that the effort be sustained. The effort will continue beyond tomorrow and Friday [Thursday], and I hope that over time governments and institutions will do much more than they are going to announce tomorrow and Friday [Thursday].

Q: And with regard to the sceptics who think the money may be used to cement …?

SG: Oh, sorry. I think there are several arrangements in place. First of all, you have an auditing board, which is made up of an international group –the World Bank, the IMF, the UN and the Arab [Development] Bank, which will form an auditing board that will oversee the use of these funds. And besides, there will be a mechanism where the UN and the World Bank will be involved in the disbursements of some of the funds which are going to be raised.

Of course, the US has its own bilateral arrangements, including the $20 billion that the President has asked for from the US Congress. But I think we have in place enough mechanisms and arrangements that should assure people that the money will not only be properly used but there will be a good oversight mechanism.

[The Prime Minister said that he agreed with everything the Secretary-General just said and then called on another journalist.]

Q [Translated from the Spanish]: Mr. Annan, I would like to know whether you think that if the United Nations had a greater role in the reconstruction of Iraq, you may have stayed throughout this Madrid donors' conference, that you would have stayed through the two days. [He then asked a question of the Prime Minister in Spanish.]

SG: My presence here has nothing to do with what I think of the UN role. The resolution did give the UN a role, and on the reconstruction, we've been very actively involved. In fact, the programme that will be looked at tomorrow was prepared by the UN, the UN family and the World Bank. We sent an assessment mission into Iraq and they've done a fantastic job, indicating the sectors where there are needs and what needs to be done. And so the UN has been at the centre of this reconstruction effort. And in fact I'm here today with the head of the UN Development Programme [Mark Malloch Brown] and Jan Egeland, who is the Humanitarian Coordinator for the UN system. And lots of the UN agencies will also be represented here. And so we are fully represented.

If I have to leave tomorrow and be in New York on Thursday, it's because there's another urgent responsibility that I have to fulfil. The 24th of October is UN Day. It is also the day on which I'm unveiling a memorial in the name of all those who have died in service of the UN and in service of peace over the last 58 years. And given what has happened in Iraq, and the bomb that hit our Headquarters on the 19th of August, I think that it's extremely important that I should be there to honour these courageous men and women who have lost their lives in the service of peace.

And so that's why I'm here tomorrow but will have to be in New York for that event. So I'm trying to squeeze in two important events in two days on two different continents.

Thank you.

[The Prime Minister then replied in Spanish to the question that had been put to him. He then closed the press conference.]