HIGHLIGHTS OF
U.N.
SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON'S
PRESS CONFERENCE
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
SECRETARY-GENERAL: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
Before taking your questions, let me make some brief
opening statement.
First, in the context of the global financial crisis, I
would like to call your attention to the closing of the General Debate and the
remarkable success of our two High-Level Events on the Millennium Development
Goals and African Development Needs.
Everyone has felt the earthquake on Wall Street. But it has
not shaken our resolve.
Banks may be failing. But the world’s bottom billion can
bank on us.
We showed that last week.
The global financial crisis may have over-shadowed our
work, but it did not dominate it.
Despite the market turmoil, we raised $16 billion.
The generosity of these commitments is most encouraging,
given the economic climate.
It means the world is not forgetting the needs of the
world’s poorest people, notwithstanding the prospect of harder times.
It means that, for all the obstacles, we have a good chance
of meeting our Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
I urge world leaders to honour these pledges.
We saw genuinely fresh thinking and new approaches. Our new
initiative on malaria, backed by a broad range of public and private partners,
is a model of how a problem that we have lived with for too long can be
overcome.
I also call your attention to WFP’s truly innovative pilot
programme for spurring agricultural development in Africa.
I urge you to remember both as you write about these issues
over the coming months. As you know, they will be front-and-centre next month at
the Doha conference on financing for development.
Second, a few words on issues of peace and security:
Next week, I fly to Geneva for talks with the European
Union and OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) concerning
the situation in Georgia and the future role of the United Nations.
As you know, I have called for a four-month technical
extension of the UNOMIG mandate, which is going to expire by 15 October, next
week. That should give us time to establish a firm framework for future
cooperation among all the parties. My special envoy, Johan Verbeke, has just
returned from his visits to Tblisi and Abkhazia and will remain fully and deeply
engaged.
The situation in Darfur is deteriorating. We are seeing
increasing attacks on UN and international staff.
The UNAMID mission is severely stretched.
Just yesterday, a Nigerian peacekeeper was killed in an
ambush. He was the 9th UN soldier to die in Darfur in the last three
months.
That is why I have sent our new head of UN Peacekeeping
Operations, Alain Le Roy, to Sudan this week. The head of the UN Department of
Field Services, Ms. Susana Malcorra, is also in Khartoum now. The purpose of
their visit is to accelerate our deployment and push the political process,
without which there can be no peace.
Despite the many obstacles, we aim to reach 65 percent
deployment by the end of the year, and 85 percent by March 2009. I may have to
adjust a little bit in view of the circumstances on the ground.
The first Egyptian and Ethiopian battalions will deploy by
the end of October.
Yesterday I spoke with the Prime Minister of Thailand with
a view toward securing the deployment of a Thai battalion in Darfur. I also
discussed this matter with the Prime Minister of Nepal during the General
debate. As you know, the Government of Sudan has approved the deployment of
both Thai and Nepalese military units. They were very positive conversations and
I am assured that the Thai and Nepali Governments will move ahead as soon as
possible.
During the General Debate, President Viktor Yushchenko and
I explored the possibility of deploying Ukrainian military helicopters and
personnel to Darfur. We have had subsequent discussions with the Ukrainian
Defense Minister in New York last week. These efforts are continuing.
The political and military situation in Afghanistan is
precarious, at best. The multinational force is stretched to the limit of its
current resources. In this context, I thank the Japanese Government for its
contributions, most recently the decision to extend its naval mission in the
Indian Ocean.
In Somalia, three million people are in danger of starving.
Nearly 90 percent of the food that feeds them arrives from the sea aboard WFP
ships.
As you know, pirates are terrorizing Somalia’s coastal
waters. Navy vessels from the Netherlands, France, Denmark and Canada have been
escorting our ships safely into the ports.
Canada’s tour of duty ends on October 23. As yet, no nation
has volunteered to take Canada’s place.
Without escorts, those ships will not arrive. Without that
aid, more people will die.
The European Union and other nations are discussing
solutions. I am going to discuss this matter with Javier Solana when I visit
Geneva. I urge them to bear in mind the October 23 deadline as they consider
longer-term solutions to the challenge of piracy on the Horn of Africa.
The political future of Somalia is uncertain again. Yet we
need to set to work on a plan for deploying a viable multinational force to help
secure a peace, or at the very least sustain its people. I have been discussing
this issue with a number of leaders of potential troop contributing countries.
Amid the crises of the moment, we must not forget the
plight of others.
Lastly, a word on climate change.
It remains the defining challenge of our era. The danger is
that, as with the MDGs, the magnitude of the threat will be obscured by
shorter-term problems, and in particular the deepening financial crisis.
If so, this would be a tragedy. We have no time to lose.
In December, negotiators gather in Poznan, Poland. At that
point they will have less than a year to reach a successful climate change
agreement in Copenhagen.
We need to come away from Poznan with a shared vision for
international cooperation, a clear work-plan with specific goals, a serious
commitment to a global Adaptation Fund, and above all a strong willingness to
the part of developed and developing nations alike to lead on an issue that all
agree is an existential threat to our planet.
Faced with immediate economic troubles, it would be natural
for Governments and the people everywhere to lose sight of this fact.
Our job is to not let that happen.
Our job is to keep science at the forefront. To keep public
attention focused on the issue. And above all, to keep making progress.
For in truth, no challenge is as great as this.
Grave as it may be, today’s financial crisis will be
overcome. We must underline the need for “crisis-proofing” of the important
priorities of the United Nations from international financial turbulence.
Thank you very much. I will be happy to answer your
questions.
Q: Thank you, Mr. Secretary-General. Yesterday the
President of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick, called for doubling the membership
of the G7 in order to deal with the global economic crisis. The current G7 is
unable to contain the crisis. I wonder what is your position to really
strengthen the multilateralism mechanism to deal with the economic crisis and
serve programmes like the MDGs. Without a strong mechanism I don’t know if you
are confident you can get the $16 billion by 2015.
SG: Like anybody else in the world, I’m very much
concerned about this continuing financial crisis. Though the US government has
agreed to have this bail-out programme for $700 billion and European Union
leaders are taking necessary measures and I understand the finance ministers of
important countries will gather this weekend for the Bretton Woods institutions
meetings, I hope they’ll be able to address this issue and contain first of all
and look at the medium and longer term measures to address this issue. As
Secretary-General I am very much concerned about the impact which this crisis
may impose on world leaders and world governments, particularly the developed
countries, donor countries whose capacity may be weakened in addressing the
Millennium Development Goals and climate change and the global food crisis. This
is why I am emphasizing that we need to underline the crisis-proofing of the
UN’s major priorities. We are facing multiple crises. In that regard I agree
with what the President of World Bank, Mr. Robert Zoellick, stressed. The G-8
leaders have committed to provide annually 50 billion dollars for the proposal
for helping developing countries, in 2005 at the Gleneagles Summit. Now because
of changing prices, it has gone up at least $62 billion. First of all G-8
countries should implement their commitments and they should look at this issue
while addressing financial crises; they should not lose sight and they should
keep in mind to put at the forefront the challenges of the most vulnerable
countries, the poorest countries in the world.
Q: Secretary-General. Do you think it would help the
peace process in Darfur that you yourself have committed so much time, if the UN
Security Council passed a resolution suspending the ICC’s investigation of
President [Omar] al-Bashir? Would you support that?
SG: This is very important and this is an issue involved
in very fundamental principles of peace and justice. I believe that peace and
justice are two very important pillars we must uphold. First of all, I’m very
much aware of the concerns expressed, particularly by the African Union and the
League of Arab States and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Member
States, even many Non-Aligned Movement countries on addressing this ICC issue.
As Secretary-General, I have a broad responsibility to promote and protect and
uphold two important principles. I think these two principles should go hand in
hand in parallel. In addressing this issue, first of all, the Sudanese
Government should fully cooperate to ensure that this peace process, as well as
the safe and security and deployment of the Hybrid Operation progress as
smoothly, as expeditiously, as possible while also they look at this issue of
taking very credible judicial measures to meet the expectations and requirements
of the International Criminal Court. The International Criminal Court is an
independent and judicial organization whose decisions and judgment should be
respected and protected. And that is what I am going to do. There needs to be
a very harmonious balance while we keep these two processes and pillars moving
in parallel.
Q: Can you comment a bit more on the political process
taking place in Somalia right now, and what hope is there for that process to
move forward and give some relief that’s giving rise to the piracy situation?
SG: There was a very important agreement signed between the
Government and the Alliance [for the Re-liberation of Somalia], the ARS, in
early June, and there was again a very important agreement among the political
leaders in Somalia, Ethiopia, during the month of August. Those were very
encouraging developments of the situation politically inside Somalia and we
strongly support this political reconciliatory dialogue, and it should continue
and the international community should support such a process. At the same time,
I would urge Somalia leaders to do more, to have an inclusive political dialogue
comprising all the factors, all the ethnic groups and all the religious leaders
and all the spectrums of their society. At the same time, as I just said in my
opening remarks, the international community is now very serious in looking at
how to help the security concerns through the deployment of international
stabilization forces. I’m in the process of identifying potential troop
contributing countries who can provide the troops and funds and resources and
other tools. This [is an] ongoing effort, I think we need to have very
comprehensive approaches on this issue.
Q: Good morning Mr. Secretary-General. Thank you for this
opportunity. I want to get your opinion on the issue of cross-border attacks in
Pakistan by the United States government. As you know it’s been a very
controversial issue and there’s been a lot of discussion about it. Do you feel
that this is something that the US should continue to do, and what is your
official position on it?
SG: On this issue, I understand that the American and
Pakistani authorities, they have been discussing to find a very harmonious
resolution on this issue. I understand that there were such cases, while
fighting against terrorism, there seemed to have been some cases which created
some political controversies between the two countries. At this time, as the
United Nations, I would only hope and urge the concerned parties to resolve this
issue, respecting each other’s concerns as well as their sovereignty and
territorial integrity.
Q: Mr. Secretary-General, my question is about Afghanistan
and since you have yourself described the situation as precarious, the British
Ambassador has said, as you know, that the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan is
failing against Taliban and will fail. And now your own representative, the
Special Representative of the Secretary-General, also has reinforced that view
and has said that there is no military solution, and there should be political
upsurge. And having said that, sir, he has also made a peace appeal to the
Taliban. In this situation, Sir, what is the United Nations going to do?
SG: I think that we should look at this issue
comprehensively. I believe that there is no perfect military option. I believe
that there should be more political dialogue to resolve these issues in a
political community. This is desirable. But at the same time you should also
understand that there are realistic and practical concerns and challenges of
eradicating, fighting against terrorism. That is why we need the military
operations. Therefore, military operations and political dialogue and political
solutions should be harmoniously balanced. That is what we have been working on,
and I was very much encouraged during the International Conference on
Afghanistan which was held in Romania, that there was such a strong support from
the international community for peace and stability and humanitarian assistance
in Afghanistan. That is what the United Nations has been leading by our Special
Representative. Mr. Kai Eide has been given a unique coordinating role by the
international community. He has been coordinating in his much strengthened
capacity as SRSG among all the major international actors in Afghanistan. We
hope that based on the international community’s support, Afghanistan’s
government leaders should also do their own part in strengthening and promoting
more inclusive political dialogue with all the spectrum of Afghanistan -- do
more for good governance, fighting again, eradicating this corrupting practices
prevalent in Afghanistan, including all the opium and drug trafficking. Those
are all what the international community and the Afghanistan Government should
do. Whenever I had a meeting with President [Hamid]
Karzai of Afghanistan, I have emphasized those points. First strengthening the
inclusive political dialogue, good governance and also strengthening their
relationship with their neighbouring countries, particularly with Pakistan. When
I met President [Asif Ali] Zardari of Pakistan, I also emphasized this point,
and I was very much encouraged when President Karzai attended the inaugural
ceremony of President Zardari of Pakistan and they had a joint press conference
committing themselves to work together for peace and stability.
Q: Just while we are on Pakistan, I’m wondering if you can
update us on the call for the independent probe on Benazir Bhutto, and how you
see that contributing or distracting from stability in a region that people are
concerned about.
SG: I have been discussing this matter even before
President Zardari was elected as President and during the General Debate session
I had also in-depth discussions. We have an agreement that there will be sort of
some commission established under the United Nations, but [we are discussing]
any detailed technical matters of who should be appointed as commission members
and how it should be funded and how long it should be and what would be the
scope. It is not going to be an investigation but we are looking at finding out
all the situations on this assassination of Mrs. Bhutto. But we are still
discussing this matter with the Pakistani Government.
Q: First, I’d like to thank you for opening the new doors
of the building and handicapped people finding it much easier to move around.
Thank you. My question is on Lebanon. There has been a report lately that
Syria is massing forces on the northern borders with Lebanon. Saad Hariri, the
political leader in Lebanon, has warned the international community that Syria
might use the pretext of the terrorist attack to meddle in Tripoli and northern
Lebanon. However, the foreign minister of Syria sat with me on 27 September and
he denied that there were any forces in a high state of alert, increased forces
from Syria. However, the State Department just through Robert Wood, one of
their spokesmen, warned Syria yesterday not to interfere in northern Lebanon and
to use their mass forces on the northern borders. What is your take, what is
your information and what advice do you give to the Syrian government?
SG: First of all, both the leaders of Syria and Lebanon
should not lose this momentum created recently between the two countries through
the formation of a national unity government, and the new president elected in
Lebanon, and also their willingness to establish diplomatic relationship through
exchanging full ambassadors. And there has been again increasing, encouraging
developments, a situation where Syria has been hosting good international
meetings in Damascus. Those are very encouraging developments of the situation,
which we need to encourage always. Therefore I would urge that that the leaders
of both governments should refrain from first of all any unilateral actions
which may disturb, disrupt this process and fully cooperate. When I had the
meetings with President [Michel] Suleiman and President [Bashar al-] Assad of
Syria, they all committed themselves and they were all very much encouraged by
the very encouraging atmosphere between the two countries, and they committed
themselves that they would do whatever they can to improve their relationship,
which will be a very conducive to overall peace and stability in the region.
Q: But there are masses and masses of forces and Syria is
in a high state of alert according to the State Department. What’s your take on
that?
SG: I just said that they should refrain from taking any
unilateral measures which may disrupt this ongoing process.
Q: On the same subject. Mr. [Michael] Williams, your
Special Coordinator, has “played down the seriousness of the event”, and the US
has expressed concern by sending Cobras to Lebanon to face Syrian intervention.
As Secretary-General, what is your position on this particular issue, and how
would you address this issue?
SG: I would support whatever Mr. Michael Williams has said
as my new Special Representative in Lebanon. First of all, we are now
addressing the situation, not only in Lebanon. All throughout the Middle East,
we have seen many important initiatives and encouraging developments of the
situation, which we really nurture at this time for the benefit of peace and
stability in the region. That is what I want to see, and that is what I am
going to work even harder with the arrival of the new SRSG in Lebanon.
Q: Allow me to ask one country-specific question, and my
question is on UNMIS, the peacekeeping mission in the southern part of Sudan.
In addition to the continuation of the refueling operation in the Indian Ocean,
recently the Japanese Government decided to send only two officers to the
[Sudan] mission. Do you think it is enough of a contribution on the part of the
Japanese Government to the UN peacekeeping operations?
SG: I was informed by Amb. [Yukio] Takasu a few days ago
of the Japanese Government’s contribution, and I appreciated the Japanese
Government’s willingness to contribute to UNMIS. Of course, as
Secretary-General, I may want to have as many contributions as possible from
Member States, including Japan, but even a small contribution will make a
difference. That is what I can say.
Q: Thank you. I have a question about the financial
crisis. But before I get to that, please indulge me. When Tuyet asked the
question about Robert Zoellick, and the idea of expansion, you said “I agree
with Zoellick,” you meant on expansion of the G8, correct?
SG: Yes.
Q: Okay. Now, on the financial crisis, normally when the
Secretary-General, when a crisis comes up – a shooting war or something that can
possibly involve the UN, you would be on the phone, mediating, using your good
offices, is this one case where there is really, other than calling on developed
countries not to lose focus on the bottom billion, you really can’t do
anything? The Secretary-General can’t mediate, can’t get in the middle of
this? And if that’s not the case, do you have any specific ideas that you have
been putting forward, about how the world’s Governments would resolve this
crisis? And corollary to that, would you agree with the President of the
General Assembly, Mr. [Miguel d’Escoto] Brockman’s proposal, for revising the
formulas for electing the boards of the World Bank and the IMF to reflect
greater the developing world?
SG: You should know that, even though it has not been
announced or released publicly, that during my many bilateral meetings with
world leaders during the General Debate week - I have had, I think, 125
bilateral meetings - this financial crisis issue was one of the very important
agenda [items] which I have discussed, particularly with leaders coming from
industrialized countries. I expressed my concern, but expressing concern may
not be enough at this time. That is why I am going to discuss again this matter
on 24 October when I am going to convene the CEB – the Chief Executives Board
for coordination, a meeting where all the heads of UN agencies, including the
World Bank and the IMF, will get together on that day and on the following day.
This will be discussed with great emphasis, and I have allocated a special
session devoted to the financial crisis issue. I also welcome the President of
the General Assembly’s initiative to hold a thematic debate on 24 October to
discuss this financial crisis issue.
Q: And his suggestion to revise the election of Board
members to the World Bank and the IMF to reflect the developing world?
SG: This is one of the initiatives he has announced as
part of his initiatives as President of the General Assembly to look at the
issue of democratization of the Bretton Woods institutions. That depends upon
the Member States, as well as the Governing Boards of the Bretton Woods
institutions.
Q: Mr. Secretary-General, when he was meeting with us, the
French Foreign Minister said if any G8 country says they are going to meet all
their pledges given the financial crisis, they are lying. So, I am wondering
what is your threshold? Has anybody handed you a cheque that actually gives you
optimism that you are going to get the $16 billion? And what is the first
threshold that you are going to reach when you understand whether you are going
to get those pledges or not?
SG: The $16 billion were pledged during the General Debate
while world leaders were discussing measures to address the global financial
crisis. Therefore, first of all, I am very much encouraged even during the
crisis of these financial problems, that the leaders are committed to see the
realization of the Millennium Development Goals. That is a very important
commitment, demonstrated by the leaders. That is the real good demonstration of
their leadership. I hope that this will be implemented.
Q: Are you sure this can be implemented? Are you going to
see the money? There are so many pledges that have been taking place all the
time, and they never happen actually.
SG: There are many monitoring mechanisms, when the Member
States make a commitment. It is true that there are always gaps between
commitment and actual following of the funds. There is a time gap, but we have
some monitoring mechanisms within the UN system. One important occasion will be
the Doha Conference on Financing for Development. There, we will also have a
very important occasion to discuss this issue on how to fund mobilized financing
in addressing global challenges.
Q: Thank you, Sir. In your remarks here you made a review
of different political crises all over the world, like what is happening in
Somalia, Darfur, Afghanistan, Georgia, but I was wondering, still, why you
didn’t say any word about the peace process in the Middle East – I mean the
conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Does it mean that you are going
to put this issue on hold for a year or two?
SG: There should be no misunderstandings. You cannot talk
of all the issues of the world at one time.
The Middle East is also a very important priority issue for
the peace and stability of the world. As you know, I have convened a very
important Quartet meeting, as well as a Quartet-plus Iftar dinner, inviting 13
Arab leaders on September 26th. We had very good discussions. First
of all we agreed that the Annapolis Middle East peace process should continue,
and there should be a dividend achieved out of this Annapolis peace process. It
is encouraging that the leaders of both Israel and the Palestinian Authority
have been regularly meeting, and I am quite convinced that this bilateral
meeting will continue, even with the change of leadership in Israel. There may
be some skepticism [about] whether this Annapolis peace process may be able to
be realized as was promised by the U.S. President. But our duty, our role, and
our commitment should continue until the very last minute of President George
Bush’s mandate. If it cannot be achieved by then, they should be taken over as
a priority issue by the incoming administration of the United States. Many Arab
countries were also hopeful about the prospect of this. So, one should not be
overly pessimistic, even though we have not seen any very positive, tangible
results. You have again my full commitment. There was an agreement that we
will have another Quartet meeting in the region with the parties concerned -
that means the Israelis and Palestinian leaders will participate in the Quartet
and brief on their progress of the peace talks.
Q: Are you going to Annapolis II in November?
SG: If there is going to be any important meeting on the
Middle East, I will participate.
Q: Yesterday in the General Assembly, the Indian
Ambassador made a critique of this Annual Report that you had made about the
work of the UN. He said it lacked vision, and it didn’t address enough the
financial crisis, and he specifically took issue with this idea that you have
articulated about the Member States should be accountable to the UN. He said,
on accountability, just to give you a chance to respond to that, first of all,
where is the so-called accountability report about the bombing in Algiers? It
is quite a bit late now; if you can say where that is?
Also, you yourself personally did a public financial
disclosure, to your credit, but many of your senior officials did not. In fact,
there is a recent report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers for the UN that said that 172
people that were required to disclose did not, versus 34 in the previous year.
So what is going to be the accountability there?
And finally, some of your senior officials have been saying
that this idea that you have of forced mobility, of taking 20 percent from DPKO,
they are saying that this might not be a good idea, that you might lose
expertise. So what is your idea behind that, and how can it help the problems
that you have been discussing today?
SG: I am glad that you have raised this very important
reform, management reform agenda, while everybody seems to be interested and
focusing on regional conflict issues. Accountability is a very important
priority issue for me, as Secretary-General. I think, throughout this
organization, including the Secretariat and Member States and all related
organizations in the UN family, they should stand on the very firm and strict
principle of accountability. You may remember that I had been speaking out on
accountability. I termed it full accountability. When you think about
accountability there is a tendency of asking [for] accountability [by] the
Secretary-General or Secretariat, but I think as I said in my report to the 63rd
session of the General Assembly on September 23rd, the Secretariat
and the Secretary-General will always be fully accountable to the Member
States. At the same time, Member States should also be accountable to the
Organization, as said in the Charter. I went ahead by saying that, in more
specifics, the Member States cannot continue just adopting resolutions and
giving mandates to the Secretariat all the time without providing the necessary
funding and troops and resources. This would be an impossible, impossible
mission in such a case. Therefore Member States should be accountable to the
Organization, and Member Sates should be accountable among themselves. Whatever
they have committed, they should keep this promise.
Now, coming back to the accountability of the Secretariat,
I think I made great strides and progress in terms of accountability of senior
advisers. This was the first time in the history of the United Nations that a
Secretary-General has disclosed his financial assets, to which I hoped that the
senior advisers would follow. At the beginning of my tenure last year, the
progress was not impressive, but at the end of last year you will see the
record, that most senior advisers, I think almost all, have submitted their
financial disclosure [forms]. This is spreading [through] even lower ranks who
are required to submit their financial declaration. This will continue.
But accountability does not limit itself only to the
financial declaration. This is just one small part. Whatever has been said and
promised should be kept. That is part of accountability.
Now, mobility, when I said I would like to have as a pilot,
20 percent, this is something which I set as an example. I have asked the
Under-Secretary-General of Management to submit to me a pilot project to, first
of all, to facilitate this mobility among the staff. I know that there is some
resistance and reluctance among the staff. This is again new. But without
mobility you cannot expect that our staff will be multi-functional,
multi-skilled, and you cannot expect anybody who had been working in the same
place for 10 years, 15 years, even 20 years - you cannot expect from those
people any creativity or any motivation. They will just be doing their job as a
daily routine. From a daily routine you cannot expect this Organization working
under “business as usual” all the time. We really need some fresh wind, some
impact on the motivation, just to make our staff more motivated. Then from
motivation you have some creativity.
I begin every day as if this is my first day as
Secretary-General. I hope that our staff will really do their job as if they
are beginning their first day, all the time, every morning, when they come to
the office, they should be able to come with a great sense of expectation and
commitment. It’s not like a 9 to 5. This is not what the international
community expects from us. I need to meet the expectation of the international
community, Member States, so you have my firm commitment.
Then, how to promote this mobility, this is a very
difficult job - I know that - because of all the different conditions of
services. That is why I have proposed to the General Assembly the proposals for
harmonization of these conditions of services. It is different from the
Secretariat to UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA, Funds and Programmes and specialized
agencies. Even the head of a mission abroad gets a minimum of 20 per cent less
salary than his or her deputies when somebody comes from Funds or Programmes.
This is again an unacceptable situation. I have been making this case to Member
States. Let me have this harmonization of services of contract. We have all
different types of contracts – therefore it is extremely difficult to have
smooth mobility among 15 different contracts. I am not aware why this system
has developed in this way. That is what I am going to change.
Q: Mr. Secretary-General, a question about Myanmar. Is
there anything that you can do personally to break the deadlock between the
Government and the opposition? And are you still planning to pay a return visit
to Myanmar before the end of the year?
SG: Again on this, you have my firm commitment and
assurances that I will be constantly and personally engaged – at my level and
through my Special Adviser Mr. [Ibrahim] Gambari’s engagement with the Myanmar
authorities. I have convened for the first time this high-level meeting where
many countries were represented at the ministerial, foreign ministers, level.
It was very encouraging. There was firm support for the continuing good offices
role of the Secretary-General, and also Mr. Gambari’s engagement there. That
will continue. There was again strong commitment from the Group of Friends of
the Secretary-General that they will provide whatever necessary assistance and
cooperation to enable that. There was again a strong urge from the Member
States that it is up to the Myanmar Government, that they should fully implement
the democraticization process, and also release political prisoners, including
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Now, as to my visit, when I said I will be personally
engaged, that meant that I would be willing to pay a return visit to Myanmar at
an appropriate time. But you should also know that without any tangible or very
favourable results to be achieved, then I may not be in a position to visit
Myanmar without any expectations of …
Q: Are you saying that you do not expect any breakthrough,
any result, are you giving up hope of getting a real negotiation going?
SG: I am now in the process of making some groundwork,
which may allow me to consider my own visit. But at this time, I need some more
time. I will have to consider all the circumstances – when would be an
appropriate time for me to visit.
Q: Mr. Secretary-General, since I come at the end, and you
may have exhausted all the answers regarding political and security and
financial issues, I would like to ask you a question of a different nature. We
know about your political style, your search for dialogue, for harmony, for
reconciliation in the resolution of conflict, but we don’t know much about your
personal taste. So I am going to ask you, what is your hobby? What book are
you reading now? And how do you spend your Sunday afternoons?
SG: That is quite a personal question. Maybe one day,
next time when we meet in a personal setting, I will speak more about my own
hobby and what I do on Sundays and weekends.
Q: [inaudible, on Western Sahara]
SG: My final answer, and please excuse me.
I am in the process of selecting a Personal Envoy who will
work on the Western Sahara issue. I have started consultation with the parties
concerned for a particular person whom I have an intention to appoint. It may
take a little bit more time for me to consult with the parties concerned, but
again, I am very much committed, in view of the long-standing conflict issues in
Western Sahara, to expedite this process and negotiation as soon as possible
once this Special Envoy is appointed.
In the meantime, I have spoken with the leaders of the
concerned parties that while confirming all their respective commitments to
seeing the continuation of negotiation, whether we can promote more measures to
facilitate humanitarian aspects, there is some agreement that separated families
can go by air, but whether they could visit their separated families even [by]
land. This is what has been discussed in the past, but I am now pursuing that
matter. But you have again my high priority and commitment on the Western
Sahara issue.
Thank you very much.
OTHER
DEVELOPMENTS IN THE UN SYSTEM
BAN KI-MOON
DEPLORES SUICIDE ATTACK IN SRI LANKA
The
Secretary-General deplores yesterday's suicide attack in Anuradhpura, Sri
Lanka, which wounded scores and killed a large number of people, including
retired army General Janaka Perera. He sends his condolences to the
Government and people of Sri Lanka and expresses his deepest sympathies to
the victims and their families.
The
Secretary-General strongly condemns acts of this kind that have caused death
and injury of many civilians throughout Sri Lanka. He reiterates his
consistent position that no cause or grievance can justify indiscriminate
attacks against civilians.
UNAMID PATROL
COMES UNDER ATTACK IN DARFUR
The African
Union, the United Nations and the Government of the Sudan today held their
first tripartite meeting in Khartoum to discuss details concerning the
deployment of the AU-UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) and actions
required to this effect.
The meeting was
attended by the African Union Peace and Security Commissioner, Amb. Ramtane
Lamamra, the Under-Secretary-General for Field Support, Susana Malcorra and
Maj. Gen. Magzub Rahama, the head of the Government of Sudan delegation.
UNAMID also reported that on Monday, a nine-vehicle,
50-strong UNAMID patrol, headed for Khor-Abeche from Nyala, South Darfur,
was ambushed near the locality of Menawashi, approximately 75 kilometers
north of Nyala, by 40 to 60 unknown attackers in civilian clothes.
A Nigerian UNAMID soldier was injured in the course of
this attack, which lasted 5 minutes, and later died during his medical
evacuation to Nyala.
UNAMID forces later captured one of the attackers and
handed him over to Government of Sudan (GoS) police in Nyala.
UNAMID will investigate the circumstances and cause of
this attack and will increase its patrols in the area.
AID AGENCIES IN SOMALIA FLAGS DEVASTATING
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION
Last night in Mogadishu, a UN-rented vehicle was hit in
an explosion while traveling on a road between the Marka airstrip to Marka
proper. That’s according to a statement by the Office of the UN Resident
Coordinator for Somalia. The Coordinator says that the UN-contracted Somali
driver was killed in the incident while two UN staff members on board the
vehicle suffered minor injuries. They received preliminary medical care at
the local hospital, and will flown to Nairobi as soon as possible. Pending a
full and thorough investigation of the incident, the UN will temporarily
relocate some of its staff from Marka.
The UN refugee agency, meanwhile, has said that
torrential rains and strong winds have hit a string of makeshift shelters
for the internally displaced along the Afgooye-Mogadishu road. Many of the
shelters were destroyed, leaving many of the displaced homeless, and forcing
some among them to attempt a return to Mogadishu despite dangers of life in
the capital.
Also, a coalition of 52 aid agencies including UN
partner organizations in Somalia today issued a joint statement expressing
“extreme concern” at the devastating humanitarian situation in Somalia. The
agencies say that there has been a 77% increase in the number of Somali in
need of humanitarian assistance since the start of 2008. Noting that the
international community has “completely” failed Somalia civilians, they call
on all parties to the conflict to allow them unhindered access to those in
need of assistance.
SECURITY
COUNCIL BRIEFED ON GUINEA-BISSAU, ADOPTS SOMALIA PIRACY RESOLUTION
In an open
meeting this morning, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn
Pascoe told the Security Council that the drug trafficking threat is a major
challenge to Guinea-Bissau and to its neighbours, many of which are still
recovering from long periods of civil conflicts.
He said that,
although Guinea-Bissau has come a long way since the civil war of the late
1990s, all of the gains achieved to this point in establishing democratic
governance and stability in the country will be at risk if this menace is
not confronted head on. Pascoe also noted the uneasy calm in the country as
elections approach.
Earlier, the
Security Council adopted a resolution calling upon States to take part
actively in the fight against piracy on the high seas off the coast of
Somalia, and urging states that have the capacity to do so to cooperate with
Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government in the fight against piracy and
armed robbery at sea.
UNITED NATIONS
STANDS READY TO SUPPORT KYRGYZSTAN FOLLOWING EARTHQUAKE
The
Secretary-General is saddened by the loss of life, injuries and damage to
property following the earthquake in Kyrgyzstan. He sends his condolences to
those who have lost their loved ones.
The United
Nations stands ready to support authorities in Kyrgyzstan in their efforts
to respond to the tragedy.
SECRETARY-GENERAL REPORTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS
SITUATION IN D.P.R.K.
In his
report to the General Assembly on the situation of human rights in the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Secretary-General registered
serious concern at the lack of tangible progress on the part of the
Government of the DPRK in addressing the range of serious human rights
concerns mentioned in resolution 62/167.
However, the Secretary-General welcomes the efforts
undertaken by the DPRK to engage external food aid and to address the
population’s need for sustainable access to food. He called on the
Government allocate corresponding budget resources and to adopt policy
measures to alleviate the impact of the food shortage and to ensure food
security.
While calling on the DPRK to sustain cooperation with
UN agencies and other humanitarian actors, he also urged the international
community to continue to support humanitarian efforts there.
Stressing his serious concern at the lack of tangible
progress made by the DPRK in other respects to safeguard fundamental rights
and freedoms, the Secretary-General urged the Government to show visible
signs of domestic legal reform so as to fulfill its treaty obligations and
to comply with international standards.
The High Commissioner for Human Rights will continue to
work with other UN agencies to strengthen the promotion and protection of
human rights for all people and will resume previous efforts to engage in a
constructive dialogue with the authorities, with a view to establishing
technical cooperation programmes in the filed of human rights. In the light
of the benefits of such assistance, he appealed to the Government to
positively consider this offer, which is made in good faith.
The Secretary-General urges the Government to allow
access to the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the
DPRK and to other special procedures to observe the situation of human
rights in the country at first hand, as part of its cooperation with the
Human Rights Council.
HUMAN RIGHTS
CHIEF DEPLORES XENOPHOBIC ATTACK IN SOUTH AFRICA
High Commissioner for Human
Rights Navi Pillay today
condemned the murders of a Somali mother and her three children in South
Africa and urged the authorities to take quick and effective measures to
protect foreign migrants and refugees from any further attacks.
“Xenophobic attacks
unfortunately occur regularly in quite a few countries, but this is one of
the most vicious examples we have heard of recently, outside of war zones,”
she said.
FAO REPORT
CALLS FOR URGENT REVIEW OF BIOFUEL POLICIES
In its State
of Food and Agriculture 2008
publication, released today, the Food and Agriculture Organization calls
for an urgent review of biofuel subsidies and policies, in order to preserve
world food security, protect poor farmers, promote rural development and
ensure environmental sustainability. “Biofuels present both opportunities
and risks,” said FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf, who noted that current
policies tend to favour producers in some developed countries over those in
most developing countries.
If developing
countries can reap the benefits of demand for biofuels, and if those
benefits reach the poor in the form of income and employment, then this
could contribute to rural development. Removing agricultural and biofuel
subsidies and trade barriers would greatly enhance that possibility, Diouf
said.
Biofuel
production based on agricultural commodities more than tripled from 2000 to
2007 and now amounts to nearly two per cent of the world’s transport fuel
consumption, the report says. While that growth is expected to continue, the
use of liquid biofuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, will likely remain
limited. Nevertheless, demand for agricultural feedstocks, such as sugar,
maize, and oilseeds, will continue to grow over at least the next decade,
putting upward pressure on food prices.
The report also
finds that expanded use and production of biofuels will not necessarily
contribute as much to reducing greenhouse gas emissions as was previously
assumed. The largest impact of biofuels on such emissions is determined by
land-use change, such as deforestation. Internationally agreed
sustainability criteria could help improve the environmental foot print of
biofuels.
INSECURITY IN EASTERN CHAD FORCES TEMPORARY SUSPENSION
OF HUMANITARIAN WORK: The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA) that growing insecurity in eastern Chad has caused several
humanitarian organizations to temporarily suspend their work in the region. OCHA
adds that several of these organizations have of late become victims of acts of
banditry, with upward of 120 incidents reported since the start of the year.
OCHA says that some 37,000 internally displaced people in Dogdore and Ade could
be without health care, food assistance, and water and sanitation services if
the situation does not improve. Heavy rainfall in the region has also damaged
roads and limited access to people in need. Meanwhile, in southern Chad, new
floods have affected more than 40,000 people. UN agencies are helping the
authorities' relief efforts and OCHA intends to send a mission there next week
to study possible ways to set an early warning system
AFGHAN RETURNS SURPASS 250,000 FOR THE YEAR: The UN
refugee agency (UNHCR) has assisted more than a quarter-million Afghans to
return home so far this year from Pakistan and Iran, many of them reportedly due
to economic and security uncertainties faced in exile. Since January, UNHCR has
assisted a total of 251,880 registered Afghans to repatriate from
neighbouring Pakistan (248,951) and Iran (2,929). Many said they returned to
Afghanistan because they could not afford the high cost of living in exile amid
the current food and fuel crisis. Others cited security uncertainties as a
reason for leaving Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province.
ICJ TO TAKE UP CASE INVOLVING GEORGIA AND RUSSIA:
The International Court of Justice (ICJ),
the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, will on Wednesday, October
15th, deliver an order on the request for the indication of
provisional measures submitted by Georgia against the Russian Federation. The
case concerns allegations of racial discrimination by Russia toward Georgian
minorities during the recent conflict between the two countries. The Court will
consider the case under the International
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
INITIATIVE AIMS TO DEMYSTIFY MATERNAL MORTALITY:
UNICEF is drawing attention to a new tool that helps health experts,
policymakers and communities save women’s lives by analyzing the underlying
medical and social reasons behind maternal death. The Maternal and Perinatal
Death Inquiry and Response (MAPEDIR) is collecting data and analyzing the cases
of 1,600 women across six states in India, the highest number of audited
maternal deaths in the world. MAPEDIR is working to demystify maternal
mortality by helping communities understand its root causes so they can take
effective action and advocate for improved services to prevent future deaths.
This new knowledge examines crucial factors beyond what’s in the medical
records, such as delays in decision-making at the household level, lack of
transport, and delays at facilities. UNICEF is providing technical support to
the initiative, which is funded by the UK’s Department of International
Development.
CONTRIBUTORS TO WOMEN’S HEALTH
AND WOMEN’S RIGHTS TO BE HONOURED: This
evening, the Secretary-General will attend the presentation of the 2008
International Award for the Health and Dignity of Women. Given out by Americans
for the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA),
the prize honors exemplary contributions to women’s health and the promotion of
women’s rights. This year’s recipients are four American women from the
corporate sector and activists from Madagascar, Mexico and Nepal. The
award is named for UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid.
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