Press encounter following Security Council closed meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the question of Palestine, UNHQ (unofficial transcript)

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, in your statement you call for all the issues to be tackled in parallel without preconditions and for a permanent solution without further delay. Is this the plan that you would like to see President Bush adopt?

SG: Well, I think I have put forth my own idea as to how we should proceed. I know that there is lots of discussion in Washington and other parties have put forward their own views and ideas as to how the issue should be tackled. I hope at the end of the day whatever plan is adopted or put on the table, will tackle the issues that I have raised, because those are the core issues, and unless we deal with the fundamental issues we will not be able to deal with the problem.

Q: How would you respond to Israeli sentiments that they cannot begin to negotiate and withdraw and take back their settlements without some cessation of violence, in other words they have to have some sort of basic precondition of an end of violence?

SG: I don't know if it's a precondition. Obviously I am also in favour of seeing the violence cease. There has been quite a lot of talk about ceasefire but we have also seen many of these conflicts where a ceasefire, a cessation [of hostilities] is embedded in a political process. You have to tackle these issues. Over the past twenty months we have talked about ceasefire first, seven days of cessation of hostilities - it's not led us anywhere. You have to give both parties a sense that you are determined and moving ahead to tackle the issues, and of course security is extremely important for the Israelis, but for the Palestinians, the end of the occupation is essential. That is also important. All these issues are on the table, as well as the deplorable economic conditions which I referred to.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, as the Iraq talks loom once again, in Vienna, how would you characterise the level of cooperation from the Security Council to Baghdad's wishes regarding some questions?

SG: I haven't got yet from the Council the answers the Iraqis - you will remember they submitted nineteen questions? We have been able to answer some of the technical questions, but their question as to what the future holds for the no-fly-zone and the U.S. discussion of regime change, I have not been able to give them any answers. And I am sure they would want to know when I see them next time whether I have any new developments on that.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, on the issue of the Syrian Foreign Minister. We understand that there was some exchange on the issue of terrorism. Could you comment on Syria's role - what the Foreign Minister said -- how he received your requests about the Blue Line?

SG: First of all, I think I would want you to ask that, reserve that question for the President of the Security Council, but I will say that he indicated that his government and the others in the area, as far as the Blue Line is concerned, have done whatever they can to keep it quiet.

On the question of terrorism, as I said, pose that question to the President of the...oh, of course, I see what you mean, he is the President - you haven't seen him yet, have you? Basically, he did indicate that, obviously he is against the killing of innocent civilians, but raised the question of the helplessness of the Palestinians, and indicated that they are not the only ones guilty of harming civilians.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, in follow-up to Richard's question, what specifically do you want to come out of the talks in Vienna in July? And there is talk that this would be the decisive round - how decisive will this round of talks be?

SG: I wouldn't know until I get there. I would want to see a decisive meeting. As I have indicated, we cannot keep talking forever. I would hope that we will be able to yield some results. I am looking forward to seeing the Iraqi delegation in Vienna.

Q: How do you define decisive?

SG: Well, I meant decisive in the sense that we would want to see some positive developments, I would want to see agreement that the inspectors would go in, and in my answer to Richard I indicated some of the concerns on the Iraqi side. But my main hope is that we will be able to make some progress on the return of inspectors.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, how seriously do you take the U.S. threat to withdraw participation and involvement in UN-mandated peacekeeping missions unless they get protection from the International Criminal Court?

SG: As you know, I am one of those who believes that the establishment of the Court is an important development in international law. And the U.S. has taken a sovereign decision not to participate, but [69] other countries have take a sovereign decision to participate and I think we need to respect these sovereign decisions. As to the discussions in the discussions in the [Security] Council on the exemption of U.S. troops from the remit of the Court, I think that is an issue for the Council to decide. But let me say that the Court will not pursue anyone who is accused of wrongdoing or crimes if his or her own government prosecutes. It is only where the Government concerned is unwilling or unable that the Court steps in. Under current peacekeeping arrangements, it is the governments who loan the troops to us who have the responsibility for disciplining the troops and punishing them, and invariably we send them back home for the governments to discipline. This is how peacekeeping operations have worked all these years. And so, really, I don't see a problem as far as the peacekeepers are concerned.

Q: Is it true that there may be a possibility of not holding the Vienna talks, and as you are in touch with the leaders in the region and with President Bush - do you think the events, the suicide bombings, and the occupation of Palestinian lands, are going to delay for a very long time that awaited vision by the President, in particular since you said that you thought that there is a necessity for a timeline [inaudible] and a timeframe as far as pronouncing final settlement. Can you address these three points, please?

SG: On the question of the meeting with the Iraqi government, the meeting will go ahead in Vienna. I am not in a position to comment on when President Bush will make his statement, but I think, like all of you, I am looking forward to the statement. I believe that the sooner we can put the conference together, the better. I hope the conference will be about substance, not about process, and that we can yield genuine results, with timelines, to give a real message to those concerned that the international community is determined to work with them to resolve the problem. I am using the word resolve - crisis resolution - and not management. It will be difficult, it will be tough, it is not going to be easy, but I think we need to move in that direction.

Q: As a former soccer player, what did you think of your wife's penalty kick yesterday?

SG: I must say, it's been an incredible World Cup, because all the favourites seem to have been knocked out, or most of them. And so you cannot take anything for granted. I am not going to put a bet on who is going to win because I am not sure I would be right. But it has been an incredible World Cup - I think it is a World Cup of the underdogs, it seems to me, so there is hope for all of us underdogs. Thank you very much. *****