Let me first of all thank you very much, Secretary of State, for hosting this meeting, and Ladies and Gentlemen, for coming this afternoon.

On the question of the multinational force, which we also discussed briefly this afternoon, my proposal was based on the premise that the mistrust and the enmity between the two sides is so deep that they are going to need a third party mechanism, a third party presence, to help them as we move ahead. And the idea of a force was to help create a secure and calm environment that will allow for reconstruction, delivery of humanitarian assistance, and as we try to strengthen Palestinian institutions, including security, so that they can honour their commitments, as you have heard the Secretary of State talk about reconstruction and rebuilding of institutions.

And I thought the presence would also give us the space that we need to continue political and diplomatic discussions. And so it is part of the package - not separate - from the efforts we are trying to make to find a solution.

I am encouraged that there are U.S. and British wardens on the ground monitoring the imprisonment of the six.

Let me now turn to the Jenin issue. I think my position and intentions have been made very clear through my letter to the [Security] Council and the discussions that we held in the Council yesterday. The Council is still deliberating and going to write to me today. I hope I will get a letter from them at the end of the day. I don't know what next they will do, but there is a paragraph in the draft letter, which I have seen, which would require that we proceed and prepare a report on Jenin with all available information, implying, "do it", even if you cannot get on the ground. I have not received the letter yet. They are discussing it. I don't know whether that paragraph will survive or not, but it is likely to survive. Once I get that mandate I will have to determine who undertakes that work. Thank you very much.

Q: Just very quickly, on Jenin, in Madrid two weeks ago, three weeks ago, you said that you thought the international community would be appalled by what it discovered there. Have you changed your evaluation on the basis of what you know now?

SG: I think we have all seen the reports, and the pictures that are coming out of Jenin, and I think my description then was not exaggerated.*****