Q: Mr. Secretary-General, good morning.
SG: Good morning. What have I done to deserve such a welcome?
Q: Well, there are a lot of things on the agenda. We hope you are feeling well. Could you tell us your reaction to the invitation from the Iraqi Foreign Minister for Mr. Blix to visit Baghdad, and to Mr. Blix's comments that he does not want to go to Baghdad until he is assured that the inspectors are going to be allowed to return.
SG: Let me first say that Mr. Blix's comments were made before the letter was received, and Blix was with me in Vienna where we met with the Iraqi delegation. You will recall that last week I welcomed the letter and indicated that certain aspects of the letter were at variance with the Security Council requirements and I will be discussing that with the Council this afternoon. I will have a better sense of where we go from here. But of course we have very clear requirements, and if Iraq were to honour them, I think the invitation could be considered.
Q: Sir, what are the variances that you are talking about, and also, can you comment please on your quote of last week that you did not want to see any U.S. military action against Iraq? Is that a fair quote from you?
SG: Let me start with the first part. I think the way Mr. Blix sees it, he and his team would go to Iraq, once Iraq agrees, spend about sixty days to determine what has to be done and they will have an opportunity to discuss with the Iraqis, to go over procedures and how they intend to do their work and come back and report to the Security Council. And then move on from there. I think this is the way the Chief Inspector would want to go and this is what the Iraqis will have to look at.
On your question about U.S. military action against Iraq, my position has always been very clear, that I think it would be unwise to attack Iraq, given the current circumstances - what's happening in the Middle East. Also, I would hope that the Council itself will have something to say about the implementation of its own resolutions.
Q: Mr. Secretary-General, was there anything in the letter that made you feel that you were any closer to seeing those inspectors go back, or did you feel it was another negotiating position by the Iraqi leadership?
SG: I think it is one of the first letters we have received from Iraq inviting the inspectors to come in, obviously with the wrong work programme. Whether this is a real break and a real change in attitude is something that we will have to test. But I think, as I have indicated, if they were to agree to the position that Mr. Blix had laid out for them, in accordance with the UN resolutions, we may be closer. But it is interesting that they write to invite the inspectors to come in at this stage. It has not happened before.
Q: So it sounds like you are going to be asking for some clarification from the Iraqis?
SG: Well, all we will be able to tell them is what the inspectors will come and do, what Blix and his team will come and do if they do go, and that they have a specific programme which may not entirely coincide with what the Iraqis have in mind.
Q: Do you expect to formulate a response this afternoon or will it take longer? SG: I hope I will be able to formulate a response after this afternoon's discussions with the Council. I don't think we should drag it out.
Q: Could I just ask you specifically what you would like to see from the Iraqis in order for inspectors to return or at least to meet with the Iraqis in Baghdad?
SG: I think you should wait for me to talk to the Council. I have given you enough of what I think should be done. But I am going to discuss with the Council and they may have some ideas for me as well.
Q: Sir, on the Middle East, what more can be done by the Quartet to get over this hump and end the cycle of violence?
SG: I think the Quartet and the international community should reenergize its efforts to bring peace to the region. I believe that we should really be seen as taking concrete steps to achieve the objective of two states living side by side in peace and security in three years' time.
I think we should be seen as taking steps that will lead to a Palestinian state, to convince the Palestinians that there is a prospect and hope on the horizon for them, and we should also be seen as taking steps to end terrorism and assure security for Israel. In other words we should move forward purposefully, deliberately, but both communities must be convinced that we are tackling their core issues.
I believe that, as I said the other time we met, we have a vision which everybody accepts. Now we have to come up with concrete steps and an operational pathway to get us there. Once we become that engaged and people see prospects, I think we can really begin to lean on them to back away from violence which leads nowhere. Really, it brings misery and despair for the two communities.
We have some work to do. I know that members of the Quartet share this view and we did discuss it at our last meeting and we've tasked our envoys to do some work on this.
Q: Are we not farther and farther away from people recognizing that they must take steps to end the bombings instead of ratcheting up?
SG: I hope we can bring them back from the brink.