SG: Happy New Year, how are you?
Q: All right. You have a meeting with Secretary of State Albright. Final days for her, is that what the meeting is about?
SG: Obviously I suspect we will talk about her final days and her plans for the future. But I would hope that we will talk about some of the issues on our plate, from the Middle East to the Iraqi situation, to some of the peace activities in Eritrea and Ethiopia, and perhaps the DRC [Democratic Republic of the Congo] also.
Q: Are you disappointed that the Clinton administration it seems was unable to seal any type of Middle East deal and are your efforts now going to be called for?
SG: I think they tried very hard, and obviously it's up to the parties to make peace. I think President Clinton did put quite a lot of effort into it and invested quite a lot of his personal capital to push for a deal. I think the efforts have not been wasted because we have moved forward. We all know what the issues are that are on the table. So even if he is not able to conclude a deal, I think he has helped the process, and what has happened in the past six months should help those who take up the process from him.
Q: Iraq. Are they coming?
SG: Well, originally I had expected them to come this week. But they are not coming this week and I will be travelling very shortly. So I would expect that the meeting will not take place until some time [in] February.
Q: Are they bluffing in their discussions or talks?
SG: Well, we haven't really been engaged in that sense. What I have offered is a date, or a suggestion of the time frame within which we could meet. I am expecting them to react.
Q: Uranium NATO weapons - booming story in Europe. Is the UN going to do more than just test? Is NATO responsible, do you believe?
SG: I think that UNEP [UN Environment Programme] has been engaged in this process for quite a while. I asked them last year some time to begin to look into it and at that point I was more concerned from the environmental angle. As you have indicated, these tests are ongoing, and once we have concluded the tests we will know precisely what environmental and health damage the uranium weapons pose, if any.
Q: During the course of this month, Mr. Secretary-General, the [Security] Council is likely to tackle the whole subject of conflict diamonds in various ways. There's a draft of a resolution dealing with Liberian diamonds coming out. How important do you think it is that the international community gets to grips with this problem of conflict diamonds in the course of the next few months?
SG: I think it is extremely important. It is important not only for Sierra Leone and Angola, but we have also seen a bit of it in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I think there are war profiteers who are not interested in peace, who fund these wars for their own financial and commercial interest, and the international community has to find a way of getting to the bottom of this and breaking the cycle. I think we are off to a good beginning, but we do have quite a lot to do. I agree with you that the international community should focus on the issue and come up with measures to counter them.
Q: I gather that, apart from meeting Madeleine Albright today, you also have a meeting scheduled with Pierce Brosnan. Is that correct? I am just wondering what sort of a job the UN thinks "007" could do for it?
SG: He could be a good advocate for one, and depending on the topic that we agree on, I think he can use his voice to help us with some of the work that we do, just as people like Michael Douglas who has been very active in disarmament. I think celebrities can be very effective advocates, provided the issue is right.
Q: You are not going to give him a licence to kill 'though?
SG: Definitely not.
Q: Do you think the Secretary-General should have that licence? Or diplomatic licence - should they have that licence to kill? Does the Secretary-General like the powers that he has?
SG: By that you mean you have power to make sure there are no wars and to stop all those who are creating these wars, then yes.
Q: Are you pleased with the way the Bush administration is going in the way of its selection of Secretary of State, Defence Secretary...are you comfortable with these people?
SG: Well, Secretary of State-designate Colin Powell I know quite well, and I am looking forward to working with him. I do not know the Secretary of Defence. I also know Conde Rice and we have also spoken on the phone. So I look forward to working with them and getting to know the Secretary of Defence.
Q: Secretary Albright was somewhat instrumental in your becoming Secretary-General of the UN. Is this a sort of a bittersweet moment, seeing her today?
SG: She is a friend, and I think she has been a dynamic Secretary of State. I think it will be interesting for us to sit together and look over the last four years.
Q: Thank you, Sir. *****