Remarks upon arrival at UNHQ (unofficial transcript)

Q: Do you have anything to say about Iraq? Do you think these raids are going to complicate your mission with the delegation that is coming?

SG: Let me say that I was not consulted or informed before the air action. It was immediately after the air action that the US authorities called to explain to me that they saw this as routine, not escalation, not a qualitative difference in their activities in Iraq and that it was one action and it was not to continue. Obviously, the timing is a bit awkward for the talks that I am going to have on the 26th , but the Iraqis have confirmed that they are coming. So we will be able to pursue our attempts to break the impass and pull them in to cooperate with the UN.

Q: How optimistic are you, Mr. Annan?

SG: Ask me that question after my first round with the Iraqi authorities. We will know at the end of the talks. You have to have some hope, otherwise I wouldn't be getting into this exercise. It may take some time. I don't think we are going to have a miraculous breakthrough, but at least it is a beginning. It's a beginning.

Q: Is there any intention to condemn the killing of many Iraqis because of the aggression?

SG: I have been in touch with the President of the Security Council. The Council is seized of the matter. And as I said I have also spoken to the American Ambassador. And of course we are all coming back from a long weekend, and we will know this morning what action, if any, the Security Council is going to take.

Q: Can you give us your thoughts going into the Congo meetings this week? What do you hope to gain, what you hope the Council will do, what do you hope the various parties will accomplish in these few days?

SG: I think we have a new spirit among the protagonists. And I was very encouraged by my discussions here in tete-a-tete with President Kabila and President Kagame. And yesterday I had a very good conversation with President Kagame, who called to inform me that his troops and his country will be withdrawing from Pweto and they will withdraw 200 kilometers in the direction of their own country. I have instructed the UN observers and my Special Representative, Kamal Morjane, to get the observers ready to go and work with them on their withdrawal. I think this is a very important decision and I hope it will set the tone and lead others to take the same measures and eventually have everyone withdraw from the Congo.

Another significant development last week is the decision by President Kabila to accept former President Masire of Botswana as the facilitator for the Inter-Congolese dialogue and I think this is crucial. They are all linked. If you make progress on the dialogue and those who are fighting have a sense that they have a role to play and they can participate in national politics, you may be able to persuade them to stop the fighting. So we have two very positive [bits of] news leading into the talks this week and I hope when the others come they would also bring us some good news.

Q: Have there been some reassurances or are you hearing that there would be reassurances to President Kagame on the disarming of the Interhamwe, the remaining concerns?

SG: I think that is an issue, the issue of the Interhamwe, that we all have to be creative and find a way of dealing with that. As you rightly point out, it's of great concern to President Kagame and obviously if we are going to bring peace to that region we need to find ways of dealing with the Interhamwe. There are some ideas which are being discussed. I don't think they are ripe yet for me to discuss them this morning, but we are not ignoring that issue.

Q: Are all the various parties going to come, everybody that has been invited?

SG: As far as I know everyone is coming, but of course there can be last minute hitches, but everyone is expected here and I hope it will be a good meeting. Thank you very much.

Q: One quick comment, your reaction, Sir, to reports out of Kenya that four UN employees are being investigated for alleged extortion of money from refugees.

SG: I think it was important that we discovered this quite early and got to work very quickly. These camps for refugees are very large and Nairobi is a relatively large city and the moment we had a hint that some wrong doing was going on, the local Office started an investigation which was inconclusive and now we have the OIOS [Office of Internal Oversight Services] with authorities from other governments and we are determined to go to the bottom of this and deal with those who are responsible. Of course, we will have to take measures to make sure that it does not reoccur and tighten our controls. I think it is abominable that refugees who are already suffering, who are displaced, whose lives have been uprooted, should be exploited in this manner. And those responsible should be dealt with harshly.

Thank you very much.*****