Q: Secretary-General, can you make some remarks on the AIDS briefing today in the Security Council? If we should be happy about the progress made since the AIDS Summit?
SG: Yes, I think we have made some progress, but there is still a lot to be done. We should not overlook the fact that this is major global epidemic and I don't think we are doing enough. In terms of resources, by the year 2005, we will need about $10 billion a year and the Global Aids Fund itself is running out of money, and we need rapid injection of additional resources, because most of the resources have been committed - we have made grants to about 93 countries. I would want to see a situation where the Fund gets about $3 billion a year - hopefully a billion from the US, a billion from the European Union and then we will raise the additional billion from other sources. We need to see more leaders speak out against stigma and discrimination. We need to see leadership at all levels, from the President down to community leaders and we need to see further decline in prices of medication. But I think we are making progress, but we still have a long way to go. And I'm very happy that the Security Council is taking …
Q: The UN proposed the transfer of power [in Iraq] in three to five months, and the Americans have now come up with a plan that calls for about 7 and a half months transfer of power -- is that good enough? And what is stopping you naming a replacement for Sergio Vieira de Mello?
SG: I'm encouraged by the development. Obviously, we are going to study the plan very, very carefully. Over the weekend, I have spoken to Ambassador [Jeremy] Greenstock, Secretary of State Colin Powell and [Jalal] Talabani, who is President of the Iraqi Governing Council, briefing me on the plan and the desire for the UN to play an active role, particularly from the part of Mr. Talabani. I am looking at candidates and I hope to be able to name a Special Representative in the not too distant future, but of course we are also looking at our own operations -- what we can do outside Iraq, what sort of cross border operations we can do and, with circumstances permitting, how we operate in Iraq.
Q: Mr. Secretary-General, the speeding up of this whole process would appear to put added pressure on return of United Nations personnel, if the United Nations is going to play the enhanced role in Iraq that apparently the Iraqis want and the Coalition wants. Is this going to be possible?
SG: I think we have always indicated that we are prepared to play a role, but of course the security condition has to be appropriate. And I think the Council itself in its resolution recognised this problem and authorised me to act in Iraq, circumstances permitting, and we are monitoring that situation on a daily basis. So, if the situation improves, we will be ready to go back. But as I indicated, we don't need to be in Iraq 100 percent to do what we can do or offer assistance. So we are looking at what we can do outside and cross-border and eventually what we can do inside.
Q: A comment on the death of the humanitarian worker in Afghanistan and what your feelings are, that it appears that once again the UN will now be targeted -- Iraq, Afghanistan –as the new soft target, and will that intimidate you into making changes in staffing there?
SG: I think it was a vicious attack on our colleague, and to kill deliberately someone who was in Afghanistan to assist the people is something that no-one can excuse -- whatever the cause, [it] cannot be justified. Obviously we are taking measures to protect the staff and continue our operations as best as we can. We are not going to be reckless. It will entail some changes in the way we operate and I think we are beginning to take measures already.
Q: You said you would return when appropriate. Is it appropriate now?
SG: No, first of all, let me say that we are not entirely out of Iraq. We do have personnel in Iraq. But to build up and do the kind of things that we need to do, I think we need to assess the security situation. There [have] been some suggestions that there are other parts of the country which [are] relatively risk-free and that one could consider operating from there. These are things that we need to look at, because, as I have had the time to explain to you, we work with the people and we need to be able to get to them and they need to be able to get to us. The moment we put ourselves in fortresses, we are not going to be as effective and as efficient, and it raises a question: is it even worth being on the ground? This does not mean that we are not looking at the prospects and analysing the situation on a daily basis to see what improvements exist on the security front.
Q: Mr. Secretary-General, following your talks this weekend that you mentioned, do you envisage the United Nations playing any role in the formation of the provisional government?
SG: In the discussion with Mr. Talabani, he indicated that they would need UN assistance and advice in implementing the new decisions which have been taken. But we are going to study the decision and the plans very carefully and decide what advice we can offer and what role we can play, how and where.
Q: This Saturday is the 40th anniversary of the assassination of John Kennedy. Where were you? How did you hear about it?
SG: I was a young professional working in Geneva when I heard about it. In fact I had been invited to a party at a friend's house, and when we got there, the announcement came that President Kennedy had been shot and the party turned into a sort of a funeral. Some got drunk, others got so miserable that it was not a party at all. I wasn't drunk.
Q: Mr. Secretary-General, your meeting, both with Deputy National Security Adviser [Stephen Hadley] and with Bill Richardson today -- what's the agenda for both those talks?
SG: The discussion with the Deputy National Security Adviser, I expect, will be mainly on Iraq and possibly on Afghanistan. I would also want to talk to him about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Ambassador Bill Richardson is, as you know, an old friend and a friend of this house, and I'm sure we're going to have a lot to talk about.
Q: Are you prepared to make a major decision, such as trying to remove people from their posts, if the independent panel investigation into the August 19 bombing [inaudible]?
SG: We have taken action and if the investigations indicate that there has been negligence, serious negligence, we will take action, but I do not want to pre-judge the outcome of the investigation. [Martti] Ahtisaari's report, in it, he himself indicated that they hadn't gone into detail and pinpointed who did what or did not do what, or if there had been any wrongdoing as such. But I think this report should go deeper, and after that we will decide what to do and, if necessary, we will take action. Although, at the same time, we have to understand that we are dealing with very extraordinary circumstances. The events in Iraq is not an everyday occurrence and for all the staff involved, it has been very painful. We are mourning our friends and colleagues, at the same time we need to take measures to protect ourselves better, we need to ensure the security regulations are abided by, but we should not create the impression that we are going after a witch hunt, in situations where there's lot of trauma and we are dealing with tragedy. But we will take the action necessary. So you have to understand that there are lots of emotions and sentiments and others at play here.
Q: Mr. Secretary-General, in your discussions over the weekend –Did you talk to Secretary Powell?
SG: I did speak to him.
Q: Did he give any indication that he would support the United Nations claim for a more political role, particularly in developing this process and putting the transitional government in place?
SG: Yes, I think he also foresees an important role for the UN and I'm sure he will support it. But as I said, it depends on the circumstances. We should all refer back to Council's resolution: circumstances permitting. OK. Thank you very much.