(The Foreign Minister made opening remarks.)

SG: Thank you very much, Mr. Minister. We had a very good discussion this afternoon. In addition to what the Minister has said, I did tell him how encouraged I was that the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement is moving forward and that the Government of National Unity will be formed very shortly. As you know, we are deploying 10,000 troops of all ranks to the south to help implement the agreement. We have started the deployment and it is going to take some time before we are fully deployed. Whilst we are there, obviously, we are not only going to focus on the South: we will continue our humanitarian work in the South and in Darfur. And we discussed the need for us to do everything we can to bring security to Darfur and to ensure that the farmers can go back to their land, plant and cultivate and harvest their crops. Otherwise, we are going to have a major humanitarian effort which will stretch the capacities of the international community.

Tomorrow, I will be going down to Darfur and I will see the situation for myself. I have thanked the Foreign Minister for the cooperation that they have extended to the UN and the humanitarian community. And he has assured me that they will do everything to facilitate their work. And finally, let me say that I was very pleased with the meeting in Addis Ababa yesterday where the whole international community came together to offer assistance to the African Union. It was one of the good examples of international solidarity. And these governments and organizations will offer logistical support and other force multipliers and will send in some experts to work on the equipment and prepare the material that they are sending.

Q: Any discussion on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1593 and the Government's reaction to that Resolution?

SG: We did discuss it and I indicated that the Council expects that the spirit and the letter of the Treaty of Rome will be respected.

Q: There are reports that there is a food gap and starvation in some places in the South. Does the World Food Programme have shortages in Southern Sudan? Is this true?

SG: Yes, we do have problems in the South. We don't have all the funding we need. And it is a shame that in the South we have a peace agreement but we don't have the resources required. In Darfur, we don't have a peace agreement but we have more resources in Darfur. It looks as if governments have shifted the support they used to give to the South to Darfur. What we need is additional resources to cover both crises and we are appealing to the donors to really help us get the resources required to get the job done. And if we do not move very quickly to implement their agreement to help the refugees who are returning in large numbers and assist them, we are going to have very serious problems. We should not allow the peace agreement to get into trouble for a lack of money.

Question addressed to the Foreign Minister: Were you able to reassure the Secretary-General about whether you are tackling the situation in Darfur urgently?

[FM answered]

SG: And I think that on the political front that we should all be encouraged that Salim Ahmed Salim, the former Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity, has been selected as the mediator. He is a man of great energy and experience. And if the parties go to the table with the sprit of compromise and determination to reach an agreement that he will make sure that they do it before they leave Abuja. And I hope when they get there this time, they are going to stay there and negotiate in a sustained manner until they get an agreement.

Q: Why does the UN keep criticizing the government although it is cooperating with the international community at the time that the rebels are not cooperating with the international community and the AU Mission?

SG: We are not ignoring the crimes committed by the rebels and we have made it quite clear that whoever commits a crime is going to be held accountable and that they are not getting a free ride. They also have to honor the cease-fire; they have to allow access to humanitarian workers. Humanitarian workers and the civilian population and the IDPs should not be targeted for any reason. And so do not assume that we are giving them a pass as some put it. Thank you very much.