Joint Press Conference by Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the Foreign Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr Al-Thani (Secretary-General's comments only)
Press events | Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General
I am very grateful to you Sheik Hamad and the Government of Qatar for the very strong and consistent support you have given to me and the United Nations. And as a member of the Security Council you play a key role.
I have been encouraged by my trip so far. I am leaving the region convinced that Lebanon takes the resolution seriously and is intending to implement it to the fullest. The Israelis have given me the same assurance. And in the capitals I have visited, from Syria to Tehran, and now here, everyone supports the resolution. And I think once we have that kind of international consensus, all governments in this region and beyond will have to support its implementation. I don't see any government that wants to isolate itself by working against the Lebanese and international interests, and we all need to work together to get it done.
And let me thank you for the offer of troops. We are putting together a truly international force. You have read recently about the European forces coming, but we do already have a fairly international force on the ground –which includes a battalion from India, a Chinese contingent, a battalion from Ghana. And in addition to the European forces deploying, we will be bringing in troops from Indonesia, Malaysia and possibly Nepal. So Lebanon will have a truly international force supporting it –a manifestation of international solidarity. We saw it in Stockholm and now we see it on the ground with the deployment. And I hope we see it in our collective effort to work with Lebanon on its reconstruction and recovery. Thank you, Let me now take your questions.
Q: Mr. Secretary-General, will you deploy UN troops in Darfur despite Sudan's rejection of Security Council resolution 1706? And how do you comment on a US announcement that Sudanese approval is not necessary?
SG: I have been on the road a lot obviously and I have been following this by phone. And it is regrettable that we have not yet received the consent of the Government of Sudan to deploy international forces to Darfur. The situation is tragic, it is painful, and lots of people are in dire need of assistance. And because of the security situation the humanitarian workers are losing access to those in need. If the Government of Sudan had been able to protect these people, we would not even be talking about deploying international troops. And since it has not been able to do it, it is incumbent on it to accept international help to pacify the region so that people can live their lives in peace and dignity. And I hope the leaders of Sudan realize that by their inability to protect them, they will be held liable at some stage for what is going on on the ground. It was not long ago that the UN members agreed during the General Assembly on the concept of “responsibility to protect,” which means each government has the responsibility to protect its people –from genocide, ethnic-cleansing, gross and systematic violations of human rights. And where that government fails, the international community has the right to step in and assist. We now have to redeem that solemn pledge that was made only last September. I would urge the Sudanese authorities to reconsider and work with the international community and accept the forces. We are going in to help. We have no other ambition than that.
And, besides, we are on the ground working with the Sudanese authorities in the South. There are 10,000 UN troops from all over the world and we work peacefully with their consent and cooperation and I hope we can do the same in Darfur. I do not believe that we can send in troops to Sudan without the government's consent. So one cannot say it is irrelevant. It is relevant, we need it and I appeal to President Bashir to reconsider.
Q: What are the actions the United Nations is going to implement if Israel does not comply with the UN resolution and fails to lift the blockade on Lebanon?
SG: First of all, let me say that the embargo is not sustainable. I myself am making efforts in contacts with the Israelis and particularly with the Americans who have the greatest influence to press Israel to lift the embargo. It is a particularly destructive act because it is at a time when Lebanon is trying to reconstruct and needs to bring in material and get its commerce going to be able to rebuild. And I think we will need to see that the embargo is lifted as soon as possible. Obviously they would want to see implementation of the resolution but we need to show quick work and confidence and I think one of the most effective moves of doing this is by lifting the embargo. And I can assure them that I and the UN and the governments which have deployed troops are all determined to work with them to implement the resolution fully and effectively. And I urge Israel, as one of the parties, to cooperate with us. And we are determined to make sure that we implement it to the benefit of Israel and Lebanon and we need full cooperation.
Q: (inaudible)
SG: Let me first deal with your question about the nuclear issue with Iran. Let me make it clear the main purpose of my visit to this region is implementation of 1701. And I came here to firm up support for that resolution and to ensure that we all work effectively not only to implement it, but to strengthen the independence of Lebanon, the territorial integrity of Lebanon and ensure that the situation on the border between Israel and Lebanon is settled once and for all. And here in Qatar I had the chance of discussing with the Emir and the Deputy Prime Minister last night our efforts and the need for the region to work with the international community to achieve this objective. And for the countries in the region to work together collectively to attain the objective and that is why I am extremely happy to hear the offer of troops by the government and I think it is going to make a difference. And I would also like to thank the Emir and the government very much for their hospitality and generosity and openness with which we have been received and the discussions we had last night. Thank you very much.
On the Iranian issue, which as I said is not the main objective of my visit here, we should understand the ways things are. This is no time for one to take independent initiatives. The Iranians and the 'Six' (the five Permanent Members of the Security Council plus Germany) are in discussions. The Security Council is fully seized of the matter and so is the Atomic Agency (IAEA). I was able to sit down with the Iranians to discuss with them the situation and how we find a way forward and avoid a confrontation because it is my belief that confrontation is not in anyone's interest. Not in the interest of Iran, not in the interest of this region or the international community. I do not need to tell you who live in this region that the region has too many crises for us to pile another one on top of this. And this is why I have asked both sides and pleaded with the Iranians to go an extra mile for all of us to find a way out. And I maintain my position that the best solution is a negotiated one and that is the message I left with the Iranians. And I will be working with them and, of course, I am also in touch with the Ƌ plus 1' and the Security Council members, but we need to find a way out.
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