Q: Mr. Secretary-General, are you convinced that the Sudanese Government is going to, as it has agreed to, accept a joint African Union-UN force, because already there are indications that the Sudanese may be backsliding?

SG: Well, I spoke to President [Omer Hassan Al-]Bashir today, and he has indicated that he will be writing to me shortly. And I think I should wait for his letter.

In Addis Ababa, we agreed to the three phases. Under phase III, the hybrid, the Sudanese delegation had a few questions that they wanted to go back and discuss. And that is why, in my presenting the issue to the public, I said they have agreed to hybrid operation in principle, subject to the clarification of those three issues. And those three issues were the size of the force; the appointment of the Force Commander; and the Special Representative, which would be jointly reporting to [the] UN and African Union.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, how worried are you about the situation in Lebanon, for now? And when do you expect the answer, the constitutional answer, from the Lebanese Government? Are you optimistic about getting it?

SG: I am extremely worried about the situation in Lebanon, and I did speak to the Prime Minister. In fact, I will be meeting the Lebanese Minister [Tarek Mitri] who is in town as soon as I leave you. As you also may know, I have called leaders in the region, including Syria and Iran, to work with the parties to ensure that there is unity and stability in Lebanon, and to encourage patience on all sides. I hope the Government will be able to react quickly to the statutes which have been sent to them so that we can move on to the next stage. But of course the situation is delicate, very fragile, and we should all do whatever we can to support the Lebanese people and the Government, and encourage them to stand united.

Q: Do you foresee any problems about the Lebanese Government ratifying these details of the Court [of an international character]?

SG: I think that is a judgment the Government will have to make by itself and on the ground. They know the environment and the circumstances better. I think it would be a bit presumptuous of me to, sort of, put myself in the middle.