Secretary-General's press conference [unofficial transcript]
Press events | Ban Ki-moon, Former Secretary-General
But while I have fond memories of these years, this visit is focused on the present and future.
I had productive meetings with Austrian leaders including President [Heinz] Fischer. We discussed Kosovo, Iran, climate change and other issues. I stressed the need for all of us to really intensify our efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. I briefed them on the Quartet meeting two days ago in Berlin and I emphasized the need to take advantage of all political opportunities. We also discussed my plans for strengthening the United Nations, particularly in the areas of peacekeeping and disarmament. I was very encouraged to see yet again Austria's strong support for this Organization, the United Nations.
I also visited today my UN family. Vienna is a very important UN headquarters, which carries out a lot of vital work for the international community. From disarmament and industrialization to our fight against crime and illegal drugs. I have just come from a good meeting with Dr. [Mohamed] ElBaradei, Director General of the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] . I have discussed with him the nuclear issues of DPRK and Iran. As I have had already press interview there on the 28th floor, if you excuse me I'd like to skip over that issue. But I will be happy to receive your questions. I also met this morning with Mr. Martti Ahtisaari, my Special Envoy for the future status process of Kosovo. We are at a critical juncture in this effort and it is important that we not lose momentum or allow it to be derailed.
Finally, I will meet this evening with several dozen Austrian CEOs and other business leaders. This is part of my effort to enlist the power of business in our work for development and stability. I will be talking to them about Millennium Development Goals and the global compact.
My visit will not be complete without seeing the Vienna press corps today, so I would now be happy to take your questions and thank you very much.
Q: Do you see any encouraging movements on the side of Iran at all?
SG: I do not have anything to tell you at this moment. But I hope, as I have repeatedly said publicly and privately, that Iranian authorities will heed international calls as well as the Security Council's resolution. They should have complied fully with the Security Council resolution. Even at this time, I would again urge Iranian authorities to engage in dialogue with the international community, through peaceful means, and they should think about the future, a better future for their people and Government.
Q: How can you support the Palestinian issue in the future to achieve a real peace in the Middle East?
SG: Thank you very much. As I said, we had a very good and useful Quartet meeting in Berlin the day before yesterday. I am encouraged by all these ongoing diplomatic initiatives, starting from the recent Mecca deal, reenergized Quartet meetings and Arab countries on board in this peace process. This issue has been long standing. It is high time now for the international community and parties to these issues to seriously and sincerely sit down at this dialogue table to resolve this issue as soon as possible. As Secretary-General of the United Nations, I will do my best effort, whatever I can as participant to this Quartet meeting, but also in my capacity as Secretary-General, I try to take whatever initiative in close consultation with the countries concerned.
Q: Mr. Secretary-General, I want to pick up on the first question that you got to, on Iran. Are you concerned that with the increased tensions between Iran and the international community, that Iran might react by expelling the IAEA inspectors out of the country?
SG: As a Member State of the IAEA, it's not what a responsible Member State should do. They have an obligation under the full-scope safeguards agreement they concluded with the IAEA. They should make everything subject to the verification inspections, and the Iranian Government and authorities should try to convince fully that if they really want to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes under the provisions of the NPT, they should make full compliance with the safeguards agreement.
Q: According to media reports, the IAEA has been notified by the DPRK that they are inviting IAEA inspectors back to the DPRK. Have you anything to say about that, and will you, at some point in the near future go to North Korea to help in this effort for the denuclearization of the peninsula?
SG: During my meeting with Dr. ElBaradei, he told me that he had received an invitation from the DPRK to visit Pyongyang to discuss the old issues of their mutual concern. In my brief press interview with Dr. ElBaradei, I expressed my welcome to Dr. ElBaradei's visit to Pyongyang. I hope that Dr. ElBaradei, during his visit to North Korea, will be able to discuss all the pending issues, starting from the freezing of nuclear facilities and including eventually the dismantlement of nuclear weapons and nuclear facilities, which will lead to ultimately the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. I also hope that his visit will lead to the return of North Korea to the IAEA as soon as possible.
Q: Do you know when he goes to North Korea?
SG: I understand he will have consultations with the DPRK authorities for the exact timing of his visit, but I encouraged him to visit Pyongyang as soon as possible. It is my understanding that it will not take too long time for him to be able to visit North Korea.
Q: You mean that Dr. ElBaradei agreed to go visit to Pyongyang, right?
SG: Yes, I encouraged him to visit, as I said. I welcome his visit to North Korea and he is willing to visit North Korea, to accept the invitation of North Korea. It is another encouraging sign and positive development of the situation in the North Korean nuclear issues, after the February 13th joint statement among the Six Parties. This will be a good beginning in implementing the joint statement of 2005. I hope that North Koreans will sincerely and faithfully implement the joint statement they have agreed on both occasions in September 2005 and February this year.
Q: Mr. Secretary-General, I would like to ask you about the headlines of your action plan to reactivate and reform the United Nations in general and how to defeat many challenges and crises all over the world, what is threatening the peace and stability and security in the world. Also, I would like you to clarify the role of the United Nations in the international Quartet. Thank you very much.
SG: International Quartet?
Q: Of the United Nations in the Quartet, because there is news that its role is totally marginalized. Thank you very much.
SG: I am very much committed to make the United Nations to become a more efficient and effective and trustworthy organization. Unfortunately the United Nations, particularly the Secretariat management, have been criticized from the Member States for its inefficiencies and ineffectiveness. I am committed to make reforms in management, to be more accountable, more professional, more mobile, so that members, staff of the Secretariat, will stand on the highest level of integrity and ethical standards with a strong sense of commitment and direction. And I will try my best efforts to make this organization reborn, who can regain trust from Member States.
I have already initiated such measures, including in the area of peace and security- related departments, revitalizing the disarmament area. I have decided and proposed to the General Assembly that this department of disarmament be restructured with the head of, with head as High Representative of this Secretary-General, who will have direct access and who will work under my direct supervision. With this restructuring of disarmament, I am quite confident that we will have first of all much stronger political impact in this static progress of disarmament and non-proliferation and also we will have a much higher political visibility.
In the area of peacekeeping operations, we are now maintaining 18 missions around the world with 100,000 people on the ground. We are going to soon see about a 35 or 40 per cent increase. I have a few days ago proposed to the Security Council to dispatch peacekeeping operations to Chad and the Central African Republic with the full size of 11,000. We have to, we are now in the process of discussing with the Sudanese Government and African Union to deploy a hybrid African Union and United Nations peacekeeping operation. The full size will be determined by the Security Council, but that will be a significant number. We will soon see much increase and there is ever growing demand, as we experience regional conflicts in many areas. This has gone beyond any reasonable scope of command and control and management, not only in operation, but also in the area of administration, human resources management, as well as procurement areas. Therefore, I have proposed to the General Assembly to divide into two departments of these peacekeeping operations, one department will be solely responsible for operation; the other department will be responsible for support missions in the area of human resources and procurement. This is a process of consolidating and coordinating and integrating these peacekeeping operations with much more specialized functions in this area. I am confident that the Member States will give me a broad consensus support in these proposals.
And in this Quartet, the United Nations has been participating and I have been trying my best efforts to reenergize this Quartet process. Quartet process: I am confident that with the participation of the United Nations, United States, European Union and Russia will play a framework role, a vitally important framework role in further facilitating the peace process.
Q: Mr. Secretary-General, one of the biggest missions and longest lasting missions is the mission in Kosovo, that probably soon might actually end its work. It's lasted for about seven years and it has widely been criticized by all sides. Do you see this Kosovo mission as an overall success and does the UN have learnt lessons from the mission there?
SG: I think the UN Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, has been playing an instrumental and very crucially important role in maintaining the stability in that area and with this future status process is going on, on the Kosovo issue, of course that will be decided by the parties concerned and the Security Council. If everything goes well as planned in this currently going on process, I understand that the United Nations presence will be phased out and replaced by the European Union. But until such time, when the UN's presence and contribution is required, I am committed to continue our contribution there.
Q: I would like to confirm about the invitation from the DPRK and the Director-General's visit to Pyongyang. Does this ever include any inspectors for the Iran, I mean North Korea, Nyongbyon?
SG: When DPRK invited Dr. ElBaradei to Pyongyang, I understand that this will also include a delegation of inspection teams who will discuss all the detailed technical procedures for the purpose of freezing and dismantling nuclear facilities.