UN Fact-Finding Mission report, Gaza crossings – SecGen spokesperson – Press briefing (excerpts)

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Michèle Montas, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

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**Questions and Answers

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Question:  Michèle, after the, this Goldstone report is deferred until next March, I think.  Human Rights Watch also called that the Secretary-General should ask Israeli authorities and the Hamas authorities to conduct their own investigations into the whole thing, which the report touched upon.  Is that a thing that the Secretary-General would desire?

Spokesperson:  The Secretary-General has always been in favour of national investigations of what happened in Gaza, and I think he had expressed that before.  In terms of the Goldstone report itself, anything concerning what is going to happen, we have to wait for, of course, a decision by the Council.  I am talking about the Human Rights Council.

Question:  Do we have any update on whether any of the crossings, which are still being closed by Israel, have been opened as yet to allow…?

Spokesperson:  I don’t have an update as of today.  We can get that for you very easily, on what has been happening at the crossings. 

[The correspondent was later informed that, on 5 October, the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza had been open.  Eighty trucks carrying goods, including food, medicine and diesel, had passed through that crossing.  However, the Karni and Nahal Oz crossings had remained closed.]

Question:  Does the Secretary-General believe that the Human Rights Council decisions to defer the subject helpful or not helpful to the peace process…?

Spokesperson:  The Secretary-General will not give an opinion on a decision taken by a body where Member States are represented, and, of course, as you know, the [Human Rights] Council is the one that sent Goldstone for that investigation.  It is their report, so it is for them really to react, not for us to react to what they have decided to do.  Matthew.

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For information media • not an official record