TRANSCRIPT OF PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRESIDENT OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY, HAN SEUNG-SOO, 12 SEPTEMBER

TRANSCRIPT OF PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRESIDENT OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

HAN SEUNG-SOO, 12 SEPTEMBER

The President:  Before the interview, I would like to say a few words.

Mere words cannot express the outrage at the terrorist acts yesterday.  I condemn in the strongest possible terms those heinous acts of terrorism.  I pray for those who lost their lives, and offer my deepest condolences to the families of the innocent victims.

As this is my first meeting with the United Nations press corps, I would like to say that I very much look forward to working with all of you in an open and transparent manner.  I will brief you today, but I will be making myself available to you on a regular basis when I am in New York.

I do not intend to repeat my opening address to the General Assembly here, but I would like to emphasize a couple of points I consider particularly important.  I understand that during his first meeting with you a year ago, my predecessor, President Harri Holkeri, spoke about the need to keep the millennium spirit alive.  Since then, the historic Millennium Summit produced the Millennium Declaration, which will be followed by the forthcoming “Road Map” report of the Secretary-General.

A large part of our work at the current session of the General Assembly will therefore involve implementing the agreement set out in the Declaration.  That will require dedication and far-sighted vision to enable the United Nations to meet the challenges of the future.  Previous Presidents of the General Assembly have already devoted considerable effort to strengthening the United Nations, and I assure you that I will endeavour to be no less diligent.

Important issues in that regard include the revitalization of the General Assembly and the reform of the Security Council.  There are many other challenges waiting to be addressed by the General Assembly:  improving peacekeeping operations and forwarding common social advancement -- particularly in Africa through such efforts as the New Africa Initiative and ensuring that globalization will benefit all the world’s peoples -- bridging the digital gap, curbing of HIV/AIDS and other diseases and, not least, promoting democracy and human rights.

With regard to the latter, we hope we can take a big step forward during the special session on children, which was scheduled next week.  But, as you have witnessed at the meeting today, the session is going to be postponed.

This is a broad and ambitious agenda, but not an unrealistic one.  With the support and cooperation of Member States, I will do my best to make the fifty-sixth session one of the most successful in the illustrious history of the General Assembly.

Perhaps I can now take your questions.

Question:  Ted Morello, Far Eastern Economic Review.  Mr. President, on behalf of the United Nations Correspondents Association, we welcome you and congratulate you on your accession to the office.

What do you see can be done for the relationship between the Security Council and the General Assembly, which is always a key problem or criticism?

The President:  This is my first day in the General Assembly.  The General Assembly is a very important organ of the United Nations.  So is the Security Council.  I think that at certain times there is some tension between the two organizations, but I hope that by meeting the Secretary-General on a regular basis, and the President of the Security Council on a regular basis, I hope to maintain a close partnership between the Security Council and the General Assembly.

Question:  On 24 September, up to, I believe, approximately 40 heads of State were scheduled to address the General Assembly over the course of three days.  Given the events that took place yesterday and also the decision to postpone the children’s congress, do you believe that that debate or that portion of the General Assembly should also be postponed, and do you think that will also be considered?

The President:  I think that the general debate will not be postponed.  But we do not know how many heads of State will participate in that debate now that the situation has greatly changed, after the terrorist act yesterday.

Question:  Your predecessor yesterday called for continuity from one presidency to the next.  He criticized the fact that there is no continuity.  Also, he called, timidly, for an end to the proliferation of conferences abroad, saying that you would have to have those conferences under the banner of the General Assembly.  What is your view on this?

The President:  Unlike the Secretariat, where the Secretary-General stays for a term of five years, at least, the General Assembly has a new president every year.  Therefore, there is a problem of continuity from one president to the next. But I think -– as you may know -- we are going to form a council of former presidents of the General Assembly.  I think that council will certainly help inform the incoming president, as the sitting president, on what happened in the past when past presidents were in the General Assembly.  So I think that would be a very useful forum for the sitting president to listen to and try to link the continuity between the previous and present presidents.  I hope to maintain that tradition by being an active member of that council when I leave this post next year.

Question: (inaudible).

The President:  One of the ways of revitalizing or strengthening or making the General Assembly a more efficient meeting is clustering the agenda items under certain headings.  However, we are going to have two international conferences next year.  One is a conference on financing for development, in Mexico, and one on Rio+Ten, in South Africa.  I did not know whether two conferences are too much, but I will try to see what I can to do in trying to make those conferences run more efficiently in the future.

Question:  There was some support expressed in the Security Council this morning for the convening of a special international summit of heads of State to consider the subject of terrorism and to coordinate activities.  Would you support that?  And what ideas do you have on ways in which the United Nations could go beyond resolutions and statements condemning terrorism, to act to prevent terrorism or catch the perpetrators of terrorism?

The President:  Based on the resolution passed today, I am sure that a great deal of deliberation will follow -– in what form I cannot say now.  However, I am sure that this will become a major topic of the General Assembly in the coming year.

Question:  Why have you made the issue of economic development in Africa the agenda item for your presidency?

The President:  I am an economist by training, and I am going to be interested in the economic development of poor nations.  African nations have been trying very hard to develop their economy in the past.  Also, leaders of African nations meeting in Lusaka on 14 July initiated a new African initiative, which was also considered by the G8 in Genoa.  I thought the United Nations should take part in that kind of initiative and try to eradicate poverty and try to develop as quickly as possible.

Question:  Do you believe in stopping the proliferation of new items and being able to concentrate fully on what is ahead of the General Assembly?

The President:  My staff and I discussed this issue, trying to contain the proliferation of items on the agenda, but I think there are certain [limits] because each Member State wants to have its own agenda from time to time.  However, we will discuss with Member States how to reduce the number of agenda items in the coming session.

Question:  You speak of carrying on the work of the Millennium Summit.  One of the main themes coming out of the Millennium Summit was a debate or discussion that the Security Council needs to reflect the realities of the world today.  I think, in keeping with my colleague’s question -- we know that that is being debated; we understand that there are meetings and resolutions, but what do you think, right now, that perhaps in your energy you can move that forward and use a body of 189 as opposed to 15 controlled by 5.  People are very concerned around the world about this.

The President:  As the President of the General Assembly, I will be assuming the chairmanship of the Working Group on the Reform of the Security Council.  I know that there are many recommendations and opinions among Member States.  I will study those recommendations in great depth.  What I know is that there is a consensus on the need to expand the membership of the Security Council, but on the modality, on the use of the veto and all other points, there are quite different opinions.  Therefore, we have to tread very carefully on the issue of what to do. However, I know that I have to work very hard if I am going to be successful in reforming the Security Council.

Question:  Your predecessor introduced a revolutionary new idea of beginning General Assembly meetings on time, whether anyone was there or not.  He had some success with that.  In time, he managed to train a large number of delegates to respect the reason why they were sent here.  Do you think you will continue this practice?

The President:  Let me say that I am no less punctual a man than

Mr. Holkeri.

Question: Have you thought about when the special session on children should be held?

The President:  We, the Member States, have to discuss when it will be convened.  I hope it will be during the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly.

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