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

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

Following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

**Statement Attributable to the Secretary-General

We have the following statement attributable to the Secretary-General who is currently in northern Europe on leave, but throughout the morning has been in contact with his office here, as well as with senior leaders in Washington and in Baghdad.  The statement reads as follows:

“All of us at the United Nations are shocked and dismayed by today's attack, in which many of our colleagues have been injured and an unknown number have lost their lives – Iraqis, as well as international staff.  Nothing can excuse this act of unprovoked and murderous violence against men and women who went to Iraq for one purpose only:  to help the Iraqi people recover their independence and sovereignty, and to rebuild their country as fast as possible, under leaders of their own choosing.

“I hope and pray that those injured, including my Special Representative, Sergio Vieira de Mello, who has been working so hard to make a success of that mission, will be swiftly brought to safety and be able to make a full recovery.  I grieve deeply for those who have died, and express my most heartfelt sympathy to their loved ones.

“I also hope to see those who have perpetrated this outrage brought to justice.  Most of all, I hope to see Iraq restored as soon as possible to peace, security and full independence.  The United Nations will make every effort to bring that about.”

Questions and Answers

Question:  What is the condition of Mr. Vieira de Mello?

Spokesman:  The death toll, I think, we can confirm at this moment, is 14, and I have nothing new on Mr. Vieira de Mello.  The last we heard he was still trapped in his office, which was largely destroyed by the explosion.  We understand that the US military was making every effort to free him and the others trapped.  The numbers injured in the explosion is in the dozens.  We have no precise figure on that at this time.  But among them, we know there are many who are seriously injured.

[The Spokesman later confirmed that Sergio Vieira de Mello had died; the Secretary-General’s statement and response to questions follows as an addition to this briefing.]

Question:  Any identification of the 14?  What was the condition of Mr. Vieira de Mello, the last you heard, and when was this time frame?  When did you hear the information on his condition?

Spokesman:  My office has been in touch with the UN Security Office throughout the morning and the information is the latest we have, as of just a few minutes ago.  This might not be the freshest information, which you would get from the Spokesman in Baghdad.  You have to understand that we are one step removed from where the action is.  What was your other question?

Question:  The 14.  Do we know who these people are?

Spokesman:  We certainly are not going to release any names until the families have been notified.  We have compiled a list, but I am not sure that we have identified all of the victims to date.  We are in the process of putting that information down.

Question:  Do you know anything about who may be behind this attack, and what do you think the impact would be on the UN and its ability to do its work in Iraq?

Spokesman:  We have two signals this morning –- one from the Security Council, that said after being briefed by Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Danilo Turk, that they would not be deterred by this action from the work that they set out to do in Iraq.  And you also have the statement of the Secretary-General saying that the United Nations would make every effort to achieve its objectives in Iraq.  So, I think, there is a strong determination on our part to hang tough and continue working at the job of restoring Iraq’s sovereignty and helping the Iraqis on the humanitarian side.  That said, we have a responsibility to every government that had given their nationals to us to serve in Iraq to take into account the threat to their safety.  And we’ll be doing that threat assessment in the coming days.  But I think you have two strong political signals -– one from the Council, one from the Secretary-General himself -- and we’re going to stay the course.

Question:  Has anybody formed an opinion as to who might be behind the attack?

Spokesman:  Not to my knowledge.  But, again, this question should probably have been put to our Mission in Baghdad.  But to my knowledge we have not received any threats that we could link this attack to, nor any one who may claim any responsibility.

Question:  Did the UN send any threat assessment team to the region in the past month?

Spokesman:  I would have to check.  I don’t know the timing of the last threat assessment.

Question:  Mr. Vieira de Mello had expressed concern about the security situation in Iraq.  Does the UN take security precautions to protect its staff?

Spokesman:  Security is the responsibility of the Coalition partners who are the de facto occupying power of Iraq.  We depend on the host country for our security wherever we work in the world.  And in the case of Iraq, we’ll depend on the Coalition for our security.  So, it’s not a matter of our having our own security officers taking responsibility for our people, or sending security officers in.  That’s the job of the Coalition.

Question:  Is the compound itself protected and by whom?  UN security or US soldiers?

Spokesman:  The primary responsibility for that compound is the Coalition forces.

Question:  [Inaudible.]

Spokesman:  No.  We said from the beginning that the matter of security, first, under international law is the responsibility of the Coalition, and second, is best handled by an international force, rather than peacekeepers, given the security situation in the country.

Question:  To follow-up.  Was there any threat or any kind of warning in the last past month concerning the UN compound, and did the US forces decide on their own to provide security or did you ask for it?

Spokesman:  On your second question, I assume that Sergio Vieira de Mello would have regular contact with Mr. [L. Paul] Bremer (Head of the Interim Administration in Iraq) and the Coalition, and any special security concerns he had, he would communicate to them.  But I believe it would be the call of the Coalition forces as to what the requirements were around that compound or any other compound in Iraq.  I’m not aware of any threat that might have come in the last month, but I think that question should better be put to UN officials in Baghdad.

Question:  What are you going to do with the wounded?  Are they going to stay in Baghdad?

Spokesman:  Immediate emergency assistance would be given at the nearest hospital, and then typically, once those injured are able to be moved, they are taken out and returned to their home countries, or wherever they desired for further treatment.

Question:  Do you know of any direct concerns expressed by the UN regarding security prior to today?

Spokesman:  I think it’s safe to say that we have been on record expressing concern about the overall security situation in Iraq from the beginning, but at the same time we felt that the environment was safe enough to send a large UN contingent to begin the humanitarian work and follow up on the political work, as provided for by the Security Council resolution authorizing our presence there.  We have about 300 international staff in Baghdad and just over 600 national staff countrywide, and we have about four times that number of Iraqis working for us.

Question:  Does the Secretary-General intend to break his vacation and come back?

Spokesman:  It’s too early to say. I think he’s assessing the situation, and he would make the best decision, whatever that might be.

Question:  Did last week’s resolution change in any practical way the day-to-day activities that went on in that building, and what UN agencies have sent personnel to that building specifically?

Spokesman:  The resolution of last week provided a bit more clarity, I think, of the UN role that, under the original Security Council resolution, was vague, at best.  I don’t think it changed the pattern of what we have been doing.  It just provided a little bit of a firmer legislative basis for what we were doing.  I can’t tell you specifically what agencies had office space in the Canal Hotel.  Not all were at that location, it’s my understanding, but we’d have to check with our offices in Baghdad and see if we can get any more specific information for you.

Question:  How many of those 300 already in Baghdad would be considered among the new mission authorized last week?

Spokesman:  That is a very technical question.  I’ll have to check with our people to get an answer for you.

Question:  Do you have any information from Baghdad about the logistical nature of the attack?

Spokesman:  It appears to have taken place just outside the perimeter of the compound, but at a point where the perimeter was very close to this building.

Question:  Mr. Vieira de Mello was due to leave at the end of his term.  Who would replace him?

Spokesman:  The Secretary-General has been actively considering a number of candidates for the end of the four-month period.

Question:  So, he’s not going to be back at the end of the period?

Spokesman:  That’s what it would seem.  First of all, we don’t know about his physical condition.  We’re hoping that he’s well and his injuries are slight, but we still don’t know.  And then we’ll take as a second step further down the road, the question of succession at the end of the four months or whether it has to be sooner.

Question:  The Security Council called this a “terrorist attack”.  Is this the first terrorist attack against the United Nations?

Spokesman:  I don’t have the history in my hand.  I think I can safely say that there have been bombs thrown at UN premises in the past, grenades lobbed over fences –- that kind of thing.  I can’t give specific instances now.  We probably have to research that for you.  It’s not uncommon for the United Nations to be working in a high-risk environment and people who sign up for these missions realize they do so at a certain risk to themselves.  That said, it has been my experience -- and from the limited mission experience I have had –- is that the UN staff, both international and local, respond to security threats like this bravely and with determination, and they tend to hang tough.  And I think, probably, you’d see that same reaction from the UN staff in Baghdad.

Question:  Is there any history of assassination attempts against UN officials?

Spokesman:  I can’t think of any specific instances of an assassination attempt against any UN official.

Question:  What is the status of UN personnel in that region in Iraq or in other places?  Are they on high alert?

Spokesman:  We don’t discuss security arrangements, but any time there’s an event like this, I think you can expect there to be a security response.  I have just been informed that the Secretary-General is cancelling his vacation and would be returning to New York tomorrow.

Question:  At the time of the explosion there was a press conference being held in the building.  Do you have any information as to whether or not there were some other guests invited into the building in addition to UN personnel?

Spokesman:  I understand that there were guests in the building, but I can’t confirm that.  Actually, it’s a question that should be put to the Spokesman in Baghdad.  I did see the NHK footage that you saw of that press briefing at the time of the explosion, but it wasn’t clear to me in any way who the people were who were giving the briefing.

Question:  I’m curious about what exactly is the UN mission in Iraq and how this attack would affect it?

Spokesman:  You should refer to the Security Council resolution that assigned the UN a variety of tasks on the humanitarian and political side, and then read the Secretary-General’s report proposing the establishment of the UN Mission, which the Council just approved last week.  This gives a little bit more detail about the kinds of things we hope to do there.  And as for the impact of this attack on our work there, I think I have answered that, when I said the Council this morning said it was determined to continue our work there, and the Secretary-General indicated the same thing.  So, apart from the security assessment risk that we are obligated to do and will do, I think we’d be carrying on our work.

Question:  Mr. Rumsfeld (US Defense Secretary) has informed Congress that he did not anticipate an increase in US troops in Baghdad.  I’m wondering whether there’s any place that’s safe in that city.

Spokesman:  That’s a security matter that you’d have to ask the coalition.  I’m not going to get into the business of recommending to the coalition how many troops they need to secure Baghdad, nor to assess what areas might be secure.

Question:  How important was Sergio Vieira de Mello to this Organization?  He had been here for years.  He was in Kosovo, OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs).  What does he leave as his personality to the Organization?

Spokesman:  He has a long list of successes as a senior UN official, and the head of missions in Kosovo, East Timor.  He had distinguished himself as an active, capable doer; a determined, focused achiever.  I think most people saw him as a rising star of the Secretariat.  And I think we’re all very proud of him, and we were expecting, and continuing to expect, great things from him in Iraq as well.

Question:  Who will be conducting an investigation into the attack?  Is it the UN or the coalition forces?

Spokesman:  It will be the occupation forces which would undertake any investigation into the criminal act that took place today.  The UN, which has responsibility for its personnel, has standard procedures any time anyone is hurt to carry out an investigation.  So, there will be a UN investigation, but the primary investigation looking into who did this, I think would be carried out by the Coalition forces, who have primary responsibility for security.

Question:  The UN has taken pains to distinguish itself from the Authority.  What measures have they taken so that they are not seen as part of the occupation?

Spokesman:  The mandate of Sergio Vieira de Mello was twofold:  first, to establish a working relationship with the Coalition Authority which has de facto control over the country; and second, to establish contacts with as many segments of Iraqi leadership and society as possible.  So, you’ve seen him covering those two bases over the last month very actively.  And most recently, of course, he had been visiting the neighbouring States, because the Secretary-General has said that there would be no secure situation in Iraq without the cooperation of its neighbours.  So, yes, we are not part of the occupying Power, but to do our work we have to work with them and through them as we gradually escort Iraq through the process of establishing their own sovereignty through a government they would elect.

Question:  Will this attack delay the political process in Iraq?

Spokesman:  Anything as dramatic as this, of course, is a setback.  But then you just have to ask yourself, how determined are you to carry on?  I have already indicated the two signals we had this morning -- that we don’t intend to have our work deterred by this attack.

Question:  [Inaudible.]

Spokesman:  My understanding is -– again you should get this information from the UN Spokesman in Baghdad -– is that the perimeter fence runs very close to outside the building where Mr. Vieira de Mello’s office is located, and if my information is correct -- please double-check this with Baghdad -– the truck carrying the explosives suspected of being the source of this explosion was on the road outside the perimeter fence.  But double-check that.  It’s very difficult thousands of miles away to get anything terribly accurate.

Question:  Can you expect other countries to think more now about contributing to the forces that are already in Iraq?  I’m thinking now of Brussels, because of what has happened.

Spokesman:  You see that’s not a UN issue.  That’s an issue for the Coalition, which is seeking other military partners.  And until there’s -- if there is -- a new Security Council resolution giving UN authority to do the work of the occupying Power, that’s not a question for me to answer.

Question:  So, do you expect a new resolution?

Spokesman:  No, I didn’t say that.  There’s a lot of discussion about a second resolution.  The Secretary-General has said he did not expect one to happen for some time, if at all.  That’s the latest he had said on that subject.

Question:  What floor was Mr. Vieira de Mello occupying?  Was it the second floor in European terms, which would be the third floor in American terms?  Do you have any information on that?  Was he meeting with anybody?

Spokesman:  You will have to ask the Spokesman in Baghdad for that kind of detail.  Okay, we’ll stay in touch throughout the afternoon.

[He later confirmed that Mr. Vieira de Mello’s office was on the second floor.]

Noon Briefing Addition

As he presented the Secretary-General’s statement on the death of his Special Representative in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, later in the afternoon, the Spokesman said the Secretary-General will be flying out of Europe tomorrow morning.  It is now our expectation that he will be arriving in New York midday.  We will try to give you more specific details later on, in the event that he might have an occasion to speak to the press anywhere en route back to New York and whether he will be coming directly into Headquarters where we, of course, will ask him to speak to you upon his arrival.

In the meantime, he has personally authorized the following statement to be issued in his name concerning the death of his Special Representative in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello:

**Statement Attributable to the Secretary-General

“The loss of Sergio Vieira de Mello is a bitter blow for the United Nations, and for me personally.

“The death of any colleague is hard to bear, but I can think of no one we could less afford to spare, or who would be more acutely missed throughout the UN system, than Sergio.  Throughout his career he has been an outstanding servant of humanity, dedicated to relieving the suffering of his fellow men and women, helping them to resolve their conflicts and rebuild their war-torn societies.  In his work with the peoples of every continent -– as an official of the High Commissioner for Refugees, as Emergency Relief Coordinator, as my Special Representative in Kosovo and East Timor, and (all too briefly) as High Commissioner for Human Rights –- in all those positions he impressed everyone with his charm, his energy, and his ability to get things done –- not by force but by diplomacy and persuasion.

“In Iraq, where he spent the last months of his life, he was working day and night to help the Iraqi people regain control of their own destiny and build a future of peace, justice and full independence.  It is tragic that he has now given his life in that cause, along with others who, like him, were devoted and much-loved servants of the United Nations.  Those who killed him have committed a crime, not only against the United Nations, but against Iraq itself.

“I share the grief of Sergio’s family.  We shall all miss him sorely, as a colleague and as a friend.  Let us also strive to be worthy of him, and to complete the work that he began, so that his death will not have been in vain.”

Questions and Answers

Question:  Could you give us the latest figures on the number of those killed and injured?  Could you confirm reports regarding the death of the former Head of Protocol, Nadia Younes?

Spokesman:  Besides the death of Sergio, we are not confirming any other deaths specifically at this time.  The latest number that we have from the official responsible for security in Baghdad is 15 dead and 100 injured.  That number can continue to rise, because many of the injured are gravely injured.

Question:  When will you be able to publish the names of United Nations personnel killed?

Spokesman:  That, of course, has to follow a very careful process of notifying the next of kin.  Depending on how long that takes, we would not be in a position to release the names, so I don’t think it will be soon that we would make those names public.

Question:  What kind of options does the United Nations have for improving security in Iraq?  Is it independent of the United-States-led Coalition, or is the United Nations entirely dependent upon what the United States will or will not do in that particular area?

Spokesman:  We are entirely in their hands.  The security of everyone in Iraq -– Iraqis, non-governmental, humanitarian workers, the United Nations relief workers –- everyone is dependent on the Coalition for their security in Iraq.

Question:  When do you think the successor to Mr. Vieira de Mello will be appointed?

Spokesman:  I think it is too soon to think about that, although, as I indicated earlier, the Secretary-General had been considering a number of individuals as possible successors to Sergio when his four-month tenure of duty ran out.  So, I don’t think we are prepared to talk about the next steps just yet.

Question:  Could you confirm whether or not Mr. Vieira de Mello is the first high-ranking United Nations official to die or be killed in a terrorist attack?

Spokesman:  He was not the first.  I cannot give you the history of the Organization going back more than 50 years off the top of my head, but a noted international civil servant killed in the line of duty was Folke Bernadotte, and that was in late 1940s, I believe, in the Middle East.

Question:  How many senior officials were among the 15 dead?

Spokesman:  I don’t have that number, and I am not even sure how I would define “senior”.

Question:  Do you have any information about Executive Director of the Iraq Programme, Benon Sevan?

Spokesman:  Our understanding is that he is well.  He might have had some minor injuries, but he is well.  That is Benon Sevan, who was visiting Iraq as Head of the United Nations Iraq Programme.

Question:  Are we expecting any changes in the United Nations policy in Iraq?

Spokesman:  No, no.  The United Nations policy in Iraq has been defined by the Security Council, and so there are no changes in that policy.

Question:  How likely is the attack in Iraq to push a review of security here in New York, not just at the level of United Nations security, but also in terms of coordinating with local authorities in New York?

Spokesman:  It is hard to know.  Are you saying that there might be a link between the security situation in Iraq... -- if they attack us in Iraq, will they attack us somewhere else in the world?  That’s a security assessment that our people would be doing and I wouldn’t comment on how they might react to the events in Iraq today outside of Iraq.

Question:  Do you have specific detail on the death of Mr. Vieira de Mello?  Was he still in the building?  Did they get him out?  Also, the United Nations is known as an institution that observes neutrality, and in this case, it has clearly been targeted.  How does this change the United Nations institutionally?

Spokesman:  As I understand it, the body was recovered from the wreckage and taken to a morgue, and it was at that time that we received the call from Baghdad confirming his death.  As to the UN’s neutrality, that is essential to our work everywhere, and I don’t think it is mutually exclusive to be, on the one hand, neutral and, on the other hand, be seen as a target by some individual, force, or group of individuals.  But, we are determined to continue our work in Iraq and what we are about to do is to decide what is responsible in terms of the security risk we would ask our people to accept in carrying out that duty.

Question:  What have all the United Nations personnel been instructed to do –- take precautions, not go to work tomorrow, or move to a different location?

Spokesman:  We don’t discuss that kind of detail.  I am sure that the routine for the United Nations personnel in Iraq has been adjusted, as necessary to cope with the fallout from today’s attack.

Question:  Can you say anything about the bus bombing in Jerusalem within the last hour or so?

Spokesman:  I have nothing on that just now.  It is partly, I think, because we have been so absorbed in this attack in Baghdad, but I will look into that event.

Question:  Just your personal impressions about what kind of man Mr. Vieira de Mello was, what kind of boss he was for the United Nations staff...

Spokesman:  I think, this statement sums it up better than I could say it, so I would like to just stick with the Secretary-General’s own statement.

Question:  Do you recall another day when so many United Nations personnel were lost in a single incident?

Spokesman:  I don’t know.  There have been missions with very high casualty rates for civilians -- Somalia, Bosnia.  But whether there was a single event that ever took 15 lives before, I cannot recall.

Question:  We were told that initially, Mr. Vieira de Mello was conscious, taking water and so forth.  What really happened there?  He obviously survived for some time, I guess.

Spokesman:  Those accounts that someone spoke to him and passed him a glass of water -– we were unable to ultimately confirm those accounts, so we are not quite sure what took place prior to when his body was recovered, and I don’t think we are in a position right now to say what the cause of death was.

Question:  Was it a suicide attack?

Spokesman:  I don’t have that kind of detail.  They might have them in Baghdad.

Question:  Why do you think the United Nations is perceived as a target?

Spokesman:  I wish I could tell you.  Our objectives in Iraq were ones that I doubt any Iraqi could argue with.  We wanted to help them out on the humanitarian side, while we facilitated their return to independence and sovereignty.  Who could be against that?

Question:  After this grave incident, is the Secretary-General consulting with any heads of State at this moment?

Spokesman:  He has been actively on the phone with a number of people, but I don’t have any details to share with you about those phone conversations at this time.

Question:  Resolution 1500, which basically welcomed the Governing Council in Iraq, has been perceived as inferring United Nations legitimacy on the occupation.  Is that the perception that the United Nations might seek to dispel in any way?

Spokesman:  I think that the Security Council resolution, as I said earlier, merely clarified a bit further the rather ambiguous mandate given to the United Nations by an earlier resolution 1483.  It also formally put all of the United Nations activities in Iraq under an Office of the Special Representative, so we created a formal United Nations programme, where before there had only been an office of the Representative.  I don’t want to speculate on what implications that would have concerning the Coalition.

Question:  Does the attack have any effect on the establishment of a new United Nations mission in Iraq?

Spokesman:  No.  It clearly is established.  What, of course, we’ll have to ask is, how safe is Iraq for hundreds of United Nations staff members who were going to join Sergio’s team as part of a new United Nations mission there?  And that assessment is yet to be made.

Thank you very much.

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