DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
| Press Briefing |
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 Stéphane Dujarric, Associate Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
Before we start. We have two guests. So, I’ll start with Fred.
**Statement by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General
Fred Eckhard: I’ve been here only 17 years, which is about a fifth of a lifetime, not very much. And I just wanted to say thank you for your support over these years. I think the United Nations has been blessed to have a press corps as professional as you. We’ve had rabble-rousers who have been especially active in recent months. But even the rabble-rousers have served a useful journalistic purpose in uncovering things that we needed to know about.
I would urge you though, collectively, to keep your eye on the long ball. That’s where, I think, the ultimate truth lies. And being a person of few words, I’m going to stop here. I have a statement that I left upstairs for you to read, and which I won’t burden you with now. So, thanks for everything. I’m not going to be far away. And I expect we can easily stay in touch in the electronic age with the click of a mouse. Thank you.
**Statement by Shashi Tharoor, Under-Secretary-General for Communication and Public Information
Shashi Tharoor: I’d like to add a few words if I may, Fred and Steph. I’ve known Fred since before I came to DPI. In fact, when he was an associate spokesman on the team here and then as our [inaudible] and able spokesman in Namibia at the height of what was a great United Nations success story at the time.
I’ve worked with Fred in DPKO, when we had him serving as a peacekeeping spokesman by another name. And then, of course, I had the great pleasure of watching him do what he’s been doing as Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan since 1 January 1997.
I think we all know the contribution Fred has made, both through his own personal qualities and his personal style. He was the embodiment of the adage that you don’t have to raise your voice to be heard. He was heard. He remained soft-spoken and I know he made a great impact on you with his professionalism, with his integrity, and I think he transformed the Spokesman’s Office into an extremely able, capable tool of the United Nations and of all of you. And what he’s been able to do and leave behind is something that we will always be grateful to Fred for.
It’s not easy to say goodbye to a colleague of long-standing who’s done so much in so many difficult and different situations. But I know that all of you, as you’ve already manifested with your applause, join me in saying, Fred, you’ve really made a terrific impact. I think the fact that you leave with your reputation with the press intact is tribute to your own ability to navigate the shoals that you referred to us all having gone through. And I think that what you’ve left behind will try and live up to the standards that you have set.
So, well done and thank you again for all your service to the United Nations and to the press.
**Statement by James Wurst, President of United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA)
James Wurst: I didn’t get enough lead time on this, so I don’t have anything prepared, but with such august company, I feel, on behalf of the United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA), I should at least say something. And that something is, thank you very much, Fred. You and your team have been very professional and very helpful.
I remember -- coincidentally we’ve been here about the same length of time -- and I remember what it was like trying to get information out of the Spokesman’s Office 18 years ago, and I know a lot of what’s changed is due to you. And personally, I’m going to miss you. Steph is going to be a fine replacement -- a fine follow-up of course. But, you know, enjoy your retirement. Enjoy France. It is the Internet age and it’s a much smaller world. So, thank you.
Fred Eckhard: Thank you for the party. You throw a mean party and that’s a great rocking chair you gave me, so I’m going to be enjoying it in Brittany. Thank you.
Stéphane Dujarric: Take me with you! Well, as something that Fred has left behind, I know Marie and I will try and live up to the high standards he set, and I trust all of you to keep us in line if we don’t live up to those standards. All right.
**Statement Attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General
Good afternoon. I’ll start off with a statement on Côte d’Ivoire.
“The Secretary-General takes note of the renewed commitment expressed by the Ivorian parties in their declaration of 29 June, to implement the Pretoria Agreement on the peace process in Côte d’Ivoire, and he congratulates the African Union Mediator, President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, on this achievement.
“The Secretary-General urges the parties to strictly adhere to the revised timetable for the implementation of key provisions of the Agreement so that credible elections can be held on schedule. The time has come to move on this path briskly. The Secretary-General also notes that the declaration envisages the imposition of sanctions against those parties who fail to implement the Pretoria Agreement.”
And this statement is of course available upstairs.
**Secretary-General
Turning to the Secretary-General. He arrived earlier today in Edinburgh for the first leg of a four-stop mission that will take him to the African Union summit, as well as to the G-8 summit. Later today, the Secretary-General will deliver a speech at the 500th anniversary dinner of the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh.
He is expected to call for new and serious efforts to build health systems in the developing world, and to note that Africa alone will require 1 million new health workers to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. He is also expected to say that, while progress is possible, it will depend on the will of governments, such as the Group of Eight countries, which will meet just down the road from Edinburgh in Gleneagles next week.
And we have embargoed copies of his speech available upstairs.
**Lebanon
Turning to Lebanon, Geir Pedersen, the Secretary-General’s Personal Representative for southern Lebanon, deplored the attacks that emanated from the Lebanese side of the Blue Line yesterday and the subsequent exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), which took place yesterday and again today. Those exchanges apparently have left one Israeli soldier and one Hezbollah fighter dead, as well as three Israeli soldiers injured.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said that the Hezbollah fighters infiltrated yesterday afternoon, after which Israeli positions in the Sheba’a farms came under Hezbollah mortar fire. Subsequently, the IDF forces fired artillery and tank rounds in the Sheba’a farms area and also dropped aerial bombs in southern Lebanon. Reports today indicate that Israeli helicopters have violated Lebanese airspace, flying over the cities of Tyre, Sidon and Beirut.
Pedersen calls upon the Lebanese Government to extend its control over all of its territory, to exert its monopoly on the use of force and to put an end to all attacks emanating from its territory. He calls upon the Israeli authorities to refrain from air violations of the Blue Line and urges all parties, once again, to fully respect that Line. He reminds them that one violation cannot justify another. And the press release from Beirut is available upstairs.
**Security Council
Also on Lebanon. At 3 p.m. the Security Council will meet in closed consultations. Jean-Marie Guéhenno will be brief Council members on these incidents. At that, as I said, will take place at 3 p.m. in closed consultations.
**Security Council - Today
Also for the Council today, they are meeting currently to consider Africa’s food crisis as a threat to peace and security. Council members were briefed earlier by James Morris, who is the Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), as well as the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Humanitarian Needs in Southern Africa.
Saying that chronic hunger in the African countryside had become a destabilizing factor on the continent, Morris added that the greatest humanitarian crisis we faced today was the gradual disintegration of social structures in Southern Africa.
We have copies of Morris’s statement upstairs, as well as a press release from WFP. And just prior to that meeting, the Council held a short meeting on Sierra Leone, during which it voted to extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone for final six months, until 31 December 2005.
**Security Council – Yesterday
Yesterday afternoon, the Council adopted a Presidential Statement on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in which it called on all Congolese parties to respect the decision to extend the transitional period in that country by six months.
And today is the Day of Independence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and it also marks the end of the first 24 months of transition. The United Nations Peacekeeping Mission reports that an uneasy calm prevails in Kinshasa, with isolated skirmishes being reported between police and protesters. The United Nations Mission is monitoring the situation closely, and we will provide you updates from Kinshasa, as they come into us.
**Iraq
Turning to Iraq. Ashraf Qazi, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in that country, today sent his condolences to the family of Dhari al-Fayyad, the member of the Transitional National Assembly who was killed earlier this week.
Qazi also met yesterday with the chair of the Assembly’s Constitutional Committee, Sheikh Hammoudi, to offer him the United Nations continued support in the Constitution-writing process. The United Nations is covering the significant operating costs of the committee, thanks to a contribution from the European Union that includes the salaries and the provision of computers for the constitutional writing staff.
And we have more information in a press release upstairs.
**Compensation Commission
And a last item on Iraq.
The Governing Council of the UN Compensation Commission concluded its 56th session today in Geneva, awarding more than $366 million for compensation to successful claimants. And we have a full press release on that upstairs.
Since we’re talking about former Spokesmen today, Joe Sills, who acts as Spokesman for the Commission, will be here on 6 July to brief you on the work of the Compensation Commission.
**Haiti
From Haiti, yesterday, in the Bel Air district of the capital Port-au-Prince, Brazilian and Chinese peacekeepers conducted an operation against armed groups in the area. The operation resulted in the death of six gunmen, four injured and 13 arrested. In addition, an employee of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, who had been kidnapped the day before, was also freed. And a press release from the Mission is upstairs.
**Afghanistan
Our team in Afghanistan said that today, in the final days of the disarmament and demobilization phases in the country, more than 61,000 former combatants have been disarmed. Also, the Mission said, that more than 34,000 light and medium weapons have been collected. After today, no one will be allowed to use or move weapons, other than security organizations or those licensed to do so by the Ministry of the Interior.
And we have more details in the briefings upstairs.
**UNESCO – Tsunami Warning System
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reports that the Indian Ocean early warning system formally came into existence today with the establishment of an intergovernmental coordination group to govern this tsunami early warning system. The 23rd Assembly of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission also decided to establish similar bodies for the Caribbean, the North-East Atlantic and the Mediterranean.
**UNAIDS
The governing board of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, known as UNAIDS, unanimously agreed today to put into practice recommendations on how the United Nations system and others can work together better to strengthen the AIDS response in developing countries. And we have more information on that upstairs.
Also on AIDS, Stephen Lewis, the United Nations Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, said yesterday that the “three by five” initiative to deal with AIDS has unleashed an irreversible momentum for treatment. Now, he says, all sides are focused on providing treatment for anyone who needs it, as soon as possible. At the same time, he calls on the G-8 nations to do more to provide resources to the fight against AIDS. And his remarks are available upstairs.
**General Assembly
The General Assembly Presidency tells us that informal consultations on the draft outcome document for the September Summit have resumed this morning and will be going on all day.
**Press Conferences
Also press conferences. A little later today, 12:30, Ambassador Munir Akram of Pakistan, will be here to brief you -- he also is the President of ECOSOC -- will brief you to discuss the work of the High-Level Segment of ECOSOC.
And tomorrow, Adama Dieng, the Registrar of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, will be our guest at the noon briefing to discuss the work of the tribunal.
**Statement by the Spokesman for the Secretary-General
And lastly I’ll read into the record a statement we issued late yesterday afternoon.
“The Secretary-General met on Wednesday afternoon in his office with the members of the Security Council to provide an update on the Independent Inquiry Committee’s (IIC) ongoing investigation of the oil-for-food programme.
“The discussion touched on the timetable of the next reports of the IIC, its budget, and on a request by the IIC for access to documents that pertain to the work of the Council and its subsidiary organs. The Secretary-General expressed his intention to comply with the request but wished first to consult with the Security Council.” And that statement is of course upstairs.
That’s it for me. Any questions?
**Questions and Answers
Question: I don’t understand this last line in the statement that you just read, since there’s already a resolution calling for full cooperation with the Volcker Committee. Why consult about turning over documents [inaudible]?
Associate Spokesman: While these are unofficial notes taken by United Nations Secretariat staff during the Council’s informal closed consultations, they do cover the work of the Security Council and what is expressed by Council members. So the Secretary-General appreciates the Council members advise on this issue, and he’ll wait to hear from them by Tuesday, noon. If he does not hear from Council members by Tuesday this time, he will assume that there is no objection and the full -- the notes that pertain to Iraq that are of interest to the Commission -- will be handed over. Though it should be noted that they [the Volcker Commission] already have quite a lot, quite a number of these notes.
Question: Why should there be any objection? I don’t get it. There’s a law that the Security Council, a resolution the Security Council took to -- for full cooperation …
Associate Spokesman: He’s consulting with the Council members. Council members, when they created, when they voted on the resolution, the creation of the Volcker Commission called on all Member States to cooperate fully and completely with the Commission. So we expect the transfer of documents to go smoothly.
Question: Just a follow-up on that. He says that he’s decided to comply but he’s now not, hasn’t really decided to comply, he’s going to wait to hear back. And I presume this is because he received objections yesterday, apparently from the Russians to the decision to hand over these documents. Does he feel that he is in a position to override objections from the Russians and others? Can you sort of tell us what those concerns were that were expressed yesterday by the Russians?
Associate Spokesman: No, I can’t go into the concerns that may have been expressed by one MemberState or another. We, the Secretary-General obviously hopes that there will be consensus on the decision by the Member States, but we’re not in a veto situation. So we’ve sought the Council’s advice. The Secretary-General is very much hopeful that he’ll be able to turn these documents over. We’ll wait to hear by Tuesday noon.
Question: Not in a veto situation? What are you saying, that he’s asserting that he has the right to do it even if…?
Associate Spokesman: No, what I’m saying is not, we very much hope there will be consensus on the issue. It’s not; we’re not in a situation where there is a veto by one member of the Council. We hope the Council will come back with, will in fact not come back to us and, therefore, express no objection.
Question: You say these are Secretariat notes. So, legally, they belong to the Secretariat -- to Annan. And again, I’m asking, what’s the deal here?
Associate Spokesman: It’s sort of a courtesy. These are notes taken by Secretariat staff for use by senior United Nations officials, as well as peacekeeping officials in the field, so everyone is aware of what the Council is discussing -- everyone who needs to know in the Secretariat what the Council is discussing. But obviously, it portrays the discussions and expressions by the members of the Council, so we thought it would be wise to just consult with them prior.
Question: Is it true that some of the notes have already been passed on to the United States Congress. And also, who would appropriate the $3 million that they want?
Associate Spokesman: On the notes, I don’t know what notes the United States Congress has. I know the Volcker Committee already has quite a large number of these notes, because some of them were in the files on the 38th floor and in files kept by United Nations officials to which Volcker had access. What they want is to make sure they have everything they need.
As for the financial issue, the Secretary-General alerted Council members that there is a likelihood of a cost overrun by the IIC. We expect the Volcker Committee to come back to us at a later date with an official request detailing the extent and the reasons for the overrun, and after that we would see how we move on.
Question: Is it $30 million that they’ve been appropriated?
Associate Spokesman: That they have. Yes.
Question: And $3 million in addition?
Associate Spokesman: I don’t have the exact figure. We’ve been told it’s likely to have cost overrun.
Question: I was just wondering if by Tuesday, if the Security Council members come back with objections what would be the course of action.
Associate Spokesman: We’ll see what course of action we take.
Question: The timing was curious. Did you address that? Most Council meetings with the Secretary-General have been pre-announced -- squawked ahead of time. This was hours before the Secretary-General got out of town, and it just was a secret meeting in effect. Why was it so hastily scheduled?
Associate Spokesman: I don’t know why it was scheduled the way it was, but obviously the Secretary-General is going to be out of town, you know, I think until 8 or 9 July, and is something that needed to be dealt with before his departure.
Question: Did he get a call from the Volcker people, if you can check on that, you know, yesterday?
Question: In terms of volume, what are you talking about?
Associate Spokesman: The Volcker Committee is obviously interested in those -- it’s not like they will get, they need every note of every Council meeting. They’re obviously focused on the notes of those meetings that pertain to Iraq and the oil-for-food programme.
Question: I’m sorry to keep belabouring this, but at the beginning of this whole process, the United Nations made a big song and dance about how Volcker had access to every single document, and now you’re saying, suggesting, there’s a whole group of documents that you haven’t provided, because you haven’t checked with the Security Council. This seems to be in complete contradiction to your sort of initial position, which is that he gets everything.
Associate Spokesman: We have provided them with every document that was in, that belonged to the Secretariat. They have "hoovered" the files on the 38th floor. They’ve had access to everything. These are obviously -- and they’ve had access to most notes of Security Council meetings because a lot of them were kept on files on the 38th floor. The Volcker Committee wants to check that they have, in fact, the notes of every Security Council meetings that they would have an interest in having. These are notes, as I said, taken by the Secretariat of Council meetings. We want the Volcker Committee to have access to every piece of paper. On this specific issue, we are consulting with the Council, but we expect this to go smoothly.
Question: What you haven’t explained is there is sort of a category of documents that you have not made available to the Volcker Committee.
Associate Spokesman: We have made available to them every document over which we have full control.
Question: What documents are there here that you don’t, I mean, what is the determination that you make that there are certain documents that aren’t under your control. Notes that you take. I mean, it sounds like there’s a large category of documents that you guys have decided and not told anybody about it that you consider to be -- their ownership to be questionable. I mean, what are these? What documents are these? Anything that has to do with the 661 Committee?
Associate Spokesman: Again, these specific informal notes which the Volcker people have quite a large number of, because all the ones that were kept upstairs. There is an issue of whether or not we can hand over these documents -- which we want to hand over -- without the Council’s approval. And that’s what we’re checking with the Council and we very much hope that the Council, that this transfer will go smoothly.
Question: You haven’t even answered the question. You’ve said that you’ve given them everything. Define for us this -- what this category of documents that are in the United Nations possession that you have not provided to them. What are they and why haven’t you given it to them up to this point?
Associate Spokesman: I don’t know how to answer the question any more clearly. All the documents over which we have full control, that belong to the Secretariat, that the Volcker Committee needs to see, they have access to. These are notes taken by the Secretariat of Security Council meetings. So we are just checking with the Council to make sure that this transfer can take place. But we do not expect any issue on that.
Question: What you are saying is that the 661 Committee’s documentation was not under the purview of the Secretariat, and hence, they were not handed over in the first place. This is what you’re saying.
Associate Spokesman: Copies of notes regarding 661 Committee that were already in files within -- you know people kept in their personal files -- were all handed over. What the Volcker Committee wants to do is they want to make sure that they, in fact, have everything they need. So they want to compare what they already have with the full index of these informal Security Council notes.
Question: We can’t understand this thing. Maybe this whole thing was actually designed to create a little stir within the Security Council -- to some resistance to Volcker looking a bit deeper into one issue or another. What’s different about these that needs special consultation with the Security Council and how did they avoid the “Hoover” you said?
Associate Spokesman: They did not avoid the “Hoover” on the 38th floor, because what every copies of those notes that were in people’s files upstairs -- in the chron files and files upstairs -- they had. Whether this was created to stir -- it’s a conspiracy theory I don’t quite understand.
Question: You said there was an issue -- whatever -- were there notes ever offered by the Secretariat to the Volcker Commission and were they -- then said, if we need it, we’ll get back to you. Or is this the first time where these notes were made known to the Volcker Commission?
Associate Spokesman: The Volcker Committee has been aware of these notes from the beginning, because, as I’ve said, they already have access to most of them. So all the ones that were in files, in United Nations Secretariat staff files, they’ve had. They just now want to make sure that they have everything they need. So they want to check it against the general index.
Question: Can you check when Volcker actually made the request to go through this -- whatever this master list is. I mean, did it come yesterday? Is it something very new so that basically this would have been a brand new request? And also, could you also address the issue of the timetable. What do you understand that the new timetable is going to be?
Associate Spokesman: On the timetable, what the Volcker Committee has told us is that they expect to issue one more interim report, maybe in late July, which would, as they say, tie up lose ends. Then the final report, which would look at the issue of the United Nations management of the programme, they tell us, would probably come out during the month of August. And depending on what is left, there may be another later on. But you should get the final calendar from them.
Question: You said most of the documents were handed over already. What is it that gave the Secretariat pause in handing over the rest?
Associate Spokesman: They’ve had access to the vast majority of these notes from having full and direct access to the files kept on the 38th floor and in the Office of the Iraq Programme. What they want now is to check what they have against the full index.
Question: I understand, but what is the reason, if already they have most of them, what was it that gave the Secretariat pause. I mean, why did they say, maybe we should hand over the rest?
Associate Spokesman: They had to have full access to people’s files, and they had that. This is a more formal request to see the full index of notes.
Question: If they’re not on the 38th floor, where are they filed? And they’re not in the oil-for-food programme. Where is this index located?
Associate Spokesman: They would be kept by the Department of Political Affairs.
Question: Just to absolutely clarify. Did you require a go-ahead from all the members of the Security Council to do this, or would you do it anyway, even if a member of the Security Council expressed concern.
Associate Spokesman: We very much hope there will be consensus on the part of the Security Council. If we find that there is no consensus by Tuesday noon, then obviously we will have to reassess. But obviously it is the Secretary-General’s wish and intention to hand those over.
Question: If a member of the Security Council hypothetically indicates that it doesn’t want these minutes to be seen, and let’s say, most of the other members of the Security Council would like these minutes to be seen, would the United Nations undertake to tell the press which member of the Security Council objected.
Associate Spokesman: I’m not going to answer any hypothetical. Let’s wait to Tuesday noon.
Question: We’re only talking about the P5, because the others weren’t the members of the Council. Maybe Japan was at one point.
Associate Spokesman: This is in consultation with the Council as a whole. You can…yes?
Question: Could you tell me which files would not be included. Everybody’s asking that -- [inaudible] a separation. You make it very clear that most of what -- so maybe you can just clarify.
Associate Spokesman: They had access to all the files on the 38th floor. They just want to make sure, checking sort of the index of all these notes, they want to make sure that they do have everything.
Question: Explain to me if I misunderstand this. The Secretariat doesn’t want to hand over these notes, so it’s looking for cover from a member of the Security Council.
Associate Spokesman: Not at all, not at all. No.
Question: If that’s not at all then, why can you not just hand over those notes? You own those notes. They’re not owned by the Security Council.
Associate Spokesman: We drafted the notes, but they are notes of closed informal meetings of the Security Council.
Question: You talk about it -- what’s different -- describe the index. These are not facial expressions. Are they little side notes about attitudes in the meeting? What specifically, just what’s different about that, and had it ever happened before that closed door meetings are handed over to an outside group and would that be setting a precedent that perhaps they will be countries asking for no note-taking.
Associate Spokesman: I think the Volcker inquiry is without precedent. These are notes that they don’t editorialize what Council members say, and they are not verbatim notes, but they are a way for United Nations officials, from reading these notes, to be fully aware of what is being said in Council consultations.
Question: Is there a way that someone could determine whether country x, country y opposed cracking down on sanctions evasion or corruption?
Associate Spokesman: Depending on what the representative of that country would say in consultations, we would hope it is a truthful view of what is being said in the meeting.
Question: Is there, it sounds like what this is, is that there’s a master file of all the notes and most of those there are copies of and they’ve gotten them from other files. But since the beginning, you have not handed over the master file of all the meetings in the 661 Committee. Is that right, first of all?
And also, does this mean that personal meetings that the Secretary-General has had with the P5, with the Security Council, that there’s a whole category of information and negotiations and discussions that have not been provided to Volcker because of the sensitivity?
Associate Spokesman: They’ve had access to all the notes.
Question: You’re saying right now that they don’t.
Associate Spokesman: That’s not what I’m telling you. They’ve had access to all the notes on the 38th floor.
Question: I’m not talking about the 38th floor. There is a category of documents that they have not seen, that you’re now having a negotiation with the Council over. I don’t care what’s on the 38th floor. They can be anywhere.
Associate Spokesman: It’s the full index of these notes -- of the Council’s consultations.
Question: If this is out of deference to the Security Council, what I’m trying to figure out is, that on all matters where there was, you know, private discussions or closed door negotiations of the Security Council, have all of those documents been withheld, or have the majority of those documents been withheld?
Associate Spokesman: We’re talking about notes of full meetings of the Council or its subsidiary organs -- the Sanctions Committees.
Question: I mean, you come to us today telling us there are these documents that you haven’t provided to Volcker and the principle on which you’ve withheld them seems to be out of deference to the Security Council. So the next question is, well, if that’s the principle, there are (sic) whole series of conversations and discussions have gone between the Secretariat and the Security Council.
Associate Spokesman: I’m not aware of any other category of documents.
Question: When Mr. Volcker issued his report last time he said that he would be looking into the role of the Security Council members and the sanctions Committee. At that point in time did he have the notes?
Associate Spokesman: Yes, he did. These notes were in fact referenced in previous Volcker reports. They are mentioned in the reports.
Question: Are we talking here about people talking about 661 matters, such as companies being hired for oil-for-food reasons, or are we talking about dual use, what are we talking about?
Associate Spokesman: We’re talking about discussions that went on in the Security Council and in the 661, as well.
Question: But is there a certain sector of 661 discussions, or a certain category of discussions?
Associate Spokesman: These are official meetings of the 661 Committee and the Security Council.
Question: Are there other categories?
Associate Spokesman: If Council members meet informally outside the consultations room -- off campus so to speak -- we are not there and we do not take notes of these meetings.
Question: You’ve now said the 661 Committee, you’ve now told us the Security Council, which we didn’t know...
Associate Spokesman: I’ve just told you that from the meeting that these notes cover informal consultations of the Security Council and its subsidiary organs. If there were meetings upstairs, Colum, between the Secretary-General and members of the Security Council, there are notes taken of those meetings and those notes would be on the 38th floor.
Question: I don’t understand here. The Security Council has already given its backing to this investigation; it’s given its backing to access to United Nations documents. As the Secretariat [inaudible] is going to be handing over documents. Now, as a result, it seems like there can be no other example for what you’re doing and this is a political play of some sort. Now, if it’s not a political play, why is it that we’ve suddenly got ... nothing was said before that Volcker could have access to all documents except for Security Council...the Security Council has given you the authority, so the only reason to go back and ask again to the Security Council, I presume, is because this is a political play of some sort. Why, otherwise, are you suddenly introducing new sub-categories or definitions of what documents are available or not, when you already have the authority from the Security Council?
Associate Spokesman: As I said, these are notes of their meetings and we’re just checking out of [inaudible]. All right, we’re going to have to take one more question.
Question: Are there audio or digital recordings of these meetings?
Associate Spokesman: I’m not aware.
Question: Are notes taken of the lunches, the monthly lunches by the Secretariat staff?
Associate Spokesman: I assume there are and those would be upstairs.
Question: I mean, can you check them out?
Associate Spokesman: Yeah, I can check them out.
Question: [inaudible] consultations that wouldn’t be...
Associate Spokesman: No, these notes only cover meetings in the consultations room and meetings of the Security Council subsidiary organs, their official meetings.
Question: But Volcker already has all the official minutes of the 661 Committee.
Associate Spokesman: The vast majority of these things. What he’s just trying to check is against the full index. Thank you.
Question: [Inaudible]
Associate Spokesman: The Security Council and all its subsidiary organs. Thank you.
Question: [Inaudible]
Associate Spokesman: Not that I’m aware of. We have to let Ambassador Akram brief.
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