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 Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary‑General.

Good afternoon and happy Monday. Monday can never be a happy day.

**Ebola

On Ebola, you just heard what the Secretary‑General had to say, briefing you on his trip to the affected countries over the weekend.

I also want to flag that the World Food Programme (WFP) and the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) are launching today a public fundraising campaign with Tencent, one of the world’s largest Internet companies.

Funds raised from the campaign will go towards WFP’s emergency operations to meet basic food needs and nutrition needs of affected families and communities in the three countries worst impacted by Ebola — Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.

Since the Ebola outbreak was first identified in West Africa, WFP has provided food assistance to more than 2 million people and has supported the medical response through logistical services for the entire humanitarian community, including air transport of people and goods.

**Security Council

Back here, the Security Council is having its meeting on working methods this morning, and this afternoon, as you know, at 3 p.m., the Council will meet on a letter sent by a number of countries on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

During the meeting, the Council members will be briefed by Tayé-Brook Zerihoun, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, and Ivan Šimonović, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights.

Mr. Šimonović tells us he does plan to speak at the stakeout after the briefing.

**Central African Republic

On the Central African Republic, the UN Mission in that country, MINUSCA [United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic], tells us it is concerned about fighting over the weekend in several locations in the country, which also involved armed confrontations between anti-Balaka members and peacekeepers.

On Saturday, anti-Balaka clashed with peacekeepers in Berberati when MINUSCA troops were deployed to prevent anti-Balaka attacks in the area.  One anti-Balaka member and one civilian were killed as a result of the clash, and the Mission also recovered a number of weapons.

And on Sunday, yesterday, on the 21st, an armed confrontation occurred between anti-Balaka members and peacekeepers in Nola, in the Sangha Mbaere prefecture.  As a result, four anti-Balaka members were apprehended and disarmed. One MINUSCA peacekeeper and one civilian were slightly injured.

The Mission has also received reports of fighting near Bambari on 20 December when anti-Balaka launched an attack against the ex-Seleka branch of "General" Ali Darass.  Reportedly three ex-Seleka and four civilians were killed. Four others were wounded.

And today, the Mission said the situation is tense in Bataganfo — in the north of the country — following the killing of two ex-Seleka by anti-Balaka members.

The Mission is also closely monitoring the situation and addressing these issues both through political channels and providing security with its troops.  The Human Rights Division of the Mission will also deploy a mobile Human Rights unit to investigate further.

**Tsunami

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says today 10 years after one of the world’s worst natural disaster, which affected hundreds of thousands of people in South and South-East Asia, countries in the region are now better prepared to deal with tragedies like the Indian Ocean Tsunami.

The agency adds that many countries in the region have improved their ability to reduce the risks and mitigate the damage of natural disasters, and protect their agriculture and food systems.

And that’s it.  Mr. Lee?

**Questions and Answers

Question:  I'd like to begin with the Central African Republic.  I'm sure you've seen this report by Human Rights Watch which says that the UN peacekeeping mission there is complicit in keeping Muslims trapped in camps in which… in the case of the Yaloké camp, 42 people have already died and basically prohibiting them from seeking to leave the country.  Is that… What's the response to this report? 

Spokesman:  The Mission is currently protecting the community — the Peuhl community — but the Mission does not prevent the Peuhls from leaving the camp if they so wish to.

Question:  What is the…?

Spokesman:  Sorry.  MINUSCA says it's actually very concerned about the situation of the Peuhl enclave in Yaloké.  Several missions have been conducted to the area in the past weeks to assess the humanitarian situation.  Measures have been taken to immediately reinforce humanitarian assistance on the ground.  Our colleagues at OCHA [Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs] say that the communities at risk in Yaloké, including the Peuhl, require urgent humanitarian assistance, particularly in protection, health and nutrition.  MINUSCA is maintaining a close dialogue with the community so they can remain aware of the security risks associated with their departure from the camps should they choose to leave.  Furthermore, the MINUSCA humanitarian protection mission was on the ground last week to ascertain the relocation wishes of the Peuhl in Yaloké.  Most of them continue to reiterate their request to be united with their relatives in other parts of the Central African Republic or in neighbouring countries.  The Mission is advocating at the highest level with the transitional Government to consider options to support a transfer to a location of the community's choice.  And those discussions are ongoing.  So basically they are not preventing — I think the thrust of the report was that we are preventing people from leaving.  What I can tell you is that we are not doing so.

Question:  I wanted to ask you one… what may or may not be a related question.  There's a letter today from 123 NGOs [non-governmental organizations] and Sudan experts directed to the Secretary‑General and cc'd to the P3 that says… it's about Sudan, and it says that the Mission has been discredited, led by Hervé Ladsous, consistently and deliberately diminishes the scale of the conflict in Darfur and has this key line: “at the very least, Hervé Ladsous should not continue in his role at UN DPKO [Department of Peacekeeping Operations].”  I know that in the past the November 25th letter you never confirmed that you got it.  This letter is, is, is… has been sent.  It's been sent to the P3 in the Security Council.  Can you… will you, if not now, when you receive the letter, have some response to it?

Spokesman:  Sure.  Joe, and then Lou.

Question:  Last week at a press stakeout, Syrian UN Ambassador Ja’afari said that there was, in his words, a gentlemen's agreement between the Syrian Government and members of the Security Council and the Secretary‑General that's part and parcel of resolution 2165 and that it included, among other things, the 48-hour advanced notification from OCHA which included… supposed to include content and destination of the aid and also that the Syrian Government has the right to agree on the nationality of the aid workers.  He said in response to my question to check with the security… the Secretary‑General's Office on the content of that gentleman's agreement to confirm… to confirm its existence and if there's any written documentation of it, to obtain a copy from the Secretary‑General's Office.  So that is the thrust of my question to you.

Spokesman:  I'm not aware of any, “gentlemen's agreement”.  I think what is required for humanitarian aid is laid out in the resolution, but if there's anything more, I will ask my colleagues at OCHA, and I'm sure Valerie [Amos] and… I'll ask my colleagues at OCHA.  Lou?

Question:  Thanks, Stéphane.  On Friday, there was someone who was brought in by a member of the UN press who had a patch on her coat that said “Black Lives Matter”, which is, you know, I think we can all agree a statement of fact.  And the person was refused entry into the UN because she had this patch and only when she removed it was she allowed in.  Just wondering what the policy is for these kinds of things and how it's determined what constitutes kind of political slogan and what doesn't.  We were a bit surprised.

Spokesman:  Sure.  It's almost the first I heard of it.  I will — let me see what I can find out and I will get back to you.  Oleg.  And then Go and then Anna.  Then Matthew.

Question:  Thank you, Stéphane.  On Pakistan last week, there was, they lifted this moratorium on the death penalty.  Is there anything the Secretary‑General has to say on this because the people that were, that are being killed after this moratorium has been, took from, they have nothing to do with the attacks on the school.  So does the Secretary‑General…?

Spokesman:  I think the Secretary‑General's position on his opposition to the death penalty is clear and continues to stand.  And I think on these particular attacks, the particular incidents you refer to, I would refer you to what the High Commissioner for Human Rights said, and I think he issued a statement on it today.  But the Secretary‑General's position against the death penalty is indeed very clear.  Go.

Question:  Thank you, Stéphane.  Again, on this Sony hacking, do you have any comment on the exchange of criticisms between the US and DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] and do you consider that such cyberattack could be a threat to international peace and security?

Spokesman:  I think the Secretary‑General spoke about it today a bit earlier.  I don't really have anything to add, but just to say that also there is a group of experts, a group of Government experts, mandated by the General Assembly, which are scheduled to submit a report to the Secretary‑General on cybersecurity and cyberattacks including by non-State actors to the Secretary‑General a little bit later this year.  But otherwise, I would just stand by what the SG's already said on it.  Carla?

Question:  [Off mic]

Spokesman:  Your microphone, please.

Question:  Regarding the torture report, is there any follow-up on Ben Emmerson's comment that senior Bush administration officials who planned and authorized the crimes must be prosecuted?

Spokesman:  No, nothing further to what I've said from this podium and what the Secretary‑General has also said during his press conference.  Yes?

Question:  Thank you.  Some Palestinians say that Gaza reconstruction pledge is unfulfilled.  What's Secretary‑General doing to help this effort?

Spokesman:  I think this is an issue, if I'm not mistaken, that Robert Serry brought up in the Security Council's open meeting on the Middle East last week.  It's obviously very important for Gaza, in this particular instant, that people, that Governments live up to the pledges they've made in Cairo.  But in general when people pledge, it's also important that they commit and go through with their pledges into real monies.

Question:  A follow-up to this.

Spokesman:  Yes, please.

Question:  Any comments on the renewed Israeli attacks on Gaza?

Spokesman:  I think from what I understand there was an exchange, this was in retaliation to rockets that were sent, that were fired into southern Israel.  I think this firing and the response underscores the need for the discussions on the Gaza ceasefire to get on track and to take hold and for a political solution to be found.

Question:  Thank you.  In [inaudible] by the Chair of the Al‑Qaida Sanctions Committee, Gary Quinlan, he addressed the chief of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba as Hafiz Saeed “Sahib”.  “Sahib” is a word used with respect and for elderly people.  India has objected to this use of the word “sahib” and wants sort of a clarification from the UN.  Do you…?

Spokesman:  I think I would ask for clarification to the author of the letter.  Anna, and then we'll go to Matthew.

Question:  Thank you.  I actually was also alarmed by the situation in Pakistan but since my colleague Oleg asked that question, I'm not going to repeat it.  Just a little addendum to that.  They say that these executions of these prisoners, Prime Minister [Muhammad] Nawaz Sharif was behind that and they say it basically violated the unofficial moratorium on executions and put at risk trade deal with European Union which is famously against capital punishment.  Do you think there could be a concerted effort of UN and European Union to stop this thing from unravelling even more?  So this is on Pakistan.  And I also wanted to ask a second question about refugees, specifically Kurdish refugees in the ISIS [the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant/Sham]-affected region and also Syrian refugees.  Is something being done to accommodate these people and since we learned that Kurdish Peshmerga has already, in the process… has been in the process of recapturing Mount Sinjar, do you think it would be possible to relocate these people back to their normal lives?

Spokesman:  On your first question, I don't really have anything to add except to reiterate the Secretary‑General's position — the issue of a trade deal between Pakistan and the European Union is a bilateral one.  On the refugees, obviously, a lot is being done.  I think we've talked about it quite a bit from here.  The efforts done by UNHCR [Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees], the other UN humanitarian offices, to try to alleviate the suffering of these refugees, and of course, the huge effort being put forward by the neighbouring countries, in Iraq itself, in Turkey, in Lebanon and other places, trying to house these refugees.  And I think UNHCR if I'm not mistaken put in quite large ask of monies to ensure that we can continue providing these refugees with basic services.  As to relocation, I think we've seen the military action that's taken place over the last couple of days, led by Kurdish Peshmerga forces.  Obviously, people cannot be forced to resettle and the tendency is that people will return home once they feel that it is safe.

Question:  UN does not consider it safe yet, right?

Spokesman:  It's not really — I think as we all see these military operations are ongoing, and these things are not solved within 48 hours.  It takes some time to establish whether or not it's safe, and again, the decision for people to return home belongs to people, not to the UN or Governments.

Question:  Thanks, Stéphane.  On peacekeeping, I think it's pretty clear that a party to a conflict shouldn't serve as a peacekeeper in that conflict but with so many conflicts now having control of natural resources at the heart of contention, I'm wondering if the SG believes the country, for example, with the large stake in natural resources in a country, China in South Sudan for example, can be viewed to ever really maintain that kind of neutrality or if more guidance is needed on this? 

Spokesman:  I think we appreciate all the troops that are given to UN peacekeeping and they are expected to behave and to follow the interests of the United Nations and not their own natural interests wherever they're positioned.  Mr. Lee.

Question:  Sure.  I wanted to ask — I'd asked you some time ago about the Climate Change summit in Lima, Peru, and NGOs — I guess I can name them, sustain US, US climate plan — they say they e-mailed back and forth with the UN Secretariat of the conference and were told what could be put on their signs, what couldn't be put on their signs.  You said you would check on this.  What's the UN's reasoning for trying to dictate what can go on a sign at a climate change summit?

Spokesman:  I don't have an answer for you yet but we will try to harvest one.

Question:  And on Haiti, anything on the investigation into shooting into a crowd?

Spokesman:  No.

Question:  And do you have any comment — here in the host city, there was a big event on Saturday in which two police officers were killed and there's a lot of people that are speaking about the lack of relation to the… to the movement for police reform and I just wonder, given that the UN is based here and this is seen a… President Obama's called Bratton, what does the Secretary‑General, does he have any view…?

Spokesman:  I'm not going to get into the complex politics of New York City.  What I would say is obviously our hearts go out to the families of the two police officers who were killed and our condolences go out to their families and to their colleagues and to the people of the City of New York.  Thank you.