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.
Just to welcome to the large group of graduate students from Boconni University in Milan who are here to do a three-week course at NYU [New York University] Wagner School of Public Service at NYU.
**Secretary-General’s Travels
The Secretary-General, as you know, is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, today, for the third Financing for Development Conference. In his remarks at its opening, he said that a successful outcome on this Conference is crucial for securing an ambitious post-2015 development agenda and a comprehensive agreement on climate change. He urged world leaders and ministers gathered this week to agree on an outcome that is commensurate in ambition with the sustainable development goals. And he called on them to exercise flexibility and compromise, and overcome narrow self-interest in favour of working together for the common well-being for humanity.
Before the opening of the Conference, he met with [Hailemariam Desalegn], the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, commending his strong leadership in working to produce a historic outcome document for the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. And a readout of the meeting is already online.
Since his arrival yesterday in Ethiopia, the Secretary-General participated in a working lunch on Malaria Financing for a New Era, as well as other several side events. And his remarks have been shared with you from over the weekend. And also this afternoon, he launched a Global Financing Facility in support of the “Every woman, every child” initiative. The Secretary-General stressed that investing in saving and improving the lives of women, children and adolescents is not only a moral imperative; it makes economic sense.
And he is just now having a meeting on South Sudan with Ethiopian Prime Minister, and Head of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, IGAD, as well as the Chairperson of the African Union Commission. And he scheduled to have a stakeout shortly after that.
**Syria
And turning to Syria, within the framework of the ongoing consultations on Syria, Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura visited Qatar, where he met yesterday with the Assistant Foreign Minister [Mohammad bin Abdullah bin Mutib al Rumaihi]. And on the same day, he visited the United Arab Emirates, where he met with the Minister for Foreign Affairs [Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan]. Throughout his discussions, the Special Envoy noted once again the need to start a process leading to a political solution to the Syrian crisis through constructive dialogue. Mr. de Mistura will continue his consultations with Member States in the region for the coming days.
**Afghanistan
And the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Nicholas Haysom, has condemned in the strongest terms yesterday’s suicide attack in Khost Province, where dozens of civilians, including children, have been killed. Mr. Haysom has stressed that the attack, which took place near a community bazaar, can never be justified, adding that those responsible must be held accountable.
**Iraq
And the new report released today from Baghdad shows that the conflict in Iraq continues to take a terrible toll on civilians, with at least 15,000 killed and 30,000 wounded since January 2014. Widespread human rights violations and massive displacement continue unabated throughout the country. The report shows that the situation of civilians in areas under the control of Da’esh remains dire. “Civilians continued to be murdered, often in grim public spectacles,” the report says, which is published by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).
It also documents violations committed by the Iraqi Security Forces and affiliated forces, including airstrikes and shelling which, at many times, may have violated the principles of distinction and proportionality, and the obligation to take all feasible precautions to protect civilians. And that report is online.
**Central African Republic
And from the Central African republic, our Humanitarian Coordinator there [Aurélien A. Agbénonci], the High Commissioner for Refugees and the humanitarian community have expressed deep concerns regarding the decision by the Transitional National Council to refuse the right of Central African refugees to vote in the forthcoming presidential elections and the potential impact of this decision on efforts to promote reconciliation and social cohesion in the country.
The Humanitarian Coordinator said that such exclusion could have consequences on the credibility and inclusiveness of the elections. Since December 2013, approximately 25 per cent of the Central African population has been displaced inside the country and more than 460,000 have fled to Cameroon, Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as Chad. This number is significant and represents a considerable electorate that cannot be ignored.
**Gaza
And I was asked earlier about the issue regarding two Israeli civilians who recently entered Gaza, and I can say that the Secretary-General is aware of reports that two Israeli civilians who entered Gaza over the last year remain unaccounted for. He calls on all relevant Palestinian actors in Gaza to provide information as to their possible whereabouts and conditions and to take prompt action to facilitate their safe return to their families. The Secretary-General underscores the responsibility of all parties to protect and respect the rights of civilians. The United Nations will continue to closely monitor developments on the issue.
**Srebrenica
As you will have seen, the Deputy Secretary-General attended the commemoration of the genocide in Srebrenica on Saturday. In his remarks at the event, he said that the United Nations and the international community failed to protect the people of Srebrenica, and that this will, and should, haunt us forever. It has fundamentally affected us and is, in many ways, altering our work, he added. He said that he wished that the Srebrenica genocide made the world fully realize the curse of hate and the folly of division, but that tragedies still take place with grim frequency in places such as Syria, Iraq, South Sudan and Yemen.
In a separate statement, he spoke out against an attack, which he witnessed first-hand, against the Serbian Prime Minister at the commemoration, saying it was far removed from the spirit he felt at the event. And those statements are online. And we also issued [Secretary-General] statements over the weekend on Chad, Libya and Colombia.
**Press Encounters
And just flagging: tomorrow Martin Kobler, the SRSG [Special Representative of the Secretary-General] for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, will be briefing the Security Council and he has promised to go to the stakeout afterwards. And then at around noon, I will be joined here by Robert Kirkpatrick, the Director of the UN Global Pulse. He will be here to brief you on that initiative. Sherwin?
**Questions and Answers
Question: Thanks, Steph. We're seeing reports of a growing armed rebellion in Burundi, which some are now referring to as a low‑level conflict. Is there anything more, given the failed mediation effort we've seen to date, that the United Nations, the Secretary‑General can do to prevent this from escalating into a broader regional concern?
Spokesman: Well, obviously, the continuing deterioration of the situation in Burundi is of concern to us. Our human rights staff is there. They are observing, and they are recording what they are seeing. On the political front, we are obviously very much supporting the facilitation efforts by President [Yoweri] Museveni. The Secretary‑General was briefly in touch with him this morning. He expects to speak to him again tomorrow. And we understand that President Museveni is scheduled to be in Bujumbura on 14 July, tomorrow. And the Secretary‑General is obviously using his time in Addis to engage with other regional leaders.
Question: Has there been any shift in, kind of, the UN's reluctance to pronounce on the constitutionality the… in terms of the Arusha accords, of the third term? That’s essentially at the heart of this.
Spokesman: We are supporting the facilitation that we hope would create the right atmosphere for the elections. We saw the parliamentary elections that took place last week. The UN Electoral Mission [in Burundi], MENUB, expressed its concern at the way the elections were handled and how they took place. We will do the same for the presidential elections, but I think what's important is that we all support the regional efforts. Edie and then Nizar?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. Does the Secretary‑General have any comment on the agreement reached today with Greece by the European Union ministers?
Spokesman: The Secretary‑General is obviously aware of the agreement. He takes note on the next steps towards a mutually acceptable resolution after there were negotiations between Greece and its creditors. The Secretary‑General very much hopes that Greece will be able to undertake the important and complex task of rebuilding its economy following the agreement. Nizar?
Correspondent: Yeah. On the ceasefire or the pause in Yemen, what did really go wrong that it seem… doesn't look like anybody has abided by the agreement, especially [Abd Rabbuh Mansour] Hadi himself. Mr. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed announced that he consulted with him, and the Saudi‑led coalition says we are not concerned about this, totally.
Spokesman: Well, obviously, the Secretary‑General is very, very much disappointed that the humanitarian pause did not take hold over the weekend in Yemen. We are continuing with contacts at various levels. Despite the continued airstrikes, despite the fighting, our humanitarian colleagues and their partners were able to distribute some vital aid to the desperate people of Yemen, wherever they can and however they can. Obviously, the security situation makes it that much more difficult for humanitarian aid, for critical humanitarian aid to be delivered. We continue to reiterate our call for a humanitarian pause, unconditional humanitarian pause. And I would say that the Secretary‑General reminds all parties in the conflict in Yemen, from both inside and outside the country, of their obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law and calls on all sides to prevent further deterioration of the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe that we're seeing in Yemen.
Question: Could you please elaborate on the delivery of aid? Did you get any fuel into Yemen yet?
Spokesman: We're… I just… one of the reasons I was late, I was trying to harvest as much information as I could for you. Our colleagues at OCHA [Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs] are still trying to get numbers from the ground. I think you'll understand that the situation is rather complex. We hope to be able to share some things with you by the end of the day. The reporting needs to come up the line, back up to here. I wasn't able to get the numbers I wanted to get you for today, but we hope to have some.
Question: On the border, did you have any updates?
Spokesman: Not yet, no. Masood, then Matthew?
Question: Yes, Stéphane. Now that the Secretary‑General is aware of the EU's [European Union] agreement with Greece, is he aware of Iranian talks going on? Do you have any update on that?
Spokesman: I have no update. I think we're all waiting for the smoke to rise out of the talks in Vienna. We're all watching them very closely and with great interest. And the Secretary‑General, as we've often said, greatly supports the effort of all the parties involved and hopes that an agreement can be reached.
Question: Has he had any briefing from…?
Spokesman: As I said, he's aware of what's… what's going… he's aware of what's going on, but we're obviously waiting for the final agreement. Mr. Lee?
Correspondent: Sure. I wanted to ask a follow‑up on Yemen and something on South Sudan. On Yemen, Saudi Arabia was quoted right after the supposed deadline as saying they were informally asked even… and I remember in this back‑and‑forth last week you said that President Hadi had said that he'd conveyed something to them. Does the Secretary‑General, Secretariat or DPA [Department of Political Affairs] or anyone feel that communication… you're basically conflating a call for a pause with what was announced as a UN‑brokered pause, which people believed in and never took place.
Spokesman: No, I… listen, obviously, the fact that the pause never took place is of disappointment to us. The Secretary‑General's Special Envoy over the past weeks has been in Sana’a and in Riyadh, talking to the parties to secure their commitment to the pause. He discussed the pause with senior Saudi officials; Mr. Ismail did. And after receiving commitments from the Yemeni parties, President Hadi advised us that he had informed the Government of Saudi Arabia of his support for the pause. So, you know, obviously, different people are saying different things. We very much stand by the commitments we had received for this pause. And, you know, as we speak, as I said, contacts are continuing. As soon as I can brief you a bit more detail on those, I will, but I think at the end the day, the fact that there was no pause is just continuing to heap greater suffering on the Yemeni people.
Question: But, he seems to say… he's been quoted… Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has been quoted that the ceasefire has not collapsed. Is that accurate? I mean, is that… was there a ceasefire, and has it not collapsed?
Spokesman: Obviously, the humanitarian pause did not take hold to the extent that we would have liked.
Question: All right. And could I… on South Sudan, there's this report that the Government is intending to expel Mary Cummins from Unity State in response to the UN's human rights report last month. Is the UN opposing that? Has it already taken place? And what does the UN say about it?
Spokesman: No, we've seen… obviously, we've seen those media reports, those quotes regarding our colleagues, regarding Mary Cummins. We're currently… "we" being our colleagues in the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), are engaging with the governorate, the local authorities, in Unity State, as well as the national authorities, to actually clarify the situation and also for the Government to uphold the provisions on privileges and immunities of UN staff which are embedded in the Status of Forces Agreement. So, we're just basically trying to get a bit more information and clarity on these press statements. Abdel Hamid then Jonathan?
Question: In your statement when you spoke about truce, the word "monitors" were mentioned. I think there was… there will be some kind of monitoring?
Spokesman: You know, in the statement… no, I think if you go back to the statement, there was no mention of monitors for the humanitarian pause. There was a reflection on what would have to come… what agreements would have to be reached in order to elaborate a real and sustainable ceasefire, which would involve, obviously, withdrawal of some territory and some monitoring. But, the monitors were not part of the humanitarian pause.
Question: Don't think in that case that the UN was a little bit rushing into announcing it without all the details needed, including monitors? Because that was what was set aside for the previous truce.
Spokesman: I don't think we can be criticized for rushing into an agreement after we've seen weeks and weeks and weeks of the Yemeni people suffering of what is, by all accounts, close to being a humanitarian catastrophe. The Special Envoy had received the commitments that he felt were necessary for us to come out with the statement. It is incumbent on all the parties involved to abide by those commitments. Jonathan?
Question: Stéphane, could you compare and contrast how the Secretary‑General is approaching the Iran nuclear issue and the North Korean nuclear issue? We all know that he was rebuffed by the North Koreans he had planned to visit. Is there a concern that if he tried to intervene in the Tehran situation that he might get rebuffed?
Spokesman: I think compare and contrast of issues is your job. I think there are different ways of approaching things. There are different formats for different talks. The Iran talks have a specific format. The Secretary‑General's fully supportive of them. The cancellation of the planned visit to the Kaesong Industrial Complex was not within the framework of any… of nuclear talks on the Korean peninsula. It was in the framework of reconciliation and bringing those two countries together. As I said, different issues have different approaches. Masood, please wait.
Question: Just a quick follow‑up on that, though. Given the number of deadlines that have passed and gone… you know, come and gone, does the Secretary‑General maybe think that his good offices would be helpful at this stage in helping the process along?
Spokesman: I think we're looking at it from New York. These discussions in Vienna are at a very, very critical stage. I don't think any involvement… there's no plan for any involvement by the Secretary‑General. He's fully supportive of all those who are around the table, and he's continuing to encourage them. Yes? No, just wait. We'll go to round two in a second.
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. On Friday, Mr. de Mistura said he shared the finding of the Geneva consultation with the Secretary‑General. Can you tell us what was the main… these findings?
Spokesman: No. I… and I don't mean to be glib. There will be a briefing to the Security Council later this month where those findings will be shared.
Question: Is there going to be a proposal, the beginning of another peace process?
Spokesman: I just ask you to be a little more patient. Oleg… Masood, we'll… even with your [inaudible], you've already asked a question. We'll go to round two.
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. On Srebrenica, after what happened over there, did… I saw that he came up with a statement afterwards. But, did he contact the two sides, maybe call them for easing of the tension? Or probably Ban Ki‑moon did it himself?
Spokesman: No, I think the Deputy Secretary‑General's statement, I think, was very clear. I think he left fairly quickly after that, as all the invitees did. And I think he was disappointed, in that the event really… the attack marred a very solemn event, which was to be about reconciliation. I think the Deputy Secretary‑General's remarks about the UN's failure to stop what was clearly a genocide are very clear. Anna, and then we'll go to… down there. Masood, wait till we've gone… everybody's asked a first question, and then we'll go to you. Yes, ma'am?
Question: I wanted to raise once again the issue of foreign fighters amongst ISIS [Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant/Sham] and other marginalized groups, which you yourself called very important, and drastic measures should be taken to stop this flow of people to these places. It's been reported that ISIS now opened a Russian‑speaking channel called Furat Media, and they are disseminating their propaganda in Russian to call on Russian fighters into their ranks. And while Minister [Sergey] Lavrov said… Foreign Minister, there are 2,000 fighters among, you know, these marginalized groups, this numbers can grow. Is anything being done to counterattack in cyberspace — Twitter, Facebook, you know, YouTube — against these groups?
Spokesman: I think no country is immune to the propaganda war that we've seen by radical groups like Da’esh. It's important that national authorities work on multiple fronts to try to address this issue, which is looking at the profile of these young people who go, why they… and address why… their motivations into why they should go. Obviously, there is a police and security component to it. But, this is an issue that needs to be addressed in multifaceted ways. One of… it's one of the many reasons the Secretary‑General has worked clearly with interfaith leaders to try to counter the radical ideas that we've seen from different quarters, but it is work that we all need to be engaged in.
Question: Just one little reminder. During Rwanda genocide, radio transmissions only were blamed for fueling the whole thing. So, if radio can do that, what can…?
Spokesman: I think we've seen a number of countries trying to engage in countering that propaganda through social media, which we would assume is a good idea. Go ahead. And then Dulcie?
Question: On Yemen, did the Secretary‑General speak to anybody from the Saudi authorities or the coalition forces about why they don't expect this humanitarian pause?
Spokesman: There have been some contacts, and I expect to be able to share with you a little bit more detail later this afternoon. Dulcie?
Question: Yes. I had a question about Yemen, too. To what extent is the US Government involved in the negotiations with the UN mediator, Yemen, all the players?
Spokesman: I think you would have to… that's a question best asked to the [United States] State Department. Obviously, the US and other Security Council members are all engaged and are… we rely on them to also bear the positive influence they have on the players. Nizar, then Masood, if you'd like to ask…
Question: Yeah. A few days ago, a Qatari‑based channel broadcast an interview with a Syrian pilot who was arrested by Jabhat al‑Nusra, terrorist organization in Syria. How is that possible? I mean, to interview a prisoner of war to be paraded on television by a State which is a member of a Security Council here?
Spokesman: I'm curious. I haven't seen the interview, so let me look into it and I will get back to you. Masood?
Question: Yes, on this total failure of the ceasefire… Yemeni ceasefire to take place, is it possible that the Secretary‑General's Special Representative failed to get the real signals from the Saudis and the Yemenis? This is a massive failure basically…
Spokesman: The Secretary‑General obviously has the utmost confidence in the work of his Special Envoy. The fact that the cease… the humanitarian pause did not take extent… take hold to the extent we would have liked is of great disappointment. Who you are going to decide to blame for this lack of full success — one can always blame the mediator, but I think it is important that it is those who are holding the weapons to silence them.
Correspondent: At least the mediator can name names and say that… talk about…
Spokesman: I think… the discussion… we've not lost hope and the discussions are ongoing. Mr. Lee?
Question: Sure. I want to ask about Burundi and also UNASUR [Union of South American Nations]. On Burundi, you know, you said that the UN, I guess, human rights team there is… is… is recording and seeing what's… when are they going to report that? There are these pictures of… were described as rebels being arrested by the Government that many people are saying are just farmers who happened to belong to opposition parties. So, some of them… there's also pictures of corpses. When is the UN actually going to report on what it's witnessed in the last day?
Spokesman: I'll check with them, but our human rights colleagues tend to report on a regular basis.
Question: And also, there was this meeting between UN… the Secretary‑General of UNASUR and the Secretary‑General and his chief of staff on Friday. He gave a press conference here. He said the issue of Malvinas was raised, but it was not in the readout. Can you say whether or not it was raised?
Spokesman: I will stand by the readout. But, the readout is not meant to be… any readout is not meant to be completely exhaustive, so we put out the readout we did.
Question: And what are the next steps on, in fact, in naming a good offices envoy to the Venezuela‑Guyana…?
Spokesman: As soon as I have something to announce, I will. Abdel Hamid, then we'll come back.
Question: One on Libya and one on Palestine. On Libya, there is the National General Congress refused to sign with all the others and the… Bernardino León said the door is still open. Are there any kind of contacts or talks with those groups…?
Spokesman: Yes. Obviously, discussions would still be going on between the Special Representative and his team to those who have not yet initialed. The Secretary‑General was encouraged by those who had initialed, and we very much hope that the remaining parties will, as well.
Question: I also noticed that he thanked Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Turkey, and he didn't thank Egypt, although Egypt was there. Was that intentional?
Spokesman: Who didn't thank them?
Correspondent: In his statement, Bernardino León; he thanked them.
Spokesman: I will… I can't answer that off the top of my head.
Question: Now, my question on Palestine. As you just mentioned, the Secretary‑General issued a statement showing concern about two civilians missing, but in the month of June, Mr. Stéphane, there were 150 Palestinians were arrested, including 60 minors. And one of these pictures that went viral, this child, who was roughed by the shoulders in Jerusalem, why these things do not also… were that the Secretary‑General issue a statement of concern about even roughing the children, at least?
Spokesman: I think those sentiments are regularly expressed in the Secretary‑General's monthly reporting to the Security Council, notably on the issue of administrative detention by Israeli authorities, and he's called for all those who are currently held under administrative detention to either face the judicial process or be released. And that continues to be a concern of the Secretary‑General. Yes, and then we'll go to Go. Go ahead.
Question: Yes. I have two questions about Iraq. The first is about the use of chlorine gas by ISIS. There are increasing reports in the last two months that ISIS has been using chlorine gas in northern part of Iraq and in Anbar. And even in the UN report, there's mention of that, but it says it's unverified. But, the reports are increasing. While in Syria there's a lot of scrutiny on this. In Iraq, why there's not much we hear about this from the UN?
Spokesman: I think there is scrutiny. I think the question is a question of being able to verify and the question of access. If we were able to verify these, we would say so. It's not a matter of concern. It's a question of access.
Correspondent: But in the reports… the latest reports from the UN, it talks about in several places that there are witnesses. There are even leaders that say the armed forces…
Spokesman: It's a question of being able to verify.
Question: And the second question is about violations of human rights by the pro‑Government militias and their ISIS… attempt to fight ISIS in Anbar. There are increasing reports by the UN that they committed executions and they killed civilians. What has the UN done about condemnation?
Spokesman: I think transparency is a critical part of accountability. So, it's important that we're able to record these and express them publicly in these reports. This is also an issue that the Secretary‑General brought up directly in his recent… in his visit to Baghdad earlier this year. And it's an issue that the Special Representatives and his team also brings…
Correspondent: But they record the killings of the civilians and they post it on YouTube and, like… you can say very recorded incidents are occurring, especially in Anbar.
Spokesman: As I said, this is a matter that the UN has repeatedly brought to the attention of the Government of Iraq and for the need for the Iraqi security forces to conduct themselves to the highest standards of international law. Go?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. A very basic question: You said a while ago that Srebrenica was a genocide, right? Is it a UN position?
Spokesman: It is… the use of the term "genocide" within the context of the UN has to be determined by a legal entity. The fact that genocide took place at Srebrenica has been repeatedly stated by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.
Question: So, despite this trait in the Security Council, this is the UN…?
Spokesman: Exactly. And the Deputy Secretary‑General was very clear in those remarks both at Srebrenica and in New York earlier this week at the Security Council meeting you referred to.
Question: And the basis is the ruling of the [International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia]. Thank you.
Spokesman: It has to be a legal ruling. Yes?
Question: Sure. Can I ask something about the financing for development conference? And then about DRC [Democratic Republic of the Congo]? Some UN officials, UN system officials, have said that this problem of the World Bank considering Lebanon, Jordan and some countries in West Africa as middle‑income countries has led to a failure for them to be able to receive sufficient financing to deal with the refugee crisis in their country, including Kristin… Sigrid Kaag said that; so did Mr. [Antonio] Guterres. I'm wondering, with Ban Ki‑moon there, and saying that he's involved in the process, is he raising this issue? Is there some way to know what the Secretariat is actually doing to get that UN system policy reversed?
Spokesman: I think those are probably discussions that are had within the system, both in Addis and in New York.
Question: Today is the… three years ago, the head of the FDLR [Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda], the military commander, Mr. [Sylvestre] Mudacumura, was indicted by the ICC [International Criminal Court]. And so, today many people are calling for not just the DRC Army but the UN to, you know, actually enforce the warrant and actually arrest him in some way. One, does the UN's decision not to participate in military operations against the FDLR make this more likely, and can you say any step that the UN system has taken with regard to either this individual or the FDLR in the last year?
Spokesman: I think it's a critical question, and it's one I would encourage you to ask Mr. Kobler tomorrow.
Question: And can I ask you one thing? Because I'm not sure I'm going to be able to ask him. Same topic, MONUSCO [United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo] or DRC. It said there are forces on the border now with Burundi gathered. So I'm asking you this now, because there's some concern coming from both directions, interventions. Is it anything to your knowledge that MONUSCO, DRC or DPA is aware of?
Spokesman: Let me check. Thank you, all. Have great day.