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.
**Burundi
I will start off -- just to let you know that the Secretary-General yesterday afternoon spoke with the President of Burundi. In his phone call with President [Pierre] Nkurunziza, the Secretary-General reiterated his strong condemnation of the recent killing of General [Adolphe] Nshimirimana and the attempted assassination of Pierre Clavier Mbonimpa. He expressed his deep concern over the impact of these events on security in Burundi.
The Secretary-General urged the President of Burundi to resume the political dialogue, which has been suspended since 19 July. He encouraged the Burundian authorities to work closely with the Ugandan-led facilitation on behalf of the East African Community.
The Secretary-General offered the full support of the United Nations to help find a peaceful solution to the grave problems facing Burundi.
**Hiroshima
In a message delivered today to the Peace Memorial Ceremony on the seventieth anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, the Secretary-General said that the commemoration in the Japanese city should reverberate across the world, reminding all people of the need for urgent action to eliminate nuclear weapons once and for all.
The Secretary-General said that his own commitment was reinforced during his visit to Hiroshima five years ago. He said that the courage of those who lived through this catastrophic, man-made tragedy was deeply inspiring. He paid tribute to the bravery of the hibakusha and renewed his resolve to advance our common cause of achieving a safer and more peaceful world, free of the nuclear shadow.
The Secretary-General noted that this year is also the seventieth anniversary of the United Nations, and that as we keep the memory of the bombing alive, so, too, must the international community persist until we have ensured that nuclear weapons are eliminated.
“I echo your rallying cry,” he said: “No more Hiroshimas. No more Nagasakis.”
The full statement of the Secretary-General is online and in my office.
**Libya
And turning to Libya, the UN Support Mission for Libya (UNSMIL) has announced that the UN-facilitated dialogue will resume next Monday, 10 August.
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Bernardino León, has urged the main parties to redouble their efforts and continue working together to find a peaceful resolution to the political and military conflict in Libya.
We will update you on more details on talks and developments early next week.
**Syria
And turning to Syria, I know yesterday, Oleg and your colleague Olga asked us about the reported visit by Syrian opposition officials to Russia.
We can say that the Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, is in favour of any initiative to search for a political solution to the Syrian crisis. He stressed the importance of the contribution of the Security Council members to a political solution to the Syrian conflict. And he also underscores the urgent need to find ways to end the bloodshed in Syria.
**Iraq
And our friends at the World Food Programme (WFP) announced this week that it will focus its resources on the most vulnerable Syrian refugees living in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, following a comprehensive assessment of needs in the area.
The decisions taken on the prioritization of food assistance are based on an assessment to measure the general food security status of refugees living in camps and their ability to cope. Factors taken into account include access to livelihood opportunities, food consumption, household expenditure, coping strategies and other socio-economic considerations.
In August, the World Food Programme will channel all available resources to more than 48,000 refugees who still require support to meet their food needs. The World Food Programme will reduce the monthly voucher value to $10 per person per month for more than 47,000 moderately vulnerable refugees, while nearly 1,000 refugees considered the most vulnerable will continue to receive the $19 per month per person to meet their food needs.
**Chad
And our humanitarian colleagues report further population displacement in the Lake Chad region following fear of attacks by Boko Haram and appeals by the Government of Chad for civilians to leave areas where ongoing military operations are being undertaken against the group.
On 3 August, an estimated 10,000 people fled to the locality of Koulkimé, some 20 kilometres from the town of Baga Sola, in the Lac Region of Chad, bringing the total of internally displaced persons in the region to around 40,000. Overall, some 79,000 civilians have been forced to flee their homes since the beginning of the year.
And the Humanitarian Coordinator for Chad, Thomas Gurtner, said today the UN was working with partners to implement the immediate lifesaving assistance to the new displaced people.
**Food Price
And lastly, our semi-regular updates from our colleagues at FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] on food prices. They tell us that prices for major food commodities in July hit their lowest average monthly level. The UN agency said that this is mostly due to sharp drops in the prices of dairy products and vegetable oils.
FAO’s Food Price Index averaged 164.6 points in July, down 1 per cent from June, and 19.4 per cent from earlier in the year [a year earlier].
If you’re interested in food prices, go to FAO’s website.
Nizar?
**Questions and Answers
Question: Regarding this attack today, terrorist attack, in Abha in Saudi Arabia have you issued a statement?
Spokesman: No. I don’t have anything for you on that.
Question: Another thing about Yemen, what is the position of the UN regarding the blockade over Aden, in particular of the seaport and thousands of tons of necessary materials that are stranded there in that seaport?
Spokesman: What is critical is that there are no impediments to food being able to come into Yemen. Because as we’ve talked about here often, if not every day, there are critical food needs in Yemen throughout the country — I think almost 80 per cent of the population is in need of some humanitarian assistance. Despite the lack of humanitarian pause, we have been able to get some food in, distribute some food, which is really just a drop the bucket of what we need. I know our colleagues at WFP have a number of vessels scheduled to arrive not only in Hodeidah but also Al-Saleef and Aden. And WFP has a vessel that is just off the port in Saleef and is just waiting for its turn to berth. WFP is continuing to use all those three ports to get food in. But obviously more aid is needed and we need a humanitarian pause to get everything that we need to the people who need it.
Question: The official Government has already declared that Hodeidah is closed indefinitely. Also Sanaa airport is not allowed to be used—
Spokesman: I will reiterate what I think one of my first sentences were, that it’s critical, that food and humanitarian goods be let in freely throughout Yemen. Yes, sir, and then we will go to Matthew.
Question: With regard to Syria, is there any news about possible voting tomorrow by the Security Council a resolution to assign a panel of experts?
Spokesman: No. We are obviously very much aware of the discussions that have taken place among Council members on this issue and, you know, whatever investigative mechanism they come up with related to the use of toxic chemicals in Syria. Obviously, we will wait to see what vote is and the Secretary‑General is obviously standing by to implement whatever mandate, if a mandate is given to him, by the Security Council.
Question: Do you know when the voting is going to take place?
Spokesman: My friend, I know very little things. But what the Security Council decides to do and when they decide to do it, I try not to speak on. Mr. Lee.
Question: Sure. Two possibly interrelated questions. One has to do with on Burundi, thanks for that readout and I don’t know if you will be putting it out, you know, as a formal readout?
Spokesman: It is a formal. Literally, the paper was still hot when I got it.
Question: Okay, I guess I just want to ask this because people will be curious, did he discuss naming with the President… naming a replacement to either Mr. Djinnit or Bathily as a sort of an envoy?
Spokesman: I think what was discussed and what we are able to share with you from the discussion is what we put in the readout. Obviously, the UN is standing by to do whatever it can to be as helpful as possible in the political process, in facilitating this political process. When we are ready to announce something, we shall announce it from this podium.
Question: I wanted to ask you if you… about the status of the recruiting new head of Africa I in DPA [Department of Political Affairs] which covers the Great Lakes. And the reason I’m asking is I heard from a number of sources the current PGA [President of the General Assembly] has put forward a candidate, Mr. [Arthur] Kafeero, to head it and some people have concerns about that. I wanted to know: is that an open process, how is it supposed to work?
Spokesman: It’s… you seem to know more about open posts than I do. It’s my understanding it’s a director-level post. There is a recruiting process. That is as much as I know.
Question: For a Member State or a UN official to speak with a chief of staff [inaudible]
Spokesman: I don’t know those conversations happened. There is a recruiting process that is the same for all these posts. I’m not going to speculate on who is a candidate, who is not a candidate.
Question: Given that it covers the Great Lakes and given that there is a lack right now of an envoy on it, can you either get DPA to say—
Spokesman: No. I mean, given that it’s a recruiting process for a post, that it’s not… I’m not going to start to comment on the process. Oleg, then Joe.
Question: Thank you, Stéphane, for of all, thanks again for getting back on this de Mistura/Syria business. I have a follow-up question on the voting expected tomorrow in the Security Council. This draft resolution worked out by, I presume, the US and Russia, the main point of it… the major point of it is this… of this mechanism is this group of experts to be appointed by the Secretary-General. I want to ask if prior to adoption did two countries or possibly other members consult Ban Ki-moon? Is he capable of forming such—
Spokesman: The passage and the adoption of resolution rest in the power of the 15 members of the Council. Are there discussions between members of the Council and the Secretariat? Always and all the time. But at the end of the day it is their resolution to adopt. We will see what the final text looks like and obviously we will be there to implement the mandate. I think this is a critical issue. It’s also an issue that applies to… brings up the issue of accountability in the use of these toxic gasses, so we look forward to seeing the Council action tomorrow.
Question: And on a somewhat separate issue, there are reports coming that ISIS fighters killed 19 women who did not want to engage in sex relations with them. Were you able to confirm this report? Are you looking into those?
Spokesman: I haven’t seen these particular reports, but I know whether it’s the UN Mission in Iraq and other parts of the region or the Special Advis… Special Representative of sexual violence in conflict have repeatedly condemned Da’esh and other extremist groups for the particularly vicious violence against women that we have seen in this conflict. Mr. Lauria.
Question: Thank you. On Hiroshima, the seventieth anniversary, I had a story in today’s Journal and longer online about a survivor who after recovering found a pocket watch in the rubble of his home and he eventually allowed it to be loaned here to UN Headquarters to be part of the Nagasaki Hiroshima exhibit. In 1989 his daughter came on a public tour to see the watch and she discovered that it was missing and was told a short time afterward that it was stolen. Now, the current UN Security Office has made an effort to look for the case file. They haven’t found it. But the family, a UN official I spoke to and a former security guard believe that no serious effort was ever made to investigate this missing watch and the family is calling now for a reactivation — it’s still open technically. They were told that the investigation is still open 26 years later and obviously there is no statute of limitations. I don’t know if they even apply here, but it’s about the dignity of this guy.
Spokesman: It sounds like something we should definitely look into.
Question: Consider?
Spokesman: Considering the value of that, the emotional value of that, that sort of loan to the UN, so let me look into it. And I hadn’t had a chance to see your story today.
Question: It’s something you may consider reactivating the investigation?
Spokesman: I can’t speak to that at this moment. But obviously it’s something we need to look into.
Question: Okay.
Spokesman: Yes, sir.
Question: I think time is probably of the essence on that one, Steph. My question is about...
Spokesman: Please leave the bad jokes to me.
Question: …is about the chronic underfunding of humanitarian appeals. We often are presented with people who are at risk, millions, hundreds of thousands in certain cases. Is there any data, UN data, or figures on the number of people who have actually died as a result of this chronic underfunding that we often hear about?
Spokesman: It’s a valid question. I’m not sure we have that kind of data. I mean, I think we could probably see globally where we have had to cut food rations, where we’ve had to scale back services. It’s true we live in a moment in history where there’s never been a greater need for humanitarian aid since the United Nations was founded. And every day, you know, I talk about people and I use numbers and the numbers are numbing, right — 10,000, 50,000. I mean, we just talked about, you know, about Iraq where WFP has to make some hard choices about cutting down food rations. The point is that there is conflict in a number of areas and the people who are suffering are the civilians who are the most vulnerable, and we don’t have the money to serve them. Yesterday we, the Humanitarian Relief Coordinator, released funds, emergency relief funds. But as I said to your colleagues, it’s the reserve of the gas tank. We need to replenish the humanitarian funds.
Question: Do you know who has the money and are you able to, I mean, are you able to articulate that in a more clear sense for us?
Spokesman: We know who has the money. I mean, there is money.
Question: Who?
Spokesman: Member States have been extremely generous but we need them to be more generous. And the amount of money that we’re talking about, I think, in relation to the amount of money that is spent on armament, that is spent on offensive weapons, is again a drop in the bucket. But we know there have been donors who again and again have been generous. We also understand that a lot of them are facing difficult situations at home with national budgets. We understand that. But we also know that there are Member States with resources to give and we would… while we appreciate what has already been given, we need more and it’s not “we” it’s the people we are trying to serve. Yes, sir.
Question: I guess a follow-up question, this one… yesterday, Secretary‑General made a speech for the Palestinians, especially the 100 million. Is anybody responding to what the Secretary‑General is appealing?
Spokesman: You know, the appeal… the Secretary‑General’s report went to Member States — what is today? Thursday? — it went there on Tuesday. The Secretary-General has been making a number of phone calls over the past few weeks. I don’t think all the money that we need has come in. I think these things do take a little bit of time. As soon as we get an update from UNRWA, we shall share it with you.
Question: Okay, another question, not related to that, on this Pakistan’s complaint to UNMOGIP [United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan] about Indian fighting into Pakistan, I mean in Line of Control and killings again and again, every time this appeal goes to the UNMOGIP and nothing actually happens is there any particular reason why UNMOGIP is so tight-lipped about what it has investigated or is it deliberate? It seems that way?
Spokesman: I don’t think, I don’t agree with your analysis but I will check with our colleagues in DPKO [Department of Peacekeeping Operations] to see what has happened with the latest complaints. Mr. Lee.
Question: Sure. Two questions on South Sudan. One is, there are these reports of publications being shut down by the Government, one is The Citizen and the other is Free Voice South Sudan, basically the Government going in and saying stop publishing. Has UNMISS or the Secretariat or DPKO said anything about that? And I also wanted to ask you again about the Yambio camp because I have heard now more specifically that people staying there in something called the Sunset Hotel were allowed to, according to what I heard, to seek protection within the Yambio protection of civilians base whereas residents of the town weren’t. I’m asking you is there sort of a double standard and what test was applied in that case?
Spokesman: You know, my colleagues who are listening to me are probably going to be bringing me the guidance I have on South Sudan, so I will get back to you in a few minutes, as soon as they come into this room. Masood.
Question: Yes, sir. I was just saying you might disagree with what I’m saying but there is a pattern that is coming on that whenever Pakistan or India make a complaint, there is nothing that comes out of UNMOGIP and they never make a statement, is there a particular reason for that to happen?
Spokesman: UNMOGIP implements its mandate as it was given to it. Again, if I have any other information on UNMOGIP I will share it with you. Matthew?
Question: It’s all right I know.
Spokesman: Let’s see if they are paying attention in my office.
Question: Let’s go with this one. Earlier in the week your Deputy, Farhan, said, I asked him if the panel on the Central African Republic sexual abuse allegations would travel to CAR and he said there is no way we would know, we will just get the budget at the end and yesterday Babacar Gaye said that they have travelled there. So I wanted to know, if the idea of you guys not knowing was somehow that they were so independent you wouldn’t know, does DPKO know and you don’t know or…?
Spokesman: No. I think the point is I’m not keeping track of them because they are independent, so they go wherever they need to go and do whatever they need. There is the man in question.
Question: All right, I have more.
Spokesman: They do what they need to do. Obviously, you know, their travel has to be arranged through logistic arrangements that they rely on us for — I mean, they are not traveling on their own. There are logistic and security concerns so I am sure people know where they are going but it is not, I have made it not my job to keep up with them and give you a play by play of who they are talking to or where they are going; but we will see what they come up with at the end and, as we said, we will share their report.
Question: Right, do you have any update on the actual French prosecution of the individuals?
Spokesman: No, I do not.
Question: Right.
Spokesman: I do not. My understanding is that investigation is continuing, is ongoing. South Sudan. Glad you asked. And good that they paid attention. UNMISS tells us that after assessing the security situation and engaging with State authorities no civilians were admitted to the protection into its base in Yambio. UNMISS’ open gate policy is implemented as a last resort when the Mission believe that civilians are under imminent threat. The Mission has increased patrols in Yambio town and its surroundings in an attempt to restore a sense of safety and security and provide a reassuring presence. And my understanding is that no one from the hotels were let in. And I do know that, and you mentioned national staff, national staff have IDs — if they need to stay in the camp and sleep in their offices, that’s fine.
Question: Right but wouldn’t it be inconsistent [inaudible]
Spokesman: It’s not. I think UNMISS has done a tremendous job, and that is probably not even a good enough word, in opening its camps to more than 100,000 people. As we all know, these peacekeeping camps were not designed to house this number of people. The idea to open up the gates was really as a last resort, if people are under imminent threat. It’s a hard call that the Mission obviously has to do. They made the call in this particular instance. Obviously if national staff feel — I’m not aware that national staff was told they had to stay in the camp — if national staff feel they would rather stay in their offices, no one would kick them out. No one would kick me out of my office if I don’t want to go home. Okay? Nizar.
Question: Would that apply to every mission, every peacekeeping mission?
Spokesman: I think… the Secretary‑General, I would refer you back to the speech he gave in Kigali over a year ago, for the twentieth anniversary commemoration and he talked about the open gate policy and he talked about the need for people in the field to focus on protection of civilians, to make the hard decisions first and then have to report back to Headquarters. And I think in South Sudan we have seen the result of that policy and we’ve also seen the fact that, you know, more than 100,000 people are housed in camps. These people would maybe not be alive if they had not had UN camps.
Question: On the same subject, on two occasions in Srebrenica and in Qana in 2006 those gates were closed?
Spokesman: I think not only has time moved on but I think the way the UN approaches, more importantly the way the UN approaches this issue has clearly moved on.
Question: Just before we get off of this, I would rather not go back to it, but I understand they’ve put up many people but would some people see this as showing either a shift in policy by the UN or an over deference to the Government, the Government is already investigating its own…
Spokesman: I don’t think there has been a change in policy. As we’ve reported in the last month or so here, there is often an increase, an uptick in the number of civilians that are allowed — Nizar, thank you — that are allowed into camps so I don’t think there is a change in the policy. The open gate policy is a last resort; a decision was made in this particular case but there has been absolutely no change in policy. On the press issue I think as I said our colleagues at UNMISS are indeed very much concerned over the recent closure of houses and media outlets in South Sudan and reiterate that a free, diverse and independent media is a cornerstone of a democratic society. Khalas. Thank you.