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.
**Yemen
As you will have seen a short while ago, we issued a statement in which the Secretary-General condemns in the strongest possible terms the suicide terror attacks against a mosque in the northern Jarraf district of Sana’a during evening prayers on 2 September that left more than 30 people dead and almost 100 injured. Such attacks against places of worship are not justifiable under any circumstances.
The Secretary-General expresses his deepest condolences and sympathies to the families of the victims and expects that the perpetrators of these reprehensible acts will be swiftly brought to justice.
Also on Yemen, the UN humanitarian chief, Stephen O’Brien, has released an additional $15 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support lifesaving assistance for millions of people affected by the devastating humanitarian crisis in Yemen. This brings the Response Fund’s support for humanitarian operations in Yemen to more than $44 million in 2015.
Mr. O’Brien said that it is shocking that four out of five Yemenis require humanitarian assistance and nearly 1.5 million people are internally displaced.
Also today, the World Food Programme (WFP) confirmed the arrival of a large shipment of wheat in Yemen. The wheat comes from USAID and will feed up to 1 million people for two months.
**Guatemala
As you’re aware, we issued a statement last night following the decision by President Otto Pérez Molina of Guatemala to resign yesterday.
The Secretary-General trusts that the authorities will abide by the Constitution and ensure an orderly democratic transition. He calls on all Guatemalans to ensure that the upcoming elections are held in a peaceful environment.
The Secretary-General is aware of the deep desire shown by the country’s citizens to put an end to corruption and impunity, as well as ongoing calls for legal and political reforms. He welcomes constructive efforts by the people of Guatemala to participate in and contribute to their country’s political system.
The Secretary-General appeals to the authorities and all sectors of society to work together in order to strengthen institutions and the rule of law in Guatemala.
**Central African Republic
From Bangui, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, gave a press conference this morning to mark the end of his first visit to the Central African Republic.
He said that, while far better than it was at the height of the conflict in late 2013 and early 2014, the human rights situation is still a cause of intense anxiety for both CAR’s own inhabitants and the United Nations.
The High Commissioner said that the country is still gripped with fear, and its people remain divided. He also said that the most notorious leaders are not being arrested, let alone prosecuted, tried and convicted.
Mr. Zeid added that the UN Mission in the country, MINUSCA, needed to be reinforced with both personnel and material so they can make good on the strong Chapter 7 mandate bestowed on them by the Security Council.
Finally, he said that the UN and the Government must do more to find solutions and bring about reconciliation between Christians and Muslims.
Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, the new Head of the UN Mission, also spoke at the same event. He said he had taken the leadership of the Mission to spearhead peace in the Central African Republic and champion collective efforts to end sexual abuse and exploitation by UN forces.
He said the Mission will take up every single allegation with the troop and police contributors in the strongest possible terms and ensure that justice is served.
And the Head of the Peacekeeping Operations’ Department, Hervé Ladsous, will arrive tomorrow in Bangui for a three-day visit.
**Refugees
Turning to the continuing issue of refugees, the High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, said today that, ahead of key emergency meetings of the European Union, the situation requires a massive common effort that is not possible with the current fragmented approach.
The High Commissioner underscored that this is primarily a refugee crisis, not only a migration phenomenon.
Urgent and courageous measures must be taken to stabilize the situation, and the EU must be ready to put in place immediate and adequate emergency reception, assistance and registration capacity.
Mr. Guterres said that people who are found to have a valid protection claim in this initial screening must benefit from a mass relocation programme, with the mandatory participation of all EU member States. A very preliminary estimate would indicate a potential need to increase relocation opportunities to as many as 200,000 places. His full statement is online.
You will have also seen yesterday just after the briefing, we issued a statement one behalf of UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) on the same subject by Anthony Lake, the agency’s Executive Director.
Also related to UNICEF, they said today that more people — mostly from Syria — are crossing the border at Gevgeliya from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to Greece. Numbers have risen from 3,500 on Wednesday to 5,000 yesterday.
UNICEF also said that there has been a marked increase in the number of women and children making the crossing. More in the Geneva briefing notes.
**Libya
Also from Geneva, the Libyan political dialogue convened yesterday and today at the UN Office in Geneva to advance the process to bring an end to Libya’s political and military conflict. Over the last two days, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Bernardino León, held a series of meetings with different participants.
All the invited parties participated in this round. Participants included representatives of the House of Representatives, the General National Congress, independents, women groups, municipalities and political parties.
**Deputy Secretary-General
The Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson, will travel to Paris on Saturday, where he will conduct meetings with the leadership of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and senior officials of the French Government. On Tuesday, 8 September, he will participate in a conference on the Protection of Victims of Ethnic and Religious Violence in the Middle East that is being by the French and Jordanian Governments. He will return to New York after that and be back here on Wednesday.
**MERS
Our colleagues at the World Health Organization (WHO) presented yesterday the conclusions of a recent meeting of its Emergency Committee (EC) regarding the Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS.
Although the Committee says that the situation still does not constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), it still emphasizes a heightened sense of concern about the overall situation.
The Committee stresses that the current outbreak is occurring close to the start of the Hajj and many pilgrims will return to countries with weak surveillance and health systems. More information on WHO’s website.
**Appointments
Just a few more things, senior appointments today, two of them: The Secretary-General is announcing the appointment of Fadzai Gwaradzimba of Zimbabwe as the Assistant Secretary-General for Safety and Security.
Ms. Gwaradzimba succeeds Ms. Mbaranga Gasarabwe of Rwanda, who was appointed as Deputy Special Representative for Mali in May.
We are also appointing Major General Muhammad Tayyab Azam of Pakistan as the Force Commander of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).
Major General Azam will succeed Major General Major Imam Edy Mulyono of Indonesia, whose tour of duty ends on 17 September 2015.
Major General Azam brings to this position 30 years of national and international military experience. He currently serves as Inspector General of the Frontier Corps in Pakistan and prior to that served as Director General of the Intelligence Services. Full bios for both in my office.
**Climate Change
In our entertainment section, I wanted to flag that internationally renowned artists have come together to record a song to support the Secretary-General’s leadership on climate change and the United Nations call for a meaningful, universal, global climate change agreement to be signed in Paris in December.
Entitled “Love Song to the Earth”, it features performances by Paul McCartney, Jon Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow, Fergie, Colbie Caillat, Natasha Bedingfield, Leona Lewis, Sean Paul, Johnny Rzeznik, Krewella, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Angelique Kidjo, Kelsea Ballerini, Nicole Scherzinger, Christina Grimmie, Victoria Justice and Q’Orianka Kilcher.
The song was written by Toby Gad, Natasha Bedingfield, John Shanks and Sean Paul and is available today exclusively on iTunes and Apple Music.
The artists, producers and directors of the song — as well as Apple — are donating their respective proceeds to Friends of the Earth U.S. and the United Nations Foundation.
On September 11, the song will enjoy a wide release on all major music distribution and streaming services.
You are lucky I am not going to attempt to sing part of the song for you.
**General Assembly
In my show and tell, I am showing: our colleagues at DPI (Department of Public Information) released today the new press kit for the General Assembly session. It is available online in all official languages.
It includes a wide range of materials, including the General Assembly's provisional agenda and a biography of the new President-elect of the General Assembly, Mogens Lykketoft. I hope I am pronouncing it right, but I’ll learn.
There are some in the back; grab one and learn.
**Questions and Answers
Spokesman: Carole?
Question: Stéphane, apparently the Secretary-General has sent invitations for a Middle East Quartet meeting on the sidelines of the General Assembly. Can you tell us about that?
Spokesman: Sure. There's still to be completely confirm… my understanding is there will very likely be a Quartet meeting on the sidelines, most likely around 30 September. Mr. Lee?
Question: Yes. Let me ask you two things that came up at the Security Council stakeout just now. One has to do with on South Sudan.
Spokesman: You have electricity?
Question: No, none, and no action on that either.
A reference was made in the press elements of the Security Council to these workshops to be held by IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) in Addis. And my understanding is that the DSG has been having meetings with DPA (Department of Political Affairs) and others about the UN trying to have some role in these workshops. Are you aware of any UN role, both in these workshops on security issues and in sort of monitoring the operations?
Spokesman: Well, I know the workshops are part of IGAD's efforts to set up the mechanism to monitor the ceasefire in UNMISS (United Nations Mission in South Sudan). I know that they had been scheduled to start. They had been postponed or delayed for some logistical reasons. We're obviously following the situation closely. I can find out if we are actually represented there.
Question: The other one has to do with the Syria chemical weapons accountability mechanism, JIM (Joint Inspection Mechanism). It seems like the issue that's arisen is this desire to have voluntary contributions go towards some of the staff. I guess, what steps is the Secretariat considering taking to ensure that voluntary contributions, as just alleged at the stakeout, don't lead to a lack of impartiality?
Spokesman: I will await for the Council to return to us their decision on the framework, so I'm not going to get into it now. There are a lot of UN operations, in general, obviously not relating to this, there are a lot of UN operations that work on assessed contributions, others on voluntary contributions. They are just different mechanisms. Let's wait to see what the Council decides. Mr. Bays?
Question: Before I ask my actual question, just a clarification on Carole's question. That Quartet meeting will be at Head of State or foreign ministers level?
Spokesman: They are usually at the foreign minister level. [He later added the following: Further to what was said at today's Noon Briefing, the Spokesman can confirm that the Secretary-General will be hosting a Principals’ meeting of the Quartet on 30 September in New York, on the margins of the General Assembly. Invited to this meeting is the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, the Secretary of State of the United States, and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Following the Principals’ endorsement to increase the Quartet’s outreach to the Arab world at its last meeting in February in Munich, the Secretary-General is inviting the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, as well as the Foreign Ministers of the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to join the meeting.]
Question: My question is about the situation in Hungary and the comments of the Hungarian Prime Minister, who has said he will not let any refugees settle who are Muslim. What is your reaction to that? And do you believe if Hungary was to carry out that, it is a breach of international humanitarian law?
Spokesman: I think every country has responsibilities under the international convention for refugees. No one should discriminate against refugees on the basis of race, on the basis of religion, on the basis of ethnicity. I think what we need to see are refugees being treated with the rights they deserve and the dignity they deserve.
[points to reporters] Boom, boom and then boom.
Question: Stéphane, on this element of Islamophobia, some what you call the asylum seekers are being counseled to become, what do you call, Christians, I mean, about… What does the Secretary-General have to say about that?
Spokesman: I think I could just repeat what I told… what I told James is that, from the United Nations standpoint and from a moral standpoint, clearly refugees should not be treated differently based on their religion, on their ethnicity or on their race. Refugees should be treated with dignity and respect and given the rights they have under international law. Nizar, and then we'll go…
Question: I have a question on Yemen for delivery of aid. Can you confirm that the recent attacks against Hodeidah seaport targeted the cranes, all the cranes were destroyed in the aerial attacks which took place?
Spokesman: I don't have that level of detail here with me, but I can check.
Question: Is Hodeidah functional anymore?
Spokesman: Again, I don't have the detailed port operation. I'm happy to find out from OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) what the situation is.
Question: Because if this mechanism is only to apply to Aden, Aden is now controlled by Al-Qaida.
Spokesman: I think the mechanism is to apply to all commercial shipping in and out of Yemen. Obviously, I think we've seen throughout this conflict a destruction of civilian infrastructure, but we would hope that ships are able to bring goods in.
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. Regarding the appointment of new general to oversee the Western Sahara referendum, we keep hearing…
Spokesman: Sorry, I didn't hear the top of your question.
Question: Regarding the appointment of a new general to oversee Western Sahara referendum, we keep hearing the appointments of personnel, but no referendum. Is there any deadline to it?
Spokesman: Well, you know the mandate of that mission as well as I do. There is… we have the mandate from MINURSO. There's also the mandate of the Secretary-General's Personal Envoy. We obviously have not seen progress on that file. Stefano?
Question: Yes, still on the refugee crisis in Europe: There are reports then that there are people that held up trains, that they can’t move them. Even if the trains leaves, they are told that the train won’t go in the direction they want, towards Germany. Instead, the train goes different direction. And then there are people that actually attempt to take the road, walking toward Germany — that we're talking about a thousand people. And my question is: At this point, [is] the United Nations a part of that declaration, what should be done? Is it ready to intervene…?
Spokesman: You know, I would refer you and encourage you to take a look at what my colleague Melissa Fleming from UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) said in Geneva today. But broadly, UNHCR does have a small presence in Hungary on the border. They are trying to help with refugee housing. They have been in touch with the authorities in Budapest and municipal authorities, international authorities. They've offered to help. I don't think all the help has been accepted. I think the pictures that we're seeing just underscore the need to find ways to manage the situation better. I mean, those are the urgent needs. I think the pictures we're seeing out of various places in Europe are appalling. And again, I keep repeating this issue of dignity and rights. The UN… UNHCR cannot operate in a country without that country's permission, so that is why they are in touch with the authorities in Hungary, and we very much hope they would accept the offer of help. Let me go to people who haven't asked a question and I'll come back. Anne?
Question: Yes, today's Wall Street Journal reported that NATO’s Norwegian Secretary-General, [Jens] Stoltenberg, has announced that the first permanent outpost has been established in Vilnius, Lithuania, to deter Russian President [Vladimir] Putin from stirring unrest. Do you expect the United Nations or the UN Secretary-General to react to these new developments, considering that besides Lithuania, other NATO outposts are being set up in Estonia, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria, all countries located close to Russia?
Spokesman: No, I haven't… I have to take a look at specific reports, but no specific comment on what NATO is doing internally. Let's go to round two. Yes, Carole and then James?
Question: Stéphane, is the Secretary-General going to Malta for this meeting, EU meeting on the immigration crisis?
Spokesman: I don't have any… we should be closer, hopefully soon, to be able to announce who will be… who will be there, but I don't have anything to share with you at this point. James?
Question: Yes, the political track in Syria: Comments in the last few hours by President Putin saying that President [Bashar al] Assad is now prepared to share power with elements of the opposition. Any reaction to that? And the second part of the question. I understand that Special Envoy de Mistura is on his way to New York; that’s confirmed by his spokeswoman. What is he coming to do, because the Security Council doesn't seem to know he's coming and the President said a short time ago that if he's coming to New York, we'd like to hear from him?
Spokesman: I'm sure he's coming to see the Secretary-General. It's not unheard of that special envoys come and check in with the boss once in a while in person. It's always good. No particular comment. I mean, we've seen the press comments. Obviously, the work of the special envoy continues, focused on getting the groups together that he's outlined. We hope to see that starting after mid-September and the focus of his work continues in that respect. Masood?
Question: Yes. About this Yemen situation: Has Saudi Arabia agreed to any interim humanitarian again, despite…
Spokesman: No, we would — I think we would be hopefully one of the first to announce it if we had a humanitarian pause.
Question: What about the $174 million that they have promised?
Spokesman: I think we've given an update on the funding. Some of the funding has already come in. We're waiting… we updated earlier in the week on that. Matthew and then Nizar and then Iftikhar?
Question: Sure, I may have missed it in coming in here, but there's a… the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has banned the screening of a film about Dr. [Denis] Mukwege at Panzi Hospital called "The Man Who Mends Women". It's viewed as basically an outright censorship or an attempt to sweep under the carpet the sexual violence that Panzi Clinic tries to help women with. What's the comment and sort of… I don't think MONUSCO (United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo), have they said anything? Has the Secretary-General…
Spokesman: I don't think they have. Obviously Dr. Mukwege is a good… is an amazing humanitarian, has done tremendous work and recognized internationally and by the UN and we would hope that his message is heard clearly, both nationally and internationally.
Question: Also on the topic of sexual violence. Prince Zeid held his press conference in Bangui, and it seemed like his two paragraphs, at least in his opening statements that were directed at the topic, seemed very much focused on Member States not having agreed to the proposals he was going to name in the Q and A from the Secretariat. It seemed to be less kind of self-reflective of things that DPKO (Department of Peacekeeping Operations) can do. Is that… Does the Secretary-General share the view that the reason that things have become this way is because Member States have in the past rejected some proposals that were made by the Secretariat?
Spokesman: I think in his comments, public comments to the press, the Secretary-General laid clear the responsibility of Member States in this regard. Nizar?
Question: On the diplomatic track of Yemen. Is it true that the Houthis have accepted an agreement with Mr. [Ismail] Ould Cheikh Ahmed today for a settlement in Yemen?
Spokesman: There's nothing we're able to confirm. Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed is continuing his discussions with great intensity. If we have something to announce, we will.
Question: On the refugee issue, especially in Yemen. Who is taking care of the refugees coming out from Yemen? Has any country offered, for example, refuge…?
Spokesman: I think every country needs to share the responsibility of hosting refugees. I think, as we've said, a number of the refugees are in Djibouti, others in Somalia. Many of them are, in fact, returning Somalis who have been in Yemen for a long time and the UN is doing what they can.
I'll try to come back to you. Iftikhar and then Oleg?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. Ever since French proposal to limit the use of veto, this has been in the news. Does the Secretary-General have any views on this issue? I'm asking this question. I'm asking this question because use of veto also limits his work.
Spokesman: It's a very deep policy question you're asking me. What I would just say is that obviously we're very much aware that this discussion is going on within the Security Council and I think it is up to Member States to decide on the way forward.
Question: But it affects his work…
Spokesman: Of course, the Charter and the working methods of the Security Council and the General Assembly impact the work of the Secretary-General. That's a very fair statement. Changing the rules of the Security Council, changing… or changing the Charter or amending the Charter, amending the rules of the Security Council is something that the Member States themselves have to decide.
Question: But he can say whether he would like a limitation of the veto.
Spokesman: I know what you would like me to say, but I'm only saying what I will say.
Question: One Secretary-General did offer a view on the question of veto, and that was Kofi Annan.
Spokesman: Thank you for your statement, Iftikhar. Oleg?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. Anything to say on what's happening in Dushanbe in Tajikistan? There are reports coming that there was apparently an attack on police office over there.
Spokesman: I'll take a look. I have not seen anything. Carole?
Question: Stéphane, I want to clarify. It's a meeting of the Mid-East Quartet plus?
Spokesman: That, I will have to get you some more details on that.
Question: Can you let us know who is invited?
Spokesman: Yes, I will.
Masoodji and then we'll try to wrap this up, as much as we can. Go ahead.
Question: Does Secretary-General or do you have any comment on this purchase of $1 billion of armed… U.S. arms by Saudi Arabia, which people fear will be used now in Yemen?
Spokesman: No, I haven't seen those reports. I don't have any particular comment at this point. Nizar, Matthew, Oleg?
Question: On the refugees’ budget sharing: now Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, all these neighbouring countries to Syria, have taken a very large… has any GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) country offered to take…
Spokesman: I think who has taken refugees and who has not is fairly public knowledge. I would encourage you to reach out to UNHCR to get those detailed figures and you can do the compare and contrast. Mr. Lee?
Question: Sure. I have been meaning to just follow up on this. The letter that was written to the Secretary-General by unpaid UN interns in New York and Geneva, seemed like it was responded to by USG [Under-Secretary-General Yukio] Takasu. It's not clear — I guess I wanted to ask you. Is the Secretariat saying that it's an administrative instruction some time back that precludes them from paying interns from the developing world, so that the pool can become more diverse? Or are they really saying that the GA has definitively made it impossible? Is there any consideration in asking the GA to address the issue?
Question: It's a valid of question. I haven't seen the letter. I need to take a look at it. Nobody has shared it with me. Nobody tells me anything here. You know, I think on the issue of interns, it is also — I think it's also important to remember that the UN has a global presence, not in every country in the world, but almost every country in the world, and we do take interns locally, so I think there's also… obviously there's a greater mass of interns at our Headquarters station, but we do take interns… most UN offices take interns in different places, which doesn't include the need to travel. Let me look in the letter and I'll get back to you.
Question: Can you get data on that?
Spokesman: Probably not, because I don't think it exists. Stefano and then Oleg and…
Question: Yes, the question I asked the press conference from the Global Goals and would like to know also what the Secretary-General — I mean, it's about the point 16. I want to make sure that the goal number 16 implies also that Governments should at that point reveal, be transparent, with their documentation when their citizens ask for it. Because the way I list is the wording of that number 16, it looks like that citizens will have a right to the truth, to not having government hide anything from them. So I would like just to make sure that I am understanding that point.
Spokesman: We would always be for… we are for increased transparency, which is one very important part of a free and open society.
Oleg and then we go.
Question: Stéphane, on the CAR rapes report, could you please remind us when it's going to be coming out now after the delay? And would it include the last case that…
Spokesman: The panel has asked for extra time, through November, probably mid-November or so. I think we all have to wait and see what they include. You know, in the request they have made to us, they just talked about the volume of documents and interviews they’ve done, and that they need more time to process. We have not asked them for details, and we will not get them until the report is done. See you Tuesday. If we see you Monday, we’ll all be in a bad mood. [laughter]