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.
**Central African Republic
An update on the Central African Republic (CAR): the Peacekeeping Mission in the CAR (MINUSCA) reports that the situation continues to remain tense, with several security incidents being reported in Bangui.
Yesterday, movement along the main axis of the city was improved as a large number of barricades were dismantled at the roundabouts of United Nations, Martyrs and Marabena.
On two occasions, MINUSCA forces were shot at while removing barricades at Marabena roundabout. MINUSCA forces reached the airport after dismantling a total of 27 roadblocks that had been set up by armed individuals.
Furthermore, three MINUSCA peacekeepers were injured at PK11 outside Bangui in an attack by alleged anti-Balaka elements on a MINUSCA Force Convoy. Two severely injured were evacuated to the Mission’s hospital. This was the second attack of the day against UN forces in that area.
The Mission also reports that earlier today the President of the Transition in Central African Republic, Catherine Samba-Panza, as well as Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, arrived in Bangui from New York.
**Yemen
From Yemen, our humanitarian colleagues inform us that the number of deaths and injuries caused by explosive weapons in Yemen is the world’s highest. Some 4,500 civilians were killed or wounded by explosive weapons in Yemen during the first seven months of 2015. This is more than in any other country, according to a recently-released report done by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the NGO Action on Armed Violence.
Ninety-five per cent of people killed or injured by explosive weapons in populated areas were civilians. More than half of the reported civilian toll was recorded in Sana’a and surrounding districts. The UN has repeatedly called on all parties to the conflict to uphold their responsibility to protect civilians.
In addition, no commercial fuel entered Yemen in September, despite imports of food increasing into Al Hudaydah and Aden. Fuel imports in August were only 12 per cent of the estimated 544,000 metric tons that are needed [monthly].
**Afghanistan
As the situation unfolds in Kunduz, in Afghanistan, the UN Mission in that country (UNAMA) has reminded all parties to the conflict of their obligations, under international humanitarian law, to protect civilians from harm and to respect human rights at all times.
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Nicholas Haysom, said that reports of extrajudicial executions, including of health care workers, abductions, denial of medical care and restrictions on movement out of the city are particularly disturbing.
According to the Mission, preliminary information indicates that the current fighting has caused more than 100 civilian deaths and injuries. There are concerns that the number of casualties will continue to rise. An estimated 6,000 civilians have already fled Kunduz.
**Humanitarian Summit
Earlier this morning, the Secretary-General spoke at the high-level event on the World Humanitarian Summit, which will take place next May in Istanbul.
The Secretary-General said that the Summit, which he is convening to address the plight of millions of women, children and men affected by humanitarian crises, is a vital opportunity to reinforce our common endeavour to save lives, and prevent and alleviate suffering. Those remarks are online.
**Security Council
The Secretary-General spoke this morning at the Security Council’s meeting on the terrorist threat in the Middle East and North Africa that was presided over by the Foreign Minister for the Russian Federation. He noted the different problems posed by the conflicts in Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen.
He said that Syria has proven to be the most intractable of those conflicts. The Secretary-General said that we had an obligation to the Syrian people to help ensure accountability for serious crimes. He appealed to the Council to strongly support his Special Envoy’s efforts to promote a comprehensive and credible political transition based on the Geneva communiqué.
**Nuclear Weapons
He also spoke at the General Assembly meeting on the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. He said that this year marked the seventieth anniversary of the United Nations, but also 70 years ago the world suffered the first and last use of nuclear weapons. His remarks are already online.
**Migration
This afternoon at 3 p.m., the Secretary-General will convene a meeting on migration. In his remarks to the event, he is expected to emphasize how we must step up our work to prevent and stop wars and persecution. But, he will say, we know that conflicts will not disappear overnight. More people will flee crisis, and people will keep moving in search of better opportunities. We must be better prepared, the Secretary-General is expected to say.
After the meeting, the Deputy Secretary-General and António Guterres, the High Commissioner for Refugees, are expected to speak to reporters after the meeting wraps up. And the President of the General Assembly, I think, will also be speaking at the stake-out later this afternoon. I would encourage you to check the schedule that is posted online and that keeps changing.
**Middle East
Also, as you are aware, at 12:55 p.m. today and the Secretary-General will speak at an event to mark the raising of the Palestinian flag. That will be taking place at the Rose Garden. Earlier today, the Secretary-General met with President Mahmoud Abbas, and congratulated him for the raising of the flag of Palestine as a non-member Observer State.
They discussed the situation in the occupied West Bank, especially recent developments in the Old City of Jerusalem, including the need for both sides to defuse tensions. The Secretary-General underscored the need to make progress on intra-Palestinian reconciliation.
**Ageing
And I would also like to flag the release of the new World report on ageing and health by the World Health Organization (WHO). For the first time in history, most people can expect to live into their 60s and beyond, and the consequences for health, health systems, workforces and budgets are profound. The report is online.
**Honour Roll
Today we say thank you to our friends in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia becomes the 128th Member State to pay its regular budget dues in full [for 2015].
**Noon Briefing Guest
As soon as we are done here with this massive crowd, we will be joined by Toby Lanzer, who is the Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Sahel.
**Press Conferences
Tomorrow, 9:30 a.m., there will be a briefing by the Group of Friends of Mediation with the Foreign Ministers of Turkey and Finland. At 11:00 a.m., the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov. And then at noon, I will be joined by the Spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Leonard Doyle. Masood?
**Questions and Answers
Question: [inaudible]?
Spokesman: Okay. There you go.
Question: There you go. Sorry about this. Dear Stéphane, I mean, we are talking about… you were just talking about roadblocks by other nations. I just want to talk about the roadblocks and impediment to our jobs over here at the United Nations because of the security arrangements. Now, I have tried… I'm sure myself and lots of other colleagues have tried to go from one place to another, and we have to be escorted by MALU [Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit]. And sometimes MALU doesn't have enough people. And then when we go, we are supposed to… he's supposed to… he or she is supposed to stay with us until we are brought back. And same thing if we go over there, want to come over here, you can't do it. And as one of the security officers commented to me, he said, sir, let me tell you, this is not worth "S" [staff], this… your pass, your so‑called white "P" [press] is not… so it is absolutely horrible, horrendous…
Spokesman: I'm sorry if you've had any inconveniences. We can sit down and talk to MALU and see what can be done. It's… obviously, the security arrangements are a challenge for the staff. They're a challenge for journalists, for the delegates, but they're unfortunately necessary in today's world. So we'll see what we can do.
Question: Stéphane, you know, every year we go through this. And security seems to think that the journalists are the enemies. That is the whole problem.
Spokesman: I don’t think… Even I don't think that.
Question: Wrong thinking. That thinking should be changed.
Spokesman: I appreciate it. We will talk to MALU and DPI [Department of Public Information].
Question: Okay.
Spokesman: Olga. Sorry. Then we'll go to you. Yes, please?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. I just have a question. Any comment from Secretary‑General about Russia's air strikes on Syria will be helpful for resolve the situation in the country? Thank you.
Spokesman: Sure. Of course, the Secretary‑General is aware that the Russian Federation has undertaken air strikes near the City of Homs and possibly other locations in Syria. We're also… and of course, what we understand, this is at the request of the Syrian Government. We're also aware that initial reports that up to 33 civilian casualties have resulted from the strikes near Homs. The Secretary‑General would once again emphasize that any strikes carried out by any country in Syria, by any party, must strictly observe international humanitarian and international human rights law. All feasible precautions to spare civilians and civilian facilities must be taken. Reports of civilian casualties resulting from air strikes in Syria should be promptly and credibly investigated. The Secretary‑General would add that… and stresses that, without genuine commitment by the international community to support a parallel political process that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people, it will not be possible to end the Syrian conflict and ultimately to defeat Daesh.
Yes, in the back. That was it?
Correspondent: Thank you. I was about to ask the same thing.
Spokesman: Excellent.
Correspondent: Thank you very much.
Spokesman: Mr. Lee?
Question: Does the same analysis apply to Turkey's bombing of Kurdish groups both in Iraq and in Syria? And what is the UN's estimate of the civilian casualty rate of those strikes?
Spokesman: I think… I don't have any estimates upfront, but obviously, I think any air strikes, any military operation anywhere needs to make sure to be done under international humanitarian law, and all feasible precautions need to be made to spare civilians.
Question: Can you say what the source of your information for the more recent casualty figures and why you don't have information on the Kurdish… bombing of the Kurds?
Spokesman: Those are reports that we have. We have them from multiple sources.
Question: And I wanted to know, on Central African Republic, I've seen MINUSCA, I guess, denying… I don't know if that's the right word but saying they didn't use force. There seems to be some lack of clarity on what their terms of… you know, rules of engagement are. Can you say — have MINUSCA shot live fire? What are they doing both to protect civilians and also to ensure that their own contingent…
Spokesman: I think they have… their rules of engagements are clearly laid out in the resolution. There have been reports… I think the reports earlier this week that they had fired on demonstration. The Mission tells us that they did not and they were not even there at that particular place.
Question: Sure. And two things yesterday: You said you would look into this… whether or not UNMISS, the… the peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, you know, has… agrees to separate people by ethnic group in the [protection of civilians] camps…
Spokesman: I don't have anything on that for you.
Question: And on [Djibril] Bassolé?
Spokesman: On Bassolé? No, I thought I had something…
Question: He's definitely been arrested.
Spokesman: Yes, no, I know. But I… let me… if I have an update, I'll share it with you.
Question: One more. How about the execution in Georgia of Kelly Gissendaner? There's an American woman… been a long time since there's been an execution like that in the US. It took place last night. What does the Secretary‑General have to say?
Spokesman: I think the Secretary‑General's position on capital punishment is clear and often stated — that he stands against it.
On Burkina Faso, on Mr. Bassolé, we're trying to ascertain the circumstances and conditions of his detention. The Secretary‑General expects the transitional authorities to operate in full accordance with the law and with human rights obligations that Burkina Faso has accepted, including in relation to anyone arrested and detained.
Mr. [Mohamed Ibn] Chambas, his Special Representative, will continue to work closely with regional and international partners to support national authorities in the lead‑up to peaceful and transparent elections.
Question: If it's found that Mr. Bassolé, who obviously was the Foreign Minister under Blaise Compaoré, was part of this move to be sure that these guys could get onto the ballot, including by using guns to slow the… would this make… would this be a… a… a former UNAMID [United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur] official involved in a coup, or how would you… how would you… how would you… what he is accused of? I'm not saying he's guilty… he's accused…
Spokesman: The point… you know, the point is that anyone who is detained needs to be… if the authorities detain anyone, they need to operate within the full scope of proper procedure. This gentleman is no longer… is not affiliated with the United Nations in any way, so I can't speak for him or his actions.
Question: Okay. And I'm sorry. One more follow‑up?
Spokesman: Yeah, sure.
Question: Because the… were you able to ascertain or confirm for yourself that those who work in the UN cafeteria, including today, are told not to be in… not to… not to eat in the cafeteria and to be in a separate room? This continues to bother them and it seems…
Spokesman: Okay. I have not yet found out, but I will find out.
Okay. I'll get Toby.