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 Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
**Secretary-General Travels
The Secretary-General met today with His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan in Amman. The Secretary-General briefed the King about his meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, in which he appealed to them to put an end to the continuing violence in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Israel.
The Secretary-General noted the responsibility of Arab leaders to encourage calm and to ensure that this crisis does not get out of control. He reiterated the importance of reducing tensions at the holy places in Jerusalem and called for upholding the status quo in line with previous understandings between Israel and Jordan, and with respect to Jordan's special role.
The Secretary-General will be back in New York this evening. And then, tomorrow, he will hold a press encounter to talk to you about his recent travels. That will take place from 11:20 a.m. to 11:40 a.m. at the Security Council stakeout.
**Security Council
The Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson, briefed the Security Council today on the Middle East and said that eruption of violence gripping the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as well as Israel and Gaza, shows no signs of abating. From 1 to 21 October, 47 Palestinians and seven Israelis have been killed. More than 5,000 Palestinians and some 70 Israelis have been injured. He condemned, in the strongest terms, all attacks against Israelis and Palestinians alike. The Deputy Secretary-General said that the recent wave of knife attacks and shootings is particularly appalling. There can be no justification for such despicable acts.
Mr. Eliasson said that the Secretary-General’s visit to the region this week had a clear goal: to support collective efforts to stop the violence, reduce the tensions and incitement, and begin to draw a political horizon that can lead to lasting peace and security. President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu assured the Secretary-General that they are working to curb the violence, in particular through continued security coordination. Yet, while important, the Deputy Secretary-General said that security measures alone will not suffice.
Mr. Eliasson recalled the Secretary-General’s assertion that the violence is mainly rooted in the absence of a genuine political narrative and horizon. He said that efforts must be intensified from all quarters to restore Palestinian and Israeli hope that peace is still possible and that we must urgently achieve real progress towards a negotiated two-state solution. His full remarks are available in our office.
**Republic of Congo
We issued the following statement late yesterday evening on the Republic of the Congo: the Secretary-General is concerned about tensions between opposition parties and the Government of the Republic of the Congo in relation to the referendum on a new draft constitution scheduled for 25 October. Reports of recent violence are particularly worrying.
The Secretary-General encourages all stakeholders to choose the path of inclusive political dialogue ahead of the referendum, and to resolve peacefully any dispute that may arise from this exercise. The Secretary-General also calls on the authorities to safeguard the right to peaceful demonstration.
**Korean Peninsula
Yesterday, we issued a statement in which the Secretary-General warmly welcomed the holding of family reunions between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) that started on 20 October and are set to last until 26 October at Mount Kumgang. He believes humanitarian measures such as the reunions of separated families should be regularized and not subject to political and security considerations. The full statement is online.
**Central African Republic
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative in the Central African Republic, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, called on all sides in the country to let the Central Africans express themselves through the elections. He said that more than 90 per cent of eligible voters were registered on electoral lists – which showed the desire of people to express themselves through elections. Mr. Onanga-Anyanga also said that those who want to take power through force will not be allowed to do so. His remarks are available online.
The Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien, is wrapping up his visit to the Central African Republic. Today, he met with displaced people in the Saint Saveur site and in the PK5 neighbourhood in Bangui, where recent violence displaced more than 23,000 people. While he was in the country, he discussed with the humanitarian community the challenges faced in delivering assistance to affected communities as persistent violence and insecurity remain.
Mr. O’Brien released today $12 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund – the CERF -- to support life-saving assistance in the Central African Republic. He said the Response Fund continues to provide a life-line for humanitarian operations in the country but that additional funds were urgently needed to meet the scale of the challenge. The Under Secretary-General will now travel to Cameroon where he is expected to meet tomorrow with Government officials.
**Yemen
Our humanitarian colleagues report that there continue to be more than 21 million people in need of humanitarian response in Yemen – that is four out of five people, or 80 per cent of the population. Meanwhile, restrictions are severely constraining commercial imports, which are needed to meet 95 per cent of basic requirements including food and fuel before the crisis. Through the efforts of the UN and its partners, 2.4 million Yemenis are receiving regular distribution of food or cash assistance; a total of 5.5 million people have received emergency food assistance at least once.
Also, some 3.7 million Yemenis have been provided access to potable water; 2.6 million Yemenis have improved access to health care through the provision of medicines, medical supplies and fuel to health facilities; and 2.4 million Yemeni children have been vaccinated against measles. The lives of 97,000 severely malnourished children have been saved through intensive treatment for malnutrition. And 184,000 displaced and needy Yemenis have received household supplies such as blankets, buckets and kitchen sets.
The United Nations has established a logistics hub in Djibouti where assistance is sent to Yemen by sea, as well as flights for the humanitarian community to Sana’a and Aden. So far, over $750 million has been raised for humanitarian action in Yemen.
**South Sudan
Three UN agencies warn that extreme hunger is pushing people to the brink of a catastrophe in parts of South Sudan, as a new analysis found that 3.9 million people nationwide now face severe food insecurity. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) are calling on the parties to the conflict to grant urgent and unrestricted access to Unity State. A newly released Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis shows that at least 30,000 people are living in extreme conditions in Unity State and facing starvation and death.
The agencies say that unless unrestricted humanitarian access is urgently granted, food insecurity could deteriorate to famine in parts of Unity State. They add that the dire economic situation in the country is contributing to record-high food prices and worsening levels of food insecurity. Even areas previously unaffected are now showing signs of severe deterioration. There is more information online.
**Somalia
The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF today announced that the polio outbreak in Somalia, which was confirmed in 2013, is now officially over. The outbreak had affected more than 190 people by the end of 2013. In response, Somali authorities together with WHO, UNICEF and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative targeted more than 2.1 million children under the age of five in multiple mass immunization campaigns. More information is available online.
**Migration
The High Commissioner for Human Rights today strongly criticized the detention of migrants and refugees who have arrived in the Czech Republic since August 2015. He raised particular concern over the violations of the rights of the children among the migrants and refugees.
Over the last two months, several European countries of transit have been employing restrictive policies against migrants and refugees trying to reach European countries further north. However, the High Commissioner said that the Czech Republic is unique in routinely subjecting them to detention for 40 days, and reportedly sometimes even longer in conditions which have been described as degrading.
He said that many of these people are refugees who have suffered horrendously in their countries of origin as well as during their journey to the Czech Republic. He noted that international law is quite clear that immigration detention must be strictly a measure of last resort. His full statement is available online.
**Air Pollution
Today I would also like to flag a new report from the World Health Organization that highlights the urgent need to reduce emissions of black carbon, ozone and methane - as well as carbon dioxide – which all contribute to climate change. The report called “Reducing global health risks through mitigation of short-lived climate pollutants” is available online.
**Honour Roll
And for the honour roll, our thanks go to Addis Ababa, as Ethiopia becomes the 134th Member State to pay its regular budget dues in full.
**Press Conferences
For press conferences, first off, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Spain, José Manuel García-Margallo, will brief you at 12:30 p.m., following his briefing to the Security Council. Tomorrow we have a number of briefings taking place right here in this room. At 10:30 a.m., there will be a press briefing on Indigenous peoples and the Post-2015 agenda. At 11 a.m., there will be a briefing by the Permanent Mission of Liechtenstein on the Code of Conduct regarding Security Council action against genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. At 11:30 a.m., there will be a briefing by the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Heiner Bielefeldt.
Then at 1 p.m., there will be a briefing by the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, François Crépeau; and the Chair of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of all Migrant Workers and Members of their Families, Francisco Carrión Mena. And then at 3 p.m., there will be a briefing by the Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, Philip Alston. And of course again as I said earlier, at the stakeout at around 11:20 a.m., tomorrow morning, you will have the Secretary-General talking to you about his recent trip.
**United Nations Day Concert
Last, correspondents are invited to attend the seventieth anniversary of the United Nations Day concert tomorrow evening at 6:30 p.m. in the General Assembly Hall. This year's concert will feature the Korean Broadcasting System Traditional Music Orchestra, with special guests UN Messenger of Peace Lang Lang, Korean K-pop duo Davichi, the Harlem Gospel Choir and Kim Hae-sook. If you are interested in tickets, please liaise with Tal Mekel in the Media Accreditation Office. And that is it for me, yes, Luke.
**Questions and Answers
Question: Thanks. Sounds like tensions are getting are pretty high in Bonn with time really running out towards Paris. Does the SG find it regrettable that civil society groups have been shut out of negotiation sessions given how important this period is?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, we are aware that at different sets of negotiations there have been different rules but at the same time what the Secretary‑General has always encouraged is the greatest amount of access possible for civil society and we hope that would continue because they have a very important role to play in making sure that the Governments of the world take climate change, and our considerations on climate change, seriously. And so we do hope for greater involvement as this proceeds. Yes, Matthew.
Question: Some other questions, but I wanted to ask about this...there was this big South-South event that took place in Macau in late August. Here is what I want to ask you about it: I see now the invitation letter that went out and it said that it was sponsored by a UN agency and other strategic partners, and it also says that, quote, all local expenses will be covered by the host. And the participant list includes a number people from the Secretariat, DFS, Global Compact, some Secretariat staff, at least one Secretariat staff member listed as a member of his country’s, his native country's delegation, which is a little strange. So I wanted to know what are the rules, what rules apply to travel by UN staff, taking, accepting expenses from hosts and traveling as a part of the delegation of their native country?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, regarding that particular visit, I believe the Office on South-South Cooperation has information on that, so I'll have them get back to you with that.
Question: Can they do a press conference? Because I put in the question 10 days ago.
Deputy Spokesman: They have been answering questions from reporters fairly rigorously and so that will continue.
Question: What are the UN Secretariat rules? That is my question to you. I'm not asking about UNDP. I can name the individuals, but there was an individual from DFS, there was an individual from the Global Compact who attended and host covered all costs?
Deputy Spokesman: Like I said, there is relevant information on this by the Office for South-South Cooperation, so I'll have them share that with you. Yes, Evelyn.
Question: Thank you, Farhan. Do you have any more details on the Central African Republic? There have been five days of violence that gripped Bangui and at least 31 — Human Rights Watch says at least 31 civilians — have lost their lives and all the different forces fought to protect them, but there were all sorts of barricades and UN staff was saved but there is not really enough...there are not really enough forces to protect the civilians from the anti‑balaka crowd. Do you have anything more on that?
Deputy Spokesman: Yeah, we have a little bit of information. Basically when the violence started, the UN mission, MINUSCA [United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic], immediately responded with patrols around the third and the fifth arrondissements where civilians were deemed to be at risk. And MINUSCA forces were reinforced both with the Force Reserve and additional companies which were brought into Bangui. MINUSCA mobilized to protect key installations such as the Presidency, the Parliament and the radio station, and the Mission also prevented armed men from other parts of the country from entering the capital. However, as you have pointed out in your own remarks, the Mission’s protections efforts were hampered by barricades that were mounted by the anti‑balaka. And those barricades were present at various parts throughout the city. And, in addition, many of the barricades had women and children standing in front of them as human shields which complicated efforts to get past or around them. The Mission also responded to demands and threats against humanitarian workers, UN staff members and NGOs and MINUSCA was able to distract and evacuate more than 200 humanitarian workers and UN staff members. Yes, Joe.
Question: Yes, last weekend Iran tested a ballistic missile which some including the U.S. delegation but others have alleged is a violation of the Security Council Resolution that endorsed the Iran nuclear deal. Does the Secretary‑General have any comment of his own regarding this apparent violation of a Security Council resolution and the longstanding embargo on Iran's ballistic missile program? Thank you.
Deputy Spokesman: Regarding that, as you're aware, the members of the Security Council are already discussing this issue and we do expect that they may consider this further, so we will await the outcome of their consideration.
Question: Well, but the Secretary‑General on other matters often expresses his opinion on issues, you know, of fundamentally involving peace and security and the development and human rights. Now, this goes to the heart of compliance with an agreement that he praised; and, yes, it's going to the Security Council but does the Secretary‑General himself have any opinion, any input that he would provide in terms of… or is he perhaps planning to call leaders in Iran as he has done in other situations, exhorting them to stop these apparent violations?
Deputy Spokesman: The basic point about Security Council resolutions and whether they have been breached or not, is that it is ultimately up to the members of the Security Council themselves to determine whether such a violation has occurred and, if so, what to do about that. The members of the Council are discussing this, so we will leave it in their hands. Yes.
Question: Thank you. Jan Eliasson in his statement he said about wielding knives against civilians is a despicable act. So my question is a legal question. I want a legal answer. People under occupation, how are they supposed to act in rejecting this occupation? What is the legal framework for resisting occupation? And there is a resolution in the UN, Resolution 1514 of 1960, talks about ending colonialism, foreign occupation and granting independence and self‑determination to the people under colonial and foreign powers. Does that apply to the Palestinians as well?
Deputy Spokesman: Clearly all of the various resolutions that apply in the case of occupation apply here and yet at the same time, as we have also made clear, repeatedly, an end to occupation can only be brought about in this case through a negotiated solution. If you look at the recent remarks by the Secretary‑General during his visit and by the Deputy Secretary‑General at the Security Council today, you see that we layout precisely what we feel is the need for a political horizon and there are certain steps that need to happen. Part of what has to happen for there to be a political horizon is an end to the atmosphere of violence and the atmosphere of fear that is at this stage preventing the sides from trusting each other fully. And we do need for that, the violence to halt and for the parties to come back to negotiations -- that is really the only way forward for the achievement of the end of the occupation, which is a goal that the Secretary‑General made clear once more this week, is a goal that we share.
Question: Farhan, I just may follow‑up with that. Palestinians had been engaged in direct negotiations for the last 22 years, since Oslo Accord had been signed 15 September, 1993. Secretary of State Kerry led an eight‑month effort of direct negotiations between August 2013 and April 2014 and he ended up saying, well, the Israeli did not stop their settlement activities; they did not release the last batch of prisoners so he put the blame on the Israelis and there was direct negotiations. How long the Palestinians will get engaged in direct negotiations without getting any results, why, for how long?
Deputy Spokesman: The Secretary‑General is aware and has made it clear again this week that there is a huge amount of frustration on either side about the actions taken by their opposing side as well as the frustrating and slow process of negotiations. But the bottom line is there is no alternative to meeting at the table, resolving their differences through negotiations and ultimately working in good faith towards achieving a two‑state solution. Yes Mr. Abbadi.
Question: Thank you, Farhan. You referred twice to the political horizon with respect to what the Secretary‑General and Mr. Eliasson has said. Can you specify what the political horizon is? And, secondly, how would the Secretary‑General answer the comments of the observers of the Middle East scene who say that left to themselves the two parties will never reach an agreement?
Deputy Spokesman: Frankly, in many diplomatic negotiations, in many parts of the world, it's hard to imagine that the parties by themselves will come to agreement unless there is involvement by outside parties. That is actually one of the reasons why bodies like the United Nations, regional bodies, as well as other concerned Member States participate in trying to encourage parties to come to negotiations. And that is the case with the Israelis and Palestinians as it is with negotiations on a range of topics. Regarding what shape a political horizon will take, a lot of that has to be determined by the parties but the Secretary‑General was, as you know, in touch with the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Government. He has tried to persuade them back to the course of peace, to the course of negotiations. And in terms of trying to determine the political course ahead, tomorrow, as well as meeting with you, the Secretary‑General does expect to participate by video conference in a meeting of the principal members of the Middle East Quartet where they can also discuss how to move ahead. Ozlem?
Question: Thank you. Farhan, you mentioned yesterday that Mr. Ladsous is going to Cyprus, was planning to visit Cyprus. Do you have further information on that and can you tell us why he will be visiting the islands, thank you?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, Mr. Ladsous tends to visit a number of places where UN peacekeeping forces are deployed. And, of course, we have one of our oldest, longest-serving peacekeeping forces, the UN Force in Cyprus deployed there, UNFICYP [United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus]. And so we expect that he would be there to be appraised of their work, but if with we have details following that visit we will certainly share that with you. Dulcie?
Question: Did Ban Ki‑moon talk to the Jordan King about the situation in Yemen because Jordan is a member of that coalition, the Saudi coalition dropping bombs in Yemen, did he discuss that with him?
Deputy Spokesman: I don't have anything further than the readout that I read at the top of this briefing, so I don't have anything to share about any discussion they had on Yemen. What I can tell you is that tomorrow the Security Council will discuss Yemen, they will hear from our Special Envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, and we do anticipate that some time over the course of the day, Friday, Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed will speak to reporters at the Security Council stakeout.
Question: What time is he speaking to the Security Council?
Deputy Spokesman: I believe that starts at 10 a.m., but in terms of when he comes to the stakeout I don't know -- hopefully not at the same time that the Secretary‑General is at the stakeout.
Question: Has there been a date set for the supposed peace talks to begin?
Deputy Spokesman: There is nothing to announce so far; but, like I said you will get to hear from Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed himself tomorrow. Yes.
Question: On this idea of bringing parties together, I wanted to ask you a question about Burundi. The EU is preparing a letter to invite the Burundian parties to Brussels to have a discussion about diffusing the situation. And I wanted to know, not just what does the UN think about it, but is there any UN role in this? And, if not, what does it say about the UN sort of action on Burundi? It's one thing to defer maybe to the AU but this is the UE. What is the UN doing about this?
Deputy Spokesman: We are following up with all the various initiatives by regional parties including the African Union and the European Union and, of course, our Envoy dealing with the Great Lakes Region has been appraised of this so we are continuing to follow‑up.
Question: But, I mean, is the EU really, can you… it is a regional organization but is it a regional organization with respect to Burundi?
Deputy Spokesman: That is question for the European Union, not for me.
Question: Have you been contacted I guess is my question?
Deputy Spokesman: But regarding this, we have been in touch with a variety of regional bodies including through the office of the Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region but also through our Department of Political Affairs and will keep appraised of all the various actors in this. Yes, Stefano.
Question: Thank you. Yes, about Libya, the Special Envoy say that, you know, there are still problems, when we were thinking that everything was done there are still problems about this unity Government. So, if the situation doesn't move ahead and the time is done at least, is there any alternative to this unity Government? I mean, is there some plan that the UN has if the unity Government ever comes up?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, I don't want to speculate on what happens if things don't proceed. Mr. Leon has made it very clear that — his confidence is what the people of Libya want is the agreement that is being pursued and so he is trying to secure the agreement by all parties to what he has worked out. He has presented that to them as a final text and he is hoping there will be agreement. Yes.
Question: Sure. I wanted to ask if there is any… in Bahrain there is a noted activist, Zainab al‑Khawaja, has on appeal been sentenced to one year for ripping up a photograph of the king. And I wanted to know it seems like, what does the UN think about that? And other than sort of a generic statement, is there any UN response to the idea of a prison sentence for a nonviolent expression of opposition?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, we need to look and see what the verdict was and how it was achieved so we would have to examine that.
Question: Can I ask, there is just one, there is a timeliness, I want to ask, I see that, it might seem small to you, but I've seen these lights being installed in the fountain area and I'm assuming that that is to light up the building blue?
Deputy Spokesman: Yes.
Question: So I have two questions. One is if you don't… who is paying for the lights? Is it the Republic of Korea or is it out of the UN budget? And, number two, is the Secretary‑General lighting the Empire State Building tomorrow at noon?
Deputy Spokesman: The Secretary‑General I don't believe is lighting the Empire State Building at noon. He will be at the stakeout just a few minutes before that.
Question: I know, but I’ve seen some announcement not publically but in some other way that he will be with Lang Lang lighting the Empire State Building so I wanted to know is that true?
Deputy Spokesman: I can't imagine that that could happen at noon given the logistics.
Question: Who is paying for the lighting?
Deputy Spokesman: I believe that the Department of Public Information [DPI] has been making the arrangements. I don't know what arrangements they have for the payment, but it's DPI that has been arranging.
[The Deputy Spokesman later said the Department of Management was absorbing the cost for the lighting.]
Question: Seems important, given the current issue of who pays for what, could you get back on who is paying for the lighting?
Deputy Spokesman: I believe it's out of DPI's budget, but we will see. Thanks.