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.
**Turkey
The Secretary-General is on his way back from the G20 [Group of 20] Summit in Antalya, in Turkey. In a press conference at the event, the Secretary-General reiterated his profound condolences to the people of France following the terrorist attacks in Paris and stressed that terrorism is a threat to all humankind. He stressed that our response needs to be robust, but always within the rule of law and with respect for human rights. Otherwise, we will only fan the fire we are trying to put out, he said.
The Secretary-General also urged the participants to the Vienna talks held on Saturday to move beyond their differences so they can push for a nationwide ceasefire, combat terrorism and address key governance and constitutional issues, in Syria. After years of division, he said, this is a rare moment of diplomatic opportunity to end the violence and advance the search for a negotiated political solution.
The Secretary-General also discussed the situation in Syria with President Erdogan, as well as thanking Turkey for hosting such a large number of refugees. He participated in a working dinner with the G20 leaders on terrorism and the refugee crisis.
Climate change was also a major topic of discussion at the Summit. In a working lunch on the subject, the Secretary-General told G20 leaders that they had wide-ranging political and moral responsibilities — not just to their own citizens, but to the world.
The press conference, remarks and readouts have all been shared with you over the weekend.
**Syria
And speaking of the Vienna talks, we also issued a statement on Saturday — noting that the Secretary-General had instructed the UN Secretariat to accelerate planning on modalities for supporting the implementation of a political process and of a nationwide ceasefire in Syria and [for] further exploration with the parties.
The Secretary-General reiterates the need for a single process of mediation to ensure that the international community speaks with one powerful voice. As part of accelerating diplomatic efforts to advance a political solution to the crisis, the Special Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, remains ready to convene intra-Syrian talks, building on a considerable preparatory work undertaken to date.
And earlier today, the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, Kuwait and the United Nations announced the Syria donor conference for 2016, which is expected to take place on 4 February in London next year. Leaders noted that they are increasingly concerned about the plight of the Syrian people and that current funding to the 2015 UN appeals has not even reached last year’s levels. So far this year, $3.4 billion has been received against an appeal for $8.4 billion.
The aim of the conference is to raise significant new funding to meet the needs of all those affected by the Syria crisis within the country itself and to support neighbouring countries who have shown enormous generosity in hosting refugees to cope with the impact of the crisis. The conference also intends to identify long-term funding solutions and address the longer-term needs of those affected by the crisis.
Stephen O’Brien, the UN’s Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that Conference in London will be a critical opportunity to remind the world of the suffering that Syrian civilians are going through. As the brutality and violence in their country intensifies, it is our job to appeal on their behalf for essential, sustained aid and protection.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
Meanwhile, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Robert Piper, today called for an end to punitive demolitions in the occupied West Bank. Mr. Piper said that the family homes of five alleged perpetrators of attacks against Israelis have been demolished by Israeli security forces in the past two days. Initial assessments indicate 20 people, including eight children, were rendered homeless by the demolition of the five homes.
The most recent operation took place this morning in Qalandiya refugee camp. Initial information indicates that two Palestinians were killed and nine others were injured in clashes during [protesting of] the demolition. Mr. Piper said that punitive demolitions are a form of collective penalty, as they effectively punish not only the alleged perpetrators, but also people, for acts they have not individually committed. And the full statement is available online.
**Libya
The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) joined the UN Human Rights Office and issued a report documenting indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas, abduction of civilians, torture and executions, and other serious abuses and violations of international law in various parts of Libya since the start of this year.
The report says that all parties in Libya “appear to be committing violations of international humanitarian law, including those that may amount to war crimes”, as well as “gross violations or abuses of international human rights law.”
The report also says that, due to breakdown of law and order, and infighting, groups that pledge allegiance to the so-called Islamic State have gained [and] consolidated control over swathes of territory in Libya, committing gross abuses, including public summary executions. The report warns that those involved in grave abuses of international human rights law and international humanitarian law are criminally liable, including before the International Criminal Court.
**Central African Republic
Turning to the Central African Republic, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hervé Ladsous, briefed the Security Council this morning on the political and security situation in the country, as well as on the preparations the UN Mission there (MINUSCA) is undertaking ahead of the elections scheduled for the end of the year.
In light of the ongoing tense security situation — with clashes continuing between ex-Seleka and anti-Balaka factions — the Secretary-General is expected to submit a letter to the Council requesting approval for the temporary redeployment and the immediate transfer of a detachment of some 300 personnel from the UN Mission in Côte d'Ivoire’s Quick Reaction Force to the UN Mission in the Central African Republic for a period of about eight weeks under inter-mission cooperation arrangements.
**Sahel
And Toby Lanzer, the UN Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Sahel, said that activities by Boko Haram in the Lake Chad basin and the counter-insurgency operations have displaced more than 2.5 million people in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
Speaking to the press in Geneva, he added that 1,100 schools have been destroyed this year by Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region. Mr. Lanzer also said that the Sahel region is where 25 million people are food insecure; 5 million of them are severely food insecure, and about 700,000 [children] every year will lose their lives because of malnutrition.
**World Health Organization
And a last mention — a new multi-country survey shows that there is widespread misunderstanding around the world about the major threat that antibiotic resistance poses to public health and how to prevent it from growing.
That’s according to the World Health Organization (WHO) report, which is ramping up its fight against antibiotic resistance, which happens when bacteria change and become resistant to the antibiotics used to treat the infection they cause.
WHO’s Director-General, Margaret Chan, said the rise of antibiotic resistance is a global health crisis which is reaching dangerously high levels in all parts of the world. She noted that antibiotic resistance is compromising our ability to treat infectious diseases and undermines many advances in medicine.
**Press Conference Today
And in relation to that, today marks the start of the first World Antibiotic Awareness Week — 16 to 22 [November]. And immediately after this briefing, Ambassador Matthew Rycroft of the UK and Dr. Nata Menabde, Executive Director of the WHO’s Office in New York, will be here to brief you on the emergence of antimicrobial resistance and the new global campaign regarding what I was just talking about.
Why don’t I take some of your questions if you have them for me. Yes, Michelle?
**Questions and Answers
Question: Thanks, Stéph. Just a follow‑up on the request to deploy troops from Ivory Coast to CAR [Central African Republic]. Would they be in place before the Pope’s visit at the end of the month?
Spokesman: They will be in place… I don’t have an exact date, because, obviously, we need the Security Council’s approval, but the idea will be to have them in place as quickly as possible. Yes, sir?
Question: Stéph, what does the Secretary‑General say in response to some of the concerns that are being raised in the aftermath of the Paris attacks, that movement of refugees bring with them additional risks? How do you mitigate those concerns, particularly in big countries like the United States?
Spokesman: I think the reaction to the wave of refugees we’re seeing should be one of compassion and empathy. These are people who are fleeing the very destruction of Da’esh that we’ve seen in Paris. This should also focus… force us to redouble our… Let’s try that again. This should obviously force us to redouble our efforts to find an end to the fighting in Syria. Now, obviously, it is understandable that countries need to take whatever measures they need to take to protect their own citizens against forms of, any form of terrorism. But obviously, I think, focusing that on refugees, vulnerable people who are themselves fleeing violence, I think, would not be the right way to go.
Question: A second question, if I may, on COP‑21 [twenty-first Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change]. I’ve just been informed that over 1,000 journalists applying to be accredited to COP‑21 are going to be denied due to a huge oversubscription, limited space in the venue and additional security concerns following Paris. Does that concern the Secretary‑General, that a possibly historic landmark occasion like this, thousands of thousands of journalists, including UN correspondents from this building, are being denied access to that conference?
Spokesman: The premise of your question is new to me. I will check. We obviously want the COP to be as successful as possible, and that success obviously rests… [whistle] If it’s in reaction to what I’m saying, maybe I should keep talking, but my feeling is that it’s unrelated. [laughter] It’s been a while since anybody’s whistled at me. Yeah.
Correspondent: [inaudible]
Spokesman: Yes, exactly. That’s never happened. Let’s hope it never happens again. Let’s try that again. Obviously, we do want journalists there. I will check with our colleagues at UNFCCC [United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change], who are managing the inscriptions for journalists, and I will get back to you. Giampaolo and then Matthew.
Question: Stéphane, just to clarify some rumours or news that appeared yesterday, does the Secretary‑General has any plan at the end of this week, next week or soon to travel to Pyongyang?
Spokesman: I think we’ve all seen… we’ve all seen the Yonhap report. The Secretary‑General is back here on Monday. He’s got a very full week, including the CEB [United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination] report. You know, as far as the Korean Peninsula, I think the Secretary‑General’s always said he’s ready to help play a role to enhance dialogue and stability and peace on the Korean Peninsula. But besides that, I have nothing else to add. Matthew?
Correspondent: Sure.
Question: Can I follow up on that?
Spokesman: You may.
Question: So that means…?
Spokesman: I’ve used all my words.
Question: …not this week, maybe next week, or maybe in the near future because… [cross talk] We ask for five years to… when is he going to be… he says it’s too soon.
Spokesman: I completely understand your need for me to use further words, but I really have no further words to use. Mr. Lee?
Question: Sure. I want to ask something about Burundi. But, since you mentioned the CEB meeting, I want to ask something first on that. It was said after it was revealed that Bernardino León had sought this job with the UAE [United Arab Emirates] that the Secretary‑General was going to be informing his other envoys, orally and in writing, reminding them of their ethical duties. And Farhan [Haq] said it’s supposed to come up at the CEB, nothing about the letter. Number one, is any written reminder or something going out to envoys? And, two, are these envoys part of the CEB meeting? What’s the purpose of raising it at the CEB?
Spokesman: It’s an issue that will be raised at the CEB. It’s an issue that will be raised also at the Secretary‑General’s next meeting with his senior management group. It’s a message that will be put out through various channels for everyone, not just envoys, to ensure that they abide by the letter and by the spirit of the UN’s ethics regulations and guidelines.
Question: And the note to correspondents that was sent out for or by Bernardino León saying he sought clarification from the UAE, is there a timeline on that? And is there any connection, given that, I mean, it’s put out as a UN note to correspondents, is the information that comes back from the UAE supposed to be for some… anyone other than Bernardino León personally…?
Spokesman: I don’t have… I think, obviously, that’s something we would hope the UAE shares publicly, but I have nothing to add to that.
Question: And on Burundi…?
Spokesman: I’ll come back to you. Yes, Majeed and then…
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. I have two questions. The first one is about Iraq. As we speak, there’s now a new front… a separate front of fighting just started between the Kurdish forces and the Shiite… thank you… and the Shiite militias in Iraq. In the town of Tuz Khurmatu, there’s more than dozen killed. And many on the ground say this is… might lead to an ethnic war between the Shiite militias and the Kurdish forces. Have you seen these reports? Do you have any comments about this?
Spokesman: I have not seen… I have not seen these reports, but we would obviously hope that whatever fighting is taking place ceases immediately and that all the different political groups and factions in Iraq support the government in its effort to restore peace.
Question: My second question is about the US. This morning, the Governor of Texas sent a letter to the White House, the President, said we will not accept any Syrian refugees in Texas because… as a reaction to the Paris attack. What’s your comment?
Spokesman: Obviously, I’m not privy to correspondence between the Governor of Texas and the President of these United States, but I think I would refer you to what I… my answer to the first question about the need to show compassion to refugees and not target them in any way in response to the attacks that we’ve seen. Abdelhamid?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. Thank you, Stéphane. First, I will start with a question about the SG’s statement instructing the Secretariat to prepare for observing ceasefire in Syria, and there is a statement by the Deputy Foreign Minister in Russia said we have no news about it. We are not… we’re not doing anything like that in the Security Council. So that is…?
Spokesman: I haven’t seen the statement by the Deputy Prime Minister.
Correspondent: Foreign Minister.
Spokesman: I do know that the… Foreign Minister. I do know that the Secretary‑General has instructed Mr. de Mistura in response, as a result of the Vienna talks, to redouble his efforts. Mr. de Mistura’s doing that. We expect him to be in New York probably towards the end of this week. And, again, I’m sure he’ll be happy to brief you in more detail on what he’s doing.
Question: Now I have questions on Palestine, if you may allow me. Is anybody in the Secretariat keeping count… count of how many Palestinians killed in the last wave of what the SG calls violence and terrorism?
Spokesman: You know, I think the… our various colleagues who work on the humanitarian end, focusing on Palestine, are obviously very well aware of the situation. What we have seen, obviously, in recent weeks, is a spike of deaths of Palestinians, of Israelis, which we have clearly condemned. And I think all of that rise in violence and deaths only underscores the need for the peace process to be restarted and for the parties to sit down and speak together. Masood?
Question: Yes. Thank you, Stéphane. After this butchery in Paris and savagery of response by France in Syria and the Secretary‑General’s statement that they should be… respect the rule of law and what… and human rights. I mean, is there any possibility that that advice of the Secretary‑General will be followed by anybody in response to what is happening at this point in time? And what is it that the Secretary‑General can do to ensure that these countries… the big powers, at least, follow that?
Spokesman: Well, I think we very much hope that the Secretary‑General’s words will be heeded. I think the Secretary‑General has never denied the need for a strong and robust response to the threat from Da’esh. But any response to terrorism needs to be done within the rule of law and, as he said, to ensure that we don’t fan the flames that we’re trying to put out. This has been his consistent message for quite some time now, and he will continue to reiterate that message both privately and publicly. Yes?
Question: [inaudible] There are now calls that the Muslims who have crossed the border, migrants, should be denied any asylum or… in any of the countries. How does the Secretary‑General see this?
Spokesman: Masood, I would beg your indulgence and just maybe quote from the answer I gave Sherwin about ten minutes ago, which I think still remains valid. Yes?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. We understand that the French President is asking his Ambassador here at the United Nations to prepare a possible resolution to talk and directly address this issue, what happened in Paris. How does the Secretary‑General sees this efforts? And what we expect to see different from what has been used to in the past in terms of fighting the Islamic state and especially addressing the situation in Syria when we have seen opposition by countries like Russia?
Spokesman: We haven’t seen the resolution, but what is… what is clear is that the fight against terrorism, the fight against Da’esh, obviously, there is one component which is a military one, a security one. But the underlying causes also need to be addressed. The solution to fighting Da’esh cannot be simply a military solution. One has to look at the radicalization of young people. I mean, I think we’re seeing in France… some of the suspects were actually born in France. This is an issue that all societies have to grapple with. So we very much hope that whatever the response is will not be solely military, but one that will also look at the many root causes of the violence. Yes, Nick?
Question: Stéph, can I ask you where the SG draws the line on the military response? For instance, were last, the weekend’s airstrikes by France proportional? Did they meet his proportionality test?
Spokesman: I don’t think there is a proportionality test. I think the issue is that countries do have a right to respond. That response is within international law and that response limits, if not eliminates, any targeting of civilians and any death to civilians. And that’s been the Secretary‑General’s message since we’ve started seeing airstrikes by various powers in Syria and in Iraq. Linda?
Question: Thank you, Stéph. In terms of the Syrian refugees, about what percentage of the migrants are now from Syria? I had heard something it was about half…
Spokesman: That’s a very good question. I’ll need to check with UNHCR [Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees], because I don’t have that number in my head.
Question: And also just to follow up, can you explain exactly… I may be… for some reason, I may be dense, but what is the UN’s actual role in terms of registering the migrants or refugees when they arrive in Europe? Do they just sort of look at their credentials and pass them through, or is there any kind of vetting the UN does?
Spokesman: No, UNHCR and others will do registration at the request of the host governments. We know in Turkey the Turkish Government does it them… itself. In others places UNHCR does it. It’s about registration. UNHCR does not have a mandate, nor does it have the tools with which to do a vetting, background check or any other so‑called security check that we may… we may think about. Anna? Welcome back.
Question: Thank you. [inaudible], which is also very generous. But at the same time, people ask questions like, what kind of long‑term solution does Secretary‑General see of the refugee issue? Does he have any recommendations? Is he going to work on this? This is my first question. And the second one is on the elections in Burma, Myanmar. Does the UN have any comment on this?
Spokesman: On the elections in Myanmar, I would ask you to look at what we’ve said last week. We had quite extensive Q&A on that. That remains… that stands. Obviously, I think the Secretary‑General is pleased at the way the transition of power seems to be going and the way the elections took place. On your first question, yes, obviously, there are a lot of long‑term issues that we need to deal with. One of them is — hopefully not long term — is ending the violence in the countries where these people come from, especially Syria and Iraq and Afghanistan; addressing the causes that force people to flee. We need to make sure that the way people are received, whether they’re migrants or refugees, is within the confines of international law, that people are treated with respect and with dignity. There will be a series of discussions over the next few months at various levels focusing on finding a… more of a holistic solution, because this involves both the destination countries, the countries of origin and the transit countries. And all of these things need to be done in a coordinated manner and we need to manage the flows. People have been moving since they started to walk, and that’s not going to stop. So it just needs to be managed in a way that is the most efficient, the most humane, and within international law.
Question: Will there be a concerted effort, or every country will be left to its own devices…?
Spokesman: The whole point of having these discussions, whether it was the one where the Deputy Secretary‑General, Mr. Eliasson, participated in the EU in Valletta, is to have something done globally and that is coordinated. I think we see in Europe, when different countries have different policies, the kind of chaos that it… that it creates. Evelyn?
Question: President Hollande, in his speech to the Parliament today, called for… called for the UN Security Council to meet in the coming days to adopt a united position against ISIS. Is that redundant or do you know anything about it?
Spokesman: No, I mean, I think one of your colleagues just raised this issue of the resolution. I haven’t seen the resolution. I think you have the good fortune of having the President of the Security Council speak in about five minutes. I’m sure he’ll be delighted to answer those questions and better prepared. Yes, sir?
Question: In light of what’s happening around the world in Paris, in Beirut, in Baghdad and everywhere, does the Secretary‑General share the conclusion that the international community systems have failed so far in tackling this threat of terrorism around the globe? Thank you.
Spokesman: Well, you know, it’s a rather open‑ended question. I think what we need to see in order to deal with the threat of terrorism, first, is deal with the violence in the countries where that threat is emanating from, notably Syria, and to push for a political solution to end the violence and end the warfare there. We need to deal with the underlying and root causes of terrorism, what we have seen in terms of the radicalization of young people, address issues of poverty, as well, issues of extremism. This is something that the international community needs to deal with. There have been attempts. There’s been progress. But obviously, we do see what has been happening over the last week.
Question: And just a follow‑up. All of those international regimes are in place for quite a long time, for over a decade. And, obviously, they haven’t worked out. They haven’t been able to tackle terrorism and the roots of terrorism. Is there a need for new regimes…?
Spokesman: There’s a… first of all, I think one could also argue, if those regimes had not been in place, we may see a worse situation. But, obviously, there is a need for a concerted international effort to deal with the issue of terrorism and all its immediate and root causes. Mr. Lee?
Question: Burundi, Cambodia and CAR. In Burundi, the mayor of Bujumbura was the subject of an assassination attempt, and the last remaining independent media, Iwacu, the director was summoned in to be asked by the police if he’s connected to the previous coup attempt. What’s the UN… what’s your response to that…?
Spokesman: What’s the gentleman’s name?
Question: The mayor of Bujumbura…?
Spokesman: No, no, the other one you mentioned.
Correspondent: Iwacu is the name… is the media, and I’ll give you the name if you want.
Spokesman: No, that’s okay.
Question: He was summoned in. My question is, one, is there any UN response to that? And, two, what has the UN been doing since naming of the Special Adviser?
Spokesman: Obviously, as we’ve been saying, the Secretary‑General is extremely concerned by the continued violence that we’ve seen in Burundi, especially the violence we’ve seen over the weekend, where at least six people were killed in these grenade attacks at various locations in the capital. The Secretary‑General once again calls on the violence to stop. On the case of the head of the Iwacu press group, we’re obviously following… the UN is following the closely the court proceedings, which I think took place before the Supreme Court in Bujumbura this morning, if I’m not mistaken. You know, obviously, Iwacu remains an important independent voice in Burundi, and the United Nations urges national authorities to safeguard the freedom of expression for all media in the country and will continue to monitor the developments in the region. As for the political track, Jamal Benomar, who is the Secretary‑General’s Special Adviser — as we’ve said, Burundi is one of his files — and he will be travelling to the Great Lakes region later this week.
Question: And… thanks a lot. Do you have… I’m wondering if on Cambodia you have anything… the opposition leader, Sam Rainsy, has had his immunity removed and is no longer a Member of Parliament, and the idea is he is going to be arrested.
Spokesman: I do not.
Question: Okay. Finally, just on CAR, can you confirm that the soldiers… the troops that are supposed to come from Côte d’Ivoire are Senegalese and…
Spokesman: Yes.
Question: Okay. And is there any update whatsoever, since the last time you addressed it, on the sexual abuse charges either against Sangaris or against the UN peacekeepers?
Spokesman: No. Abdelhamid, and then the UN ambassador is waiting, so…
Question: I want to ask your legal definition of this crime that was committed…
Spokesman: I will stop you here. I will not give a legal definition.
Question: I want…
Spokesman: But you may ask the question. I don’t want to stop you from asking the question.
Question: I ask the question and ask you why it was ignored. On Thursday morning, they kidnapped a wounded Palestinian civilian, shot dead his cousin who was sitting next to him. He’s called Abdallah al‑Shalalda. And they kidnapped Azzam al‑Shalalda. And they were disguised as Arabic with a look‑alike pregnant woman and they took this wounded and it was ignored by the Special Envoy, Mr. Mladenov, and by the Humanitarian Coordinator…
Spokesman: Abdelhamid, I would love to hear your question.
Question: Yeah. And my question… how do… what do you call this crime? What kind of a crime? From a legal point of view.
Spokesman: I think… you know, I don’t have all the details of this incident. We’ve seen…
Question: It’s an attack on a hospital.
Spokesman: Abdelhamid. We’ve seen the press reports. It obviously… it is always of concern when we see reports anywhere of health facilities or medical facilities being targeted, and we would hope there’s a full investigation into this incident. Thank you. And I will get Ambassador Rycroft.