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.
**Secretary-General at Nuclear Summit
At the Nuclear Summit in Washington, D.C., today, the Secretary-General is to attend a working lunch with the other attendees of the Summit. In his remarks, he intends to bring attention to the crucial role played by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the area of nuclear security. Many States lack sufficient capacity to act on nuclear security threats and this is where the IAEA’s role is indispensable in providing expertise, advice and technical assistance. The Secretary-General will also highlight the importance of the Security Council resolution 1540 (2004), requiring States to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, as well as the UN Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism.
**Secretary-General — Ukraine
And not long ago on the sidelines of the Summit in Washington, D.C., the Secretary-General met with Petro Poroshenko, the President of Ukraine. The Secretary-General commended Ukraine for its important contributions to global nuclear security. Regarding the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine, the Secretary-General expressed his deep concern over the precariousness of the security situation and reiterated the urgent need for a full implementation of the Minsk agreements.
**Secretary-General — France
And earlier this morning, the Secretary-General also had a breakfast with François Hollande, President of France. They discussed the situation in Western Sahara, the preparations for the 22 April signing ceremony of the Paris Climate Change Agreement, which, as you know, will take place here, as well as the situation in Mali. Regarding the Central African Republic and the allegations of misconduct by UN Peacekeepers and international forces there, the Secretary-General and the President agreed on the imperative of a thorough investigation to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice. Two readouts will be online shortly.
**Central African Republic
And on the situation in the Central African Republic itself, the UN-integrated team, led by the UN peacekeeping mission there, made up by staff members, as we’ve mentioned of [Office of Internal Oversight Services] OIOS, human rights, child and women’s protection, conduct and discipline, as well as UNICEF [United Nations Children’s Fund], UNFPA [United Nations Population Fund] and UNHCR [Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees], are continuing their work in interviewing victims. Protection and assistance to victims remains the UN's top priority. And also today, the Under-Secretary General for Peacekeeping operations, Hervé Ladsous, who is, as you know, in Bangui and has remained in Bangui, held meetings with personnel from the [United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic] (MINUSCA) and with staff from the field through video conference.
Addressing military personnel commanders as well as police officers, Mr. Ladsous reminded them firmly of the need for them to be personally committed to countering sexual exploitation and abuse. Speaking to reporters, Mr. Ladsous also stressed the responsibility of police- and troop-contributing countries to provide military and police staff personnel that have been sensitized, trained and fully aware of sanctions they will face if allegations are confirmed. He also condemned the scourge of sexual exploitation and reiterated the proposals to establish martial courts in situ where the alleged crimes may have occurred.
**Yemen
And you will have seen earlier today, the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen informed us and you through a note to correspondents, that preparations are currently under way for Yemeni-Yemeni peace talks, which are expected to be held under the auspices of the UN in Kuwait starting 18 April. The UN Special Envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, has urged Yemeni delegations to seize the opportunity to provide a mechanism for a return to a peaceful and orderly transition. He has encouraged the parties to engage constructively in the talks, including on the areas of the withdrawal of militias and armed groups, interim security arrangements, and the restoration of State institutions, and the resumption of an inclusive political dialogue. The parties to the conflict have agreed to a nation-wide cessation of hostilities beginning at midnight on 10 April. More information will be available online.
**Yemen — World Food Programme
Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) says that the humanitarian situation in Yemen is rapidly deteriorating due to a year-long conflict that has worsened the living conditions of Yemen’s poor population, adding more than 3 million people to the ranks of the hungry last year. Last month, WFP distributed through a local supplier vouchers to nearly 190,000 people in Sana’a, Aden in a new initiative. By using vouchers, WFP aims to speed up the delivery of food assistance and also boost local markets at the same time, [and] plans to reach 1 million people in this way by the end of 2016.
**Syria
And turning to Syria, the Special Adviser Jan Egeland, who is, as you know, the Special Adviser to Staffan de Mistura, the UN Envoy for Syria, spoke to the media late yesterday in Geneva following the latest Task Force meeting on Humanitarian Access in Syria. Despite some humanitarian access, he warned that aid agencies continue to face a number of administrative problems and issues. Stressing the need for more unhindered access, Mr. Egeland said that the next 10 days will be crucial because April is expected to be the first month under a new procedure which will allow the UN and its partners to get clearance and green lights within seven working days.
Also, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that despite the welcome approval [of] six locations requested by the United Nations on 23 March by the Syrian Government, other requests to deliver assistance to the besieged locations of Darayya, Duma, East Harasta, Moadamiya and Zabadani were not granted by the Government. The UN urges the Government to allow access to these areas without delay to enable the provision of life-saving assistance to those in need. He calls for unconditional, unimpeded and sustained access to all 4.6 million people, who live in besieged or hard-to-reach areas in Syria.
**Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
On a related note, our colleagues at the UNHCR today urged parties to the recent EU-Turkey agreement on refugees and migrants to ensure that all safeguards are in place before any returns get underway. UNHCR in Geneva today said that the agency does not object to returns of people without protection needs and who have not asked for asylum, provided their human rights are being respected.
In Turkey, UNHCR has requested access to people returned from Greece, to ensure people can benefit from effective international protection and prevent risk of refoulement. Related to this, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that for the first three months of 2016 at least 170,000 refugees and migrants have entered Europe by sea-routes, this is eight times more than compared to the figures for the same period in 2015. More information on the IOM website.
**Libya
Also on Libya, we issued a statement late last night, in which the Secretary-General welcomed the arrival of the Libyan Presidency Council in Tripoli on 30 March, saying that this marks an important step in the implementation of the Libyan Political Agreement. The Secretary-General urged all political actors and public institutions to facilitate an immediate and peaceful handover of power. He also reminded all security actors of their responsibilities to ensure the safety and security of the Presidency Council and urged them to refrain from any action that would undermine its work.
Meanwhile, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) says that there were an estimated 32 civilian casualties during March, including 21 deaths and 11 injuries. Victims included seven children who were killed and another four injured. The majority of civilian deaths and injuries were caused by gun shots, followed by shelling. Civilian casualties [were] also recorded in Tunisia as a result of the armed conflict in Libya. Just to give you some context — from 1 January to the end of February, the Mission had documented an estimated 66 civilian casualties. More information on UNSMIL’s website.
**Iraq
And along the same vein, the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) released its latest casualty figures today saying that a total of 1,119 Iraqis were killed and another 1,561 were injured in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict throughout the country in March. The overall casualty figures are up from February and the Special Representative of the UN in Iraq, Ján Kubiš, expressed his deep concern at the loss of life and the continuing violence in Iraq.
**Climate Change
You will see yesterday, we also issued a statement, in which the Secretary-General commended the leaders of China and the United States for announcing that both countries will sign the Paris Agreement on 22 April, the first day the Agreement opens for signature.
**Deputy Secretary-General Travel
And the Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson, over the weekend, will depart New York for Stockholm where he will have bilateral meetings with senior Government officials on 4 April. During the visit, he will also participate in the 5th Global Meeting of the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and State-building, and the 2016 Stockholm Forum on Security and Development. I expect him back here on 10 April.
**Autism
And you may have noticed throughout the day there will be special events on autism. The day-long event, entitled “Autism and the 2030 Agenda: Inclusion and Neurodiversity” is taking place in the Trusteeship Council Chamber here. The event is co-organized by a number of [UN] permanent missions, as well as [the Department of Public Information] and the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. In his message to commemorate World Autism Awareness Day, which is tomorrow, the Secretary-General emphasizes that, while autism as a psychological condition is not yet well-understood, to discriminate against people with autism is “a violation of human rights and a waste of human potential”. The Secretary-General reminds us that we are now celebrating the tenth anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and that we should use this as an opportunity to advance the rights of individuals with autism and to ensure their full participation in everyday life.
**Press Conferences
This evening at 5 p.m., the President of the Security Council for the month of April, the Permanent Representative of China, will be here to brief you on the programme of work. And Monday is International Day of Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, so my guess appropriately will be the Director of the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), Agnès Marcaillou.
**Honour Roll
And today we thank two countries, Brunei Darussalam and France for paying their dues, which brings the number to 62. Joe, if you have a question, the floor is yours.
**Questions and Answers
Question: Anyway, I do have a question. You mentioned a couple of bilateral meetings the Secretary‑General had with leaders of Government or Heads of State. I didn't hear you mention the President of Turkey, Mr. Erdoğan. Is there any plan for the Secretary‑General to meet with him while they're in Washington, D.C.? And if not, can you say why not? Because, number one, you had alluded to the refugee situation in which Turkey is the principle player. And secondly, Turkey will be hosting the humanitarian conference in May.
Spokesman: I have to double-check the Secretary‑General's schedule. I'm not aware of a bilateral with President Erdoğan. The Secretary‑General's in Washington, D.C., basically for a little less than a day. We have been in contact with Turkish authorities on a regular basis, whether it’s the Secretary‑General through phone calls with the Prime Minister and others. At these bilateral, these multi‑lateral meetings, it's sometimes difficult to challenge bilateral meetings. I would not read anything into the Secretary-general not meeting him. Mr.… sorry, Edie.
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. On sexual abuse in the Central African Republic. As a result of the continuing interviews, does the number still stand at 108? And when do you expect us to get details on what the UN team has found?
Spokesman: There are no updates on numbers I can give you today. The number of interviews are continuing. We're going to try to hopefully update you early next week, after the weekend, on the numbers. You know, the conditions, the area in Kemo prefecture — where the team is — is a very remote place. The UN team has electricity about two hours a day. Contact is done only through satellite phone. So, we will try to get you updated numbers as soon as we can, but I can tell you that the interviews are continuing and they will be continuing. Yes, Carole.
Question: Same topic. I'm just wondering with the continuing work on this whether the allegations of bestiality, which were particularly shocking targeting, concerning the French forces appear credible.
Spokesman: I can't comment on that. As I said, the investigations into all the alleged abuses are continuing. Mr. Lee.
Question: Western Sahara. I wanted to know whether even in its current status, MINURSO [United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara] can confirm a buildup of troops and tanks in an area called Mahbas, which is about an hour from… near the wall and near Tindouf. And I also wanted to ask, I’ve listened more closely to what Ambassador Hilale said yesterday. He said that the people that were in Dakhla were not officially… this was an unofficial post without an official building. He wasn’t sure if they were in the budget of the Fifth Committee, he made a lot of administrative arguments also saying that… that the Mission should have told Morocco that 11 people listed has being there had already left. So, I wanted to know, have you seen the footage of what he said and do you have any response to it? And is it the case this Dakhla outpost was, in fact, authorized or official part of the Fifth Committee? And can you confirm these tanks building up?
Spokesman: I don't have an update from the mission about the buildup around Mahbas. I can check. I am not going to get into it… the Mission was operating under its mandate, under its approved budget. I have not seen what the ambassador said. And there is really nothing more I can tell you on that.
Correspondent: I guess… Overall what he was trying to say, and I mean there are a number of parts of the Mission which he says were, were done sort of at the, by the good graces of Morocco. That they weren’t really approved by the mandate…
Spokesman: All I can tell you… again, I don’t know what the Ambassador exactly said; what I can tell you is that the Mission has been operating under its Security Council mandate and with the appropriate budget. Mr. … Charbonneau.
Question: Thanks. Going back to Central African Republic, can you confirm what the Security Council diplomats said after yesterday's meeting that the most extreme allegations, the one that Carole referred to, the bestiality, is the only one against the French in the new set of allegations that all of the others concern the Burundians and the Gabonese?
Spokesman: Again, we're not confirming the nature of the allegations except to say, as we said yesterday, they're shocking. They're shocking in the core. The investigation into these crimes is continuing. Yeah, go ahead.
Question: Just a quick follow up. I'm not asking you to confirm on the nature. I think everybody seems to agree that it's the most extreme and disturbing of all the ones that were made public by Aids Free World, but it’s just in terms of the number of allegations against the French?
Spokesman: You know, the… most of the allegations are focused on the UN and then troops who were operating under the AU at the time. As we said there are a few shocking allegations against the Sangaris forces.
Question: Thank you. On Libya, yesterday, the Security Council refused to lift the arms embargo on Libya. Meanwhile, we have UN reports attesting of growing threat from ISIL [Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant/Da’esh], growing terrorist threats. So, how's the SG office aiming at supporting the new Government in this context?
Spokesman: Well, the mandate of the political mission is to offer political support and, obviously, on humanitarian, on humanitarian work. And that's what we're continuing to do, and again, reiterating the Special Representative's call for all the parties in Libya, the political parties, to support the Presidency Council and especially for those with the de facto authority in Tripoli to hand over power peacefully to the governing council, which, again, represents the fruit of a long and tenuous Libyan negotiation. Yeah, in the back.
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. Back to this letter which the SG addressed to the King of Morocco, there are reports saying that this letter was deliberately leaked. Do you have any comment on that?
Spokesman: As I said yesterday… No, I don't really have anything to add to what I said yesterday. There was no… I haven't seen the letter leaked anywhere in the media, so I don't really know how to answer the question. [Inaudible].
Question: Follow‑up on the Sahara. We've heard here several times that the… during the visit after SG in the Bir Lahlou, the presence of Polisario wasn't planned, but there's some element that coming up notably in YouTube showing that there were flag, a picture tent where the SG was welcomed by someone from the Polisario in Bir Lahlou. Do you have something to say about that?
Spokesman: You know, you're stating… I mean, what the Secretary‑General did during his visit to Bir Lahlou and to Tindouf is open to everyone… everyone to see. I mean, I think we've gone over it, over it over and over again. I really have nothing new to add. Yep, in the back.
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. What's your idea about or a comment about Iran? And in the meeting today, Security Council about defence powers Iranian.
Spokesman: About… I'm sorry. About…?
Question: Iranian defence powers today meeting in Security Council. What's your idea about…?
Spokesman: You know, that's really up to the Council to… the Council has taking up this issue. The Secretary‑General spoke a couple of days ago in Geneva about the alarm that the recent tests by Iran had caused and encouraged the Security Council to make a determination as how those tests relate to the relevant Security Council resolutions. Oleg?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. On Western Sahara, the ambassador of Morocco yesterday also accused you of distorting facts and… by saying that couple of days ago I think you said that Ban Ki‑moon didn't bow to the flag. He said that there are videos that he did. What do you say to that?
Spokesman: Again, I think, on that, this issue as many others, I'm running out of words. I've repeated those words publicly here. We're not changing or retracting anything. I really don't know what to add anymore. I mean, the Secretary‑General's visit was very public. His intentions have been stated over and over again, and really… with all the goodwill that I have, I just don't know what else to say. Go ahead.
Question: And on a separate issue, if you don't mind, the readout that the Ukrainian side provide after meeting with Ban Ki‑moon, they said that Poroshenko invited him to take part in the commemoration of Chernobyl, some event happening over there, Chernobyl catastrophe, of course. Does Ban Ki‑moon consider to going there? I think it's going to be happening in April or...
Spokesman: I don't know. I would not be surprised if the invitation was put forward. Usually, when the Secretary‑General receives such an invitation, he takes it under consideration. And obviously, the commemoration of Chernobyl is something that — of the Chernobyl disaster — is something the UN has been observing on a regular basis and takes very seriously. Yes, sir.
Question: Thank you. Stéphane, how do you describe the cessation of hostilities in Syria? Especially, that we have reports today say that an air attack killed around 33 or 32 people around Damascus.
Spokesman: I mean, obviously, they're continuing to hold. We're in a much better position than we were at the start of the cessation of hostilities. I do understand there was some serious incidents, and I know those are being looked at by the International Support Group for Syria's task force. Evelyn. Keep going so as [inaudible] haven't had a question.
Question: Okay. Thanks. On Syria, any reason given by the Government of why the convoys can't go to besieged areas? And is there anything new on the surgical supplies taken out of the…
Spokesman: No. I think as Mr. O'Brien, very clearly, spelled out in his briefing yesterday, this continues to be a very serious issue and, frankly, one that is hard to understand. There is… and your first… what was your first question? I'm sorry.
Question: [Inaudible]?
Spokesman: No, we've… not that I'm aware of. We've not gotten, you know, the permissions have not been received. What we want to see, again, is full and unhindered access. Mr. Klein?
Question: Yes. The other day, I had asked you about the timetable for completion and public disclosure… well, of the audit report relating to the South‑South Cooperation Office and other parts of the Secretariat. You said were you going to go back…
Spokesman: I owe you an answer. I will get you one after the briefing. Okay. Yes, in the back then…
Question: Thank you. On Syria, we know that the UN, we know what's the opinion of the UN about the future of President Assad, and we also know that there are huge disagreements between Washington and Moscow about this particular issue. What's the UN doing to bring closer the views from those two countries? Especially that this looks like a deal‑breaker in resolving the crisis in that country…
Spokesman: You know, there's another round of talks that will take place later this month. We're, obviously, very well aware of the differing views between Washington and Moscow, as well as other capitals, working through the International Support Group for Syria. The UN continues to try to bring the parties closer, and I think everyone should keep in mind the best interests of the Syrian people, especially as we keep underscoring every day the horrendous and continuing humanitarian situation in the country. Edie, then Matthew.
Question: Stéph, I wanted to ask you about an e-mail I got yesterday from the National Urban League, saying that they have asked the Secretary‑General to intervene in what they say is the UN's ongoing illegal and unauthorized use of the National Urban League's trademarked logo. And it's got a picture on the top, which…?
Spokesman: If you could share that letter with me, that would be fine. I don't recognize that logo as being used…
Correspondent: I didn't either. That's what I was…
Spokesman: …by UN agencies. But, I'm happy to look into it. Mr. Lee.
Question: Sure. I want to ask about Burundi, corruption and press access, unless you're still on vacation on that. On Burundi, yesterday, I asked you about the death of Jacques Bihozagara, and you said, in full: "We obviously hope that his death will be investigated in as much of a public manner as possible." I haven't seen anything else since there… since then, I mean, various countries but the US has put out… taking it… saying his death highlights abiding concerns about inhumane prison conditions, persistent credible reports of arbitrary arrests, increased torture. There's another report about, about people that are refugees from the country, half of them show signs of torture. So, I guess I wanted to know, one, do you subscribe to what I've just read out to you? And why would the UN be having much more of a, at least, curt, put it that way, position…
Spokesman: I think, obviously, our concern about the human rights situation and the ongoing tensions including violence that we've seen in Burundi remains and remains very high. As you know, as a way of look forward, as you know, Mr. Benomar in fact is today consulting with Security Council members in advance of an expected action that we expect by the Council today on draft resolutions on Burundi which would increase the UN presence there. He will be returning to the region next week to engage in discussions with national and regional stakeholders, including the East African community facilitator former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa.
Question: All right? I wanted to ask you in… in… and again, this has to do with, I understand that we're waiting to get these audits that you said have been finished released, but in the same way that, that there seems to have been no answer on whether the Secretariat, outside of the audit process, identified who it was in the Secretariat that modified the document of… for the Macau Centre. I wanted to ask you about paragraph 48(H) of the criminal complaint where it talks about, you know, the… the “Kenyan UN Official One” and it describes in great detail… basically, it seems pretty clear the person took money in order to do various things. And it's described as a Kenyan. So, my question is, doesn't seem… there's nothing in the paragraphs before or after that that refer to either Sun Kian Ip Foundation or Global Sustainability Foundation. So, it's something that wouldn't appear to be dealt with by the audits. What is the UN's response to this…
Spokesman: The audits are a first step, and we'll see what comes out of it.
Correspondent: But if… I mean… if the audits…
Spokesman: I think we have to wait for the audits to be finalized.
Question: Okay. And when will that… will they come out?
Spokesman: As I told Mr. Klein a few minutes ago, I should have an answer for you later this afternoon.
Question: Okay. I have an… please go ahead, because I have… I'll leave this till the end.
Question: I just wanted to get back to CAR [Central African Republic]. Do you have a figure on how many Burundian and Gabonese troops are implicated at this point?
Spokesman: The information that I have… that I had, I will give you the… Bear with me two seconds, because I had those numbers with me, I believe. We don't have the exact number of… no, I don't have the exact number of troops that were involved as of yet, but as soon as we can get that information, I will get that to you. Yeah.
Question: Do you have any other numbers under "if asked" that you…?
Spokesman: No, I'm not hiding any "if asked" numbers.
Correspondent: [Inaudible].
Spokesman: Yes. But, obviously, you know, we need to continue to investigate and interview the victims. And then, as part of the process, which will be the joint investigations that we're doing with the Burundians and with the Gabonese, we hope to be able to identify exactly how many soldiers were potentially involved. Edie.
Question: The AIDS‑Free World said that the 98 girls that they talked about, that all the perpetrators involved in those cases had already returned home. So, why, if that's the case, why… why would… I know that the Burundi contingent has been sort of confined to its barracks.
Spokesman: Yeah. Both the Burundian contingent and the Gabonese who are…Question: And the Gabonese…?
Spokesman: …now in Bangui have been confined to barracks. We know the Burundians were rotated… sorry, the Gabonese… the… yeah, both the Burundians were rotated. We're still, obviously… Some of the Gabonese soldiers may still be in Bangui. Obviously, the mission is looking into that. The first order is, obviously, interviewing the victims. But, you know, regardless of whether soldiers are still in theatre, whether they've already been sent home, we would expect, we would expect the national authorities, whether it's Gabon, Burundi, or France, to fully investigate and bring the perpetrators to justice if a crime has been committed. Mr. Lee?
Question: Sure. I wanted to ask, you know, I'd asked you yesterday about… about the glass door to the Security Council being locked during the consultations and being denied the ability to be waved through the… the turnstile. But, you said you were on vacation. I wanted to ask you what happened after that, because it's deeply troubling to me. When I finally got through, when I finally got through, I went down the ramp, and one of the… one of the ambassadors was speaking. I set up with my tape recorder and was told I have to leave. I…
Spokesman: Matthew, if there's…
Correspondent: This is very serious, because I am not able to do my work.
Spokesman: Matthew, if there is an issue, before you tweet about it, before you try to physically open the door, walk into the MALU office and ask for them to… ask for them to ensure that the security guard lets you through. If there's any issue, the proper place to deal with it is MALU.
Correspondent: There's a… I asked you something very… more specific. Even once through, even once through the gate…
Spokesman: If there is. If there is an issue…
Question: Well, then where is MALU when they locked the door? Why are the doors being locked?
Spokesman: Maybe just go in. You have everybody's phone numbers.
Correspondent: I have a question. I have a question.
Spokesman: I'm done.
Correspondent: You're not done.
Spokesman: I am done.
Correspondent: I guess you're done.