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.
**South Sudan
As you know, Riek Machar arrived in Juba earlier today on an UN aircraft. And I have the following statement to share with you:
The Secretary-General welcomes the return of Riek Machar to Juba and his swearing in as the First Vice President, which marks a new phase in the implementation of the peace agreement. The Secretary-General calls for the immediate formation of the Transitional Government of National Unity. He commends the efforts of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) Chairperson, former President of Botswana Festus Mogae, and the AU High Representative, former President Alpha Oumar Konaré. The Secretary-General calls on the Security Council to work closely with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) to mobilize all the required support for the peace process.
As you have seen, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hervé Ladsous, briefed the Security Council on South Sudan.
I will add that Mr. Ladsous also told the Council that the security situation in South Sudan remained precarious. Noting the continued restrictions on the movements of the UN Mission (UNMISS) and humanitarian workers, he urged the Council to send a strong message to the Government and the opposition on the imperative need to grant the Mission and its humanitarian partners unimpeded freedom of movement. His remarks were made available to you.
**Secretary-General’s Travels
The Secretary-General arrived in Vienna a few hours ago. Just about now, he is expected to be speaking to reporters following his meeting with the Austrian Foreign Minister, Sebastian Kurz. We'll provide you with a transcript of that press encounter as soon as we can.
Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will be chairing the Chief Executives Board, which, as you know, brings together the heads of the UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes. He will also take part in an event tomorrow marking the 20th anniversary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
**Yemen
Also happening just about now is a press conference in Kuwait by Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the Special Envoy [for] Yemen.
The talks resumed today with both parties and they agreed on the agenda and, of course, you will be able to see more from the Special Envoy’s press conference.
**Syria
Turning to Syria, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has received reports of intensified fighting by all parties to the conflict in Aleppo city and surrounding areas in recent days, including reports of airstrikes, shelling, and heavy clashes, causing many civilian casualties and injuries. Civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals and mosques, has also reportedly been affected.
We remain extremely concerned at the unfolding situation in Aleppo and its grave impact on civilians, as well as humanitarian delivery to the area, and continue to monitor the situation closely.
The United Nations calls on all parties to the conflict to take all measures to protect civilians, as required under international humanitarian law, in order to safeguard the lives of all civilians living in Aleppo city.
Meanwhile, yesterday, an inter-agency humanitarian convoy delivered food, nutrition, health, education, and other supplies to 122,500 people in Al-Rastan in northern rural Homs Governorate. The Government of Syria did remove some psychotropic medicines from the planned World Health Organization (WHO) supplies, and scissors as well as anaesthetic medicines from UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) midwifery kits.
**Iraq
Ján Kubiš, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, has urged an immediate end to the fighting taking place in Tuz Khurmato, 60 kilometres south-east of Kirkuk. He strongly urges all efforts to defuse tensions.
Mr. Kubiš expressed his utmost concern that the fighting is endangering the lives of the civilian population and could hinder the fight against Da’esh. He is disappointed that a truce was violated soon after it was reached, saying, “This is not the time for such futile fighting. Nothing can justify this violence.”
The Special Representative expresses strong support for ongoing efforts to bring an end to the fighting, saying the parties should work on restoring stability to the area and focus on how to defeat terrorists.
**Chernobyl
Back here, in a message to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster, which is today, 26 April, the Secretary-General emphasized that the disaster had grave humanitarian, environmental, social and economic consequences and that its effects are still being felt in the region and around the world.
The Secretary-General commended the Governments of Belarus, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine for their joint work to alleviate the consequences of the catastrophe and stressed that the Chernobyl disaster brought the international community together to support the enormous efforts of local, regional and national authorities.
To observe the thirtieth anniversary of the world’s worst nuclear disaster, there are two separate panels on the legacy of Chernobyl: one is in the Trusteeship Council Chamber and the other is in Conference Room 1.
Earlier today, there was an event in the General Assembly Hall. The Secretary-General was represented by his Chef de Cabinet, Edmond Mulet, who delivered remarks at that event.
**Burundi
You will have seen that, yesterday afternoon, we did issue a statement in which the Secretary-General condemned the assassination of Brigadier General Athanase Kararuza and his wife; that took place in Burundi.
This assassination comes in the wake of several instances of politically-motivated assassination attempts in Burundi over recent weeks, the Secretary-General noted.
He called on all political leaders, including those in exile, to firmly renounce the use of violence in pursuit of political agendas and commit to an inclusive, genuine dialogue.
**Haiti
Also yesterday, we issued a statement where the Secretary-General also noted with deep concern that the agreed-upon date of 24 April for the holding of elections in Haiti has not been met and that no alternate electoral calendar has been announced.
He called on all Haitian actors to ensure the prompt return to constitutional order, as the country can ill afford a period of prolonged transitional governance while facing major socioeconomic and humanitarian challenges.
**Mauritania
A couple of human rights updates:
On Mauritania, the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) says it deplores the confirmation of the death sentence for apostasy against a Mauritanian blogger, Mohammad Ould M’Kaitir, by the appellate court on 21 April. He had been convicted already in court in December 2014.
The Human Rights Office says that under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Mauritania had become a State party in 2004, the death penalty, if not abolished, can only be applied for the most serious crimes.
The Office hopes that the Supreme Court, which had been seized with the case, would overturn the death sentence against Mr. Ould M’Kaitir.
**Mexico
In Geneva today, the High Commissioner’s Office welcomed the willingness expressed by the President of Mexico and the Attorney-General’s Office to take into serious consideration the recommendations of the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (IGIE) working on the case of the enforced disappearance in Iguala, Mexico, of 43 students, and the [killing] of six others in 2014.
However, the Office expressed concern about the many challenges and obstacles reported by the experts that may have prevented certain lines of inquiries from being further explored, including regarding the roles and responsibilities of the military and other official authorities.
The Office called on the Government to ensure effective follow-up to the investigation report and to tackle the broader structural challenges it has exposed.
**Bangladesh
In response to questions about the recent killings of human rights activists in Bangladesh, I can tell you that the UN in Bangladesh issued a statement in which it said it is shocked by another series of brutal murders against people who were expressing alternative views.
The UN is concerned that intolerance-related violence is increasing in Bangladesh — just two days ago we heard about the horrific killing of Professor Rezaul Karim Siddiquee of the University of Rajshahi. In another recent incident, two activists were killed.
The UN has called for these crimes to be addressed through effective and prompt investigations by law enforcement to bring the perpetrators to justice.
**Press Events
Tomorrow at 11:00 a.m., in this room, there will be a press briefing by the Permanent [Observer] of the State of Palestine, Ambassador Riyad Mansour.
Tomorrow, I will be joined by our friend Oscar Fernandez-Taranco and the Permanent Representative of Kenya, Macharia Kamau. They will brief on the substantively identical resolutions on peacebuilding, slated to be adopted by the General Assembly and the Security Council tomorrow morning.
**Honour Roll
I am delighted to thank three countries today, Albania, Japan and Montenegro, bringing the total of Member States to have paid fully to 73.
**Questions and Answers
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. It's a question about Cyprus. It is estimated that there is a 60 per cent chance that a settlement could be reached between the two Cyprus. What's the SG position on that?
Spokesman: You know, finding a settlement in Cyprus should not be like the weather, when one talks about 60 or 70 per cent of things. Are… the Secretary‑General's Special Representative, Mr. [Espen Barth] Eide, is continuing with the discussions. Last we heard, the discussions were going well. And I think when we're ready to announce something, we will, but we'll refrain from making predictions. Yes, sir?
Question: Sure. I wanted to ask you about Burundi. Earlier today, in this room, there was a press conference by Pierre Claver Mbonimpa and another civil… civil society activist from Burundi. And they said a number of things that I wanted to get your response to. One is that the Burundian troops outside of the country, i.e., peacekeepers, let's say, in CAR (Central African Republic), they believe, should be returned to the country. They also said that there's no media freedom, that radio stations have been burned down; 100 journalists are in exile. And one of them questioned what the… the Secretary‑General, sort of seeming praise he offered for the reopening of two stations, saying that those two stations are not opposition stations and, in any event, required to sign an agreement how to cover. And, finally, they said, on Mugamba, that the number of dead and disappeared is substantially higher than your office has thus far said. So what's your response?
Spokesman: On Mugamba, I don't have any updates on the numbers. You know, obviously, in terms of peacekeeping troops, the Burundian troops that are serving in peacekeeping missions have gone… undergone the necessary vetting, and they continue to operate in those countries. I think the Secretary‑General has repeatedly… and others have called with concern the situation in Burundi, including the attacks on civil society, the lack… and the lack of freedom for some media organizations. Again, I think the Secretary‑General would stress that the best way to get the country [moving] forward would be to get the political process going and back on track. We understand the Security Council will be discussing, I think, this week, hopefully, the various measures put forward by the Secretary‑General in terms of the UN presence, and we look forward to the decision by the Security Council so we can get under way.
Question: Just specifically on the media freedom issue, does the Secretary‑General… he's heard… I mean, various people have said this, including in a peacebuilding configuration meeting, that the praise of the two… of the reopening of the two stations was misplaced because the stations are not opposition stations, and there was something kind of almost sinister or counterproductive about praising the reopening of stations that are friendly to the Government. Do you…
Spokesman: I think what is important is that all voices in any country be heard, whether they're Government or opposition. Olga?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. Can you please confirm tomorrow's briefing by Staffan de Mistura to the Security Council? Will it be open or by video conference?
Spokesman: It will be by video conference. I don't know if the meeting will be an open meeting or closed consultations. I… my sense is that it will be in closed consultations, but he will be doing it via video from Geneva.
Question: And another question on Syrian talks. Yesterday or two days ago, Jaafar… Bashar Jaafari, the head of Government litigation in Geneva, said to media in Geneva that Government of Syria sent letter to SG, demanding for and asking for help to fight terrorism. What can be done? And have you received this letter?
Spokesman: I can't confirm that we received the letter, but I will check.
Question: What can be done in fighting terrorism?
Spokesman: For us, what can be done for Syria is to ensure that all the parties participate actively in the talks and those who have influence on the parties support the talks.
Question: Yesterday, I asked about Mukalla. There are two conflicting stories, one that 800 Al‑Qaida members were killed in that onslaught. Other reports speak that… about Al‑Qaida being allowed to withdraw from the city 24 hours before that. Do you have any information about what happens there…?
Spokesman: I don't have any first-hand information to share with you.
Question: Another thing, I mean, how is the situation now after the city has been taken? Do you have an update?
Spokesman: Again, I would hope we could get something from our humanitarian colleagues to see what the situation…
Question: On Yemen, in Aden today, a young man called [inaudible] was… his eyes were gorged and then killed in the centre of the city, which is supposed to be under the coalition, just because he's being accused by some members of being infidel. Have you heard about that, and do you have any…
Spokesman: I will look into this horrific incident, but I have not seen it. Yes, sir?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. A special ad… an adviser to the Secretary‑General on humanitarian refugee policy is calling for alternative pathways to resettle more Syrian… or to bring more Syrian refugees into the United States, other countries, particularly the United States, talking about changing the family… reuniting families, so that not only kids and spouses but uncles and grandmothers can be brought in, changing some of the administrative needs, requirements, giving scholarships and student visas to Syrian refugees and labour mobility… creating labour mobility schemes. While maybe the goal of resettling refugees is, you know, laudable, isn't there a question about transparency here? Don't you want to call a spade a spade? I mean, if you're resettling refugees, shouldn't you say we are resettling refugees rather than we're giving non-immigrant labour mobility visas?
Spokesman: Well, you know, I don't know what document you're quoting from. So it's hard for me to…
Question: Well, this was a panel discussion at the Brookings Institute, The Global Refugee Crisis: Moral Dimensions and Practical Solutions.
Spokesman: The issue of transparency is… and the fact that all these things are being raised with Governments, no one is trying… ultimately, Governments control their borders and control who comes in to their countries. So the aim of all of the entities the United Nations who [are involved] in refugees and migrates… and these are obviously one of the goals that will be discussed at the summit in September… is to figure out how do you increase the availability of legal pathways? How do you increase the clarity in how refugees and migrants flow throughout the world? People have been moving since we've started to walk. That's not going to stop. The point is to create systems in which… that takes the power out of the smugglers, out of the criminal gangs, and allows people to try to seek better lives without putting their own lives at risk because we've been seeing in the Mediterranean. Mr. Lee and then Evelyn if you have a question.
Question: Sure. I wanted to ask… I have several questions, but I wanted to ask you about South Sudan. Beyond the arrival of Riek Machar, there… there are a number of reports about fighting in, in fact, shells falling into the protection of civilians (POC) camp in Bentiu, and I wanted to know if you have anything on who may have fired them?
Spokesman: No. [He later said that On 25 April, at around 8:40 p.m., unknown armed men fired small arms in the vicinity of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) base in Bentiu. Two rocket propelled Grenades (RPG) were then fired towards the UNMISS base, and one of them landed outside the UNMISS compound, with another RPG inside the base damaging a prefab structure inside the humanitarian hub. The UNMISS Force responded effectively and prevented further shooting towards the vicinity of the UNMISS base. The incident lasted around 30 minutes. No one was injured. The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) teams surveyed the suspected area for unexploded ordinance and declared the area safe. All staff resumed normal business this morning. UNMISS reiterates its call for all parties to respect the inviolability of all UN assets and premises. The Head of the Field Office is in contact with local authorities in order to carry out an investigation into the incident.]
Question: Also, on this… yesterday, I guess, were you confirming that… that… because I've heard that the IDPs (internally displaced people) were kept in the camps today. And is that… I guess I want to con… you seemed to say that was for their own protection, but I've also seen another UNMISS mass e-mail, and maybe you were cc'd on this one. This involves a Labor Day party for DSS (Department of Safety and Security) in Juba with a weekend extravaganza, welfare bazaar with a variety of vendors, sports tournaments. So to some there, to some there, the contrast of IDPs being locked in a camp in the same city in which it's safe enough for DSS to have its weekend extravaganza seems contradictory.
Spokesman: I… you again, again, people in UNMISS must not like me because I don't get copied on the same e-mails you do. So I can't…
Question: I'm sure you can get an invite.
Spokesman: I can't comment on what you do. Obviously, the… what you get, the UN does what it can to keep people safe in a tense moment.
Question: Then about shells… I mean, shells falling into camps seems like a very serious thing.
Spokesman: I'm not questioning that. I said if I have any information, I will share that with you. Okay? Nizar?
Question: On Iraq, how does… how do you view the discord among the MPs in the Iraqi parliament today?
Spokesman: Well, I know the Prime Minister is in… I think was in the parliament today. I think it's important that all the political parties in Iraq put their differences aside as much as [they] can and think of the long‑term welfare of the Iraqi people. Iraq is in a very difficult political situation. We're seeing also fighting between militias as the Special Representative has condemned today, instead of focussing on Da’esh. It's important to find the political unity necessary to put Iraq on the right track. Yes, sir?
Question: Thank you, Steph. On Syria, do you have any updates on the experts team that visited Palmyra yesterday?
Spokesman: No, I have not. I think they were leaving today or yesterday. We'll ask UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) if there's any update.
Question: And how do you describe the cessation of hostilities, especially in Aleppo, because we see that escalation is rising rapidly? And do you think that Mr. [Staffan] de Mistura needs more support from the Security Council and the International Support Group…?
Spokesman: I think… you know, obviously, the increase in violence that we've seen is worrying. The cessation of hostilities has been mainly holding, but obviously, for those who live in areas where it has not been holding, it only causes tremendous pain and continued destruction. I think, as Mr. de Mistura said recently, there is a role for the ISSG (International Syria Support Group) to renew the pressure and renew its efforts on the cessation of hostilities. I think Mr. de Mistura will be briefing the Council, and I think we'll also be holding some sort of a press encounter tomorrow in Geneva, where he'll be able to update you.
Question: So you mean the Secretary‑General supports his view on this matter?
Spokesman: Of Mr. de Mistura?
Question: Yes.
Spokesman: Clearly.
Question: On ISSG?
Spokesman: Yes. Mr. de… you know, the… Mr. de Mistura is leading the UN's efforts on Syria, and the Secretary‑General fully backs him and his approach. Matthew?
Question: Okay. Did the Secretary‑General meet with Mr. [Ramtane] Lamamra yesterday? I've seen a readout of it but not from your office. Did such a meeting take place?
Spokesman: Of Mr.…
Question: Lamamra of Algeria.
Spokesman: I'm not aware of any meeting, but we can check.
Question: Okay.
Question: And I wanted to ask you, especially in the run-up to this CEB meeting, there's a big controversy around WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) and a withheld OIOS (Office of Internal Oversight Services) audit that involves possible misconduct by the head of WIPO, Mr. Francis Gurry, and it seems like here you were saying that… that, you know, transparency, OIOS releases its documents there. Only three pages have been released, and so there's many Member States but also people interested in UN corruption are interested in them. Does he have a view… does the Secretary‑General have a view whether that document should, in fact, be released?
Spokesman: I know… from what I know, the OIOS report was shared with the Governing Council of WIPO, which is a specialized agency with its own governing body. Obviously, whatever can be done to support the work of OIOS should be done.
Question: And I wanted to ask you again about the Panama Papers. I know that… yesterday you'd said that you'd acknowledged that the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) do refer to transparency. But I've seen that the form… the high‑level panel on financial… illicit financial flows from Africa that the UN had with the AU, Mr. [Thabo] Mbeki has said that these papers, you know, cast great light on an issue of much interest to the United Nations. So I wanted to ask you again, very specifically, should… does the Secretary‑General believe that this trove of documents should be provided to prosecutors interested… that have open criminal cases involving people that are in them?
Spokesman: I think if prosecutors need those papers, they should… they will put in a request to access to them…
Question: No, because there's a journal… there's a…
Spokesman: No, I understand, Matthew, but I really have nothing else to add. Evelyn?
Question: Yes. Any reaction to Colum Lynch's story on how reports have been suppressed that are critical to Saudi Arabia?
Spokesman: No. I think if you look at what the Secretary‑General has said in terms of calling out the Saudi‑led coalition in Yemen, when there is a need to be, I think it's pretty clear.
Question: [inaudible] written reports?
Spokesman: No. That's what I have to tell you. Yes, Matthew.
Question: Thanks a lot. I have one more, and it's not what you expect. I don't know if you'll like it, but I just want to be clear on, sort of, how the room works. It has to do with the press conference that was held on Friday with the Secretary‑General and François Hollande. As I'm sure you saw, there was a seat‑holder for Laurent Fabius that sat up in the front row and got up when he came in. But what I really want to ask you about is that there was a journalist who was asked to leave the front row, so that a French candidate for UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), Laurence Tubiana, could sit in the front row. And this… since… it's of… I often hear with… certainly with other countries, it's said that the front… the front row or the room is for journalists. What is… is that permissible? What was your role in it? And what can you say about how the room is supposed to work?
Spokesman: I had no role. I think you were in the front seat. A lot of journalists were in the front seats. I've always fought for journalists to be seated as far up front as possible, because this is a press briefing room.
Question: Right. But there was a journalist asked to move so Laurence Tubiana…
Spokesman: I did not ask that person to move. Thank you.