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.
Hello, everyone, good afternoon.
**Turkey
Yesterday evening we issued the following statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General on the declaration of a state of emergency in Turkey: in relation to the declaration of a state of emergency for a period of three months in Turkey, the Secretary-General takes note of the repeated assurances by senior Turkish Government officials regarding full adherence to the rule of law and due process when investigating and prosecuting those deemed to be responsible for the attempted coup of 15-16 July. This is particularly important in the aftermath of the declaration of the state of emergency and the ongoing widespread arrests, detentions and suspensions.
The Secretary-General urges the Turkish authorities, consistent with the assurances given, to do their utmost to ensure that the constitutional order and international human rights law are fully respected, in line with Turkey's international obligations. These include the freedoms of expression, movement and peaceful assembly; independence of the judiciary and of the legal profession; and adherence to due process.
The Secretary-General hopes that procedures under the state of emergency will be carried out in full transparency.
**South Sudan
On South Sudan, the Secretary-General yesterday expressed great concern about the continuing violence in the country, in particular sexual violence, as well as attacks against United Nations humanitarian facilities and the looting of humanitarian assistance. The looting of World Food Programme (WFP) warehouses by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army is totally unacceptable, he said. He also called for the perpetrators to be held accountable.
And just to update you on a question asked earlier this week on access to Protection of Civilians sites, the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) says that a number of journalists visited the Protection of Civilians site 3, adjacent to UN House, in Juba earlier today. The Mission is protecting some 35,000 civilians at UN House, while an estimated 4,000 civilians are sheltering at the UN Tomping compound. Given the continued tense and volatile situation, the Mission is evaluating the security situation on a daily basis.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said today that 26,468 people have fled South Sudan and crossed into Uganda since the fighting started on 7 July. More than 90 per cent of these are women and children. This is severely stretching the capacity of collection points, transit and reception centres.
**Mali
In Mali, the UN Mission in the country (MINUSMA) yesterday strongly condemned the clashes in Kidal between two groups who are signatories of the peace agreement. Noting that these constitute violations of the ceasefire, the Mission called on those responsible to cease the hostilities and abide by the agreements they have signed.
MINUSMA has made arrangements to protect the civilian population and will use all necessary means to do so in accordance with its mandate. The Mission is committed to supporting an independent investigation into these events to establish responsibility.
**Sexual Exploitation and Abuse
The UN Department of Field Support (DFS) informs us of two important developments in the fight against sexual exploitation and abuse.
First, a new mandatory "e-learning programme" for all uniformed and civilian personnel has been launched to strengthen training on the standards of conduct, as well as the expectations of accountability and individual responsibility. The new online learning programme was developed with generous funding from the Government of Japan.
Second, the Government of India has contributed $100,000 for the Trust Fund in Support of Victims of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. This is the first received contribution to the Trust Fund, which was established at the end of March. A note to correspondents is available with more details.
**Somalia
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Leila Zerrougui, today concluded a six-day visit to Somalia, urging for better protection of children caught up in armed conflict.
Speaking to the press today in Mogadishu, Ms. Zerrougui said she was optimistic regarding the Government’s efforts to improve the conditions of children in armed conflict.
She also called on them to integrate former child soldiers into the community, and address stigmatization and abuse of underage victims of violence, following her visit to detention centres in Garowe and Bossaso.
The Special Representative is expected to present the Secretary-General’s annual report on Children and Armed Conflict, which is due on 2 August 2016.
**Nigeria
Our humanitarian colleagues inform us today that a UN cross-border humanitarian mission from Cameroon to Nigeria provided food assistance and other relief items for 15,000 internally displaced people in Banki, Borno State — that is in Northern-Eastern Nigeria, just two kilometres from the border with Cameroon.
Civil authorities are no longer present in Banki, where the Nigerian Army is in control, and delivery of assistance to the town is not possible from within Nigeria at the moment because of insecurity.
**Southern Africa
I also want to flag a press release from our humanitarian colleagues following the visit of Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Kyung-wha Kang to Malawi and Madagascar.
She called for urgent action by Governments and donors to assist millions of people affected by severe drought in the southern Africa region.
Nearly 40 million people are food insecure, including some 23 million who require urgent humanitarian assistance.
The scale of the drought is stretching national coping capacities and hard-won development gains and even minimum coping mechanisms hang in the balance.
Ms. Kang is due to brief you on her mission in this room next Wednesday.
**Syria
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that on 21 July, an inter-agency convoy delivered assistance to 32,000 people in the hard-to-reach town of Qalaat al-Madiq in Syria’s Hama Governorate. This was the first inter-agency convoy to Hama in 2016. The convoy carried food, education materials, health support, water and sanitation and other basic relief items. However, some surgical and medical items had been removed during the loading process.
We continue to call on all parties, in particular the Syrian authorities, to allow for all necessary humanitarian aid, including medical supplies and surgical items, to be allowed onto the convoys.
Another inter-agency convoy on 21 July brought medical, health, non-food items, shelter and nutrition supplies for some 50,000 people in Big Orem in Aleppo Governorate.
**Senior Personnel Appointment
I have a senior personnel appointment: today, the Secretary-General is announcing the appointment of Fabrizio Hochschild of Chile as his new Deputy Special Representative for the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic, known as MINUSCA.
Mr. Hochschild will also serve as the UN Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Representative of the UN Development Programme.
Mr. Hochschild succeeds Aurélien Agbénonci of Benin, who was appointed Foreign Minister of his country in April 2016. The Secretary-General is grateful for Mr. Agbénonci’s service and steadfast commitment to support the political transition in the Central African Republic, during a critical time between 2014 and 2016.
Mr. Hochschild brings to this position extensive experience in peacebuilding and humanitarian affairs. We have many details in a biographical note in our office.
**Security Council
The Security Council adopted a presidential statement on Lebanon today, stressing that the election of a President, the formation of a unity government and the election of a parliament by May 2017 are critical for Lebanon’s stability and resilience to withstand regional challenges.
After that, the Council began consultations to discuss the latest report by the Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) concerning the destruction of chemical weapons in Syria.
The Council then went on to hold consultations on the Secretary-General’s report on foreign terrorist fighters in Libya. And Council members will also meet on Libya this afternoon, to hear by video teleconference from the head of the UN Mission there, Martin Kobler.
**Press Encounters Today
Speaking of foreign terrorist fighters, in a short while, I will be joined by Jean-Paul Laborde, the Executive Director of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED). He will brief on the flow of foreign terrorist fighters and the recent terrorist attacks.
And then as I mentioned yesterday, at around 4 p.m., there will be a press encounter by the UK Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson. He will brief at the Security Council Stakeout. That is following a meeting with the Secretary-General.
**Honour Roll
Last, thanks to Mozambique, which paid its regular budget dues in full, the Honour Roll now has 96 members. Thanks to our friends in Maputo.
**Questions and Answers
That is it for me. Are there any questions? Yes?
Question: Farhan, on the global refugee crisis, the Secretary‑General has seen that it is, I mean, unabated. Now, there is supposedly there is going to be a meeting of the Heads of State in September on this issue. Before that, is there going to be some sort of line of action that the Secretary‑General and the UN officials are going to adopt to resolve this issue ahead of the meeting; I mean, at least to propose a resolution of this issue before?
Deputy Spokesman: There are proposals that are being discussed with Member States. As you know, the Secretary‑General has a representative, Karen AbuZayd, who has been meeting with different delegations, trying to discuss the way forward on refugee and migration issues. And so we are working with them to get proposals going on how the international community as a whole can respond collectively to the challenges posed by refugees and migrants and the opportunities that are also brought by having migrants come to countries. So we will have a meeting, as you said, I believe it's 21 September; but prior to that, we are having these discussions. Yeah?
Question: Farhan, what I was going to say, Syrian refugees in particular are being now watched with a careful eye, particularly in the United States, where there is, I mean, sort of a discourse going on whether they should allow them at all or not. What do you have to say about that?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, you've seen what the Secretary‑General had to say about the situation faced by Syrian refugees. It's clear that the international community needs to do more, and, as you know, we have tried to have different approaches, including aid appeals and different conferences such as in London earlier this year, trying to see how the responsibility of dealing with Syrian refugees can be shared more broadly so that it's not simply the countries in the immediate region who have to face a large number of refugees from the Syrian conflict. Of course, part of what we are also trying to do is find a peaceful solution, a negotiated solution to the crisis in Syria itself so that the country will once more be a safe place for Syrians to live, and that effort is continuing through the work of the Special Envoy, Staffan de Mistura. Yes, Stefano?
Question: Yes, about the straw polls that was taken at the Security Council yesterday, we all read the letter of the President of the General Assembly, [Mogens] Lykketoft, and it seems he was not very happy the way — not, of course, that there was a straw poll but the way it was handled in secrecy, no transparency, and also looks like it doesn't make sense, because after a few hours we have at the agencies around the world telling us what are, you know, the result of these straw polls. So do you think, does the Secretary‑General think that the President of General Assembly has some reason? I mean, he is right in saying the Security Council should be more transparent in this?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, regarding the specific question of how the straw polls are conducted, that is something that is decided by members of the Security Council and, of course, they can discuss this further with the General Assembly President concerning his request. Regarding the overall issue of transparency, of course, the Secretary‑General has very much welcomed the increased transparency in the overall process and he hopes that that will continue. Yes, Olga?
Question: Thanks, Farhan. After the beheading of a boy in Aleppo, do you have any understanding or expectations that countries who are fighting with terrorism in Syria will take further steps to answer that or to make any investigation after this crime? Thanks.
Deputy Spokesman: Well, regarding that, what I can say is that the Secretary‑General is appalled by the brutal killing in Aleppo of a child identified as 12‑year‑old, Abdullah Essa, from the Handarat Palestine refugee camp in Aleppo. He expresses deep condolences to Abdullah's family and friends. The Secretary‑General calls for the perpetrators of this horrific crime to be brought to justice immediately. He urges Member States with influence on the warring side in Syria to exert every possible pressure to ensure that civilians are protected at all times and under any circumstances. The Secretary‑General reiterates his appeal to all Syrian regional and international actors to show leadership and vision to reach a political solution to stop this brutal conflict. He also repeats his urgent call on all sides to respect international humanitarian law and international human rights law and ensure that civilians are not put in harm's way. Yes?
Question: Sure, I had questions on… I wanted to ask you, you said, you had come back with this answer about in terms of how equipment is shared in peacekeeping missions, specifically in Mali, saying there is some updating of the procedure; so I have seen since then an announcement by Airbus and the German Government that Airbus will be providing and operating a drone for German troops in Mali, presumably with the UN Mission. And said it said that the procurement was done by the German defence procurement agency VAA and VW and covers a 15‑month period. So I want to know, do contingents that serve in UN peacekeeping, can they bring their own drones? And, if so, is the information shared with other contingents, for example from Chad and elsewhere, that are serving in the same chain of commands?
Deputy Spokesman: The basic point, like I mentioned, is that contingents own their own equipment. How that is handled, like I said, where the UN is currently updating its protocols and procedures and that is designed to address issues of access of information in all UN missions.
Question: Right, so maybe you don't have an answer to this, but it seems to me they should be able to say it, it has been announced, that these drones will be flying, contracted by Germany, will this information be shared with other contingents?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, at this point I don't have an announcement to make about the use of the drones, so we will have to see what arrangements are made. Beyond that, of course, like I said, the entire point of the policy that we're seeking is to make sure that that access to assets and information can be shared better.
Question: And I also wanted to ask, you said yesterday that you were unable to determine whether there was any memo about the police that left their posts or were pulled out of the country in Juba, so I wanted to know can you now confirm that there is such a memo from Mr. [Hervé] Ladsous to Ban Ki‑moon about it, that it doesn't have the Security Council material? But I also wanted to ask you, Germany has said they are going to return. This is a direct quote from Deutsche Welle, Germany's Foreign Ministry spokesman said that German police officers would return to South Sudan when the time has come. So it seems like you have said from this podium that some people won't be returning. Are the Germans returning, as they say?
Deputy Spokesman: I believe there are already still some Germans in the police contingent in the UN Mission in South Sudan, so there are some there. But, beyond that, I don't have anything specific to say about any national contingents, but I believe that they are there already.
Question: They acknowledged they took people out and say that they will be returning, so that is why I'm asking you, will these same officers who left return?
Deputy Spokesman: The officers who left would not return, under the understandings we have reached; unless there is other clarification about how there was notification, the policy that we have is what I've stated a few days ago. But there are some other German police officers serving quite well with UNMISS as we speak. Yeah?
Question: Yes, Farhan, ask this question again, has the Secretary‑General or anybody from the United Nations had any talks with the Indian Government about the situation in occupied Kashmir, with so many Kashmiri people have been killed and the situation can be so tense over there and so many human rights activists there who fear they will be incarcerated or attacked?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, I believe Stéphane [Dujarric] talked about the situation in Kashmir about a week ago. We don't have anything do add at this stage to what that note was.
Question: So what you're saying is there is no action by the United Nations with the…?
Deputy Spokesman: No, no, there is a note. We put it out about a week or so ago. It speaks for itself. There is nothing since then to add. Yes?
Question: Sure, two questions and a third if it ends up being possible. The… there is an article in today's Chosun Ilbo of South Korea, describing a letter from Secretary‑General Ban Ki‑moon to Former Prime Minister Kim Jong‑pil saying, “I'll see you next January. I would appreciate it very much if you would continue to give me guidance in the future as before.” And the headline is: Ban Ki‑moon let slip Presidential ambitions. And I know… that is their interpretation.
Deputy Spokesman: That is quite a bit of an inference.
Question: What I'm going to ask you about is it says the letter arrived in a diplomatic pouch, so if this letter was some sort of a personal correspondence, was this an official correspondence from the UN? What was the… I mean, it says that it arrived in a diplomatic pouch, but he is a former. Does all letters that the Secretary‑General sends out go in a diplomatic pouch or is this use of the UN pouch?
Deputy Spokesman: That doesn’t mean it’s diplomatic correspondence. He has also been, as you know, prior to his time at the United Nations, he has been in the diplomatic service, so that could be a different diplomatic pouch. It doesn't imply that it’s a UN…
Question: Can you confirm this letter reported by Chosun Ilbo and then give whatever gloss you want on it, including how it was delivered?
Deputy Spokesman: On this particular thing, if it's an UN communication, certainly, we might have something to say about it. If it's not, we wouldn't.
Question: But if it's not, could it go in a UN pouch? That’s my question.
Deputy Spokesman: There is nothing here saying it's a UN pouch. Not every diplomatic pouch is a UN pouch. Yes, Stefano?
Question: Yes, a situation in Turkey, again, I mean, we saw that the Secretary‑General had urged the Turkish Government to respect the Constitution and the human rights, and my question is how the UN in this moment is monitoring what is happening in Turkey? I mean, your information that you get, okay, is from just the media, or you have people locally that are monitoring and informing the Secretary‑General what is really happening?
Deputy Spokesman: As with other countries, we have a variety of sources. We have contacts, including contacts that we've maintained with the Government of Turkey and with other groups inside Turkey. Regarding human rights issues, as you know, we have human rights monitoring work that we undertake in various countries.
Question: As a follow-up, I hope the information doesn’t just come from the Turkish Government.
Deputy Spokesman: No, no, it obviously doesn't solely come from that; but we continue our contacts with them, as with other countries. Yes, Oleg?
Question: Thanks, Farhan. And also as a follow‑up, since the events in Turkey, this attempted coup, there have been a number of statements, calls from this podium. Has the Ban Ki‑moon up until now actually made a phone call to one of the Turkish leaders or anybody?
Deputy Spokesman: He hasn't spoken with President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, but we have been in touch with other officials over the days, including through the permanent mission here; and, of course, the sentiments that the message he has to the Government overall is what we… he conveyed in the statement yesterday.
Question: So what's the problem? Why doesn't he want to call Erdogan? I mean, this could probably make some influence on the actions of the Turkish Government.
Deputy Spokesman: It's not a question of about wanting to call. Some things get arranged easily, some things do not. Yes?
Question: Sure. I wanted to ask a media access question and it doesn’t only… it would presumably impact the majority of journalists being accredited here. There was a meeting of the High‑Level Political Forum on the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) on Wednesday and it was listed in the journal as concluding at 6:30 to 7:00, so I went to cover it but was unable to stake it out and speak to anyone, because there was no one in MALU (Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit) and the guards refused to let me through the turnstile, which I want to clarify to you… which doesn't work for green ‘P’ passes, which is the majority of what the journalists have here. So I wanted to know, it's not a question of beating up on MALU for not being present at 6:30, although the meeting was listed, but what can be done? What is the policy? Does this mean the majority of journalists can't stake out such meetings, or should there be a policy, when there is an official meeting at that level at 6:30 that the journalists can go through and speak to diplomates about it?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, we certainly try to make sure that access is there for all meeting and MALU tries… you know, the Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit tries to be present as much as it can. Obviously, for later scheduled meetings, it's hard to have escorts for all of these, but we have been in touch with the media accreditation people and they have assured us of their constant efforts to try and be there as escorts for you. And with that…
Question: Why don’t you tell security to let people through? If there is no escort you can't cover it.
Deputy Spokesman: No. That is not how security works. And, with that, let me get to our guest.