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’s Travels
As you are aware, the Secretary-General is traveling this evening to Vienna, where he will tomorrow bid farewell to UN staff there and stress the importance of their work in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He will meet with Austrian officials, including Chancellor Christian Kern and Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, as well as the President-elect, Alexander Van der Bellen. The Secretary-General will also visit a restaurant where refugees work together with locals to serve fusion cuisine, and he will speak at the Anti‑Corruption Award Ceremony. The Secretary-General will be back in New York on Friday night.
**Libya
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Martin Kobler, briefed the Security Council this morning. As the first anniversary of the signing of the Libyan Political Agreement approaches, Mr. Kobler said that people in Libya are rightly frustrated at the slow pace of progress. Mr. Kobler stressed the need to tackle outstanding political questions, noting that a path forward should consist of inclusive, peaceful dialogue, and never military escalation. The only alternative to the Libyan Political Agreement is chaos, he said.
He further noted that while the fight against terrorism produced results, the gains are not irreversible. The economic recovery of Sirte and Benghazi must therefore be a matter of priority. He further added that the issue of human rights and the rule of law, including the situation of migrants, must be dealt with effectively and comprehensively. “Libya is a human marketplace. It is a shame,” he told Council members. The remarks are available in my office and he should be going to the stakeout relatively soon.
**Board of Inquiry
I was asked yesterday about the Board of Inquiry looking into the attack on a humanitarian convoy in Urum al-Kubra in Syria. I can inform you that the Government finally approved some members of the Board of Inquiry to visit Damascus. Some Board members travelled there over the weekend to meet with Government officials. The Government also approved them to visit Aleppo to meet with other officials, but not to visit the site of the attack on the aid convoy. The Board of Inquiry is working on a visit to Aleppo. The Board is expected to submit its report later this month.
**Syria
Also on Syria, the United Nations is extremely concerned by the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the besieged neighbourhood of Al Waer in Homs as a result of sporadic fighting since mid-November. Dozens of people have reportedly been killed and a health centre was damaged. Some 50,000 people remain besieged in Al Waer. Recently, administrative and security procedures on the delivery of aid have also increased, leading to a reported deterioration of conditions on the ground. Al Waer was last reached with humanitarian assistance through inter-agency convoys on 26 October. The UN stands ready to provide immediate assistance through inter-agency convoys to people in need, in line with the December plan.
The UN is also very concerned about the safety and security of civilians in the four besieged towns of Madaya and Zabadani in rural Damascus and Foah and Kafraya in Idlib Governorate. Credible reports indicated the death of four people and injury of twenty in Madaya following attacks on the town. There have also been reports of people killed and injured in Foah and Kafraya, as well reports that the only hospital in Foah is becoming inoperable as a result of hundreds of rockets shelled at both locations.
The latest figures are that an estimated 31,500 people from east Aleppo remain displaced within the entire city of Aleppo over the past six days. The UN and partners continue to respond to the needs of the newly displaced in all areas they can access and are increasing protection services in the shelter facilities currently being used. We are also increasing emergency preparedness in the event of further displacement, with food and current supplies available in west Aleppo, with more supplies that could be brought in quickly from Damascus, Homs, and Tartous.
**Iraq
And turning to the humanitarian situation in Iraq, current internal displacement in the context of the Mosul offensive now exceeds 82,000 people. The majority of this week's movement has come from Mosul city, with most families still moving eastwards towards the camps in the Hasansham area. Clean drinking water, trauma care for civilian casualties and food shortages remain the priority humanitarian needs in newly-retaken areas, including in eastern Mosul city. Safe drinking water is being provided to these communities through water trucking, and repair of water treatment plants is planned to ensure a sustainable supply of potable water in area in the long term.
Health care centres near eastern Mosul are being supported with additional trauma care supplies and expertise. Since 17 October, 239,000 people have received emergency response packages containing food, water and hygiene items, while 224,000 people have received food rations to last one month. Given the onset of winter, 164,000 people have received basic household items and winterization kits, including blankets and thermal units.
**Middle East
And our colleague Nickolay Mladenov, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said earlier today that the so-called “Legalization bill” in Israel has the objective of protecting illegal settlements and outposts built on private Palestinian property in the West Bank. He said that, if adopted, the bill will have far reaching legal consequences for Israel, across the occupied West Bank and will greatly diminish the prospect of an Arab-Israeli peace. Mr. Mladenov encouraged Israeli legislators to reconsider this move. He reiterated that all settlement activities are illegal under international law and run counter to the Middle East Quartet position that settlements are one of the main obstacles to peace.
**Kenya
And I just wanted to flag that the World Food Programme (WFP) has been forced to make new cuts in food rations for refugees in Kenya amid a severe funding shortage. WFP says it is rapidly running out of resources to feed some 434,000 refugees living in Kenya’s Dadaab and Kakuma camps and in the new Kalobeyei settlement. In an effort to stretch food supplies, WFP has been forced to cut the amount of food rations given to refugees in half. Yet, even with that reduction, supplies are expected to last only until the end of February unless WFP receives more funding quickly. Annalisa Conte, WFP’s Representative in Kenya, says about $13.7 million is needed to cover the food and cash needs for the refugees between now and April.
**Food
And I wanted to flag a report from our colleagues at FAO who warn progress towards defeating hunger in the Asia-Pacific area has slowed down. Countries in the area must redouble their efforts if the SDGs and the goal of zero hunger are to be met by 2030.
**South Sudan
And I wanted to correct something that I said yesterday which was incorrect; that we do expect the nomination of the new SRSG [Special Representative of the Secretary-General] for South Sudan to be handled before the end of this year. As with all senior appointments that are being made in this period of transition, the incoming Secretary-General’s team will be consulted. Masood?
**Questions and Answers
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. This question, you have already answered earlier, but it's the same question about Aleppo and Syria in that the… about 300 organizations have said that the General Assembly should now take initiative on Syria and most of the people said that… that, on Syria, it is the international peace and security matter; only the Security Council can speak about it. So where does the Secretary‑General stand on the…
Spokesman: I think… you know, as you said, I've already answered the question, but I'm always happy to repeat myself, to some extent. The Secretary‑General has always felt that the General Assembly has a role to play and has been engaged with them over the years in briefing the General Assembly, whether it's himself directly or his Special Envoy for Syria, Mr. [Staffan] de Mistura, has done it on a number of occasions as well. My understanding is that there are discussions among Member States, and I… you should check with the PGA's (President of the General Assembly) office to see where those are. The Secretary‑General has been greatly disappointed by the continued divisions in the Security Council, which has not helped, to say the least, in the search for a political solution in Syria.
Question: So is there any way the Secretary‑General can talk with these countries together at… in the… or has he already done that…? I mean…
Spokesman: You know, the way the process works is that they're obviously in discussions with the PGA's office. When the President is ready to announce a meeting, he will. Nizar?
Question: Yeah, thank you, Stéphane. Of course, since the… for the last few days, there have been some progress with the Syrian army advancing into Eastern Aleppo. Most of the areas now have been recovered by the Government. There are estimates that tens of thousands of people have managed to get out from the rebel‑held areas. How is the United Nations dealing with them, and do you have any statistics about the number who managed to escape?
Spokesman: The UN is on the ground. The Resident Coordinator/Resident Humanitarian Coordinator, Ali Al‑Za'tari, was in Aleppo. I think he may still be there today, if he's not back in Damascus. We're there trying to provide and help with assessment, needs assessment, shelter, food. The latest figures indicate about 30… more than 31,000 people are internally displaced from Eastern Aleppo, as we've now been able to also go into some of the districts that were recently taken over by the Syrian military and see what we can do in those areas. Mr. Lee?
Question: Sure. Thanks a lot. I have some other things, but I just… have seen a copy of this letter from the mission of the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] that's addressed to the Secretary‑General. I wanted to… one, I wanted you to confirm that you've received it. But, two, the letter talks about a separate letter that they wrote six months ago and says that there was never any response to it. So I wanted to know, is there… is that true? And does the Secretary‑General have a policy of responding to Member States that write to him, or are there some Member States that, as stated in this letter today, never get a response?
Spokesman: I can confirm to you that the most recent letter was, indeed, received. It was… it is being studied. We're taking a look at it. You'll have to send me the previous letter to see if it actually was answered or if it required an answer. Some letters require answers. Some letters don't require answers. So it's on a letter‑by‑letter basis.
Question: Sure. Thanks a lot. Here's another letter that I've asked you about a couple of times. The opposition in Burundi maintains that they wrote to the Secretary‑General asking that there be a… that… saying the mediation by Mr. [Benjamin] Mkapa and President [Yoweri] Museveni is not working. They… they're waiting for a response, but was it received?
Spokesman: I have not been able to track down the letter, but if you share that letter with me, maybe it will help me track it down.
Question: Okay. And fine… and just one other thing. I wanted… yesterday, you'd mentioned these 41 cases identified by OIOS [Office of Internal Oversight Services] of a sexual… possible sexual abuse. So since then, I've heard… I just wanted to get your answer. Are there, in fact, other cases that are still being investigated or… is that… is that the final… is that the final action by OIOS on the ones in Kemo prefecture, or are there, in fact, cases that remain to be under review? There may even be a higher number? Question.
Spokesman: My understanding is this is the end of the investigation they are… they were conducting into the cases, alleged cases that occurred in 2014 and 2015. If other cases are being investigated, I'll try to get an update. Femi?
Question: Stéphane, just a follow‑up on your last briefing about the investigation into sexual exploitation and abuse in the CAR [Central African Republic]. Any immediate response from Burundi or Gabon?
Spokesman: No, the reports… the investigative reports were passed on to them. The full reports were passed on to them. We will wait impatiently to get a report back from them to see what actions have been done on their end. It's also important to say that national investigative officers from both Burundi and Gabon were also included in the OIOS process. So they don't come at this cold. They've been involved in the investigative process. Whether it's Burundi or Gabon or any other Member State whose troops are involved in alleged sexual abuse, they need to go… they need to live up to their responsibilities in terms of the administration of justice and the disciplining of those who are found guilty of having committed these crimes.
Question: [Inaudible]. Isn't the leverage that the OIOS can actually put on these Member States to make sure there's accountability and justice?
Spokesman: Well, the lev… first of all, I think there is… everyone involved in these things have a moral responsibility. That involves ourselves, and that involves the Member States. The leverage, so to speak, comes from the Security Council resolution that was recently passed on the issue, which gives the UN, if they feel the Member State has not lived up to its responsibility, for an across‑the‑board banning of troops from that country to participate in peacekeeping operations. But, obviously, the Member States are sovereign Member States. We do our part. They have to live up and do their part, as well. Nizar? Sorry, then Erol.
Question: Given that more… most of the Mosul inhabitants are used as human shields by ISIL, does the Secretary‑General recommend that the campaign… military campaign continues in the city? Doesn't that jeopardize their lives?
Spokesman: I think there is… no one is arguing the need for a security response to the threat posed by Da’esh. What is equally necessary is to ensure that that security response does not make the situation worse for the civilians. We've expressed our concern, the… whether it's the country team, whether it's the High Commissioner for Human Rights, but that concern is really especially addressed to those militants and those extremists who are in the city and are committing what are… can only be called war crimes and crimes against humanity in the way they're treating the civilian population.
Question: Follow‑up on that. Do you have similar reports about using… use of human shields in Aleppo, for example, by Al‑Nusrah?
Spokesman: I have not seen those reports.
Correspondent: Those are all fleeing from the scene… many of them come on television and they said they've been used.
Spokesman: No, I'm not questioning that. I'm saying I personally have not seen any of those reports from our colleagues. Erol?
Question: Thank you. Stéphane, just on the appointment that you mentioned, current and upcoming appointment, does the Secretary‑General, after the meeting with Mr. [António] Guterres, and on a regular basis probably is briefed or asked for his opinion on future appointments that Mr. Guterres is considering? For example, does the Secretary‑General knows who is going to be Deputy Secretary-General or some key appointments of the future administration?
Spokesman: If you're asking… no, it's a… we consult with them on appointments that we feel need to be made now as a matter of courtesy. I think it's completely normal. They have no responsibility to consult with us on who they will appoint to go forward. If you have any questions on that timing, I would encourage you to get in touch with the incoming Secretary‑General's team.
Question: Just to follow up on that, does the Secretary‑General have a general idea who is going to be, for example, those key positions? The current Secretary‑General?
Spokesman: I'm as curious as you are. In the back and then Oleg.
Question: The Nigerian Government reacted to dismissing the reports by some aid agencies of likely famine in northeast Nigeria by 2017. They describe it as exaggerated. Is the UN responding to that?
Spokesman: Well, I think there may have been some misquotes. We had the Nigerian Minister of State for National Planning and Budget join our Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator at the recent launch of… at a recent joint press conference they had in Geneva on the humanitarian situation in Geneva. The Minister… the Nigerian Minister, Zainab Ahmed, reiterated the Government's support for the plan. She said the statement that you had quoted, attributed to the President was unfortunate in response to misreporting by a journalist, adding that the Humanitarian Response Plan would be circulated to avoid any further misunderstandings. So, first, I don't think it's an issue, and we continue to work very closely with the Nigerian Government to address the current humanitarian challenges in the north. Oleg?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. As a follow‑up to the question on the DPRK letter, you said whether a letter deserves an answer or not is determined on a case‑by‑case basis. But the UN is obviously a Member State‑owned organization. So when a Member State explicitly asks for an answer… answer from the Secretariat or legal advice…
Spokesman: No, what I'm saying… not every letter is asking for an answer. So every… obviously, every letter is studied. Some letters are just requesting the Secretary‑General to forward the letter as a document to the Security Council and General Assembly, which the Secretary‑General does in his role as the Secretariat. Each letter is studied. If a question is asked, it is most likely answered.
Question: Yes, but this asks for an opinion…
Spokesman: I haven't seen… as I said, I know we've received the second letter. Until I see the first letter and know we've received it, I can then respond. And you had asked me, Oleg, about the Russian hospital, and I can tell you the Secretary‑General indeed condemns the reported attack on a Russian mobile field hospital in West Aleppo yesterday. Whether in air and other strikes by the Government and its allies, or through shelling from armed opposition groups, we have seen repeated attacks on healthcare and other civilian infrastructure in all parts of Aleppo. The Secretary‑General recalls that civilian and civilian infrastructure, including medical and health facilities, are protected under International Humanitarian Law. Deliberate attacks against them may constitute a war crime. Yes, in the back?
Question: Do you have any updates on the reports of the detention of some people who crossed into the Government‑held areas in Aleppo from last week? This is what you said.
Spokesman: No, I do not. I know we're trying to… we have, I guess, rough numbers, as I mentioned, about more than 31,000 people, but let me see if I can get any more details on the detention. Iftikhar?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. Was the United Nations represented in the Heart of Asia conference held over the weekend in India? And, if so, what was the UN view about the outcome, since the hosts turned the conference into a bilateral dispute with Pakistan rather than on the future of Afghanistan?
Spokesman: I'm not aware of anyone from the Secretary‑General's team having travelled there, but I will ask our colleagues in the India country office.
Question: I ask because UN plays a very important role in Afghanistan. So…
Spokesman: No, I will… I understand your question. Let me check. Masood, then Matthew.
Question: Yes. Stéphane, on this continued Israeli building of settlements in the occupied… on the occupied land, which you just mentioned, has the Secretary‑General… how many times has the Secretary‑General spoken for the international community at the level of [the] Quartet being able to… why have they not been able to persuade Israel to, what do you call, listen… heed the call and stop the settlement?
Spokesman: I think that's a question asked of the Israelis as opposed to me. We have… the Secretary‑General has stated his position, whether himself directly, through his Special Coordinator. The Quartet has spoken out. We continue to be engaged in a dialogue with the Israeli authorities on this and other matters. Matthew?
Correspondent: Sure. Couple of follow‑ups, then something else. But I just wanted… the… the… the DPRK letter today that you say you have received says, "In my previous letter to you, Excellency, dated 23 May 2016, the fact that the UN Secretariat has not given any response to the letter although six months have passed"… so that's the date.
Spokesman: I will check. I mean, I don't question the letter you're reading, but I can only answer on what I know.
Question: And I wanted to ask, again, on the sexual abuse, and you were saying that the… the… the… the hammer, I guess, or the way to incentivise is to say no further deployments. I remember there was a police conference, a UN police conference, that Burundi was disinvited from, that was told not to come. They didn't come. They were very upset about it. A decision was made that, based on human rights issues in the country, they shouldn't come. What would you say to those who say this… this sexual abuse… 25 cases that OIOS finds cause to believe were sexual abuse is pretty serious and yet the response is less so than was…?
Spokesman: I think no one here is debating the seriousness of the issue. There is due process. That process is being followed. We're doing all we can to keep you updated in the most transparent way possible. OIOS has done its investigation in the presence of Gabonese and Burundian national investigative officers. We await with great interest the report, reporting back from those countries to see what measures have been taken. There… I think it's important for the process to play out. There are all sorts of different options. We, as we've done in the past, repatriate the whole contingent. We can also… as the resolution says, we can also block all countries from deploying again. We can bar commanding officers from being deployed if they don't apply the right command responsibilities. What is important is that the process plays itself out along established lines.
Question: I just say because it's kind of ironic… there are actually flights that have already been scheduled by Ethiopia Airlines to fly 800 more peacekeepers in right at this time, so I just…
Spokesman: Well, I think you may see the irony in it. I don't.
Correspondent: Okay. Would you expect there to be criminal prosecutions? I know you talk about due process but do you expect it?
Spokesman: Yeah, we expect them to conduct their part of the investigation and for people to face justice according to their national laws. I think it's important that there is accountability, and the accountability of soldiers and police officers lies with the Member States where they come from.
Question: Is there a deadline?
Spokesman: We've asked that they be completed within six months.
Question: Can I ask another peacekeeping question? There's a picture that I'm staring at that is from the Dutch army or… who sent peacekeepers to MINUSMA (United Nations Multidimensional Stabilization Mission] in Mali. And, as you know, in the Netherlands, they have a tradition of… I want to say, I don't know if I'll pronounce it right… Zwarte Piet, a black‑faced Santa Claus, and they've sent two black‑faced Santa Claus to MINUSMA. And they're pictured on a little cardboard boat inside the UN… UN peacekeeping base. So I'm wondering, given that UN bodies have said this is a racist practice… what is DPKO [Department of Peacekeeping Operations] to do about the black Santas? Okay.
Spokesman: I'm interested to look into this issue.
Question: And a factual question. This may even be helping you out. I'm hoping that it is. There's a rumour in South Korea that one of the reasons President Park [Geun-hye]… and you'll… I'm getting to it just as a factual question… that one of the reasons that there's some delay in this resignation or impeachment is to give time for Ban Ki‑moon to run. I don't expect you to comment on that, but part of this rumour is that Ban Ki‑moon will return to South Korea on 21 December as part of his vacation and may somewhat get involved.
Spokesman: No. No.
Question: Is he going back or not?
Spokesman: No, the Secretary‑General will not be going back to Korea. He finishes his term until 31 December. He will be, as he has said, return… plans to return to Korea mid‑January. He will definitely not be back on 21 December. Nizar?
Correspondent: There you go. Helping you out.
Question: Given that the Secretary‑General is disappointed with the performance of the Security Council with regard to the situation in Syria, how does he view that… that all this month, I mean, Yemen does not show on the radar of the Security Council? I mean, the… the humanitarian situation in Yemen is so dire, much worse than Syria and any other place. However, it doesn't really show that…
Spokesman: I think the… the Secretary‑General's envoy is active. He was in Yemen. He was in Riyadh, Kuwait, yesterday. He continues his work and I'm sure he will keep the Security Council fully [apprised]. Iftikhar? Okay. Good. All right. Thank you.