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.
**Jerusalem
I will start off with a statement on the terrorist attack that took place in Jerusalem. The Secretary-General condemns the terrorist attack by a Palestinian assailant which took place in Jerusalem yesterday. He conveys his condolences to the bereaved families and wishes a swift recovery to those who were injured. Violence and terror will not bring a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — quite the opposite. All those responsible for such acts must be brought to justice, condemned and disavowed. Their acts should not be allowed to deter from the need for a renewed commitment to dialogue.
**Secretary-General’s Travels
The Secretary-General will be leaving New York on the afternoon of Wednesday, 11 January, to travel to Geneva as, I think, we have already told you, [and] everyone knows. On Thursday, 12 January, he will open and chair the Conference on Cyprus. We expect the Secretary-General to be back in the office on Friday here in New York.
**Syria
The UN remains rather concerned that 5.5 million people in and around Damascus city continue to be deprived of running water, due to damage in the water infrastructure due to the ongoing hostilities in Wadi Barada area since 22 December 2016. Technical teams from the Syria water authorities have reportedly not yet been able to access the water infrastructure to assess the damage. Negotiations continue to enable repairs to the infrastructure and to reach an agreement in the area. The UN calls on all parties to allow immediate, unrestricted and sustained access in order to restore the provision of water.
Since 22 December 2016, the fighting in Wadi Barada has resulted in the displacement of an estimated 10,000 men, women and children out of the area, including 7,500 people registered by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent in Government-controlled areas. Registration is taking place at the exit point where families receive vouchers to collect assistance from distribution points before they settle with their families and acquaintances.
The UN and its partners provide the displaced with winterization kits, blankets, sleeping bags, mattresses, kitchen sets and other emergency assistance. The UN has pre-positioned humanitarian supplies ready for distribution and contingency plans are in place if more people are displaced. Meanwhile, on Saturday, the first inter-agency humanitarian convoy of 2017 delivered much-needed food, health, nutrition, education and non-food assistance to 40,000 men, women and children in Madamiyet el Sham area. The last convoy to the besieged area was on 23 October last year.
**UNRWA
Our colleagues at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) launched today two international appeals totaling $813 million to fund the emergency response to the crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and to meet the critical humanitarian needs of Palestine refugees affected by the conflict in Syria, including those displaced into Lebanon and Jordan. The Agency’s emergency appeal this year for the Occupied Palestinian Territory totals more than $402 million, while its emergency appeal for the Syrian regional crisis amounts to $411 million. More details are available on the UNRWA website.
**Iraq
Just to let you know that on Wednesday we hope to have Lise Grande, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, piped in the noon briefing to update you on what we have been doing in and around the Mosul area. And that will be Wednesday at the briefing.
**Yemen
I was asked — I think by you, Nizar — about the whereabouts of our friend the Special Envoy on Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed. I can tell you that he arrived today in Riyadh, where he intends to speak to Saudi and Yemeni officials in the coming days.
**Côte d’Ivoire
Our colleagues at the UN Mission in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) told us that the situation in the country is calm after two days of protests by members of the armed forces. An agreement was reached between the soldiers and the Government on Saturday over a number of issues, including bonuses and promotions. The UN Mission reports that soldiers returned to their barracks across the country yesterday. The Mission has not received reports of any casualties related to the incidents. Meanwhile, peacekeepers from the Mission's Quick Reaction Force remain deployed in Bouake, which was the epicentre of the mutiny in support of national authorities. The Mission will continue to monitor the situation. Fathi?
**Questions and Answers
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. With regard to the UNRWA appeal for the $813 million, last year, the former Secretary‑General Ban [Ki-moon], when the report on the Children and Armed Conflict came, there was talk about a major donor, namely Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, withdraw its funding for the various UN initiatives and agencies. Is the situation still remains the same with regard to the UNRWA, and if there is an update on the joint review that was going…?
Spokesman: I don't have an update to share with you on the joint review that we've been talking about for some time. However, you know the next report of the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict will be coming out in the spring and will reflect all of the activities she's been able to witness through various means since last year. On UNRWA, the funding of the emergency appeals has always been an issue, and we do hope that all donors who are able… in a position to give, give and give as much as they can to meet the humanitarian needs. Erol?
Question: Thank you, Steph. Again, does the Secretary‑General plan to meet any of the former candidates for the post of the Secretary‑General and talk to him? What are his plans regarding that? And…
Spokesman: I don't have anything to share with you on that. As his schedule becomes… as we make his schedule public, I think it will be clear as to who he sees.
Question: Also, is he having plans to attend the funeral of late Mário Soares?
Spokesman: No, he will not. And as you saw, we did issue a statement on that on Saturday. Mr Lee?
Question: Sure. Thanks a lot. I wanted to ask… I'm sure you've seen this story about the Indian peacekeepers that deployed to Haiti being… not arriving with the… the… it's called the mandated cholera vaccination. So, can you… it was a little unclear in the past whether… whether… how this works. How… one, how did this happen? What's going to be done? And what's learned from it? And beyond that, given the Secretary‑General's kind of eleventh‑hour announcement of fundraising to… to somehow make up for having… for the cholera having been brought to Haiti, what is the current number on that, in terms of what's been raised since the event in Conference Room 3 and the event in the ECOSOC [Economic and Social Council]?
Spokesman: My… off the top of my head, the number's about 1.5 to 1.8 million, a donation from the Republic of Korea, about a million dollars, and a donation of a bit less from the French Government. We, obviously, very much hope the money will be coming in. We'll give you updates as they come in. We've seen the story on the Indian peacekeepers. We're, obviously, looking into it. As a matter of principle, we rely on the country of origin of the peacekeepers to present us and to certify that they meet all the medical requirements for deployment in the area, which, in the case of Haiti, would, obviously, include the vaccine against cholera. But, I have no way at this point to verify… to comment on the veracity of the report.
Question: I just wondered because the reports say, quote, the UN has ordered an investigation. So is that… the UN has not ordered an investigation?
Spokesman: As I just said, we were looking into it. We are aware of the report. We're looking into it. Okay? Nizar.
Question: In view that the United Nations is involved in the negotiations for the water crisis in Syria, in Damascus, have they established which competent groups are involved in the area of Wadi Barada?
Spokesman: We're not directly involved in the ceasefire negotiations. What we've called for is for the Syrian technicians to be able to assess the area. What we do know is that the water structures were targeted. As to which side… which group or if it's the Government or if it's some of the armed groups, as we've said from here, we don't have the mandate or the capacity to do a forensic weapons investigations. And, frankly, what we do know is that more than 5.5 million people are in need of water, of fresh water. And that's the focus of our work for the time being.
Correspondent: In the case of Aleppo, this went on for long time. I mean, the water supply was cut off Aleppo for many months…
Spokesman: We've seen… not just in Syria, we have seen, unfortunately, a growing trend both in Syria and in Iraq of water being used as a weapon of war, which is in contravention to all humanitarian and international law.
Correspondent: But… sorry here, but it was by the same group, I mean I… the area which was…
Spokesman: Nizar, as usual, you probably have more information than I do. I'm not in a position to tell you which group is… who is… which party or which group is responsible for the damaging of the water supplies. But we do know that this was not an act of God. It was deliberately targeted, and we know that 5 million… more than 5 million people, women, children, men, don't have water. Not only do they not have water, when they're trying to get water, they often see… are forced to buy water from private distributors with gouged prices. Nizar, I promise I will come back to you before the day is over. Yes, Yoshita?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. A follow‑up to the Haiti question on the Indian peacekeepers, the report says that the UN has officially sought a clarification. So, has the UN touched base with the Indian Government or the Indian mission, and have they responded?
Spokesman: We can use all sorts of words, whether it's "investigation," "looking into it", "touch base." We're aware of the report. We're trying to get more information, obviously, from the Indian authorities. Okay. Mr. Lee, then Nizar.
Question: Sure. I wanted to ask about… I asked you before about Gambia, but now, over the weekend, a fourth radio station, Paradise FM, has been closed. So, it seems like that Yahya Jammeh is entrenching himself and closing down the media. What steps are being taken, to the UN's knowledge by the region and by the UN itself, and do you have any statement on the closing of radio stations in Gambia?
Spokesman: Obviously, it's clear that we're against any and all forced closing of radio stations. The free media is an important component to any… any democracy. Obviously, the situation in the Gambia is of continuing concern to us. I know the President of Nigeria, I think, is having a meeting today. We're trying to get some sort of update from our colleagues in the office of… for West Africa. And we've been involved in that, as well. It's important for the sake of the people of the Gambia that a peaceful resolution be found to the current impasse that we're in.
Question: Sure. And I have a quick… another question, which is that there was the town-hall meeting today by the sec… by the Secretary‑General, António Guterres, and was it on the UN's website. It was on the publicly available website. And I was broadcasting it by Periscope, and I was told to stop, that this violated guidelines. I just wanted to be clear from you: can it violate guidelines to broadcast something that's on the UN's own website?
Spokesman: My… listen, I'm not sure what the details of your retail situation was. What I do know is that it was not on the website that was publicly accessible…
Correspondent: Yes, it was. It's important.
Spokesman: I understand… I understand. It was an event meant for staff. I think it is only normal that the Secretary‑General be allowed to speak and have a frank conversation with his staff outside of the glare of the media. I think it was a very good… it was a very good meeting from the point of view of staff. I think it was a very good meeting for the Secretary‑General to be able to hear firsthand for the first time the concerns of staff around the world. It was on our internal webcast.
Question: I want to just… because I want to ask it. Since I saw it on… I don't have access to the internal website, so I saw it on the public website. I just want to be clear that reporting on it… because I don't disagree with anything that you've said, but reporting on it, given that it was on the public website, does not…
Spokesman: My understanding is that it was not on the public website. So, you and I have different views of reality. We can check… try to combine those later. Nizar?
Question: I have two questions. One about Jerusalem, where the Israelis are conducting collective punishment about Jabel Mukaber, the families… many people went there just to give condolences to the… the perpetrator of the attack were arrested. Also, the whole area has been cordoned, and many people have been arrested. What is the United Nations' position on that?
Spokesman: I'll check with our colleagues on the ground, what information they have.
Question: Another thing, the town… the city of Al‑Bab, there are fierce battles going on there for many weeks now. Have you had any assessment about the situation of the civilians in Al‑Bab in Syria?
Spokesman: Not that I've received here. Yoshita?
Question: Does the UN have any comment on Pakistan test‑firing a submarine‑launch missile that is capable of carrying nuclear warheads?
Spokesman: I have not seen that report, but I will happy… or at least I will check on it. Mr Lee ?
Question: Sure. Couple questions. One is… is, the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] mission has put out a letter that it sent António Guterres, responding kind of unfavourably to what Mr. [Jeffrey] Feltman had sent in 20 December, saying it didn't respond to their question. I just wanted… since there was a discrepancy about even a previous letter that they'd sent, will it be responded and will it be responded to by the Secretary‑General himself or by Mr. Feltman?
Spokesman: I will check if the letter has been received. It the UN's… Secretariat's prerogative to see who responds to a letter, but, obviously, it has to be received and read first.
Question: Okay. And the other question is, I'd asked Farhan [Haq], I guess in your absence last week, about this… it's an article in The Korea Times or Herald about Jeffrey Sachs, who, I understand… maybe it's not true… is still a UN Special Adviser, appearing on the steps of the UN residence with the Sec… with Ban Ki‑moon and saying he will be an adviser during his campaign on economic issues. And I wanted to know, what are the rules applicable to a UN official advising a political candidate? Is he stepping down?
Spokesman: I will look into Mr. Sachs' case. Thank you.