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.
**Syria
Good afternoon, everyone. Intense air and ground‑based strikes have reportedly continued in multiple areas in Syria’s Dara’a Governorate, resulting in the death and injury of civilians and the largest displacement in the area since the conflict began. Our humanitarian colleagues say that an estimated 270,000 to 330,000 people have been displaced, including some 60,000 at the Nasib/Jaber border crossing. Estimates are subject to change as numbers continue to be verified and front lines shift.
The situation of internally displaced people at the Jordanian border is precarious, aggravated by dusty desert winds and high temperatures of up to 45 degrees Celsius. Local sources report that at least 12 children, two women, and one elderly man died in areas close to the Jordanian border due to scorpion bites, dehydration and diseases transmitted through contaminated water. We continue to call on all parties and those with influence over them to facilitate safe, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access to all in need in line with obligations under international humanitarian law. And the Human Rights Office urges all parties to the conflict to protect civilians in south‑western Syria, and to protect those attempting to flee. It calls on the international community, in particular countries of the region with the financial ability to host large numbers of refugees, to take in fleeing civilians from Syria. The Human Rights Office recognizes that Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey have long hosted a large number of refugees, particularly from Syria, since the beginning of the Syrian conflict. It has been heartening to see many people in these countries doing what they can to call on their Governments to keep the border open, and to gather food and water for Syrian refugees. The Human Rights Office calls on the Jordanian Government to keep its border open and for other countries in the region to step up and receive the fleeing civilians.
**Israel
The Human Rights Office says that it is deeply concerned at reports that the Palestinian Bedouin community of Khan al Ahmar‑Abu al Helu is set to be demolished by the Israeli authorities in the coming days. The community is home to 181 people — more than half of them children — and is 1 of the 46 Bedouin communities in the central West Bank that the UN views as being at high risk of forcible transfer due to an environment generated by Israeli practices and policies that coerces people and communities to move.
**Afghanistan
Yesterday, we issued the following statement attributable to the Spokesman on Afghanistan: the Secretary‑General condemns the 1 July suicide attack in Jalalabad City, Nangarhar Province, that killed at least 19 civilians and wounded 20 others, including children. The majority of victims belong to Afghanistan’s small Sikh and Hindu communities. The Secretary‑General extends his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured. Any attack deliberately targeting civilians is unjustifiable and in clear violation of international law. The Secretary‑General urges all parties to uphold their obligation to protect civilians, including minority communities, and cease targeting civilians and civilian facilities. The United Nations stands with the people and Government of Afghanistan as they strive for peace and reconciliation for their country.
**Haiti
Today, Under‑Secretary‑General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock arrived in Haiti for a two‑day mission. He is scheduled to meet with Government officials, humanitarian partners, and people in need of humanitarian assistance and protection. Tomorrow, he will leave for Panama.
**Senior Personnel Appointments
We have some appointments. You will have seen that we announced yesterday afternoon that the Secretary‑General appointed Stephanie T. Williams of the United States of America as his Deputy Special Representative for Political Affairs in Libya, with United Nations Support Mission in Libya, known as UNSMIL. Ms. Williams was formerly Chargé d’Affaires, ad interim, at the United States Embassy in Tripoli. She brings more than 24 years of experience in Government and International Affairs, including as Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Missions in Iraq, Jordan and Bahrain. Lots more on this appointment in my office.
And today, the Secretary‑General has announced the appointment of Major General José Eladio Alcaín of Uruguay as Head of Mission and Chief Military Observer for the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan, or UNMOGIP. Major General Alcaín will succeed Major General Per Gustaf Lodin of Sweden, who will complete his two‑year assignment in July 2018. The Secretary‑General is grateful to Major General Lodin for his contribution to UN peacekeeping efforts. Major General Alcaín has had a distinguished career with the Uruguayan Army since 1977. Most recently, since 2015 he has held the position of Director of the National Health Service of the Armed Forces. More on his career in our office.
**Food
This week in Rome, the UN food standards body Codex Alimentarius Commission is meeting to adopt food safety and quality standards. The Codex Alimentarius is a joint initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) and it is tasked with protecting consumer health and ensuring fair practices in the food trade. The decisions taken this week are being published each day on the FAO website and they concern things like the amount of additives in our food and use of pesticides, as well as processing of various types of products.
**Holiday
Tomorrow is a US holiday, so UN Headquarters will not be open and there won’t be a noon briefing. Briefings will resume on Thursday. Please find something fun to do until then. Yes, Masood?
**Questions and Answers
Question: Thank you, Farhan. Did I hear you right that there's a change in UNMOGIP, what do you call, commanders?
Deputy Spokesman: Yes. Yes. We've put that announcement out. The Chief Military Observer and Head of Mission will change over this month, and we've report… announced that the new person will be Major General José Eladio Alcaín of Uruguay.
Question: So my question that regards this is: what good is this UNMOGIP if it is unable to even present a case, and India does not recognize it? India is… I mean, India has kicked it out from New Delhi, so what good is UNMOGIP? Is he, is there a point to it? And UNMOGIP report, why isn't it made public?
Deputy Spokesman: UNMOGIP reports to the Security Council as per its mandate. The tasks that it has been mandated to do since the late 1940s are the ones that it continues to do. I believe the Assistant Secretary‑General for Peacekeeping Operations, Bintou Keita, gave a very good defense of the long‑lasting peacekeeping operations a few months ago, and I refer you over to her briefing here. But part of what her point was regarding a mission such as UNMOGIP is that for decades it's been instrumental in making sure that certain problems in the region don't spin out of control. Yes, James?
Question: In Geneva, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and also UNHCR [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] have called on Jordan to keep its border with Syria open. Does the Secretary‑General back those calls?
Deputy Spokesman: I just mentioned the call by the Human Rights Office. We, along with our colleagues in the Office for Human Rights and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, want to make sure that people who are fleeing from the fighting can be protected and can find a place to go. Obviously, we're well aware of the immense amount of generosity Jordan has shown over the years, and we know what a burden they have had to bear. So I would just refer you, again, to the fact that, as the Human Rights Office put it, that they are calling on the international community and, in particular countries of the region with the financial ability to host large numbers of refugees to take in fleeing civilians from Syria. At the same time, they're calling on the Jordanian Government to keep its border open.
Question: Just to clarify though, because this has been caused by various parts of the UN, the humanitarian adviser Jan Egeland said last week for Jordan to keep it open. And until now, the Secretary‑General himself has not made that call, and he didn't make that call when he met with the Jordanian Foreign Minister. So does the Secretary‑General himself believe that border should be open?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, I said what I said. We do recognize the pressures that they're facing. At the same time, we want to make sure that all of the refugees are placed out of harm's way and are taken care of. And so we're working with our partners on the ground, including with the Jordanian Government, to see if that goal can be achieved. Yes, Abdelhamid?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. Last Friday, two Palestinians were shot and killed. Three hundred and fifteen, at least, were wounded in Gaza… during those peaceful demonstrations. I have… I didn't see or hear there was any kind of any statement from any one office. Can you explain that?
Deputy Spokesman: We regret any loss of life regarding the killings that have been occurring during these demonstrations and protests. You're well aware that when the protest began, we issued several statements about this, and the sentiments of those statements apply to this day. And, of course, our UN Special Coordinator, Nickolay Mladenov, continues to brief the Security Council regularly about the situation, and he'll keep doing that. Yes, please?
Question: Thanks, Farhan. I wanted to follow up on James' question. I don't know. Maybe you mentioned it at the beginning of the press briefing. I was a little late. What is the number of displacement in the recent clashes in the south‑west of Syria?
Deputy Spokesman: The estimates vary dramatically at different times, but right now the estimates range between 270,000 and 330,000.
Question: I actually have another question on Cyprus. The Secretary‑General in his latest report to the Security Council said that he was planning to send a senior UN official to the island. Do you have an update on that or an announcement to make? Thanks.
Deputy Spokesman: Yes. What I can say is that upon the closing of the conference on Cyprus last year, the Secretary‑General encouraged all parties to reflect on the way forward in order to determine whether the conditions would mature again for a meaningful process in the near future. The Secretary‑General has asked Ms. Jane Holl Lute to conduct consultations with all parties to the conference on Cyprus regarding the outcome of their reflections. Ms. Jane Holl Lute is currently planning her next steps. Yes?
Question: Sure. Thanks for that confirmation. I wanted to ask you, the Secretary‑General has, at least indirectly, spoken about leaders extending their term. In South Africa… excuse me, in South Sudan, the Government has proposed an extension of three years for Salva Kiir to 2021. The opposition says it's outrageous. I wanted to know, given the size of the mission there and given what the Secretary‑General has previously said, what does he think of this proposal, especially given the issues raised in the peace talks?
Deputy Spokesman: I wouldn't comment on the internal political situation, but obviously, what we want to make sure is that there continues to be inclusive peace talks in South Sudan and that the parties can resolve their differences peacefully. As you know, the Deputy Secretary‑General will be visiting South Sudan, and we'll see what sort of discussions she can have while she's there.
Question: Great. And I wanted to ask you a question about Western Sahara. In connection with the recent AU summit, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission has a report that, you know, suggests reopening the AU office that had previously been in MINURSO [United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara] until it was ousted. I wanted to know, is that something that MINURSO or the Secretary‑General is open to? Are they aware of that request? Would they… would they… would they reopen space for AU bodies within MINURSO?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, that's really a question for the African Union, so we'll leave it to the African Union to respond to it. Yes?
Question: The International Red Cross today is saying that there is no longer any other solution other than political solution for Rohingya refugees in Myanmar. So… and that even, he was suggesting even United Nations efforts have not borne any fruit. Can you please comment on that? What kind of political solution can be reached with the Rohingya refugees?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, we are working towards that end. As you know, the Secretary‑General himself is just traveling back from the region, and his envoy, Christine Schraner Burgener, was there in Myanmar recently, and we've provided you with an update on her activities. We're continuing with our diplomatic efforts, and we hope that at some point we will have the conditions conducive on the ground for the return of the Rohingya refugees. Yes?
Question: My question is about the Hodeidah. As you are aware, United Arab Emirates decided to halt the attack on Hodeidah which undermines the legitimate Government of Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi [Mansour]. Is that a result of negotiations by Martin Griffiths?
Deputy Spokesman: I wouldn't necessarily make that connection, but what I can say is that Mr. Griffiths is continuing his discussions with the parties. Today, in fact, he is in Sana'a, where he is in touch with Ansar Allah, and he's going to continue with his efforts. And I believe he is scheduled to brief the Security Council by videoconference on Thursday. Did you have…? Okay, then you.
Question: Sure. Great. Thanks a lot. Some other things. I want to be sure to ask these two related questions. One has to do with the budget. The other one has to do with access and security. You said yesterday that the peace… at least I took you to say that it has been agreed to. And I went down there. It doesn't seem like there's been a vote, so maybe there's some… if you could say a little bit more. Let me just finish the question. The other question has to do with, given that there's not yet been a vote, can you say when the vote will be because that's supposed to be an open meeting, and I would assume that even non‑resident correspondents can come and cover that given that it's an open meeting. And the final question is: I'd asked you, I think it was almost a week ago… it was a week ago. I'd asked you whether it's… it's… about the UN policy of UN security ousting the non‑resident correspondent during a meeting to be covered and refusing to give their names, and now the Government Accountability Project has asked the same question. So I'm wondering, you didn't ask me when I answered it [sic], what is the policy of the UN on something as fundamental as security officers giving their names, and also can they oust journalists during a meeting such as a budget meeting that will be upcoming, I would believe, in upcoming days?
Deputy Spokesman: As far as I'm aware, the security officers were enforcing the appropriate rules. Any problems that you have with them are questions that you need to address with our colleagues in UN security and with Media Accreditation. And regarding your initial question, I don't speak to the General Assembly, but, obviously, if they have a formal meeting, it will be open. Yes?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. A follow‑up on the Secretary‑General's visit to Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh. Did he request to go to Myanmar to meet the senior generals and Aung San Suu Kyi?
Deputy Spokesman: No. For this trip, he had intended to go strictly to Bangladesh. That's what he did. Yes?
Question: I raised this issue before about the last report of Mr. Mladenov, and Palestinian Authority and other Palestinian factions like Hamas were completely disappointed with this report, accusing Mladenov of completely adopting the Israeli narrative. And he lately met first with Ambassador [Riyad] Mansour in Ramallah and then lately he met also with President [Mahmoud] Abbas about that, too. Can you share with us any information about those meetings? What he has been told by the Palestinian officials?
Deputy Spokesman: No… bless you… simply that he's continuing with his discussions with the parties. Obviously, during his periodic briefings to the Security Council, he provides the recent… the salient details of his discussions. Yes?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. On this Yemen question on the port. Has there been an agreement with the Saudi coalition not to attack the port right now?
Deputy Spokesman: Certainly. We have been asking all parties to avoid conflict in Hodeidah so that we can keep the port open, and we appreciate any cooperation that happens with that. I wouldn't be able to speak to any agreement. Obviously, that's really a question for the parties themselves to answer. Yeah?
Question: Sure. Thanks again for confirming this Jane Holl Lute, that she is the person. Yesterday I asked you whether the Secretary‑General received a letter from the Cyprus Permanent Representative about airspace violations.
Deputy Spokesman: I believe he's received a number of different letters in recent days and weeks from the Cyprus Permanent Representative. I'm not sure which one, but certainly it could be one of those.
Question: Okay. And the other one… I wanted to ask you, obviously the nominations are open for the successor to Prince Zeid [Ra’ad Zeid Al Hussein] as High Commissioner of Human Rights, and at least one public report said that the current head of UN‑Women [United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women] is a candidate. So I asked her, and she said she's not. But it made me wonder to ask, does the Secretary‑General, does he have any policy on current officials of his seeking the position or of those who ran against him for Secretary‑General? Are there any either restrictions… and does he intend to announce the list when the nominations close who's been nominated and have some type of a public process for so important a job?
Deputy Spokesman: No. We haven't been putting out short lists in recent years for the reasons that I elucidated some years back, actually. But obviously it's open to candidates recommended by different Governments or civil society as according to the guidelines we have set out. Yes?
Question: Just one thing. Given that his own selection was done in a public process and most people… I'm not sure what his view of it is… said that this was a benefit, and given the importance of the High Commissioner's role, wouldn't something of a public process be of benefit?
Deputy Spokesman: As we made clear, there was a period of time several years back before the current Secretary‑General when we issued short lists and then, in deference to the wishes of the candidates themselves, we had to stop doing that. Yes?
Question: Regarding that report on Kashmir, it was the only report issued on Kashmir human rights in probably 70 years. There was a recommendation to form an investigative mechanism. Can you update us, what happened to that report and where the proposal is going?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, that report went to the Human Rights Council, and it will be up to them to determine what follow‑up action is needed. Yeah?
Question: Thanks a lot. It's a Fourth of July question so it will become stale by the next briefing. I wanted to ask you, and it's really just a factual… just a question. I know that DSS [Department of Safety and Security] has put out this message saying, obviously, the compound is closed. I know for several years now it's been… fireworks are not watched by anyone in the UN compound. I've heard from a few people that that may actually… that this year it may be one or more Missions are, in fact, being allowed to use it. I don't know if it's true, so I'm asking you because it seems like a pretty… seems… given the notice that was sent out, has the UN Department of Management or Security given permission for any Mission or otherwise or group of UN supporters to use the UN compound to watch the fireworks?
Deputy Spokesman: Just speaking in terms of directives for staff, the building is closed. I'm not aware of exceptions to that.
Question: If you find out before the close of the day, will you say it? It seems like it's a pretty straightforward question.
Deputy Spokesman: I'm not aware of discussions that different Member States have, but, like I said, for staff, it's closed, and we're not supposed to come in.
Question: Right. But a Member State would have to get permission from the Department of Management.
Deputy Spokesman: You can keep asking, and that’s the answer. That's still the answer. All right.