The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Martin Nesirky, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Hi there, Kim, it’s Martin.  So, I think we’re ready to start here in New York.  And just for those here in the room; of course, as you can see, we have with us, via video link, Kim Bolduc, who is the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General [for Haiti], and humanitarian coordinator; and Kim also works as the Resident Coordinator and the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for Haiti.

So, I’m going to hand the floor immediately to you, Kim, for any comments you may have, and then I’ll throw it open to questions.  And then for those here, obviously, at the end, I’m very happy, when Kim has finished, to take any other questions that you might have that are not related to Haiti.  So, Kim, the floor is yours.

[Briefing on Haiti by Kim Bolduc, Deputy Special Representative for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), issued separately.]

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Okay, just a couple of other points for you.  At 12 p.m. tomorrow here, there will be a joint press conference on sexual violence in conflict.  And participating in that press conference will be Asha-Rose Migiro, the Deputy Secretary-General; Alain Le Roy, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations; and Ms. [Margot] Wallström, who, as you know, is the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sexual Violence in Conflict.

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Ad Melkert, who is the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, has strongly condemned the assassination of a female election nominee, Suha Abdullah Jarallah, who was shot dead in Mosul, just before Iraq’s electoral campaign is due to start.  And Melkert said that such incidents cannot be tolerated.  He said that campaign violence in Iraq must not be allowed to intimidate candidates or interfere with the right of every Iraqi to vote.  We have a press release with more information in my office.

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And in his farewell speech yesterday in Khartoum, the outgoing Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Ashraf Qazi, said that this year will be crucial for Sudan.  He commended the country on recent developments in the electoral process and the implementation of the peace agreement between the north and south.  Qazi acknowledged that many challenges lay ahead, and he warned against a reversal of the recent positive trend. 

And Qazi, as we have already told you, is leaving Sudan for personal and family reasons, and he will be replaced by Haile Menkerios.

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Ibrahim Gambari, the Joint Special Representative of the UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), is en route to Doha to provide his support to the ongoing Darfur peace talks.  He is expected to meet with Joint Chief Mediator Djibril Bassolé, members of the Qatari Foreign Ministry, senior Sudanese Government officials and rebel officials.  There are also planned discussions that will include Sudanese-Chadian relations as well as regional security.

So, that’s what I have for you, and I can take a few questions.

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Question:  Yes, I was wondering, the same question that Neil asked regarding UN staff in Haiti, if you have any update?  And also if you can tell use how many people died in the Christopher Hotel, and the numbers that you have?  I just want to make sure -- are they international staff or it’s international and local staff? Spokesperson:  Right.  The latest figures -- and I will check when I get out of this briefing in case there has been any further update in the last few hours.  But the latest figures that I have are 94 confirmed deaths.  That includes four contractors; in other words, not staff members, but people who were working on UN business.  And there are eight people who are unaccounted for, and two of them, likewise, are contractors.  Now, the breakdown of national and international, I will provide later.  But those figures that I have cited are the combined total for international and national staff for the mission for MINUSTAH and for other people working for the broader UN system in Haiti at that time.  [He later said that the deaths included 76 international personnel and 18 national personnel, while unaccounted for personnel included two internationals and six nationals.]

And as to your question about how many people perished in the Christopher Hotel, we’ll try to find that out for you.  That, you cannot read from figures that I have.

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Question:  Mine is a little related too, actually.  It’s still on Haiti.  Has the Secretary-General spoken with former President [Bill] Clinton about his visit to Haiti since… Can you update us on what’s happening there?  And I suppose some of us are broadly interested in whether or not the Secretary-General’s discussions about Haiti have touched on the subject of Haitian sovereignty or the possibility of some kind of UN trusteeship over the nation? Spokesperson:  Well, first of all, to my knowledge, the Secretary-General has not yet had a debrief from President Clinton.  But I’m sure that that will come.  I know that President Clinton, when he was on the ground, was liaising very closely with our Mission staff, and I am sure that that information is also being fed back.  I would also note that from within the UN system here, from UNDP and from OCHA [the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs], there are people working directly with President Clinton’s team here in New York.  So the information flow is very constant. 

You asked about the role of the Haitian Government.  The Haitian Government is clearly in charge on the ground there.  It is a sovereign country with a sovereign government.  What the Government clearly requires is assistance to coordinate on an international scale the aid that is being received and the longer term prospect of reconstruction and recovery.  And that’s where President Clinton comes in; that’s where United Nations, through UNDP, for example, comes in. I think I’ll leave it there.

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Question:  One piece of the question is:  I wonder what the UN is doing about the people who did survive or who have lost people, or are injured.  Is there a programme to be helpful to them and what does it include?  If you can give us a briefing, maybe, on this.  And then another piece of the question is:  I guess I read that the UNDP building basically, most of it didn’t survive the earthquake, but one area collapsed, and the people were recovered who were in that. I wondered if we could hear a little more about the situation in the different places; and if the UN is looking into what the conditions were of its buildings, and will there be an investigation of this to try to understand what lessons can be learned towards having more people survive in the future? Spokesperson:  Well, I think all of those questions could easily have been put to Kim while she was on the video link; and I didn’t see your hand up at that point.  I did not see your hand up.  So, these are all questions that could directly go to Kim, I think.  And so, I’m not going to answer them now.

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Spokesperson: That’s right, that’s right.  And I’ve just answered because I had the figures and Kim did not have them in front of her.  So, I’ve just answered that question, just about one minute ago.

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Spokesperson:  I don’t have a read-out for you right now, but I can get one.

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Spokesperson:  Of course.  You know the way to do it.

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Spokesperson:  You can send it to me, and I will forward it.  By all means.

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Question:  Kind of related questions.  In Sri Lanka, the former chief opposition candidate, [Sarath] Fonseka, has now been arrested by the Government.  The Defence Minister has said, he has been quoted as saying, there will be no UN investigation; there is no need for an investigation of the events earlier in the year in the country.  And just finally, it’s also said that the Foreign Minister tried to reach the Secretary-General and it’s reported in the Sri Lankan press that he tried to reach the Secretary-General and was told to speak to Mr. [Vijay] Nambiar, to try to cancel actually the press conference by [Philip] Alston that was held in this room about a month ago.  I’m wondering, just from the last bit, whether Mr. Nambiar is, is either formally or sort of de facto, being put in charge of Sri Lanka policy for the Secretariat.  And I am also wondering whether there is any response to the opposition candidate being arrested given all the things that the Secretary-General said in the run-up to the election? Spokesperson:  On the second part of your question, to do with the chain of command or the conduit for information, as you well know, DPA, the Department of Political Affairs, has people who look very closely as Sri Lanka and of course, within the Secretary-General’s immediate team, there are also people looking very closely at Sri Lanka.  I’m really not aware of the details of this phone call that you refer to.  I can find out about that. 

On the reported arrest; you know, of course we’re aware of the news reports, just the same as you are.  And we’re looking at this closely.  As we’ve said before, the peaceful conduct of the first post-conflict national election and its aftermath is of the highest importance for long-term peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka.  And the Secretary-General has repeatedly appealed to all parties in Sri Lanka and their supporters to show restraint and to adhere to electoral laws and avoid provocative acts, not only in the election period, but also in the post-election stages.  And the Secretary-General reinforces these concerns that he has already expressed.

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Question:  Is it fair to say, because the Government has already confirmed the arrest and said what he will be tried for, which is speaking to the press about war crimes, essentially.  So, I’m wondering, I heard all of the various parts where you said -- would the arrest of an opposition figure for having spoken about possible war crimes, go against, breach what the Secretary-General has been calling for there? Spokesperson:  Well, you heard what I said, Matthew, and I don’t have anything else to add.  We’re aware of the news reports and we’re looking at it very closely.

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Spokesperson:  At the weekend, Mr. Pascoe and the rest of his delegation were in Seoul, and they had meetings with officials from the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Korea and with other officials related to those who deal with the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea].  They have travelled on now to Beijing, where they’re also holding similar meetings before travelling from Beijing to Pyongyang, which they will do tomorrow.  I don’t have details yet of whom they’re going to meet.  But clearly, they will be meeting a range of officials to talk about, as we’ve said, a wide range of topics.  They will be staying until the end of the week, and then they return, via Beijing and Seoul and Tokyo.

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Spokesperson:  I think that’s right.  As they come back from Pyongyang to Beijing, to Seoul and to Tokyo, they will speak to the media; or rather, Mr. Pascoe will speak to the media in each of those places very briefly, as I understand it.  And then he will, of course, as we’ve said, he will brief you on his return to New York.

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Question:  There was a visit today by Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal to Moscow.  And Russia is also a member of the Quartet, like the United Nations, and I think that the Quartet has a position on those kinds of meetings.  So, I was wondering whether there is a reaction from the United Nations for this meeting between the Hamas leader and the Russians, and whether the United Nations is also considering having such contacts with the Hamas group, to further the peace process? Spokesperson:  I’m not aware of that meeting, and I’ll have to look into it.  I’m not aware of that meeting.

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Question:  The International Criminal Court has ruled that Abu Garda, a rebel leader in Darfur, will not face charges for the killing of peacekeepers in Haskanita in 2007.  At the same time the AU [African Union] is calling for an amendment to the Rome Statute which would allow the General Assembly to put proceedings like that against President [Omar al-]Bashir on hold, rather than only leaving that in the hands of the Security Council.  First, since this was an attack on peacekeepers, a very high profile one, and now the accused will not face charges, is there any response from the UN?  And also, does the Secretary-General -- I don’t know if you will answer that one or not -- but does he think that it is a good idea that the bigger body of the UN, the General Assembly, be given some role in International Criminal Court process, or is it fine to have it just be the 15 members of the Security Council? Spokesperson:  First of all, as you well know, Matthew, the International Criminal Court is not a UN body.  It is an independent judicial body, and therefore its legal proceedings are not something that the UN has a role in, and neither should we comment on what is due process of law.  And on the second part of your question, the African Union is an organization for itself.  If it makes proposals within its own right, then it’s for the General Assembly to take up if it wishes to do so.  It’s a matter for the Member States to decide, and not for the Secretary-General.

Okay.  All right, thank very much.  Thank you.

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and the Spokesperson for the General Assembly President  

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Martin Nesirky, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, and Jean Victor Nkolo, Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly.

Briefing by the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

Good afternoon, everybody.

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Just a couple of announcements about press conferences.  Jean Victor Nkolo will brief you on the work of the General Assembly, immediately following this briefing.  And at 1:15 p.m., Dr. Donatus St. Aimee, the Permanent Representative of the Mission of Saint Lucia, will moderate a press conference on the CARICOM [Caribbean Community] Initiative on Non-Communicable Diseases.

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The Secretary-General has now issued his report following up on General Assembly resolution 64/10 of 4 November 2009.

His report contains inputs received from the Israeli and Palestinian sides on the efforts which they have undertaken so far to investigate allegations of violations of international humanitarian and human rights law during the Gaza conflict.  It also contains a summary of the consultations conducted by the Government of Switzerland regarding the reconvening of a conference of the High Contracting Parties.

In all cases, it is clear that the processes which have been initiated are still ongoing.  As such, no determination can be made on the implementation of the resolution.  As he states in the report, the Secretary-General believes that international humanitarian law needs to be fully respected and civilians must be protected in all situations and circumstances.  It is his hope that resolution 64/10 has served to encourage investigations by the Government of Israel and the Palestinian side that are independent, credible and in conformity with international standards.

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And one thing I would like to point out; please note that in the document submitted by the Secretary-General to the General Assembly on the Goldstone report, only the first three pages are written by the Secretary-General and the Secretariat.  The remainder of the document ‑‑ that’s the other 69 pages ‑‑ consists of annexes containing information provided, respectively, by the Government of Israel, the Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine and the Permanent Mission of Switzerland.

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President [Bill] Clinton, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Haiti, landed in Haiti just a few hours ago and has already met with UN staff, and was briefed about the current situation on the ground.  And he will also be meeting with Haitian leaders and visit the Gheiskio Clinic and a camp for internally displaced persons.

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A little bit more on Haiti.  The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that shelter remains an urgent need.  The focus is on providing emergency shelter assistance closer to home or in smaller camp settings to reduce displacements and dislocation.  Sanitation is also a significant concern, especially at temporary shelter sites.  Some 7,000 latrines and 25,000 portable toilets are needed.

As of last night, 1.6 million people have received food assistance since the earthquake in and around Port-au-Prince, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).  And in the past five days, through the fixed distribution points system, a total of 620,000 people have received food assistance.

Concerning children, UNICEF says some 23 large-sized tents have been installed in Port-au-Prince to give children a place to seek refuge and play.  And as for education, families are wary of sending children to school because they fear that another earthquake could strike.  And so UNICEF is working with the Government to distribute messages to Haitians, encouraging them to send their children back to school.

And finally, a heads-up.  Next week, on 12 February, the World Food Programme will host a high-level meeting at its headquarters in Rome on agricultural development, food security and nutrition in Haiti.  And that meeting will kick off the agriculture component of the Haiti redevelopment plan.

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The UN Mission in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) has issued a statement in which it deplored recent violent incidents in two towns in the western part of the country.  The Mission says that the incidents in Katiola and Divo appear to be connected to tensions around the registration of voters for the much-delayed presidential election.

It has appealed to all parties and voters to exercise restraint.  This is vital, the Mission says, if we are to preserve and consolidate the achievements made so far in the electoral process.  And there are copies of the full statement in my office.

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On Yemen, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, says that it is facing a dramatic funding situation in Yemen and may be forced to scale down its operations there if it does not receive fresh contributions very soon.

UNHCR’s part of the 2010 UN consolidated appeal for Yemen amounts to $35.6 million, but so far it has received less than 3 per cent of the needed funds.  The funding shortfall is seriously diminishing its capacity to register and document refugees and internally displaced people, to monitor their situation and to address their needs.  The lack of funding will very soon have a direct impact on the agency’s work to protect and assist some 250,000 displaced people and more than 170,000 refugees in Yemen.

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The Departments of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and Field Support (DFS) will, from now, be issuing quarterly press releases to make public updated statistics regarding sexual exploitation and abuse cases.  This is part of efforts by the United Nations to improve transparency on the issue of sexual exploitation and abuse involving peacekeeping personnel.  And the statistics will be updated simultaneously on the Conduct and Discipline website (http://cdu.unlb.org).  There is a copy of the press release in our office, along with a fact sheet that contains additional information.

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Tomorrow is International Day against Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting.  The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) says that, while there’s been progress in reducing the incidence of such mutilation in several countries, there are still 3 million girls who continue to be at risk each year.

The Fund says success in reducing the incidence has come as a result of culturally sensitive engagement with local communities, but the practice persists because it’s sustained by social perceptions ‑‑ and those perceptions can, and must, change.  We have more on this in a release in my office, and you can also find more on the Population Fund’s website.

So I’m happy to take a few questions, and then we’ll move to Jean Victor, whom I recognized in the front row here.

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Question:  Yes, Martin, thank you.  I was just wondering, despite the fact that the investigations are ongoing, doesn’t the SG, concerning Goldstone, doesn’t the SG have any particular evaluation of the Israeli lengthy annex that was attached to the report ‑‑ his evaluation of that investigation ‑‑ whether it meets the “credible, independent and according to international standards”?  Considering that three months have passed, as well? Spokesperson:  As we’ve made clear, the Secretary-General was asked, through the General Assembly resolution, to report on the implementation of the resolution, and he has received submissions from the Palestinian side and from the Israeli side.  And as I mentioned, it’s clear that in both cases, these processes are still ongoing.  And in addition, the General Assembly resolution itself does not ask the Secretary-General to analyse, but to provide an overview of the implementation.  And that, as I’ve said, he has done to the extent possible.

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Spokesperson:  The remit was to provide within that three-month timescale a report, and this he has done.  And with regard to any future action, what comes next, it says very clearly in the resolution that, and I can read that bit out: “with a view to considering further action, if necessary, by the relevant United Nations organs and bodies”.  So what that means in plain English is that it’s for the General Assembly, and by extension, of course, the Member States, to decide what happens next.

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Question:  Do you have, or can get for us, any figures on the retention rate of the Haitians who have been employed so far under the cash-for-jobs programme, and what has been spent so far?  And whether there have been any complaints regarding the $5-a-day wage?  Whether that has been considered too low to attract more Haitians to the programme? Spokesperson:  Well, yesterday, [UNDP Assistant Administrator] Jordan Ryan gave quite an extensive briefing on this subject, answering questions pretty much along these lines.  So, I would urge you to take a look at the transcript of that session because it covered quite a lot of those details, including the fact that people are hired, if you like, for a short period, and then more people are hired.  This is not giving people a long-term job, but providing for a short period as many people as possible with some work.  But I would urge you to take a look at what it says there; and if you have more questions, I’m sure that Jordan Ryan at UNDP will be able to give you more details.

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Question:  Can I just go back to Goldstone quickly, please?  Again, the Palestinian side as well presented a letter, saying that they only started their process on 25 January, which is almost a week before the deadline.  Without analysing, does the SG see this as an implementation also of the General Assembly resolution ‑‑ to form a committee one week before the deadline? Spokesperson:  The Secretary-General’s remit was to provide the report by the deadline, and the Secretary-General asked well in advance to receive the…  I’m just trying to find the exact…

Correspondent:  December.

Spokesperson:  3 December, if I remember correctly, it was 3 December that the Secretary-General communicated that request to the Palestinian side and to the Israeli side.  It’s obvious that there was the three-month timescale there.  The Secretary-General was not asked to analyse, as you know and, therefore, it’s not for him to comment on when the submissions were made.  The submissions were made.  What’s also clear is that, and implicit, as you are saying, because this was a week prior, these investigations ‑‑ that work ‑‑ is still going on.

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Question:  Martin, over the last couple of days, there have been terrorist attacks in Pakistan.  One was yesterday, and one was today, in which some terrorists were also killed.  Does the Secretary-General, have you issued a statement on this yet? Spokesperson:  There is no formal statement that’s been issued yet.  But both in the case of Pakistan, and also what’s been happening in Iraq in the last couple of days, he is deeply concerned.  He has seen the reports; he is aware of the casualty figures and the indiscriminate nature of the killings that have taken place, and he obviously deplores them.

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Question:  Another thing, is there an update by OCHA [Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs] on all IDPs [internally displaced persons] situation in Pakistan?  The latest update by OCHA, apparently, I believe there was an update, there is supposed to be one today, or there was one yesterday.  Is that true? Spokesperson:  I haven’t seen it.  That doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.  Let’s find out.  [The Spokesperson later shared the latest OCHA update, which says that, as of 18 January, some 117,000 civilians had fled fighting in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.]

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Question:  Two questions about Darfur and the Pension Fund.  In Darfur there are reports that infighting among rebels of the SLA [Sudanese Liberation Army] has displaced some 10,000 people around Jebal Mara.  I’m wondering, what’s UNAMID [the United Nations-African Union Operation in Darfur] doing in this case to protect civilians from this infighting among these two factions of the SLA? Spokesperson:  Let me find out.

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Question:  The other is, there is a copy of a decision overturning a decision by the Pensions Fund, in which Kofi Annan was denied ‑‑ the previous Secretary-General was denied ‑‑ getting two pensions, as Secretary-General and for his service as a staff member of the UN, which was pretty much the Pensions Fund decision was rejected in full and the UN has been ordered by this appeal to pay out both pensions and 8 per cent interest.  I wanted to know, one, if the Secretariat has a response to that; and two, whether it has been calculated, since this decision was in late December, how much that actually is? Spokesperson:  This sounds like something for the Pension Fund to answer, not me.

Correspondent:  I think it’s an interpretation of the Staff Rules.  I’ve never seen the Pension Fund; when you actually try to speak with them, they say they are not covered by the UN, they are not officially a part of the UN system; the press is not allowed into their building.  So I’m asking you because there doesn’t seem to be any way…

Spokesperson:  You have just answered your own question.  It’s not part of the UN system.  Right.

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Spokesperson:  I don’t think that’s a question that I need to answer here.

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Spokesperson:  The next step is not really with the Secretary-General, but with the General Assembly and the Member States.  He has submitted the report he was asked to submit.  He’s done that on time and, in the resolution – and I’ll read it out again ‑‑ it says:  “with a view to considering further action, if necessary, by the relevant United Nations organs and bodies”.  And so this is, if you like, the language that’s covering what’s next.  And the “what next” clearly means that it would be, it would fall to, the General Assembly and by extension the Member States to decide how to handle things from now on.

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Spokesperson:  Well, yes, he has carried out his work as he was asked to do under the General Assembly.  But I don’t think that he considers this a question of drawing a line because he remains still very much personally involved in, and is personally moved by, the plight of civilians who were harmed during the Gaza conflict, both in Gaza and in Israel.  And as you know, he was at the forefront of the efforts to stop the fighting in Gaza.  He was the first international leader to visit after the fighting, and he has expressed his solidarity with the victims on both sides.  And he continues to call for credible domestic investigations, and he did so again in this report.  So I don’t see it as drawing a line.  He is firmly committed to ensuring that the civilian infrastructure which was badly damaged in Gaza can be rebuilt.

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Question:  Do you know the status of UN property in Gaza, now that the settlement money has come in?  Is the UN able to rebuild?  Have they been able to rebuild and get UNRWA [the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East] back up to speed? Spokesperson:  I’d have to find out from my colleagues at UNRWA.  But it is still relatively early days since that payment was received.

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Spokesperson:  I’m sorry, I can’t hear you.  Could you be a little bit closer to the microphone perhaps?  Thank you.

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Question:  Okay.  I said Amnesty International announced today that Mr. Ban missed the opportunity to advance accountability for Gaza conflict and his report was disappointing.  So what is your reaction, your position on that? Spokesperson:  You have the report and I think it speaks for itself.

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Question:  Amnesty’s latest statement just came out.  They said that they believe that the information that Mr. Ban Ki-moon received was sufficient to show that the steps taken by both sides have been inadequate.  So he did receive a lot of information, and obviously human rights groups are not happy with the job that he has done.  Why do you think he was not able to assess what both sides have given him? Spokesperson:  It’s the right ‑‑ and I guess you could say obligation ‑‑ of human rights groups to look carefully and to scrutinize and to criticize.  That’s what they do.  And they work very hard to ensure that people are held to account.  That’s right and proper.  What I would say is that the report, as I have mentioned already, speaks very clearly for itself, and the key, the bottom line here in the three-page report from the Secretary-General, is the bottom line, which simply says:  “As such, no determination can be made on the implementation of the resolution by the parties concerned.”  And the point being that the work is still continuing, both in the case of Israel and the Palestinian side, and also relating to the Government of Switzerland.

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Question:  I’m sorry, Martin, don’t you think this is a kind of a cop-out?  The whole debate in Israel is whether or not Israel is conducting independent investigations, independent and credible investigations, and whether or not the form of these military commissions ‑‑ that these are military investigations that are independent and credible.  So, regardless of those investigations, the question is:  can the military investigate itself?  What does Ban feel about that? Spokesperson:  The Secretary-General had a job to do.  He was asked very clearly to look at the implementation of the resolution, and that is what he has done.  He was not asked specifically, as you know, he was not asked to analyse; and he was not asked to express his views on the responses that were received.

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Spokesperson:  Correct.  And as I said, what he has so far is submissions from the Palestinian side and from the Government of Israel.  And in both those cases, and indeed in the case of the Swiss Government, those processes are not completed.  And so he can’t really say, he cannot say how the resolution has been implemented.  He cannot do that.

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Question:  So, but the Israelis have 50 pages, 50 pages carried by, Kristin said, by the Israeli military, and the SG, despite not being asked to analyse, but is this credible?  Does this investigation, 50 pages, represent “credible, independent and according to international standards”, as the GA resolution asks for? Spokesperson:  As I said, the Secretary-General was not asked to analyse and he was not asked to express his views on the responses that were received.  His role was to ensure that the submissions were received and that those submissions could then be given to the General Assembly, the membership, to the 192 countries, Member States, and for him to be able to assess, to be able to say, to what extent the resolution had been implemented.  And that’s what he has done.

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Question:  So it is not requested at all to say whether this is credible, independent?  It is.  The resolution says:  present a report on whether the sides have carried out independent, credible and according to international standards.  So there is an assessment element in it.  Not just delivering the report from the two sides to the GA.  That’s not what that resolution says. Spokesperson: No.  The resolution calls on the Government of Israel and on the Palestinian side, that’s right, within a three-month period, it says here to show, in line with the recommendation of the fact-finding mission, that there are investigations that are independent, credible and in conformity with international standards.

And what the Secretary-General says is:  “I believe that, as a matter of principle, international humanitarian law needs to be fully respected and civilians must be protected in all situations and circumstances.  Accordingly, on several occasions, I have called upon all of the parties to carry out credible domestic investigations into the conduct of the Gaza conflict.  And I hope that such steps will be taken wherever there are credible allegations of human rights abuses.”

And then he goes on to say:  “It is my sincere hope that General Assembly resolution 64/10 has served to encourage investigations by the Government of Israel and the Palestinian side that are independent, credible and in conformity with international standards.”

But, however, what he also adds is:  “I note from the materials received that the processes initiated by the Government of Israel and the Government of Switzerland are ongoing, and that the Palestinian side initiated its process on 25 January 2010.”

And so I’m repeating:  “As such, no determination can be made on the implementation of the resolution by the parties concerned.”  That’s where we are.

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Spokesperson:  I can certainly ask him.  It’s clear he was not asked to express his views on the responses.  His job was to pull together the information he received, which he has done, and to transmit it to the General Assembly, which he has done, and to provide an overview of where things stand.

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Spokesperson:  There was a deadline set by the General Assembly.  That deadline has now passed.  The submissions were received on time, in the state that they were received, and they have been transmitted to the General Assembly.  It’s up to the Member States to take the next step if they wish to do so; if they wish to take it further.

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Question:  Thanks.  You read out this paragraph 9 saying that, in principle, he believes that civilians should be protected in all circumstances and things should be investigated.  It’s a related follow-up.  I’m wondering how this relates to steps he has taken or not taken in the case of Sri Lanka, given that [Independent Expert Philip] Alston himself had called for Ban Ki-moon to conduct an investigation or called for one.  When I read the paragraph, I couldn’t help wondering, since he says in all circumstances, does he find what Sri Lanka has done a credible investigation or is he calling for an investigation, or is that all finished? Spokesperson:  Well, you know where we are with that already; that the Secretary-General has said that he is considering setting up a commission of independent experts.  That’s where we are with that.  Okay, I’ll take one more question, if there is one; otherwise, I’m handing over to Jean Victor.

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Question:  One question about Nigeria.  Thanks a lot and I appreciate that.  There is an article in the Guardian, one of the biggest papers there:  “UN to Train Ex-Militants in Niger Delta”.  So I’m wondering, it’s obvious, there’s a conflict there that the UN hasn’t had much involvement in.  If the UN is in fact going to be training ex-militants in the Niger Delta, under what mandate and who’s funding that work? Spokesperson:  Okay, let’s back up a little, Matthew.  Who is the source for the story?

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Spokesperson:  No, what’s the source for the Guardian?

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Spokesperson:  You are absolutely right, Matthew, but does it quote anyone from UNOPS?

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Spokesperson:  Saying what?

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Question:  Saying, UNOPS Programme Coordinator stated that this is job creation and skills.  It doesn’t say anywhere whether it’s funded by the UN or its part of some good offices role by the Secretary-General or otherwise.  So, it’s a major conflict to which Mr. [Ibrahim] Gambari actually went at one point to work; I’m wondering, I’m asking, whether the Secretariat has any involvement in or can state who is funding the UN’s work in the Niger Delta? Spokesperson:  Let’s find out.  Thank you. All right, Jean Victor.

Briefing by the Spokesperson for the General Assembly President

Good afternoon.

Follow-up to the report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict.  In its resolution 64/10 of 5 November 2009, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to report on the follow-up to the Goldstone Report within three months.  The Secretary-General’s report, 64/651, was issued yesterday, 4 February.

Member States will consult on the further course of action.  The President of the General Assembly remains strongly committed to the cause of peace and justice in the Middle East.

Another item of news.  Yesterday, President Treki received the Honourable Gianfranco Fini, President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.  Mr. Fini conveyed condolences on the losses suffered by the United Nations family in the earthquake in Haiti, and appreciated the important role being played by the United Nations in coordinating and mobilizing international relief and support efforts in Haiti.

Dr. Treki and Mr. Fini discussed important issues on the agenda of the General Assembly, including in particular the reform and strengthening of the United Nations to enable the world body to effectively address the global challenges of peace and development.  They also underlined the need for urgent and concerted efforts to resume the Middle East peace process for an early peaceful settlement.

That’s what I have for you today.  Yes.

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Question:  I was just wondering what the President of the General Assembly’s assessment is of Mr. Ban Ki-moon’s report?  Is it a re-report or is it just telling you like a postman, “I got this and you decide”? Spokesperson:  Well, as you are fully aware, the President of the General Assembly speaks on behalf of the 192 Member States of the General Assembly.  Consultations are ongoing.  The President of the General Assembly remains very committed to peace and justice in the Middle East.  He has, as far as I know, as we speak, no comment on a report which is a report of the Secretary-General.  So, we will have to wait and see what Member States come up with.

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Spokesperson:  He was not expecting anything specific from the SG besides what the resolution set up in writing by just requesting the Secretary-General to report, in line with the content of that resolution.

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Spokesperson:  Khaled, you’re not going to expect me to disagree with Martin on this podium; certainly not.  I am not going to do that.  I think you had all the opportunities to ask all the questions that you wanted to Martin.

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Spokesperson:  I would not like to comment on the word “only”, which is part of your question.  I would just like to limit myself to what we have just said; that the resolution of the GA requested the Secretary-General to report within three months, and the Secretary-General has done so, and the President of the General Assembly has stated that the Secretary-General has done so.  And the report speaks for itself.  Yes, Matthew.

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Question:  This may be another… I have another question about… as President of the General Assembly.  The only thing will be, I don’t think it’s for you to disagree with Martin.  It’s a question of that the General Assembly is supposed to be, to some degree, overseeing the Secretary-General.  So it’s not about, you know, you.  I mean, I can imagine you having to disagree or to say President of the General Assembly.  So, I wanted to ask you, the GA voted last year to create, that a women’s entity should be set up; a new agency consolidating UNIFEM and other entities.  Yesterday the head of the EU, the EU representative here, the ambassador of Spain, called on the Secretary-General urgently to move forward, basically implying that things had moved too slow.  I’m wondering whether, as President of the GA and that vote that took place, whether President Treki has any view when this should be done?  Does he agree with the EU that it’s been too slow and should move forward?  What’s his involvement in this issue? Spokesperson:  Well, that’s a good question.  I hear you.  I’ll check with the specific committee dealing with this and I’ll ask the PGA if he has a specific view on how to move forward with this important issue.  But on your question regarding the Goldstone Report, it is not that I’m trying to disagree or not to disagree with Martin.  That is not the question.  The point is, I speak for the President of the General Assembly and Martin speaks for the Secretary-General.  This happens to be a report of the Secretary-General, so I’m not going to comment on the report itself.  This is for Martin to do so.

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Question:  No, I was asking, if you don’t mind, you know, he particularly said that the SG was not supposed to make any assessments.  As the Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly, do you agree with this, that the SG was not supposed to make any assessment of the reports presented by the two sides? Spokesperson:  Well, I will not go beyond anything that is in writing in the resolution of 5 November.  And I will not go beyond what I have already stated on behalf of the President of the General Assembly.  The point is that this report is now with the Member States and we have to give them a bit more time to see what comes up, if anything at all.  So we just have to wait and see.

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Question:  What is the timetable for the evaluation by the Member States and what’s the next step?  Will there be a written, another resolution, perhaps, or a further written request of the Secretary-General?  Are there any procedural steps that have been laid out?  Any timetables for this review by the Member States? Spokesperson:  There is no specific timetable as such, just to say that I speak here on behalf of the President of the sixty-fourth session of the General Assembly, and this is obviously a matter that is part of the sixty-fourth session agenda.  But…[interrupted].

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Spokesperson:  Absolutely.

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Question:  So wouldn’t this be something that he might initiate for vote by the Member States, but be proactive and say, “well there is a schedule for review, feedback and response back, or further enquiry to the Secretary-General”?  Is that being considered by the President? Spokesperson:  I hear you.  This was a resolution adopted by Member States.  I think we have to leave it to Member States to come up with what they think the next steps should be, really.  The President is really above the fray, and he is a facilitator and he is very committed to a process that will hopefully lead to a peaceful settlement in the Middle East.  But really, it’s for Member States to go through this report and to come to the President and to tell him what it is that they want to see happening; what should the next steps be.  Kristen, you had a question?

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Spokesperson:  The report is not even one day old yet.  It was issued yesterday evening, so let’s just give it a bit more time.  It’s a long report, so…

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Question:  Exactly, that is what I was going to ask you.  I mean it’s a three-page report.  I mean, the Israeli report has been around for about a week, you know.  I mean, online and available for everyone.  So I was wondering, how long do Member States need to read three pages written by the SG? Spokesperson:  Well, it is not only a matter of reading the report.  It is a matter of going through it and just checking all the possible implications.  And Member States are quite sovereign, and they will do and say what they believe is right and needs to be done.  So we really have to leave it with them.  We shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves and just wait a bit.  We should give it a bit more time.

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Spokesperson:  Well, there is no specific time frame.  I mean, you can go out there, Khaled, and ask every single Member State that specific question, and…[interrupted]

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Spokesperson:  I think before the President can give any impression of his, he has to take stock of comments and representations that will or may not be made to him.  So even then, we have to give him time.  And these are early days, I will say.  And we will have to see if this month something happens.  It could be something very quick, it could take time.  But it will take what it takes.  We have to leave it to Member States.

That’s the nature of the General Assembly.

I thank you very much, and I wish you a good afternoon.

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The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Martin Nesirky, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

So good afternoon and welcome to the briefing.

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Our guest today, as you can see, is Jordan Ryan, who is the Assistant Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and he is going to be briefing you on the cash-for-work programme that UNDP is running in Haiti and on some other things, too.  And then after the briefing by Jordan, I’ll be happy to take other questions.  And also, I’ve got a couple of small announcements that might help you.  So, Jordan, over to you.

[Briefing by UNDP Assistant Administrator Jordan Ryan issued separately.]

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Just very briefly to give you a couple of other points.  As I mentioned yesterday, at 1 p.m., so quite soon, there will be a press conference here to announce the launch of the 2010 Global Model United Nations [Conference]that will take place in Malaysia this coming [28-30 July], in partnership with the Malaysian Government and the Office for the Alliance of Civilizations.

And as I also told you yesterday, at 3:45 p.m. there will be a stakeout opportunity, and this is with the Alternate Foreign Minister of Greece, Mr. Dimitris Droutsas.  And that will take place on the first floor of the temporary North Lawn Building at our new stakeout position.

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And tomorrow, following the meeting of the Security Council, Mr. Kanat Saudabayev who is Chairman-in-Office for the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), will speak to correspondents at the Security Council stakeout.

And then at 1:15 p.m. tomorrow, there will be a briefing on the CARICOM initiative on non-communicable diseases in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO).  And Dr. Donatus St. Aimee, the Permanent Representative of the Mission of Saint Lucia, will moderate that briefing.

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And just a small item from UNICEF, the number of children affected by humanitarian disasters and crises is increasing significantly around the world.  And the critical role of partnerships in assisting them and their families is the focus of UNICEF’s flagship humanitarian action report, which was launched today.

The report is also entitled, or subtitled, “The Partnering for Children in Emergencies”.  And it emphasizes the critical role of partnerships in assisting vulnerable children and families.  And it also appeals to donors for nearly $1.2 billion in funding for emergency response efforts to support a greater emphasis on emergency preparedness, early warning, disaster risk reduction and rapid recovery.  And we have more on this in my Office, and there is also more on UNICEF’s website.

So that’s what I have for you.  Any other questions?

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Spokesperson:  What I can tell is that the Secretary-General will give a report to the General Assembly [by] tomorrow in response to the General Assembly’s request to him in resolution 64/10 of 4 November of last year.  And that resolution, as you all recall, I’m sure, concerned the implementation of the recommendations of the Goldstone Report.  The Secretary-General’s report will be presented in print, in other words, not in person, and it will be available in the coming days as a General Assembly document.  And I don’t have any information for you at present on whether the General Assembly will schedule any meetings to discuss the Secretary-General’s report, but I’m sure that Jean Victor Nkolo will be following up on that.  Yes, Evelyn.

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Spokesperson:  No, I said he will give a written report, but he is not going to hand it over in person.

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Spokesperson:  It’s done in the usual way, which is, actually, electronically these days.

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Spokesperson:  In due course.  As I said, it will be available in the coming days as a General Assembly document.

Correspondent:  Well, that doesn’t help.

Spokesperson:  Well, it does help in that I’m sure that Jean Victor could tell you when it’s available.

[The Spokesperson later announced that the General Assembly Spokesperson had informed his Office that, once the Secretary-General’s report concerning the Goldstone Report has gone to the Member States of the General Assembly, it will be made public and will appear on the General Assembly website.]

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Spokesperson:  Israel?  Did you say Israel?  I just couldn’t hear what you were saying.

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Question:  I’m sorry.  I said the Israeli Government has said that it is investigating, because although it deems the report to be unfair or whatever, it is still investigating.  Does the Secretary-General believe that that report will be… will take that into consideration when he is presenting that report? Spokesperson:  Well, I am not going to prejudge what will be written in that report, but what I would note is, as the Secretary-General has said himself, that he did receive submissions both from the Israeli Government, from the Palestinian Authority, and they were submitted in time for him to be able to present his report.

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Spokesperson:  Palestinian Authority.

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Spokesperson:  You heard what the Secretary-General said yesterday, and I don’t have anything to add to that.

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Question:  Yesterday, the Justice Minister in the Hamas government said that he has handed the report to the Office of the [High] Commissioner for Human Rights, and that the representative of the [High] Commissioner for Human Rights said that he will convey that to the SG, so that he would include it in his report. Spokesperson:  First of all, you can ask the [High] Commissioner for Human Rights what the status of that is, and secondly, you heard what the Secretary-General said yesterday and that’s enough.

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Question:  My question is, does he have a problem of getting a response from Hamas?  Is there a legal problem that prevents the SG from getting the report straight from Hamas to his office, because he only deals with the PLO, with the Mission here? Spokesperson:  There are two things here.  One, the submissions have been received and they are from the Palestinian Authority and from the Government of Israel, and the Secretary-General’s report will cover those submissions, plus, of course, from the Swiss Government.  The second point is, I don’t think we really need to go into the full ins and outs of all of this.  You know full well that the United Nations deals with the Palestinian Authority.

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Spokesperson:  The report, as I said, you heard what the Secretary-General said yesterday, first thing.  Second thing, their report is going to the General Assembly tomorrow.  I think that answers your question.  Yes.

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Question:  The Palestinian Authority and Hamas are reportedly coming to an agreement for reconciliation.  Is this something that the Secretary-General encourages to facilitate the resumption of the negotiation process? Spokesperson:  The Secretary-General is following closely what happens in the Middle East and looks at all efforts that will bring people together, and will help to push the peace process forward in a positive light.

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Question:  There is a case in South Africa where eight tons of ammunition have been seized by the Government… I mean, seized by police.  It is said they were ordered by the UN for use in Ivory Coast, Liberia and Burundi.  I guess what I’m wondering is, my understanding was that contingents bring their own ammunition, that the peacekeeping contingents from various nations that go to peacekeeping bring their own ammo and are reimbursed by the UN.  Can you, either now or if you look into it, explain why the UN was ordering eight tons of ammunition, how the order came about, and what it would be used for? Spokesperson:  Well, I think it’s obvious what ammunition is used for.

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Spokesperson:  Let me find out the details from DPKO [Department of Peacekeeping Operations].  I’m aware of this case, this news report, and I don’t yet have the guidance from DPKO.  We’ve asked for it already.

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Spokesperson:  And you got an answer, Matthew.

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Question:  I guess what I want to say is, basically, you said you were going to appeal, so I wanted to ask, what’s the basis?  I mean, you can appeal, but having read the decision can you get some sense of what the basis of appeal is? And also, separately, unless the basis of appeal is just totally factually wrong as to what the Under-Secretary-General did in terms of accountability and management, how does the Secretary-General view the factual findings that, if he was not appealing from each of them, what are the repercussions for what is found in that decision? Spokesperson:  We gave you a response yesterday, and I don’t have anything to add to that.

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Question:  There has been so many threats in the Middle East, regarding Syria, Lebanon.  Is there any reaction from the Secretary-General about the tension in the Middle East, the rising tension, and is he concerned about that?  Is he going to do any mediation or to allay, or to release, some of the pressure and the tension in the area? Spokesperson:  I think that one needs to look at the big picture here.  There are different elements.  There are, of course, signs of tension in different areas.  But there are also signs and reports that people are prepared to speak to each other, and that Senator [George] Mitchell has been moving around the region trying to help that happen.

And as you also know, the Secretary-General has spoken recently by telephone with [Palestinian] President [Mahmoud] Abbas, and also with [Israeli] Defence Minister [Ehud] Barak.  This clearly indicates the Secretary-General’s involvement in trying to help to move things forward.  And any, of course, tensions, he would want to ensure that those are minimized, and that’s why he works the telephones to try to help in that particular area.

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Question:  Martin, on a totally different subject, could you have an update on Benazir Bhutto’s Commission, because I had asked about it on Monday, because they had no update at that point in time?  But has the Commission gone back to Pakistan at all to interview people or has it not gone back?  When does it intend to go back, and is it about to conclude its work or not? Spokesperson:  I’m sure my colleagues who are listening right now have taken down the list of your questions and we’ll find out.

[The Spokesperson later added that staff members of the Commission are currently in Pakistan, and that its current mandate lasts until the end of March.]

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Question:  I have a general question.  I think next week, the UN strategy in preventing the world financial crisis will resume their workshop meetings.  Do you think it will be a closed-door discussion in reaching a conclusion, and then we’ll be briefed or do you think there is any, will be any, arrangement on that? Spokesperson:  Let me find out.  I don’t know.  I’ll find out.

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Spokesperson:  He misspoke, and he meant at Armonk.

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Spokesperson:  Correct, correct.

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Spokesperson:  And also I would stress, as you know, these are informal consultations with the aim of trying to move to negotiations at a later stage.  But these are informal consultations like the other previous rounds that Mr. [Christopher] Ross has been involved in.

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Spokesperson:  Okay.  As I said, I’ll see what I can find out.

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