Spokesman : It’s my first of the year, so that you beat me. You happen to be ahead of me. Spokesman : Yeah, please. Question : Actually, Wayne asked some of my questions. So I know Farhan [Haq] got already answered this query yesterday, but can you [elaborate] the position from the Secretary-General on the issue from the Aqsa [Mosque] Compound? Spokesman : Well, I think on his… it is clear on his statement whenever he talked about people who had been being arbitrarily detained, this individual means people arbitrarily held around the world, full stop. There’s no caveat to that. On the issue of the statement and his follow-up, how that proceeds, that’s within their mandate; you should be asking all of them. Okay, James, you look like you are itching. I have a few peacekeeping updates to share with you from our different missions. First within the Democratic Republic of the Congo. MONUSCO is telling us that its Drive Intervention Brigade has released a joint operation with the Congolese army. The operation aims to bolster ongoing efforts to protect civilians and to neutralize armed groups in the area along the Beni-Semulike-Kamango-Nobil axis in North Kivu. The UN peacekeepers also are undertaking patrols along the axis to help improve security, to allow freedom of movement from the population and security causes and to help with the return of internally displaced individuals. Spokesman : Alright. Secretary-General has been, well, on leave. He’s had some contacts. He and I talked about it just before the New Year when the news broke. And exactly what he said to me had been very clear. It’s such as he is always willing to mediate if both parties want your pet to mediate, which is… in a sense, what he would state about any conflict happening around the world and I’m sure it could the… once he’s in New York, he will be more completely briefed on the issue. Abdelhamid and then Betul and I’m going to go… Question : Thank you, Steph. I’m going to ask about Ukraine. The Turkish President has scheduled to talk to President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy and the Russian President, [Vladimir V.] Putin, today, and am am just wondering when the SG has anything planned after that phone call between the 3 leaders takes place. ** Abyei Question : Mister. [Tor] Wennesland is involved in these contacts? Is he ready, on post? Spokesman : Well, I mean, in the event that Security Council has a conference, we are asked to brief, we will of course provide a briefer. Speaker : What happens is the fact that millions of people will suffer. Which is what will happen. Well? We’ve been very clear to the need to extend the system. The cross-line delivery of aid is very important plus we’ve been working on that, through that as well, but that alone cannot meet the requirements that we are meeting through the cross-border delivery of aid. We have contingency plans for just about any situation, but one particular cannot replace… the cross-line alone cannot do the work that it is doing with the cross-border. So what will happen is that people will suffer, full prevent. Mr. Griffiths and our colleagues within the humanitarian affairs are following this closely, and we remain ready and continue to engage with Associate States who may have questions and queries on it but at the end of the day, it is a Security Council decision and I think, Secretary-General, Mr. Griffiths and all have been extremely clear on the critical need to continue this. Indeed sir? Correspondent : Hi, I’m the new correspondent with RTE Irish Media. ** Queries and Answers ** Senior Personnel Appointment ** Mali Spokesman : Not at this point. Madam? Correspondent : I have one more question. Spokesman : I don’t… James, I understand what you are saying, Mister. Wennesland is not missing in action. I know he’s been in contacts with his colleagues. As I said, he is on his way back to Jerusalem. We will continue to, I mean, there exists a new government in His home country of israel. We will continue to interact with them. Question : Thank you. News say that the Sudanese parties had reached some kind of agreement between the military component and two civilian organizations. Do you have any information on that? Is the UN involved with this new agreement? Speaker : Okay. There’s a lot in there. We continue to express exactly the same opinion we’ve been expressing because the beginning of these demonstrations, which is ensuring that people have a right to demonstrate, have a right to demonstrate quietly. Encouraging the Government within Tehran to engage with those individuals who have legitimate issues, especially concerning the rights of women plus girls. We are also… these are messages that have been passed directly from the Secretary-General to several Iranian leaders, and we will continue to do that. On the concern of Charlie Hebdo , frankly, I am just not aware of the particular details, but we continue to believe in the right of free speech plus expression for journalists. ** World Braille Day Question : That it is about Olivier Salgado. Did he find a new job? Because it was not his fault when he had been fired. Correspondent : But the question wasn’t about the… Just northern of that, in the Central Africa Republic, UN peacekeepers presently there have also concluded a combined mission with the Central African security forces to better guard people in the country’s west. Over a period of one month, peacekeepers conducted over 100 patrols and 30 aerial surveillance missions. They patrolled several localities, including Bossangoa, Nanabakassa, Markounda and Paoua. Military peacekeepers, furthermore accompanied by civilian colleagues, offered medical services, distributed school equipment and shared information regarding the threats of improvised explosive devices. General, over the past week, UN peacekeepers carried out over 1, 800 patrols to engage the population and better understand their issues. This included long range patrols in the east and also in the central region. Meanwhile, as part of our support for the upcoming local elections, peacekeepers provided security by escorting personnel from the National Elections Authority in the Ouham Pende Prefecture. Spokesman : These are… It’s a quite legitimate question, Alan, but I will leave the historic analysis to reporters, in order to former officials and to historians. We are very much centered on today and trying to put an end to this bloody war. Let me just come back to you. I’m just going to take a question online. Oscar, I think you had something. Okay, while Oscar connects, I will take your query. Question : Who will be briefing? Question : I wanted in order to ask about Yemen. The US Envoy to Yemen just got back and said US there advancing the UN-backed peace initiative in Yemen, which leads me… has presently there been any talk between UN and the US Peacefulness Envoy regarding Yemen? What is the latest in terms of the UN serenity effort? Question : Yeah, but what happened in order to him? Correspondent : There is a new govt in Israel. And it’s no time to be on vacation. Question : Just a very quick question. As you know Ireland has just stepped down from the Security Authorities. What will the Secretary-General miss most about the Irish on Security Council? ** South Sudan Question : Surely, he shouldn’t end up being on holiday at a time like this. I mean, he seems to be lacking in action. We’ve been looking through his website. He hasn’t… There’s no statement on his website since 10 October. Not what he tweeted was 29 December, congratulating President [ sic ] Netanyahu. Does he still congratulating President Netanyahu, when he is heard some of the comments he’s made about settling property all across Israel, including the busy territories? Question : Steph, a question on Syria. We know that Security Council began negotiations on renewing the particular cross-border aid mechanism in to Syria and if they can’t achieve an agreement, the mechanism will expire in less than a week. And has the Secretary-General or even Martin Griffiths’ office have been informed about the latest at the negotiations, and are you prepared if the mechanism is not renewed? What happens? Spokesman : I know, but we now have no forensic information or even way of knowing who is attacking where. What we are usually seeing in Syria would be that the violence is continuing through many quarters and that is something we would like to see halted. Okay, yes ma’am. Correspondent : Hi. I am James Marktown from Al Sharq . I just came. This is my second day. Spokesman : On this issue, none that I can review. Dezhi? Spokesman : We have… as far as all of us checked a bit earlier this morning, we had not received any kind of written letters, at least by means of our… the usual channels. But we’ll check again. ** Arbitrary Detention Speaker : He will end up being, I think, back in Jerusalem tomorrow. Spokesman : I will repeat what Mr. Haq mentioned yesterday. The Secretary-General reiterates the importance of upholding this self-destruction, in line with the special role of the Kingdom of Jordan, and calls on all in order to refrain from steps that could escalate tensions in and around Jerusalem’s holy sites. A senior personnel announcement to share with you: These days, the Secretary-General is appointing Lieutenant General Otávio Rodrigues De Miranda Filho associated with Brazil as Force Commander for the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). He succeeds Lieutenant Common Marcos de Sá Affonso da Costa, also through Brazil, to whom the Secretary-General is deeply pleased for his important share and to the service of the UN peacekeeping in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Lieutenant General Miranda Filho has several years of encounter in command-and-control structures in the Brazilian Army. More info online. A quick humanitarian update, this one from Mali. Martin Griffiths, the head of Humanitarian Affairs, has allocated million from the Central Emergency Reaction Fund (CERF) to support people impacted by insecurity in the country’s north. The money will help provide life-saving assistance to 423, 000 people, including internally displaced people, political refugees and host communities in the Gao, Kidal and Mopti regions. The new allocation will support projects just for education and protection, as well as in the areas of health, water, hygiene, shelter and psychological assistance. As you are conscious, humanitarian needs in Mali are dire, as the country faces a multidimensional crisis. This year, humanitarians will need 8 million to help 6. 2 million people. Query : And does the Secretary-General have any connections on this issue? Spokesman : We have… okay. And today is World Braille Day. Celebrated since 2019, the Day aims to raise awareness of the importance of Braille within the context of education, freedom of expression and opinion, as well as social inclusion, as reflected in article two of the Convention on the Legal rights of People with Disabilities. James? Question : I’m sorry. Thanks so much, Stéphane. I have a question on Ukraine make sure you. Not so long time ago former Chancellor [Angela] Merkel twice said that the Minsk agreements enable to “gain additional time just for Ukraine to become stronger”. And after that former Chief executive of France, Francois Hollande, just echoed this statement, who was a broker of this Minsk agreements, as well. So , I’m wondering from the viewpoint of the SG, to what extent did these statements reveal his attitude to the Minsk agreements — that basically… I mean such kind of words and phrases might be a sign that they were not supposed to be implemented from the very beginning? Question : Since this institution is established after [the Second World War], will the Secretary-General have anything to say on this reparation ask for? Just two more quick notes: In his message for the new year, the High Office for Human Rights, Volker Türk, is calling for that release of people imprisoned regarding exercising their human legal rights. As we begin the entire year that will mark the seventy-fifth anniversary year of the General Declaration of Human Rights, Mr. Türk is certainly asking Governments and all detaining authorities, globally, to amnesty, pardon or simply release those detained for exercising their particular rights and to end arbitrary detention once and for all. Spokesman : I think on Mr. Wennesland, we are reporting and are continuing to are accountable to the Security Council, and we continue to speak on this issue since Farhan did yesterday, and I did… I’m doing again today, as we speak on behalf of the Secretariat. I have no… We keep seeing press reports of increased violence in different parts of Syria. We wish to see an end to that and would like to see all the parties recommit to the political efforts led by Mister… wow God, I’ve been on vacation. [Geir] Pedersen. Please don’t let him know that I blanked on his name. ** Democratic Republic of the Congo Spokesman : I will check. Betul? Spokesman : I’m fully aware of Mister… of the reasons behind that will. Question : Merci . So Mali, the 46 Ivorian soldiers were sentenced to 20 yrs in prison. Three women were sentenced in order to death. Despite West African Heads of State urging Bamako to release them by 1 January or even face sanction. I realize, and I’m sure that the Secretary-General might be deeply concerned about this, but can he take action, is he doing some thing to get them released? Spokesman : We will… I will share with you what we get. I will share with you afterwards. I had not… I don’t know if there is anything specifically planned. Abdelhamid? Alright. I have a travel announcement to produce. The Secretary-General will be arriving in Geneva upon Sunday evening, where he will take part the following day at the International Conference on Climate-Resilient Pakistan. The meeting has been co-hosted by the Government of Pakistan and the United Nations. This high-level meeting aims to generate financial and international support to those influenced by last year’s devastating floods in Pakistan and to restore damaged infrastructure in a climate-resilient manner. In his comments to the conference, the Secretary-General will call for support in order to strengthen the resilience associated with communities in Pakistan for the future. While in Geneva, the particular Secretary-General is scheduled to keep a joint press conference with the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif. You will be able to follow that live on the webcast, but it is going to be early morning in New York. The Secretary-General will then travel back to New York from Geneva, and he will be back here on the evening of the ninth of January. Question : Can you confirm, though? ** Central Africa Republic Spokesman : I’m fully conscious of the reasons why Mr. Salgado was asked to depart. I’m not in the habit of discussing personnel… private personnel issues came from here. Betul and then Abdelhamid. ** Pakistan Conference Spokesman : We have been obviously extremely aware of this particular case. We have been following it closely. We’ve been in touch with many people involved. We remain willing to provide any necessary support to ensure that the detained soldiers return home. I would furthermore, since you mentioned the dying penalties, worth reiterating our own absolute stand against the death penalty anywhere. Question : Thank you Steph. Happy New Year 1st. I have two queries. And so, first, will Mr. Wennesland have to be in place to issue a tweet or a statement? Spokesman : Well, we now have, I think, throughout this battle, President [Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan, the Turkish government bodies have been very good about writing information from these phone calls. And I’m sure we will have got contact with the Turkish specialists afterwards. Spokesman : Wayne, let me finish. And we’ll continue to advocate for the same ideals, for the same goals as we now have had in the past. Just south of that, within South Sudan, the Un Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is continuing to respond to the volatile security circumstance in the Greater Pibor Management Area and Jonglei subsequent violence that began in late December, with the most recent clashes impacting communities in Likuangole. UNMISS is working with local authorities and faith-based market leaders to encourage armed youth to return to their places associated with origin. Its human being rights team is also checking out violations committed during the clashes and advocating for the discharge of the abducted women and kids. UNMISS leadership can be working with national and condition authorities to help de-escalate tensions in Jonglei, as well as in Upper Nile, where the Mission is convening an important peace conference between Nuer and Shilluk people. Issue : I think such major developments, how can anyone justify for his silence? That’s one thing. That’s my first query; and my second, Israel bombed the airport in Syria on Monday morning, killing three people plus closing… shutting down the airport. There was no statement or any comment on this development. The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s midday briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Spokesman : I actually think… yeah, there’s a lot I already miss in regards to the Irish. I think Ireland in europe which, as you said, simply finished its term, indicates what clear and powerful engagement on behalf of an elected member and what the effect that can have on relocating issues forward, and displaying the importance of active leadership from the elected members. Alright, Oscar, going once, two times. Alright, good-bye, help you tomorrow. No Paulina [Kubiak] till 9 January. The United Nations Interim Security Force just for Abyei (UNISFA) has replied rapidly to quell assault in the village of Rumamer, in the southern part of Abyei, after an early morning assault that took place today, led to 13 people being wiped out, five injured, and 27 homes being burnt towards the ground. UNISFA reports that an armed group of approximately 200 cattle herders had been responsible for the violence. Peacekeepers deployed immediately to supply physical protection to the villagers and are continuing to patrol the area to prevent further attacks and facilitate the secure return of civilians that fled. The objective has also launched an investigation into the incident. The performing head of peacekeeping mission, Brigadier General Abu Syed Mohammod Bakir, strongly condemned the attack and called on all stakeholders to end violence and fully take part in the peace process. Question : Number Well just… to the Ukrainian proposal at the end of the year for peace talks, has the Secretary-General himself been engaged on that? Has he had any discussions using the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, with President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy? Offers he had any outreach on the festive period, the holiday time period with the Russians, and has he or she been in touch with the Turks? Query : Thank you Stephane. Yesterday, Tehran announced it’s pursuing dozens of individuals, accuses of involvement in the killing of Qasem Soleimani, the General… Iranian Common, and a lot of them are non-Iranians, as well. And Iran has additionally vowed decisive response to the French magazine Charlie Hebdo with regard to publishing a cartoon they will find insulting of [Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei. And 18, 000 protestors remain in custody, executions without due process are still being planned, and my question is what is the UN doing diplomatically to deter the Islamic Republic from intimidating the international community as well as own people? Spokesman : We continue to remain engaged with all our interlocutors whether it is Yemeni interlocutors, local interlocutors and, of course , ALL OF US and others. While there has been no formal extension of the cessation of hostilities, it might be clear that we’ve furthermore, thank God, not observed any major eruptions and we’ve been able to see civilian flights continue. We’ve been able to see resources going to Hudaydah even without a formal extension. But , we all continue our efforts on that road in wanting to make sure that the gains are solidified and we can move even more. Yes? Correspondent : Hello. Sorry, that it is only my second press briefing. So Now i’m not very good at the microphones. Question : Hello there. I’m… I wanted to ask question about what you just mentioned — the High Commissioner of Human Rights, Volker Türk, making a comment, contacting for the release of all those arbitrarily detained. May he be extending that will to include the detained Uyghurs of Xinjiang, as comprehensive in the report by his predecessor, Michelle Bachelet? Spokesman : I examined with my colleague regarding two hours ago. We still didn’t have clarity, but we will have someone. As far as I am aware contacts… working level contacts with… between our UNSCO [United Nations Special Coordinator’s Office] colleagues and the Israeli Government can be continuing but nothing… Question : Indeed, can I ask, first, the Security Council is going to have a conference tomorrow on the situation in the centre East following the developments that people talked about in yesterday’s press briefing — the check out by Israel’s new National Security Minister to the Aqsa Mosque Compound and with some of the statements that you know that Chief executive Netanyahu… about Prime Ressortchef (umgangssprachlich) [Benjamin] Netanyahu has made. What is the UN doing on the ground diplomatically, and what is your reaction to the Security Authorities meeting? Spokesman : Welcome. This is such as a… It’s almost like Sept, like new kids in class. Welcome. Spokesman : Hi. Question : Okay, so my question is there’s information from Poland that the Shine Government is seeking for the particular reparation of [the Second World War] from Germany and so they said they might request a meeting with UN Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres, to talk about this very issue. Has the UN received any kind of request from the Polish side? Spokesman : Properly, I mean, in terms of… there are other parts of the UN that could have… that have moved, whether it’s the human rights, various human being rights mechanism. I can only speak for the Secretary-General. You know as well as I do what the authority of the Secretary-General is, which is enshrined within the Charter, and what I can tell you is that he’s been making statements publicly, but he’s also been engaging in closed door conversations with various Iranian leaders at various points. Alan? Question : The widespread speculation in Serbia, what they believe Iranian… the actual believe is that condemnation through the UN is not going to stop the Islamic Republic and deter them from committing each one of these crimes. So , is there anything other than words associated with condemnation that the UN is usually planning, an initiative…?
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