**Questions and Answers

Question:  Yesterday, the former Special Representative of the Secretary-General to Western Sahara was here giving testimony, if you will, about some of the grievances in Western Sahara.  Does the Secretary-General have any response to this press conference he gave, and some of the comments he brought up about, he said, the UN has failed in that region?

Spokesperson:  The Secretary-General has expressed clearly at his last press conference where he stands on Western Sahara.  He wants the talks to continue.  And he is going to have another Special Envoy who is going to pursue the talks.  I don’t think the Secretary-General will respond specifically to those comments.  Yes, Matthew?

Question:  [Inaudible]...in Liberia, this otherwise [inaudible] civil society protest calling for a war crimes court in Liberia was blocked from bringing its cause before the United Nations and that there is...  UNMIL itself blocked the advocates from conducting a perfectly legal demonstration.  Are you aware of it and is there any response to it?

Spokesperson:  No, I’m not aware of it and I will try to find out what happened.

Question:  And also, there is this “People’s initiative” in Sudan convened by President Al-Bashir in Darfur.  Some people say it doesn’t have ... there are armed rebels involved, therefore, it’s a non-starter.  Does the Secretary-General or UNAMID or Mr. Bassole or anyone in the UN system have any view of whether it’s a positive step forward, this people’s initiative in Sudan?

Spokesperson:  Well, actually, you know, Mr. Bassole is at the meeting right now.  So I’ll let you know what his reaction is once the meeting is over.

Question:  One more thing.  There is a report out yesterday by the Board of Auditors of the UN system.  A section of it concerns the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) and it says that the rate of auditing has been low in 2006 and 2007, and that OIOS should be required to complete the risk-based framework of the audit division.  It makes critiques of OIOS.  I wanted to know first, I know that OIOS is semi-independent, but partially under the Secretary-General.  If he has any view; who he is it that’s going to make the OIOS do these things, until, if we can have Inga-Britt Ahlenius, now that she has briefed the Fifth Committee on her report, have to appear for the first time in this room.

Spokesperson:  Well, I’ll ask her.  But in terms of this back and forth between the Member States and the different organs or Departments within the UN, this is a normal process that occurs every year where you have discussions on different issues.  You asked me a similar question, I think about DPI, two days ago.  The process is ongoing.  We’re not going to comment on every single criticism that is made, or every response that is made by each department.  You know, it’s...

Question:  [Inaudible]... years in a row it’s gone wrong.  So I think it’s totally fair to say what’s being done to address the...

Spokesperson:  Well, I think we can find out once they have answered the Member States.  Once they have answered the Member States, that will give you also an answer.  This is an intergovernmental process.  Yes, Omar?

Question:  I just want to know, yesterday in Geneva at the talks between Russia and Georgia, [inaudible]...and Ban Ki-moon says; Ban Ki-moon was there.  In what level was he involved in those talks?  Did he try to contact the leaders of the two countries or did he do anything?  And the failure of the talks why he was there, was it to see [inaudible]...undermining his moral authority?

Spokesperson:  Well, I’m sorry you were not here, Omar, yesterday.  I spoke at length about it.  Essentially the Secretary-General was there for consultations prior to the meetings.  He did not participate in the technical meetings.  He did participate at a working dinner with the secretariat of the European Union and the secretariat of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).  So, the discussions went on and we have an extensive [inaudible] upstairs on that and you can have more information.  Of course, the Secretary-General gave a press briefing.  You can have those remarks that he made.  And in terms of the actual technical briefing itself, the technical meetings took place after the initial day, when the Secretary-General had already left.  The Secretary-General was represented by Johan Verbeke, his Special Representative for Georgia.

Question:  Yesterday, the G-8 announced they’re going to hold a global financial summit as early as November and President Sarkozy demanded that it take place in New York and suggested it be similar to the UN and Bretton Woods conference from the 1940s.  Is the Secretary-General aware of any of this or are they any talks?  Would the UN be ... any information on this if the UN is going to get involved?

Spokesperson:  We don’t have anything concrete yet in terms of what the G-8 is planning to do.  The Secretary-General is in constant contact over this issue.  As you know, the whole issue of the financial crisis is the primary concern right now.  He has expressed that concern over the fact, essentially, that he’s afraid that this might hamper the development agenda.  As you know there was a meeting about the Millennium Development Goals and at least $16 billion were pledged.  And for the Secretary-General it is imperative that the commitments made at that conference be carried on and be implemented.  So, to him it is essential that, first in terms of assistance to the developing world, that the pledges become a reality.  So those are his concerns.  As you know, there are a number of ongoing initiatives.  I am sorry that Enrique is not here today, but he mentioned to you already the fact that there is going to be a meeting at the General Assembly level, a meeting of Member States over that issue.  The Secretary-General is having also a meeting next week of all our CEB, what we call the CEB, the Chief Executives Board, which brings together the heads of all the agencies, including the Bretton Woods institutions, and the issue of the financial crisis is going to be at the centre of that meeting.  So what we’re trying to do is arrange some form of briefing for you even though the CEB is a closed meeting among executives.  But we’re going to try to arrange for you some form of information briefing afterwards, or before or after.  Yes, Mr. Abbadi?

Question:  Thank you, Michèle.  Michèle, the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea has now been withdrawn.  The Secretary-General has submitted his last report and yet the conflict remains open because the pillars have not been planted around the borders.  Is the Secretary-General concerned about possible outbreak of violence?  And are there any efforts made in the context of preventive diplomacy?

Spokesperson:  There are certainly efforts being made.  But as you know, it was not our decision to withdraw the peacekeepers.  And so, we had to fall back because we could no longer operate.  Yes, Lou?

Question:  The Georgia-Russia talks yesterday failed or fell apart for the time being, essentially because of the failure to reach an agreement on whether the representatives of Abkhazia and South Ossetia should be present.  In light of the fact that things have for now fallen apart, does the Secretary-General have a view on whether it might be good in the future to have representatives from Abkhazia and South Ossetia, either formally or informally?

Spokesperson:  Well, as you know, the meeting was organized by the European Union and the Secretary-General was invited to co-host that meeting and his Special Representative co-hosted that meeting; Mr. Verbeke.  What I can try to get for you is more information on what happened during the technical briefing.  All I can tell you at this point is that they have already decided on a date to meet again, which means that the talks are not a complete failure.

Question:  Right.  It’s just that this is a key issue and I am sure that all sides are interested in the Secretary-General’s views as an objective outsider and whether it would be a good idea to have these representatives there or not.  It’s obviously very important for the Russians from their perspective, and the Georgians have a very strong view on it as well.

Spokesperson:  As you know, the Secretary-General agreed to co-host that meeting so he is certainly in favour of dialogue.  The form of that dialogue and the format of that dialogue, of course, has to be discussed between the parties, and this is what was attempted in Geneva.

Question:  On this issue of what they’re calling the news blackout; the idea that the news media could not even cover the entrance and exit of officials to this meeting.  It seems like the meeting took place in United Nations premises.  So what was the UN’s involvement in the decision in implementation of barring the press from covering the meeting?

Spokesperson:  As I said yesterday, it was just a short while in which the press could not cover because of the sensitivity of the issue.  Personally, I do know that afterwards there was a press briefing.  As I said yesterday, Mr. Verbeke spoke at the press briefing and Mr. Bernard Kouchner, the Foreign Minister of France, also spoke at that meeting representing the EU.  So what I am saying is that the news blackout you are referring to was at a certain time during the proceedings.  It was upon the request of the participants.

Question:  Was it so that people couldn’t see whether Abkhazia and South Ossetia went inside?  And to who was the UN...?

Spokesperson:  I don’t have those details.

Question:  ...in headquarters here, apparently, is it the UN’s position that they could say to the press you can’t cover the entry or exit of somebody into the building.  And if so, under what...

Spokesperson:  No, this has nothing to do with the UN.  The Palais des Nations was used as the place, as a venue.  The UN was not the one controlling who was coming in and out or controlling what the press was doing.  I can get for you some information on that so-called press blackout, which lasted a little while and did not cover the whole meeting; of course not.  So I’ll try to get more information for you on how it was done.  But you know, in cases like this, the main participants are the ones deciding on access.

Question:  Right.  Even if it is the UN building that’s why there is, like, the Media and Accreditation Liaison.  Like, there is always, like, the right of the press to cover something in the building.  If they wanted to do it somewhere else, they can do it somewhere else.  But isn’t the UN in control of press freedom and press access if an event is inside the UN?

Spokesperson:  Not necessarily.  If a meeting is closed, you don’t have access to it.

Question:  I know, but this was about standing even outside the closed meeting.

Spokesperson:  I’d have to find out the details.  I don’t know how it happened, and I will find out the details for you.  But I don’t think that we should have a blanket conclusion before we have the facts.

Question:  That’s why I am asking.

Spokesperson:  Okay, sure.

Question:  One last question which is that there was yesterday put on the UN’s i-Seek system a petition concerning the Staff Union.  My question is really not about the petition but about how it was decided and by whom to put online the signatures and ID card numbers of several hundred UN staff members and whether that is consistent with both the privacy and/or sort of identity theft of the staff members and the safety of UN premises given that supposedly these IDs are the safe way to get into the building.  Who decided that this petition, which is opposing the current Staff Union leadership should be put online for thousands of people to see?

Spokesperson:  I assume it was put by the people who put their signatures there.

Question:  No, but I’m saying that many people...if someone else in the UN system said I want to put something in i-Seek, it doesn’t go up.  Somebody decides we’re going to put this one up.  So, who decided...?

Spokesperson: Okay, I can find out for you who decides that, but in cases like this, if the people who signed the petition wanted their names known it is...  I have to add, Matthew, that this is not a public site.  This is an internal site for UN staff.

Question:  Right.  That thousands of people see.  So, I guess not only...

Spokesperson:  Thousands of people?

Question:  Yes.

Spokesperson:  Okay, if you say so.

Question:  No, I mean, how many UN staff have access to it?

Spokesperson:  UN staff, yes.  All UN staff have access to it, yes.

Question:  And just whoever decided to put it up; were the people who signed the petition told, because I have heard complaints from people that signed it that they had no idea that their signature and information was going to be put online.  That’s not part of the petition.  So, I’m just asking; it’s just a question...

Spokesperson:  I will ask for you how it was done.  Yes, Mr. Abbadi?

Question:  Michèle, you indicated that the World Food Programme has been contributing to distributing food in Haiti to help in the recovery.  Have organizations such as the World Bank and the Organization of Latin American States [sic] been giving any help to Haiti?

Spokesperson: Well, as you heard from Mr. Boutroue yesterday, the UN is collaborating with a number of regional organizations, private donors, NGOs and, of course, the UN system to get assistance to the people of Haiti.  So it’s really a collegial effort; it’s an effort among different partners.

Thank you very much.