REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Corinne Momal-Vanian, the Director of the UN Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing, which was also attended by Spokespersons for the Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the Arab League for Syria, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Refugee Agency, the Human Rights Council, the World Meteorological Organization, the World Food Programme, the UN Conference on Trade and Development and the International Organization for Migration.

Syria

The following is a transcript of Questions & Answers with Ahmad Fawzi, Spokesperson for Kofi Annan, Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the Arab League for Syria:

Ahmad Fawzi: Good morning everyone. I thought it might be useful to come and spend 15 minutes with you this morning – to discuss the aftermath of Saturday, see if we all got over our hangovers, and talk about the day after, or the morning after, as they say.

You’ve seen a statement by the Secretary-General last night about the Action Group. I won’t go into it. If you haven’t seen it, I’m sure Corinne will forward it to you. But I’d like to give you a chance to air whatever queries you may have about what was accomplished on Saturday. So let’s just open the floor immediately to questions.

Q: Yes, good morning Mr. Fawzi. I was wondering, first, if you have any news on the situation of the people caught in the cross-fire in Homs that the ICRC has been trying to get out for the last two weeks. Mr. Lavrov, in his press conference in this room on Saturday, mentioned that the sticking point at present is the rebel forces and not the Government forces. Do you have any new information on what is the real state of play on this gridlock?

Fawzi: I regret to say, John, no, I don’t have an update. I know the ICRC has been trying valiantly to get in and get them out. But I don’t have any update. Next.

Q: My question is: what was the reaction of Mr. Annan? The next day, on Sunday, we already had the opposition saying that was a farce, the governmental media saying it was a failure, Iran saying that was a failure because it wasn’t here. I mean, I have not seen a single positive declaration after the meeting. How do you respond to all of this?

Fawzi: You’re reading different newspapers than I’m reading. I agree with you entirely, there have been declarations from certain quarters. To them I would say: let’s wait until the dust settles on this agreement and we will see eventually – I think everybody will see – that it was quite an accomplishment that was achieved here on Saturday. In the sense that Mr. Annan was able to rally the international community once again and bring to the table not only the P5 but key regional countries and organizations, and get them to agree on the concept, the policy, the principle of a transitional governing body.

And I have read reports this morning out of Moscow and Beijing which have been very supportive of the agreement, one of them calling it an inspiration and saying that they will put their full backing behind this agreement and do whatever what they can do. In fact, there are a couple of opposition leaders going to Moscow for meetings very, very soon. They will throw their weight behind the implementation of this resolution. So don’t underestimate the fact that there is agreement, in principle, on a political transition. There are other factors about Saturday’s meeting that I’ll go into a minute.

Q: Could explain something that I, at least, did not understand? Since you’re here, this is a good opportunity. In April, you all said that first you needed a ceasefire to get the political dialogue going. Now we don’t need a ceasefire to get the political dialogue going? Or you still need one but it’s not implemented?

Fawzi: I’m glad you raised that, Jamil, because it is imperative that we get a ceasefire. The main, or the number one, demand in this communiqué is cessation of hostilities and a cessation of violence in all its forms. And all the participants in the meeting – and if you look at the participants list I think you’ll find that there are more friends of Syria than others in the meeting that took place last Saturday – are committed to use their influence to bring about a cessation of hostilities. And on that score, the Joint Special Envoy and his team are devastated by the continuing violence and we are appealing once again to the powers with influence to use that influence to stop the killing so that we can move to a political process which we believe is the only solution to this crisis.

Q: It was a group of doctors who came to a decision on what medicine should be given to a patient. They agreed on the prescription. Now the question is whether the patient is willing to take this medicine and, secondly, whether this medicine would work. How do you comment on that and what actions are being taken to make sure that the patient takes his medicine?

Fawzi: It’s the right medicine. These doctors around the table, as you put it, are experts at conflict resolution, at diplomacy. This is a very finely crafted diplomatic document and the solution of this crisis lies therein. We are appealing to the parties, as I said earlier, to take a deep breath and step back from the brink and look long and hard at the proposals on the table because they form a framework for a solution. A solution that can either be reached through more bloodshed or a solution that can be reached trough negotiation and through a political process that will meet the legitimate aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people.

Q: Good morning, Ahmad. You say that newspapers in Moscow and Beijing are very happy with the outcome. If you listen to Mr. Lavrov on Saturday – and he was positively crowing about how he’d won – he was absolutely laying into the opposition, saying it was all their fault, they’re inciting sectarianism, racial hatred, they were behind the problems in Homs, they were getting illegal arms in. You’re saying that it’s in some way up to them to solve it. And yet you yourself have said in the past that the Government of Syria must make the first move. They bear primary responsibility. This just doesn’t seem to add up. It seems like – I mean this was an Action Group with no action. You’re still talking about, you know, we call on sides to halt the fighting. Can you just explain how this is supposed to work, what happens next? I just don’t get it. Thanks.

Fawzi: Right. I agree with you that you have to look deep and hard into the document to understand what action is going to be taken by the parties. And if you go to the agreed actions that the group members will take to implement the agreement, you will see that they have committed to apply joint and sustained pressure on the parties in Syria, both the Government and the opposition in its various forms. And as you know there’s a meeting concluding in Cairo today under the auspices of the League of Arab States, there’s a meeting of the Friends of Syria in Paris [on 6 July], there are meetings in the various capitals, the Joint Special Envoy is working the phones and planning his next steps. They have also said they were opposed to any further militarization. So there are steps that countries with influence have committed to take – and have started taking – in terms of influencing the parties. And I’ll stop there for the moment.

Q: It’s a follow-up on Tom’s question. I don’t see exactly what the next step is? The international community agreed to put pressure. So what is practically the way they’re going to put pressure. We see that in Cairo the opposition is not really agreeing on a post-Assad time so how do you see the future? How do you see the action of the international community, I would say, for real, not only on paper?

Fawzi: Look, nobody said it was going to be easy. This is an extremely complex conflict that we’re dealing with and it’s going to be a long, bumpy road. But we believe sincerely that the commitments made in Geneva on Saturday, over the weekend, were genuine and – if applied as promised, if applied as promised – will have an effect on the dynamics on the ground. And don’t forget that many forces have joined hands here on Saturday, not just a shift – and as I said, don’t underestimate the degree of the shift that happened here on Saturday, especially in the Russian and Chinese positions, to accept the principle of a policy change – but you also have the other countries that were here, whether it was Qatar or Turkey or Kuwait, who have signed on to this and will also exercise their influence on the parties that they can influence.

So I’m not going to go into the details of what they plan to do in terms of influence. But I would urge you to think about it for a moment and I think you will understand what kind of leverage they have, what kind of taps can be turned off or on that might influence the behavior of the parties.

Thank you very much. One final question.

Q: This is a little bit different from what you’ve been getting right now, I think. Navi Pillay spoke to the Security Council and said that it is an internal conflict, which is bureaucratic jargon, I believe, for civil war. And in that case, it sort of triggers the ability to prosecute or at least accuse or designate certain people for crimes against humanity. She’s talking about both the Government and the rebel forces. So I’m wondering whether this might not make your task even more difficult because their ability to get away with the crimes is now narrowed and they may just see no reason to go ahead and give into the peace process that you have going?

Fawzi: As I said earlier, the primary objective here is to stop the killing and that includes, when we say violence in all its forms, human rights abuses. And we have appealed to the countries that were here to use their influence to get the killing to stop so that the parties can – we can – create an environment conducive to a political process. And I think I’ll just stop there. Thank you very much.

Ms. Momal-Vanian confirmed that the Secretary-General’s statement on the Action Group meeting had been sent to journalists this morning.

Rupert Colville of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said that the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, had yesterday addressed the Security Council. Ms. Pillay had noted the conflict was becoming increasingly sectarian, and gradually eroding the fabric of society. She also said the lack of protection for civilians in Syria was becoming more acute, with increasing civilian casualties and limited access to humanitarian assistance and basic services.

With regard to the issue of whether or not it was a conflict, Ms. Pillay said there were indications that the situation in Syria – at least in certain areas – may amount to "a non-international armed conflict", the technical term for what was often called “internal conflict”. This entailed obligations on both parties under international humanitarian law. OHCHR believed that the number of areas in the country where this could be said to be the case was on the increase.

The legal obligations of all parties under international human rights law continued to apply throughout Syria, including conflict areas. The High Commissioner had recalled that the Government had the primary responsibility under international law to protect civilians.

The current major concern with regard to ongoing conflict was that hundreds remained trapped in Deir-Ezor and the Old City of Homs, unable to leave because of the increasing use of heavy weaponry, shelling and ongoing armed clashes. The High Commissioner had noted that the situation remained critical, with civilians unable to access medical treatment, food, water or electricity.

Ms. Pillay also told the Security Council that she believed the ongoing provision of arms to the Syrian Government and to its opponents was feeding additional violence, and said that any further militarization of the conflict must be avoided at all costs.

Last month, OHCHR (not the independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria) had concluded an investigative mission in countries neighbouring Syria, documenting additional serious human rights violations by both parties similar to those raised by the Commission of Inquiry on Syria, which had given an update to the Human Rights Council last week. During the mission OHCHR had interviewed victims, witnesses, defectors, as well as organizations providing assistance to victims. Findings indicated that civilians remained under threat or were subjected to the frequent indiscriminate and often disproportionate shelling by Government forces. Targeted killings by Government forces of activists and opposition supporters had increased, as had killings of suspected Government informers and perceived collaborators by armed opponents.

Information about arbitrary arrest and detention of several thousand persons, including children, women, political activists and peaceful demonstrators, had also been documented. Credible reports indicated that armed opponents had kidnapped or abducted civilians and security personnel and, in some instances, had demanded ransom or ammunition in exchange for releases.

The systematic torture and inhumane treatment of detainees, including children and women, remained of grave concern. During the recent mission, OHCHR had interviewed victims of multiple forms of torture, including severe beatings, electric shocks, cigarette burns, mock executions, sleep deprivation and psychological torture. Detainees had also been held in inhumane conditions and deprived of water, food and medical care. Information on rape and sexual violence against men, women and children by Government forces, either in detention or during house raids, had also been gathered. Once again, the High Commissioner urged the Government to immediately halt these practices. Ms. Pillay had also reiterated her call to the Security Council to refer the case of Syria to the International Criminal Court.

Asked about new evidence of sectarian violence, Mr. Colville said that it was a common concern and quite self-evident that the situation in Syria had an increasingly sectarian nature. This terrifying element seemed to be present in the El-Houlah killings and apparently also in other instances. That kind of situation very often turned into a downwards spiral, said Mr. Colville, underlining that this was a matter of grave concern.

In response to a question on a report on torture published today by Human Rights Watch, Mr. Colville said that torture was one of the most extensively documented of the many awful human rights violations that had been taking place in Syria over the past 15 months. In addition to the report by Human Rights Watch, and the information gathered by the recent OHCHR mission, the use of torture had been extensively tracked by the Commission of Inquiry in its various reports and updates, and also by the first investigative body, the OHCHR Fact-Finding Mission, which had produced the first report almost exactly a year ago. There was extensive material on torture in all these reports, and taken together they appeared to show it had been widespread and systematic, which were the elements that would make it a crime against humanity. Torture was totally outlawed under international law. The key article (2.2) from the Convention against Torture stated that "no exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture."

In response to a question about the new anti-terrorism law enacted by the Syrian Government on Monday, Mr. Colville said that counter-terrorism measures must at all times be fully compliant with international human rights standards. OHCHR was still examining the texts of the new laws, and could not give a detailed analysis yet, but it had a number of concerns already. One of these was that the new law invoked the death penalty. International law required that the application of the death penalty shall be limited to the “most serious crimes,” which was generally interpreted to mean it should only be applied to the crime of murder.

When applying the law, Syria must ensure scrupulous respect of due process guarantees. These guarantees included: the imposition of a death sentence upon conclusion of a fair trial, and it was doubtful in light of the situation on the ground that a fair trial by an independent and impartial court could currently take place in Syria. In addition, those accused of capital offences must be effectively assisted by a lawyer at all stages of the proceedings.

Furthermore, executions should not take place when an appeal or other recourse was pending. There must be the possibility for the individual concerned to seek pardon or commutation of the sentence. OHCHR had other concerns about definitions contained in the law and other aspects, but there needed to be further analysis, Mr. Colville underlined.

Sahel region

Elisabeth Byrs of the World Food Programme (WFP) said that WFP and partners were implementing a regional response so as to reach more than 10 million people with food assistance.

An estimated 1.6 million people in northern Mali alone (Gao, Kidal, Timbuktu and parts of Mopti) were thought to be at risk of severe food insecurity. WFP staff members were not allowed to go to Gao, Kidal, Timbuktu and certain parts of Mopti. As a result, WFP was working to provide food assistance in this part of the country by partnering with local NGOs. Humanitarian convoys organized by NGOs, including the High Islamic Council and Action Contre la Faim, had been dispatched to the North. One hundred metric tons of pulses and 30 metric tons of oil had been distributed in the northern regions of Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu. Together with cereals from the High Islamic Council, this would provide a full monthly food basket to more than 63,000 beneficiaries.

WFP had also launched cash transfers in Mali in June this year for the first time, said Ms. Byrs. The activity had taken place in the western region of Koulikoro in a programme that aimed to reach 45,000 people. Households had received around US$ 50 and would receive the same amount again in July.

The Malian Government estimated in November that crop production was down 25 per cent compared to the 2010/11 harvest. Millet prices had stabilized in Mali in June but food prices across the country remained generally high. In Bamako, price levels were double what they were this time last year.

Of the USD 888 million total cost of its Sahel response, WFP still lacked USD 375 million, Ms. Byrs underlined.

More than 60 rescued at sea in southern Adriatic

Adrian Edwards of the UN Refugee Agency said that UNHCR welcomed the prompt action of the Croatian Coast Guard on 2 July in rescuing 65 people adrift on a boat in the Adriatic. The boat had been spotted drifting off the Croatian island of Mljet on Sunday night. The Coast Guard crew had provided food, water and medical supplies to the people on board and towed the vessel to the safety of Dubrovnik’s Gruz harbour yesterday afternoon.

The boat was said to have left Greece and lost power. All the passengers were male, reportedly of 12 different nationalities, including Syrians, Afghans, Somalis and Egyptians.

At the request of the authorities, UNHCR’s partner, the Croatian Red Cross, was on the ground and providing humanitarian and medical assistance in Gruz harbour. Reportedly some passengers required urgent medical help. Blankets and other basic aid items were also being made available to them. UNHCR was also following up further.

The Mediterranean was one of the deadliest stretches in the world for mixed migration. Last year had been a record in terms of the number of arrivals in Europe via the Mediterranean, with more than 58,000 people making the crossing. According to UNHCR estimates, more than 1,500 people had drowned or went missing in 2011.

Displacement Crisis Nears End in Haiti’s Cultural Capital Jacmel

Jumbe Omari Jumbe of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that IOM and Sean Penn, Ambassador-at-Large for Haiti and founder of J/P Haitian Relief Organization, were working on a project to re-house the last families made homeless in Jacmel by the 2010 earthquake in an effort to restore the lustre of Haiti’s cultural capital, Jacmel.

The project aimed to close the last two of 36 displacement camps established after the July 2010 earthquake and relocate families still living in them to safe homes. Each family would be provided with a year’s rental allowance and receive additional financial support.

Jacmel was best known for its handcrafts, its extraordinary carnival tradition, and its historical architecture, including its famed gingerbread houses, and has been tentatively accepted as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Agricultural Livelihood Projects for internally displaced persons in Iraq

Mr. Jumbe said that IOM and UNHCR had launched a six-month project to bring about the reintegration of some 900 internally displaced people in Iraq. IOM had identified vulnerable beneficiaries in the southern districts of Basra, Muthanna, Dhi Qar and Missan. They included female-headed households with five or more dependents, as well as other particularly vulnerable groups.

The scheme would train vulnerable beneficiaries in agriculture, water management and basic business, as well as providing greenhouses, water pumps, storage equipment and farming tools. It aimed to help the internally displaced persons to start sustainable, income generating livelihoods from agriculture.

Although 2010 saw a significant return of internally displaced persons to their places of origin, government records showed that some 1.34 million people remain internally displaced following the 2006 bombings of the Al-Askari mosque in Samarra, northern Iraq.

WMO Council Examines Climate Services Road Map

Clare Nullis of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said that the organization’s Executive Council had issued guidance on a practical road map to increase the availability, accuracy and relevance of climate services to help society cope with natural fluctuations in our climate- and human-induced change.

The Global Framework for Climate Services was one of the main focuses of the WMO Council’s annual meeting 25 June–2 July. The first ever Extraordinary Congress of WMO at the end of October 2012 would decide on the governance and implementation of the Global Framework for Climate Services.

The framework was currently being developed by WMO and partners within and outside the United Nations. It aimed to fills the critical gaps in provision of science-based climate information, especially to the most vulnerable, and to tailor it to the needs of users. The most urgent areas for action were agriculture and food security, water management, disaster risk reduction and health.

Other priority areas discussed by the WMO Council included enhanced disaster risk reduction to address the world’s increasing vulnerability to natural hazards; an accelerated drive towards WMO’s Integrated Global Observing System to boost understanding of our planet; and strengthened aeronautical meteorological services to meet the changing needs of the aviation sector, and capacity development.

Even as the Executive Council had met, meteorological hazards had claimed lives and wrecked livelihoods. There had been severe flooding in southern China and parts of India. Torrential downpours in the United Kingdom had made it the wettest June on record, whilst parts of southern and central Europe had suffered from extreme heat. Sand and dust storms in the Sahara had reduced visibility and air quality for millions, and mudslides in Uganda had wiped out entire neighborhoods. The United States of America faced blistering heat in the East as well as violent storms, and the worst wildfire in Colorado’s history. All were vivid reminders of why weather, climate and water services needed to be strengthened in order to protect society from disasters.

Human Rights Council

Rolando Gomez of the Human Rights Council said that the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance was about to present his report to the Council, which notably covered his mission to Hungary. The report presentation would be followed by a general debate on racism and racial discrimination.

Time permitting, the Independent Expert on Haiti would then present his report in the afternoon. Tomorrow’s discussions would focus on technical assistance, featuring the presentation of a High Commissioner report on Kyrgyzstan.

Four additional draft resolutions pertaining to Eritrea, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire and Syria had been received yesterday before the extended deadline ended, Mr. Gomez went on to say. The draft resolution on Syria welcomed the outcome of the Action Group meeting and strongly deplored the widespread, systematic and gross violations of human rights, along with condemning the targeted killing of children in particular. The draft resolution also called for the urgent, comprehensive and immediate implementation of all elements of the six-point plan and called on the authorities to cooperate fully with the Commission of Inquiry, which would submit its final report in September.

Press Conferences and launch of reports

Catherine Sibut of the UN Conference on Trade and Development said that the World Economic and Social Survey 2012, entitled “In Search of New Development Finance”, would be presented at a press conference on Wednesday, 4 July at 3 p.m. in Press Room 1, under embargo until 5 July at 3 p.m. GMT.

Ms. Sibut added that the main launch of the World Investment Report 2012 would take place on Thursday, 5 July at 12 p.m. in Room III in the presence of James Zhan, the Director of UNCTAD’s Investment and Enterprise Division. The report was under embargo until 5 July at 5 p.m. GMT except for chapter 4 on the Investment Policy Framework for Sustainable Development.

Ms. Momal-Vanian said that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation would present its Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission at a press conference on Friday, 6 July at 9.15 a.m. in Room III. Later in the day, at 1.30 p.m. in Press Room I, the President of the Human Rights Council would give a press conference, added Mr. Gomez.

Ms. Momal-Vanian said that the 2012 Report on the Millennium Development Goals was available from the United Nations website (www.un.org/millenniumgoals/) since yesterday. The document, which was available in the six official languages, highlighted that three important targets on poverty, slums and water had been met three years ahead of 2015.