Press Briefing
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL
19981110
..........
Was the Secretary-General resigned to the fact that military action against Iraq might be only a short time away? a correspondent asked.
The Secretary-General was certainly concerned, the Spokesman said. "His preference would be that the stand-off between the Security Council and Iraq be resolved diplomatically." The Secretary-General was in daily touch with Headquarters while travelling through North Africa, and he was following the situation very closely, the Spokesman added. "But of course, it's out of his hands."
Did the Secretary-General feel let down by the Iraqis? another correspondent asked.
Mr. Eckhard said the Memorandum of Understanding concluded in February had provided not only for the inspection of the presidential sites, which had been the main purpose of the Secretary-General's trip to Baghdad, but had also reaffirmed Iraq's intention to cooperate fully. "So yes, it's a disappointment", Mr. Eckhard said, adding that the best way to get to the end of the problem of the weapons of mass destruction was to have the inspectors resume their work. Once the certification had been made by the inspectors that the capability to manufacture those weapons of mass destruction had been eliminated, then the Council could act on the lifting of the oil embargo and then could take up the subsequent matters covered by the resolutions. "That is the orderly, peaceful, proper way to resolve this stand-off", the Spokesman ended.
The correspondent then asked whether the Secretary-General still had hope for a diplomatic solution. "He has to have hope in a diplomatic solution", Mr. Eckhard responded. "That's his job, to hope for and to press for a diplomatic solution."
Had the Secretary-General been in contact with the Iraqi leadership to make the case just laid out for the press? a correspondent asked.
Mr. Eckhard said he could not provide details, but the Secretary-General was in touch with heads of delegations and occasionally with officials in capitals, but it could not be said whether the Secretary-General had been directly in touch with Iraqi officials or with anyone, for that matter.
Was there no other way that the Secretary-General could act than by a mandate of the Security Council? a correspondent asked. "No, under the United Nations Charter, the Secretary-General was empowered to take action at his own
Daily Press Briefing - 5 - 10 November 1998
initiative", Mr. Eckhard said. "He would, of course, consult with Security Council members before taking any action."
A correspondent asked whether any specific reference had been intended by the phrase "contact with officials in capitals", perhaps with regard to Washington. Mr. Eckhard said he had no specifics to impart except that in the normal course of work, the Secretary-General stayed in touch on a daily basis with the principal actors on a variety of conflicts around the world. "That's how he operates, so as a matter of principle, that's what he does every day. But it's impossible to say with whom he had spoken on what time of what day."
Finally, a correspondent recalled that in February the Secretary-General had said the agreement with Iraq could not have been accomplished without the threat of the use of force. Did the Secretary-General still believe that was necessary? Mr. Eckhard said the Secretary-General had meant that negotiation was usually more effective when there was some behind the stance. It was not likely the Secretary-General would have changed his mind on that.
.................
* *** *
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
