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UNHQ
Opening remark at press encounter after briefing Security Council
Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen, I have just briefed the Security Council on the situation in Libya, including the high-level meeting in Paris, and on my recent trip to Egypt and Tunisia. Let me reiterate three main points. First, despite repeated claims by the Libyan authorities, we continue to see no evidence of a cease-fire. Nor have we seen any steps by the Libyan authorities to fulfill their obligations under resolutions 1970 and 1973. Second, we have serious concerns about the protection of civilians and respect for human rights and international humanitarian law. Worrying signs include arrests, disappearances, threats and incitement, including by Colonel Qadhafi on national television. Third, there is an urgent need for humanitarian access. More than 330,000 people have fled the country. Many of those who remain are under siege. Yet Libyan authorities have not yet permitted a United Nations needs-assessment mission. I remind all parties of obligations to allow unimpeded access to populations in need. Tomorrow, my Special Envoy, Mr. Al-Khatib, will attend a meeting convened by the African Union in Addis Ababa. Representatives of both the Libyan Government and the opposition will attend – I was told - as well as relevant Member States and regional organizations. Yesterday, in that regard, I had in-depth discussions with African Union Commission Chairman Jean Ping on how the United Nations and the African Union can work together to resolve this crisis. Eleven countries have sent letters of notification about the measures they are taking to implement resolution 1973. This is what I have reported to the Security Council. We have also just received notification from NATO of its decision to commence an alliance operation in support of the arms embargo. For my part, I continue to engage in wide-ranging diplomatic efforts aimed at a ceasefire and a political solution. The international community has acted together to avert a potential larger scale crisis. It must continue to speak with one voice. Now let me turn to Egypt and Tunisia. In both countries, the sense of national pride was everywhere. In the streets and at the highest levels of government, people were speaking the language of democracy, openness, freedom and human rights. I went to the region to listen, to hear the new voices that have emerged. I went to show solidarity with their march toward full democracy. The events in Egypt and Tunisia and across the Arab world represent the greatest opportunity for the evolution of democracy and human rights in a generation. It is vital that these transitions succeed. In every conversation, I pledged to mobilize an international assistance effort, led by the United Nations system in close coordination with key international donors with special emphasis on socio-economic development. The World Bank, IMF and Islamic Development Bank will be especially important in marshalling financial resources and technical expertise. Egypt and Tunisia have achieved dramatic change with lightning speed. But now they are caught between spiralling expectations and reduced economic means. These emerging democracies need jobs, especially for the region's highly educated young people, who are so optimistic about their future. They need to see the dividend of democracy. In both Egypt and Tunisia I promised the full support of the United Nations, based on our extensive experience in assisting countries making democratic and post-conflict transitions. We will soon dispatch a team of experts to Tunisia to help prepare the upcoming elections. They are going to have a Constitutional Assembly election in July. Tunisia has also indicated a need for assistance with security sector reform and modernization of the judiciary. The United Nations must also change in light of the new realities if we are to help the people of the region to achieve the full potential of this moment. Finally, let me note that I encouraged both Egypt and Tunisia – as well as Guatemala, which I visited just beforehand -- to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. I thanked the leaders of all three countries for agreeing to take early measures to do so. This, along with recent events in the region, marks a significant step in international humanitarian law and the emerging doctrine of the responsibility to protect. Thank you very much, and I will be happy to answer your questions.
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