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Thursday, January 20, 2005
Transcript: UN press conference on special GA session commemorating liberation of Nazi Death Camps

New York, 19 January 2005 - Secretary-General's remarks at press conference
on special session of the General Assembly to commemorate the liberation of
Nazi Death Camps [French Q&A to follow]
www.un.org/apps/sg/offthecuff.asp

Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I want to thank the representatives of Australia, Canada, Israel, New
Zealand, the Russian Federation and the United States for joining us at this
press conference - as well as Luxembourg, which represents the whole of the
European Union.

As you know, Mr. President, we are here together today to stress the
importance we attach to the special session that the General Assembly is
holding next Monday to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the liberation of
the Nazi death camps.

For the United Nations, the special session will have profound significance
for several reasons.

First, because the founding of this Organization was a direct response to
the Holocaust. Our Charter, and the words "untold sorrow", were written as
the world was learning the full horror of the death camps.

Second, it is essential for all of us to remember, reflect on and learn from
what happened sixty years ago. The evil that destroyed six million Jews, and
others, in those camps is one that still threatens all of us today. It is
not something we can consign to the distant past, and forget about it. Every
generation must be on its guard, to make sure that such a thing never
happens again. As survivors dwindle in number, and yesterday I met three of
them, it falls to succeeding generations - to us - to carry forward the work
of remembrance.

Third, this session should also be seen as an expression of our commitment
to build a United Nations that can respond quickly and effectively to
genocide and other serious violations of human rights. Of course, that work
is still far from complete.

Monday's session will be a solemn and highly significant occasion. I am very
glad that the United Nations is joining with others to mark the anniversary
of events that played such a decisive part in our history and in defining
our role in the world.

Thank you very much. I believe Ambassador [Dan] Gillerman wants to say
something.

Amb. Dan Gillerman: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President, Your Excellency,
dear colleagues. I would first like to thank you, Your Excellency, for
lending your moral voice and leadership to making this momentous, historic
event possible. I would also like to thank my colleagues, the Ambassadors of
Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Russian Federation, the United States,
and the European Union, for joining us in this historic initiative and
making Monday, the 24, what will be, I believe, one of the most solemn and
historic occasions at the General Assembly.

I would like to make it very clear that I stand here today, as will my
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister on Monday, not just as a
representative of Israel, and not just as a representative of the Jewish
people, but also as a representative of the 6 million Jews and the many
others who were slaughtered in the Holocaust and those horrible dark days of
the Second World War. They cannot speak, but I speak today on their behalf,
as will my Deputy Prime Minister on Monday.

We truly believe that Monday will be a very historical and solemn occasion.
And we believe that it is a very important day not just for Israel, not just
for the Jewish people, but also for the United Nations and for the world.
And hopefully this universal initiative which will take place on Monday will
do at least two things. It will make sure that people remember and never
forget, and it will make sure that those horrible atrocities never ever
happen again anywhere in the world. Thank you very much.

General Assembly President Jean Ping: Just to say that as the
Secretary-General said, you know that on Monday the General Assembly will
hold a Special Session to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the liberation
of the Nazi concentration camps during the Second World War. I want to
stress that this is the first time that the General Assembly is holding a
commemorative special session, that is to say the importance of the fact
that Monday we will hold a Special Session. I think that it is important to
congratulate the Member States who have requested the holding of this
session - namely Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States, the
Russian Federation as well as the European Union member states. I would like
to thank them for requesting the holding of the session.

I think that it will give us an opportunity, because it is our duty to
remember, and to say it loudly, "never again". I hope also that it will give
us the opportunity to renew our commitment to the objectives and the
principles of the United Nations Charter and also to renew our commitment to
human rights in general. I am happy to say that a vast majority of Member
States supported the idea of holding this Special Session. Thank you.

Q: This is the 60th, it is not the 50th, and it is not the tenth. Consider
the UN's history, why is this the first time that there is such a session?

Ping: Well, in general for the General Assembly we have never had a
commemorative Special Session. It has been requested by Member States and
supported by a vast majority of countries and it is absolutely normal. We
are happy with it.

Q: Ambassador Gillerman?

Gillerman: Well, I don't know why it has not happened before. But all I can
say is that we are very, very happy that it is happening, if "happy" is a
word one could use for such a solemn occasion. I think that maybe we are at
a point in history where where the changes in the world are reflected also
at the United Nations. We do live in a changing world. And we live in a
world which hopefully presents us today with a unique window of opportunity,
a very historic moment, also for making peace in our region. And, although
this was not an Israeli initiative, it was a universal initiative, but
seeing as it does in a very special way touch upon Israel and the Jewish
people, maybe that atmosphere has made it possible for over 138 countries,
including many countries who normally may not have supported such an
initiative, to come aboard and we are very gratified that this is happening.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, it is certainly admirable to say "never again",
but just at this moment you yourself have a commission in Sudan
investigating whether there is a genocide. What more can be done? This
certainly will put a spotlight on the issue, but in practical terms, what
more can be done?

SG: What more can be done in Sudan or to prevent genocide and gross
violations of human rights? I think this is one of the issues also that the
High Level Panel's report has taken up, raising the issue of responsibility
to protect, and arguing that where governments are either unwilling or
unable to, the international community does have a responsibility, and the
[Security] Council will have to assume responsibility. Will that happen?
That is a question that we are all grappling with now. And the issue of
Sudan is also before the Council, but I hope that with the work of the
Panel, and the discussions going on in the Council, and the commemoration of
the 60th anniversary, we will become increasingly aware of the need to act
or to do something to prevent such atrocities from happening or occurring.
Of course we are grappling with the situation in Sudan and the Council has
considered all sorts of options, and is fully seized of it, and in fact we
are still searching for other actions that the Council may take.

Q: Amb. Gillerman, the opinion in your country of the United Nations is
quite low. Does this session do anything to turn that around and do you feel
that, for one day at least, using your own words, are the inmates not
running the asylum in that place?

And can the Secretary-General also talk about the political dynamics of this
session, since it has never occurred and there have been other
opportunities, and perhaps when it is all over he can talk about the oil for
food indictment yesterday and what it means for the UN with someone in the
UN allegedly taking money according to this official, at the end of this
session.

Gillerman: Well thank you, Richard, for reminding me of that phrase, and
giving me the opportunity yet again to make it very clear that when I said
that I did not refer to the United Nations. It was very clear, if anybody
would have read the whole text, that I was referring to the Palestinian
Authority rather than the United Nations when I did say that the inmates
were taking over the asylum. However, Israel regards the United Nations as a
partner. It is true that it is an arena where Israel has not always enjoyed
understanding, compassion and full cooperation. But we do feel that the
United Nations is extremely important. We do support the Secretary-General
in his efforts to lead the United Nations towards a new millennium and carry
out many of the reforms which are under way, which we believe will make it a
better and a stronger organization.

Israel has worked with the United Nations and will continue to work with the
United Nations in order to make also the very tough neighbourhood we live in
a better place, as well as to make the whole world a better place. We
believe in the United Nations, we believe in the ideals of the United
Nations, and we feel that, on Monday the United Nations will mark another
chapter in its history which for us indeed is very, very significant, and
will indeed also probably open a new page, and a new chapter in closer and
even better relations between Israel and the United Nations.

SG: You asked about the political dynamics of this session. I think, as the
Ambassador said, we have 138 countries that have signed on. He also alluded
to the new spirit in the region and the possibility that the peace process
will be re-energized. And I think that is something that Member States in
this building are very conscious of and I hope will do everything they can
to support. And I think what is going to happen on Monday is a little step
towards that direction.

On the question of the indictment, I know as much as you do from the
newspapers. But I understand that they are in touch with Mr. [Paul] Volcker.
And so I think they may have much more information than we do. I have
nothing else to add.

Q: A man who has pleaded guilty has said that he understands a UN official
or officials took money from the Iraqi Government in the mid-90s. Would you
order an immediate investigation, and not wait for Paul Volcker's, as
someone could still be here in some position?

SG: I think this is part of the issues, allegations that the Volcker
Commission should look into. And as I said, Volcker's group has indicated
that they are in touch and aware of this. And I'm sure whatever evidence
there is, the Volcker group will follow through on that.

Q: As a follow-up to Richard's initial question, when you speak about the
General Assembly, you speak about an immoral majority. Do you think this
event on Monday will make that majority less immoral? And for the
Secretary-General, Sir, how concerned are you that this may open the gate
for other groups such as the Armenians, descendants of the victims of the
slave trade, to demand a similar treatment?

Gillerman: It is true that I have often referred to the automatic immoral
majority against Israel at the General Assembly. It is something which we
are very frustrated with and in all my meetings with my colleagues, we try
to change it. And we do feel there is a change. We do feel that what we have
seen in this process, which will culminate in the meeting on Monday, is the
formation of a moral majority, which proves that when you do the right
thing, you can unit and mobilized the Member States of the United Nations to
do the right thing and to vote for something which is universal, which is
historic and which is very, very important. And that make us hopeful that
maybe we can see more of that also in the future.

SG: It is possible that in the future, Member States would want to
commemorate other events, but that is something for the future to answer.

Q: To follow up on a previous question. It's very often said that the
Holocaust which was, as you said at the foundation of the United Nations,
there was another thing that was founded in the outcome of the Holocaust,
and that's the State of Israel, which is linked in the Arab world many times
here at the UN to the plight of the Palestinians. Do you think that this is
linked and do you think in this session, it will be linked by some of the
speakers?

SG: I think whether I like it or not, it is linked in the minds of many
people. And so it is a reality that, at the political and other levels, we
need to deal with. And I don't think that this event in the General Assembly
is going to necessarily de-link that issue in the minds of people.

[French]

Q: As part of the message to tell the world "never again," a lot of Member
States put together an International Criminal Court to ensure international
impunity will not happen. With regards to Sudan, does the Secretary-General
believe that the perpetrators of either war crimes or genocide, whatever is
determined to have taken place there, should they be named, and should they
be sent to the International Criminal Court?

SG: As you know we've set up a commission to look into the situation in
Sudan and to determine whether genocide has taken place or not and to
identify those who are perpetrating this effort. And I'm sure that at the
end of the day, when these people are identified, action will need to be
taken. They need to be held accountable so that we don't give the impression
that impunity is allowed to stand. And the most logical place for them to be
put on trial would be in the ICC.

Q: I have a question to Russian Ambassador. It was the Soviet Army that
liberated Auschwitz 60 years ago, and at the initiative of Russia and some
other former Soviet Republics, the General Assembly declared May 8 and 9 the
days of remembrance and reconciliation. And there would be a special General
Assembly session in May. How do you relate these two events, the upcoming
session on Monday and the upcoming session in May?

Amb. Andrey Denisov: Thank you very much. First of all, I want to share the
views and assessments by the Secretary-General and others who have made
statements here. Yes, the session on Monday will be the first in a row of
events to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the victory of the war against
Nazism in Europe. And my country was one of those who has made a decisive
contribution in the defeat of Nazism. And actually, the Auschwitz
concentration camp was liberated by the Soviet Army in 1945. So this is the
first event in a row of commemorations of the great victory. And I want to
use the chance to remind that yesterday, on 18 January, was the 60th
anniversary of the liberation of Budapest ghetto in Hungary, when thousands
of people, men, women and children, were liberated just at the last moment;
otherwise they all would have been killed. So that is why all these facts
stress, I think, the importance and the urgency of the commemorative session
which will be held on Monday. Thank you.

Q: Ambassador Gillerman, in the spirit of the moment, one of the reasons for
the undermining of the Palestinian-Israeli relations is this wall that you
have built. Do you see this wall being dismantled very soon so that we can
have a better place over there in the Middle East?

Amb. Gillerman: This security fence, which is largely a chain link fence,
and in only very few percentages a wall, is one of the most effective
security measures taken by Israel against this horrible phenomena of
homicide bombers and terrorists. It has been incredibly effective. The
number of suicide bombings has been reduced by 90 per cent. The number of
Israelis killed has been reduced by 75 per cent, and those wounded by 85 per
cent.

Let there be no mistake: there is a perception of calm and quiet in our
region. Unfortunately that is not true. The Palestinians have so far,
unfortunately not made any serious effort to stop terrorism and to dismantle
the infrastructure of terrorism. The only reason there is a certain
reduction is because of the effectiveness of the fence and the very
sophisticated measures taken by the Israeli Defence Forces. We hope very
much that, now that there is a new, hopefully more moderate and responsible
Palestinian leadership, they will act against terror, will resume
negotiations, and I assure you that if they do, they will find in the
Israeli Prime Minister, who has very boldly and courageously initiated
unilateral withdrawal from the whole of Gaza and parts of the West Bank, and
the Israeli government, a very willing partner that will go with them a
very, very long way towards reaching a just and long-lasting and fair
settlement in our region. Once we reach that, there will be no need for a
fence. Israel has taken fences off before, the last time at the specific
request of the Secretary-General along the Blue Line in Lebanon. We will
gladly do it again once there is no need any longer for that defensive
measure. As long as there is terror we will however continue to do
everything we can to protect the lives of our citizens.

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