CONFÉRENCE DE PRESSE DU REPRÉSENTANT SPÉCIAL CONJOINT POUR LA SYRIE - GENÈVE, 24 JANVIER 2014 (en anglais)

(Near verbatim transcript.)

Joint Special Representative for Syria (JSRS): Good afternoon, or good evening, I don’t know. Thank you very much for being here. As you know, we were in Montreux on Wednesday. It was a long day. Participation of a large number of countries and three regional organizations. And we moved back here yesterday. So, I repeat, we were in Montreux on Wednesday and we moved here yesterday. I met the delegations of the Opposition and the Government separately yesterday and again today. And tomorrow we expect, we have agreed, that we will meet in the same room.

When we started talking about this process, after the Russian and the American meeting in Moscow on the 7^th May, we never considered that this was going to be an easy process. We knew that it was going to be difficult, complicated. And as I said, I think in Montreux, in our business certainty is a very rare commodity. The discussions I have had with the two parties were encouraging and we are looking forward to our meetings tomorrow morning and tomorrow afternoon.

As you know the whole process is based on the Geneva Communiqué of the 30^th June 2012 and I think the two parties understand that very well and accept it. So that is the basis of our discussions. We are going to try and see how this communiqué that has been endorsed by the Security Council, I think it’s 2118 isn’t it, Resolution 2118. So we are going to implement a resolution of the Security Council that has endorsed this communiqué and the parties understand that.

As I said it’s not going, we never expected it to be easy, and I’m sure it’s not going to be. But I think the two parties understand what is at stake. Their country is in very, very bad shape. As I said, practically everything I have spoken to the press since September 2012, the situation in Syria is bad and getting worse. And unfortunately that statement remains valid today. And I think that the people who are here representing the Opposition and the Government understand that as well as I do, or better. It is their country after all.

So the huge ambition of this process is to save Syria. No less than that. So I hope that all three parties, the Government, the Opposition, and the United Nations will be up to the task.

I hope also that the people who support one side or the other also understand what is at stake and will do their share in supporting this process. So wish us luck and ask us three or four questions.

Question: (unofficial translation from Arabic) Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, at this time as you are looking for political solutions, there remain hundreds of persons besieged in Adra al Omaliya, civilians held by armed groups, who have to live with the dead bodies of their families that were torn by the armed groups. If you want to consider, for the sake of the argument, that the Opposition Coalition agreed to the Geneva II communique with all its notions, what importance and what effect will Daesh and El Nasra and the Mojahideen Army and the Islamic Front and all those who support and finance them have?

JSRS : (unofficial translation from Arabic) There are besieged persons in Adra and unfortunately there are besieged people in many other parts of Syria, and the Secretary-General of the United Nations has called repeatedly for working in order to lift the siege on these people and deliver basic aid to them. It is among the issues that we will discuss here, although it is not the main part of the negotiations, but when Syrians meet they cannot not talk about these situations and therefore we will discuss some humanitarian issues.

Q. : (unofficial translation from Arabic) What weight will the humanitarian issue be given?

JSRS : (unofficial translation from Arabic) We will talk about the humanitarian issues and we will talk about the possibility of solving them. As for the weight that you are talking about, we realize that there are parts inside Syria that do not support this process. This is known and it is not a secret. It is known to us and to the parties here. We have to find a way to deal with this situation.

Q. : Mr Brahimi, vous êtes le prophète de la paix pour la Syrie. Il y un an et demi que vous circulez parmi les capitales et les délégations pour tenir cette conférence historique. La presse syrienne vous qualifie un homme de géant avec un seul œil mais plusieurs langues – un seul œil, plusieurs langues. Si vous n'arrivez pas à conclure avec succès cette conférence, est-ce que vous allez démissionner? Deuxième question: est-ce qu'on attend du Conseil de sécurité de faire des pressions sur les deux parties pour arriver à un consensus ? Parce que sans la pression ni la délégation officielle ni l'opposition ne peuvent s'approcher. Est-ce que vous croyez qu'il y a un compromis pour le Conseil de sécurité? Je vous remercie.

JSRS : Ecoutez, quand on fait un travail comme celui que je fais, on ne parle pas de démission avant de commencer à le faire. On espère qu'on va réussir et on va faire tout pour réussir (et après, advienne que pourra - ajouté en arabe). En ce qui concerne le Conseil de sécurité, j'ai dit au début que tous les pays qui ont de l'influence sur l’une ou l'autre des parties doivent nous aider à faire avancer ce processus – et le Conseil de sécurité certainement…et enfin…parmi les pays dont je parle il y a les cinq membres permanents qui ont quand même une petite influence sur le Conseil de sécurité et je pense que le Conseil de sécurité est avec nous.

Q. : (unofficial translation from Arabic) Mr. Brahimi, did the regime’s delegation offer some concessions? There is leaked information that they agreed to release a number of detainees. Also Mr. Brahimi, there is leaked information about the presence of proof of the regime’s connection to Daesh. What is your comment Mr. President?

JSRS : (unofficial translation from Arabic) The first question is acceptable. The second question, excuse me but its place is not here. For the first question, we still have not talked on the main issue with the people but we hope that the sides will offer concessions that are useful to the whole process.

Q. : (unofficial translation from Arabic) Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, you talked in the seventh point about the big ambition which is to save Syria. I am speaking specifically if you allow me about the terrorism issue. This issue was clearly ignored in the detailed talks. In the press conference by Mr. Ban Ki-moon a few days ago, he deliberately did not answer the terrorism issue. How will you handle this issue as you know very well the big support that is given to this issue?

JSRS : (unofficial translation from Arabic) No one wants terrorism to continue in Syria. No human wants this except the terrorists themselves. Therefore, if we can save Syria, saving Syria will be, and before everything, from terrorism.

Q. : On a entendu des menaces ce matin de M. Mouallem dire qu'il allait peut-être quitter la réunion demain si ça n'avançait pas. Est-ce que vous pouvez exclure ce soir tout départ demain ou ce week-end d'une des deux délégations?

JSRS : Oui, je l'exclus. Les deux parties vont être demain ici en réunion et là nous déciderons de la prochaine réunion dimanche. On va travailler samedi et dimanche. Donc personne ne va partir ni samedi, ni dimanche.

Q. : Mr. Brahimi when tomorrow both Syrian delegations will gather in the same room which will be the topic, the first topic with which you will begin the negotiations?

JSRS : You know, I don’t like giving my secrets to the press on the first day. But I think the first session will be really to make sure that we understand what we are doing. It will be really practical issues that hopefully will make discussions a little easier.

Q. : I would like to know what’s the secrecy of today’s talk; and although there are many differences, how can you manage to make these talks go smoothly?

JSRS : With your prayers, I hope that they will go smoothly. And you know, we do expect some bumps on the road. It’s impossible that there aren’t any in a situation like this. We wanted really these delegations to be designated a long time ago so that we have had time, two or three weeks, to talk to them and prepare this better. But, you know, we are using this, yesterday, today and tomorrow, hopefully to make it as smooth as possible.

Q. : So, are there any sign that Saudi Arabia, Turkey and other countries would stop their support to terrorism in Syria since they have participated in Geneva II?

JSRS : Please, please, there is no point in asking such questions.

Q. : Publically of course the Syrian Government keeps saying they want to talk about terrorism and confidence-building measures. And we know what the Opposition says they want to talk about. Can you pursue all these tracks at once? Can you pursue the transitional governing body conversation along with humanitarian access, prisoner release and those other issues?

JSRS : Certainly to talk about those issues, but I think it’s very clear to both sides that the meat, really, for this conference is the how to implement the dispositions in the Geneva Communiqué.

Q. : You’ve had a day of delay today, and even a reported threat from Mr. Muallem that he might be going home. If you have more days of delay are you worried that this whole process could unravel?

JSRS : I’m worried all the time, even without the delay of today. But I think, I think that we are alright. We are going to meet tomorrow. I hope that it will be a good beginning and that we will continue until the end of next week. At some stage, we are going probably, most probably, certainly, to have suspension for a few days to allow people to go back, and come to resume further. So you know, as I told you at the beginning we’ve gone into this with our eyes wide open. We know it’s not easy. It’s not going to be easy any minute. But we are doing our best to make it go forward.

Q. : Sir, if I could in one sentence ask you, do you have the definite agreement of the two parties to sit together tomorrow? Thank you.

JSRS : That’s a very good question!

Q. : Mr. Brahimi, how high on your priorities will be the access, humanitarian corridors, for the nearly three million Syrians in need of humanitarian assistance?

JSRS : Yes, we are going to talk about access. We are going to talk about, you know, ending violence. But there again, you know, talking about it doesn’t mean resolving it. About access, a lot has been done already. A lot of discussions are taking place all the time. Valerie Amos is not doing anything else except that. Things have improved a little bit, never enough. And we will continue pressing for it.

Q. : (unofficial translation from Arabic) What will be the fate of Geneva II and the negotiations if the Opposition Delegation insists on its conditions?

JSRS : (unofficial translation from Arabic) I do not know who said that Geneva is supposed to be without any preconditions. The basis is the communique of 30 June 2012 and we are continuing on this basis and pray for us from Karbalaa and Najaf.

Q. : Mr. Jarba told us yesterday he was delegating or appointing a new chief of the delegation. Has he clarified that to you? Is he staying in Geneva, and if so, in which capacity?

JSRS : Yes, what Mr. Jarba is saying is that he has come as the Head of the Delegation to Montreux, and they have what they call a chief negotiator. So this is the position and it doesn’t disturb us at all, as long as we have two delegations talking to one another that’s fine.

Q. : (unofficial translation from Arabic) I want to take some of the words that you said. You talked about the process being based on the Geneva communiqué. But the Geneva communiqué itself has some controversial issues, specifically from the delegation of the Syrian Arab Republic, that clearly explained that it sent previously a disagreement or reservation about some of the points of this communiqué. How will the talks be held and how will this issue be solved and what about your recent remarks?

JSRS : (unofficial translation from Arabic) All your questions, no need, I won’t say anything. No one disagrees that the Geneva communiqué is the basis. Also, no one disagrees that there were some disagreements about how some of the points were taken. God willing, among the things that we want to do, is to remove any disagreement on this, and you too, pray for us.

Q. : (unofficial translation from Arabic) Of course I will pray for you to resolve the problem of the Syrians, of course.

JSRS : Thank you very much.