Beginning his tenure with Darfur and the North Korean nuclear issue high on his agenda, one of the very first questions posed to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, now the world's premiere diplomat was, "Should Saddam Hussein have been executed, Mr. Secretary General?" To which he responded, "Saddam Hussein was responsible for committing heinous crimes and unspeakable atrocities against the Iraqi people. We should never forget the victims of his crimes. The issue of capital punishment is for each and very Member State to decide. As a Secretary-General, at the same time, while I am firmly against impunity, I also hope that the members of the international community should pay due regard to all aspects of international humanitarian laws. During my tenure, I will try my best to help Member States, the international community, to strengthen the rule of law."
Today was also the first day on the job for Spokesperson for the Secretary General, Michelle Montas, an award winning journalist from Haiti who is also head of the French unit of UN radio and former Spokesperson for the General Assembly President in 2003. Ms Montas has been described as a journalist who put her life on the line to expose political corruption, human rights abuses and State-sponsored violence in her native Haiti. Attempts to kill Ms Montas twice forced her into exile and cost the life of her bodyguard in 2002. These events were chronicled by Jonathan Demme in a film called "The Agronist." Fellow broadcaster and husband, Jean Dominique was assassinated in 2000.
Both Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Ms. Montas have shown an affinity for and expressed a willingness to work closely with journalists and correspondents at the U.N. For example, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with journalists even before meeting with his own staff. And during an interview with U.N. radio Ms Montas said there was no contradiction between her experience as a journalist and her new role speaking for the Secretary-General; that she doesn't think that she has put aside her journalistic inclinations or skills and pointed out that the essential role of a spokesperson is to give access to information which is not really available otherwise.
So a new year has begun and new relationships are being built between members of the press corps and the new U.N. officials. The press briefing was well attended by journalists today, all giving their warmest of welcomes.
Elisa Burchett
U.N. OBSERVER & International Report
Please also see:
BAN KI-MOON, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sg2118.doc.htm
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Michele Montas, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs//2007/db070102.doc.htm
PRESIDENT OF UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL AND CHAIRMAN OF MILITARY STAFF COMMITTEE IN JANUARY http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sc8932.doc.htm
Today was also the first day on the job for Spokesperson for the Secretary General, Michelle Montas, an award winning journalist from Haiti who is also head of the French unit of UN radio and former Spokesperson for the General Assembly President in 2003. Ms Montas has been described as a journalist who put her life on the line to expose political corruption, human rights abuses and State-sponsored violence in her native Haiti. Attempts to kill Ms Montas twice forced her into exile and cost the life of her bodyguard in 2002. These events were chronicled by Jonathan Demme in a film called "The Agronist." Fellow broadcaster and husband, Jean Dominique was assassinated in 2000.
Both Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Ms. Montas have shown an affinity for and expressed a willingness to work closely with journalists and correspondents at the U.N. For example, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with journalists even before meeting with his own staff. And during an interview with U.N. radio Ms Montas said there was no contradiction between her experience as a journalist and her new role speaking for the Secretary-General; that she doesn't think that she has put aside her journalistic inclinations or skills and pointed out that the essential role of a spokesperson is to give access to information which is not really available otherwise.
So a new year has begun and new relationships are being built between members of the press corps and the new U.N. officials. The press briefing was well attended by journalists today, all giving their warmest of welcomes.
Elisa Burchett
U.N. OBSERVER & International Report
Please also see:
BAN KI-MOON, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sg2118.doc.htm
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Michele Montas, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs//2007/db070102.doc.htm
PRESIDENT OF UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL AND CHAIRMAN OF MILITARY STAFF COMMITTEE IN JANUARY http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sc8932.doc.htm