The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today\u2019s noon briefing by St\u00e9phane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.<\/p>\n
\/…<\/p>\n
**Questions and Answers<\/u><\/p>\n
\/…<\/p>\n
Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Can I ask a question now about the Middle East peace plan of the US again? \u00a0This is on the specifics of the settlements and the possible annexation by Israel, very conflicting messages from the US, because the plan says it\u2019s over a four\u2011year thing, but they seem to be allowing the US [sic] to annex much earlier than that, although now Mr.\u00a0[Jared] Kushner is saying Israel must wait until March.\u00a0 What\u2019s the Secretary\u2011General\u2019s view on this possibly imminent annexation of West Bank settlements?<\/p>\n
Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Look, this issue of annexation has come up before.\u00a0 Our position last week, last month, last year and today remains the same \u2014 is that, according to Security Council resolution 2334, Israeli settlement activities are flagrant violations under international law.\u00a0 I mean, that\u2019s been our position.\u00a0 And as we said in the note in reaction to the plan being issued, we are bound by the relevant Security Council resolutions.<\/p>\n
Yes, sir?<\/p>\n
Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Thanks.\u00a0 It\u2019s actually\u2026 \u00a0I was going to ask you this question, but it\u2019s actually now a follow\u2011up to James\u2019 question.\u00a0 Many\u2026 in many reactions and description of the US plan on the Middle East, people are describing on their own somebody saying it\u2019s like Middle East peace plan like Swiss cheese, with Israelis are getting cheese and Palestinians are getting the holes.\u00a0 How would the Secretary\u2011General\u2026 with what words\u2026 and you as his evocative Spokesperson\u2026<\/p>\n
Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 I\u2019m his what? \u00a0Evocative Spokesperson\u2026?<\/p>\n
Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Very one, I mean, evocative one.<\/p>\n
Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Flattery will get you absolutely nowhere.\u00a0 神马午夜福利网\u2026<\/p>\n
Question<\/u>:\u00a0 I\u2019m not flattering you.\u00a0 You know me four years.\u00a0 [cross talk]<\/p>\n
Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 I will let others and you and analysts do a colourful analogy\u2011laden analysis of the plan.\u00a0 I think our reaction to the plan has been laid out, and I really have nothing to add to that.<\/p>\n
Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Yeah, but if I just can follow up, it\u2019s laid out.\u00a0 We read what you\u2019ve sent immediately.\u00a0 You acted immediate\u2026 the words are absolutely precise and clear.\u00a0 Still, we are striving here, and you are a former journalist.\u00a0 You have to understand us.\u00a0 We are trying to see the position of the Secretary\u2011General.\u00a0 We don\u2019t see it.\u00a0 [cross talk]<\/p>\n
Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 神马午夜福利网, we\u2026 you have needs.\u00a0 I try to meet them.\u00a0 I have needs, and I\u2019d like you to understand them.<\/p>\n
\/…<\/p>\n
Mr.\u00a0Abbadi?<\/p>\n
Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Thank you, St\u00e9phane.\u00a0 Still on the President [Donald] Trump\u2019s peace plan, we have heard and seen worldwide reaction from different parties one way or the other.\u00a0 What about the Quartet? \u00a0Why are they remaining silent?<\/p>\n
Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 We\u2019re only 25 per cent of the Quartet.\u00a0 So, we have spoken out.\u00a0 I think your\u2026 you should ask questions to the other 75 per cent, if I get my math right.<\/p>\n
Yes, sir?<\/p>\n
Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Two questions.\u00a0 Number one, UN envoy in the Middle East, Nikolay Mladenov, spoke yesterday at a security conference, saying that, if Israel is to move forward with applying sovereignty over the Jordan Valley, over Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria, that would be the end of the possibility of negotiations.\u00a0 Is that the Secretary\u2011General\u2019s stance?<\/p>\n
Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Yeah, we\u2019ve said\u2026 I mean, Mr.\u00a0Mladenov represents the Secretary\u2011General.\u00a0 We\u2019ve said\u2026 this is something that we\u2019ve said previously.<\/p>\n
Question<\/u>:\u00a0 So, how urgent are the next two weeks then? \u00a0If that\u2019s it, if that\u2019s the end of negotiations\u2026<\/p>\n
Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 We have no way of knowing what decisions the Israeli Government will take.\u00a0 We\u2019re just expressing our position.<\/p>\n
Question<\/u>:\u00a0 The second question I had, Israeli Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu reportedly is going to fly to Uganda on Monday, possibly for an announcement of an embassy move to the capital Jerusalem.\u00a0 Uganda was part or at least reportedly part of a refugee deal with the UN that Netanyahu suspended under political pressure in 2018.\u00a0 Last month, the UN envoy for refugees in Israel said that he\u2019s trying to reinstate that deal.\u00a0 Has there been any movement whatsoever on that?<\/p>\n
Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 I think that\u2019s\u2026 I\u2019m not aware of the details of that\u2026 that\u2019s a question best asked to our colleagues at the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).<\/p>\n
Correspondent<\/u>:\u00a0 Okay.\u00a0 Thank you, St\u00e9phane.<\/p>\n
Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Mr.\u00a0Bays?<\/p>\n
Question<\/u>:\u00a0 First, a quick follow\u2011up to Mr.\u00a0Abbadi\u2019s question.\u00a0 The way the Quartet calls its meetings is very opaque.\u00a0 One doesn\u2019t really know whether the Quartet really exists anymore, but surely, as a member of the Quartet, the Secretary\u2011General, as one of the four members, could call a Quartet meeting.\u00a0 Would this not be a good time for him to call a Quartet meeting?\u00a0 [cross talk]<\/p>\n
Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 I think it would be\u2026 you know, let me leave it at that.\u00a0 [laughter]<\/p>\n
Correspondent<\/u>:\u00a0 I don\u2019t\u2026 [cross talk]<\/p>\n
Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 No, no, exactly.\u00a0 Leave it\u2026 no\u2026<\/p>\n
Correspondent<\/u>:\u00a0 You didn\u2019t say anything.\u00a0 [laughter]<\/p>\n
Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Let me leave it nowhere.\u00a0 If there\u2019s an update on Quartet meetings, I will let you know.\u00a0 I\u2019m trying to unfold myself here.\u00a0 [cross talk]<\/p>\n
For information media. Not an official record.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today\u2019s noon briefing by St\u00e9phane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General. \/… **Questions and Answers \/… Question:\u00a0 Can I ask a question now about the Middle East peace plan of the US again? \u00a0This is on the specifics of the settlements and the possible annexation by Israel, very conflicting […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":172,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"template-page.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[897,1191,2553],"document-category":[2573],"document-source":[2329,2985,6169,1877],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[1961,1905],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[6542],"class_list":["post-231288","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","country-israel","country-uganda","country-united-states-of-america","document-category-highlights-of-the-noon-briefing","document-source-quartet","document-source-secretariat","document-source-united-nations-department-of-global-communications","document-source-united-nations-special-coordinator-for-the-middle-east-peace-process-unsco","document-subject-jerusalem","document-subject-peace-proposals-and-efforts","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/231288","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/172"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/231288\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=231288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=231288"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=231288"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=231288"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=231288"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=231288"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=231288"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=231288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}