Interfax's Interview

United Nations action is premised on the political will of Member States, and political will cannot be forged in an atmosphere of distrust.  Therefore, we need to work to rebuild trust among all stakeholders. As Secretary-General, I am investing a lot of time and energy in bridging the divides that exist at the UN and winning the trust of all delegations.  There is no magic to this other than hard work and sincerely reaching out for genuine dialogue.

Do you plan to continue the policy of your predecessor on reforming the Organization and the UN Security Council as its principal organ?  Do you share Russia's view, which does not see merit in increasing the number of veto-wielding Security Council members?  And is it necessary to expand the "club" of the body's permanent members?

Regarding the Security Council, it is necessary, and every Member State will agree, that there needs to be expansion and reform in that body. Unfortunately, so far, during the last 10 years, Member States have not been able to agree on this matter.  As Secretary-General, I will try to facilitate consultations among the Member States so that they can arrive at the broadest possible consensus formula on this matter.

The UN came into being after a devastating war, and its main task was to maintain and strengthen peace and stability.  Now mankind is facing a new global threat, the one of international terrorism.  Is the United Nations, in its existing form, capable of spearheading the fight against this scourge and give humanity the tools to defeat it?  What other challenges do you believe will loom over the human civilization in the near future?
 
The United Nations is capable of spearheading the fight against terrorism and equipping humanity with the tools to fight and defeat it because of a number of factors. First the universality of the UN gives it the broad base that is necessary for any global, coordinated approach to fighting terrorism. Second, Security Council efforts, particularly resolution 1373 (2001), are meant to provide states with a uniform international, legal framework for fighting terrorism, setting a "baseline" for all countries in terms of national legislation, law enforcement practices, etc. Third, the very mission of the UN itself is not limited to peace and security concerns; its work in economic and social development, if successful, will help to alleviate abject poverty, extreme hunger, inequalities in education, disenfranchisement of peoples, etc. -- the very things that extremists use to recruit for terrorism and that people use to justify resorting to terrorism.

How, in your view, such problems as DPRK's nuclear issue, the situation around Iran, and the status of Kosovo need to be addressed?

The North Korean nuclear issue is one of the priorities on my agenda. I am closely following developments and doing what I can to facilitate the six-party process. As the situation develops, I will also think about what sort of initiative I can take on my own, to support the members of both the Security Council and the six-party talks. In the meantime, it is essential that the North Koreans commit themselves to what they agreed to in September last year, namely, abandoning all nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons programmes. 

On Iran, I am deeply concerned that the Iranian Government did not meet the latest deadline set by the Security Council. I have already urged the Iranian authorities to comply with Security Council resolutions and engage in negotiations, as they had done before with the European Union + 3 countries. Right now, the Security Council is engaged on Iran, and I hope that the issue can be resolved at the negotiating table and in a timely manner, because it has implications beyond Iran itself, both regionally and globally. The most desirable way to resolve all the pending issues is through peaceful dialogue.

Regarding Kosovo, my Special Envoy on the future status of Kosovo, Martti Ahtisaari, has finalized his proposal, and we will be sending it to the Security Council very soon. It is important for the international community not to lose momentum. After all, after almost eight years of UN administration, Kosovo and its people need clarity on their future. Moving towards a timely conclusion of the Kosovo status process should be a priority for the international community as a whole.

Do you believe the UN could play a larger role in the fight against poverty, hunger, disease and, if so, what would be possible sources of financing for such an increased role?

The UN, like everyone else, can and should do more in these key areas. But the way to do so is not necessarily by demanding more resources.

Let's take a look at some of the ways the UN has made a difference already. Aid for development, or "official development assistance," has gone from about $50 billion in 2000 to over $100 billion last year, and it is now more sharply focused on fighting poverty and disease. That money does not come from or go through the UN, but the impetus for the build-up came from the UN Millennium Summit of 2000, our Financing for Development summit of 2002 and our 2005 World Summit. Likewise, new funds have been established to fight killer diseases like AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, independent of the UN but with our encouragement and cooperation. Pharmaceutical firms, for their part, came through with essential drugs for victims in the poor countries -- and AIDS is only one of many areas where the UN has galvanized corporations to do their share as good corporate citizens. On a very large scale, our Millennium Development Goals campaign, in which all countries and all UN agencies are participating, is directing a frontal assault on hunger, poverty, illiteracy, disease and environmental decay.

So the key is not always more resources -- although many of the UN operational funds, programmes and specialized agencies do require continued and more generous funding. It is also that the Organization steps up in our key role of motivating governments and institutions to live up to their highest principles and to agree on ways to "promote social progress and better standards of life," as our Charter says.
 
Speaking about resources at your disposal, as of late the UN has been criticized for excessive bureaucratic mechanisms and inflated staff.  Do you plan to focus on this area, including a reduction in spending on personnel?

Recent reforms have indeed focused on, amongst other things, streamlining, and of course, I want the UN to run as efficiently and in as cost-effective a manner as possible. However, it is important to note that Member States have also called for an investment in the Organization. That shows that there is a realization that, while certain areas, processes and procedures require streamlining, others require more resources.

From year to year, the number of hot spots in the world is increasing.  Will the UN be substantially increasing its peacekeeping capacity?

UN peace operations represent a unique contribution to international peace and security. One cannot overestimate their global impact. Because of the surge in demand, and despite the diligent efforts of our colleagues in peacekeeping, our system is dramatically strained and over-stretched. This comes at a time when we can least afford it, as we plan and prepare for new peace operations in Darfur and elsewhere around the world.

How we strengthen the ability of the Secretariat to support peacekeeping is something in which we all have a stake. It is also a matter of life and death to millions of people who depend on us.

When do you plan to visit Russia in your new capacity? What is your assessment of Russia's role in UN's activities?
 
At this time, I have no immediate plans to visit the Russian Federation. However, I do feel that the Russian Federation is a major political actor. As a permanent member of the Security Council, it plays a prominent role on peace and security issues. For my part, I would encourage the Russian Federation to be more active on development issues and to become a generous donor.

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