Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

**Briefings

Good afternoon, some programming notes, this evening, at 7:35 p.m., the Leader of the Turkish Cypriot Community, Ersin Tatar, will speak to reporters following his meeting with the Secretary-General. This will take place at the Secretariat lobby area, near the satellite dish. Tomorrow, at around 1 p.m., Saturday, there will be a briefing here by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey V. Lavrov.

**General Assembly Week Statistics

Some statistics for you. It's been a very busy week. In terms of speakers, we have already heard from 112 speakers in the General Assembly. And in terms of the Secretary-General's bilateral [meetings], so far, he has completed 89 and he has a further 58 to go. And I know you have all been devouring the fascinating readouts we have put out for every one of these meetings.

**Nuclear Weapons

This morning, Courtenay Rattray, the Chef de Cabinet, delivered remarks on behalf of the Secretary-General at the event to mark the International Day for the total elimination of nuclear weapons. He said that nuclear weapons continue to menace our world, and despite decades of promises, we see this threat accelerating and evolving. This is not just a crisis of weapons, he said; it is a crisis of memory, responsibility and courage.

He called on States that have nuclear weapons to return to dialogue, to adopt and implement transparency and confidence-building measures to prevent catastrophic miscalculation. Also, on this International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, he renewed his call for long-needed progress to forge a world free of these weapons of mass extinction.

**International Days

Two other international days to flag for you for the weekend. Tomorrow is World Tourism Day and you will all be here. This year's theme is "Tourism and Sustainable Transformation". In his message for the Day, the Secretary-General says that amid climate crisis and inequalities, we must all harness the power of tourism as a force for transformation, resilience, sustainability and progress for all.

And Sunday is the International Day for Universal Access to Information. Universal access to information means that everyone has the right to seek, receive and impart information.

**Global Dialogue on AI Governance

I also wanted to flag that yesterday at an event yesterday afternoon, the Secretary-General launched the Global Dialogue on AI Governance. He told participants that in just 12 months, we have moved from principles to practice.

The goals of the Global Dialogue are clear, the Secretary-General said: To help build safe, secure and trustworthy AI systems - grounded in international law, human rights and effective oversight and also to promote interoperability between governance regimes - aligning rules, reducing barriers and boosting economic cooperation; and to encourage open innovation - including open-source tools and shared resources - accessible to all.

The UN, he said, offers a uniquely universal platform for such global cooperation and for the first time, every country will have a seat at the table of AI. He also launched an open call for candidates for the International Independent Scientific Panel on AI, which will be made of 40 experts to provide independent insights into the opportunities, risks and impacts of AI. And he will soon begin consultations with Member States, potential funders and partners on the establishment of a Global Fund for AI Capacity Development.

**Al-Hol

Also flagging that the High-Level International Conference on the Repatriation of Persons from Al-Hol, Surrounding Camps and Places of Detentions is taking place today. This event is organized by the Government of Iraq, with technical support from our Office of Counter-Terrorism. As you know, there are thousands of individuals with perceived or actual ties to Da'esh, including suspected foreign terrorist fighters and accompanying family members, who have been detained in camps and other facilities in the north-east of Syria.

Today's event focuses on efforts to repatriate individuals from these facilities to areas of return, as well as related issues. At 12:30 p.m., very shortly, the Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Fuad Mohammad Hussein, will brief you at the Security Council Stakeout. After that, the National Security Adviser of Iraq, Qasim al-Araji, will also speak at the Security Council Stakeout.

**Occupied Palestinian Territory

Quick update on Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that Israeli forces have stepped up their operations over the past 24 hours, with devastating consequences for civilians. On average, this meant an air strike every eight or nine minutes. Colleagues on the ground also report shelling, helicopter and quadcopter fire, as well as gunfire towards people waiting for aid. Dozens of people have reportedly been killed and over 200 others injured. That is what the Ministry of Health in Gaza is telling us.

People continue to flee, mainly from Gaza City to the southern part of Gaza, where conditions are dire. Yesterday, our teams monitoring the movement of people inside the Strip counted about 16,500 displacements from northern Gaza to the South. Aid workers remain stationed along displacement routes, offering psychosocial first aid, referring people to specialized services when needed, and educating new arrivals on the dangers of explosive ordnance. Still, hundreds of thousands of people remain in Gaza City amid extreme insecurity. They are heavily reliant on humanitarian assistance as more critical services there have been forced to close or move.

Meanwhile, our teams across the Gaza Strip continue to face access denials and heavy impediments - preventing them from providing support at the scale needed. Yesterday, out of 15 movements that we tried to coordinate with Israeli authorities to support people in different parts of Gaza, only 7 were fully facilitated. Teams were able to collect fuel, medical items, and other supplies from Kerem Shalom, among other missions, but were prevented from trucking water in the north and were not allowed to access other crossings, including to collect food.

OCHA stresses the need for Israeli authorities to fully facilitate humanitarian operations, including unimpeded movement of aid into and across the Gaza Strip. Also, we remind Israel, Hamas and any other armed group that aid workers and their vehicles must not be attacked or denied critical access on the ground.

In the West Bank, the Allenby Bridge reopened today for passengers, but not for cargo. You'll recall that this is the only direct crossing between Jordan and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. It is also good news for patients in Gaza set to be medically evacuated and for our international aid workers on rotation, as both of those groups depend on that route.

At the same time, the continued closure of Allenby for imports and exports, including humanitarian cargo, is a significant concern. About 35 per cent of the aid monitored by the mechanism established by Security Council resolution 2720 (2023) that have been cleared and are ready to ship to Gaza are in Jordan. They include food, tents and other commodities essential to people's survival. As we said before, we are engaging with relevant stakeholders to urgently address these concerns, warning that the continued closure of this border [crossing] without viable alternatives would further undermine the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Also in the West Bank, our OCHA colleagues tell us that the number of Palestinians who have been displaced since 7 October 2023 due to attacks by Israeli settlers and access restrictions has now surpassed 3,000. Half of them are children, mostly from Bedouin and herding communities.

**Lebanon

A quick update from southern Lebanon, where United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) colleagues tell us that this week they found several unauthorized weapons and ammunition caches in their area of operations, including mortar shells, ammunition rounds, rockets, fuses and military gear. In the 10 months since the cessation of hostilities that was established last November, peacekeepers have discovered over 330 caches.

Meanwhile, peacekeepers continue to report daily Israel Defense Forces military activities in the mission's area of operations. Yesterday, UNIFIL observed air violations and mortar fire from south of the Blue Line in their Sector West area of operations.

Also this week, UNIFIL's Maritime Task Force organized two training exercises, on 24 and 25 September, with the Lebanese Air Force, off the coast of Beirut. Also, UN peacekeepers organized a training for Lebanese Army personnel in maintaining military vehicles, to enhance operational activities.

As you will recall, last week, the peacekeeping mission donated more than 100 vehicles to the Lebanese Armed Forces. Yesterday, the mission donated an extra 15 vehicles to the General Security, which is the Government service responsible for addressing national security threats and securing the country's borders.

**Sudan

Turning to Sudan and the horrific situation there: Our humanitarian colleagues on the ground tell us that civilians in El Fasher, the besieged state capital of North Darfur, continue to endure relentless attacks, acute hunger and cholera. They face daily threats from shelling, from air strikes and from drone attacks, with fierce clashes reported in north-eastern districts of the state capital in recent weeks.

And this week on the side lines of the General Assembly, our Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, had the opportunity to talk to both parties and address the dire needs discuss the worsening situation in Sudan in general, but particularly around El Fasher.

On Wednesday, Mr. Fletcher met here with the Transitional Prime Minister of Sudan, Kamil Idris. The Humanitarian chief noted our ongoing efforts to move pre-positioned aid supplies into the area, but the meeting also focused on expanding humanitarian access, as well as ensuring that more essential aid gets everywhere it is needed.

Also this week, Mr. Fletcher spoke [by phone] to General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo of the Rapid Support Forces to discuss our grave concerns over the humanitarian crisis in El Fasher. He stressed the urgent need to protect civilians, halt the fighting and ensure safe humanitarian access. We reiterate once again our calls for the need to step up access across Sudan, including in the Darfur and Kordofan regions.

Elsewhere in the country, aid organizations are doing everything possible to support people in need. This week, our Humanitarian Coordinator, Denise Brown, concluded a two-day visit to Khartoum alongside our agencies and partners. As you know, the UN remains currently based in Port Sudan.

There, she met Government officials, communities and front-line workers to discuss urgent humanitarian priorities. Our humanitarian colleagues say joint efforts are underway to assist people's recovery and help communities rebuild their capital, Khartoum. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said that Thursday, two generators are on their way to Khartoum to restore safe water in cholera hotspots.

Meanwhile, UNICEF said that that the main building within the agency's compound in El Fasher came under repeated attack, with shelling killing at least seven people who had been sheltering in the compound and injuring others. While UNICEF has not been able to access the compound since March 2024, the compound remains protected under UN privileges and immunities. Just days earlier, armed individuals entered the compound and took control of communications equipment and several UNICEF vehicles.

Our humanitarian colleagues say that people continue to flee the heightened insecurity in El Fasher. On Tuesday and Wednesday alone, more than 1,600 people were displaced from the city. That is what the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is telling us. OCHA says that hundreds of thousands of people who fled El Fasher are now living in dire conditions in Tawila, also in North Darfur. We and our partners are on the ground providing support, but $120 million is urgently required to meet people's immediate needs in that area. The World Food Programme (WFP) has been scaling up assistance in Tawila, reaching some 450,000 people there last month with vital food and nutrition aid.

**Ukraine

Quick update from Ukraine, where the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that we and our partners continue to deliver aid across the country amid the multiple attacks in different parts of Ukraine. Authorities and our partners on the ground have reported that these attacks are impacting the energy infrastructure in Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Sumy and Vinnytsa. In Chernihiv, for instance, an attack last night left parts of the city and the surrounding areas without electricity, at a time when temperatures at night are already dropping to around five degrees Celsius.

In the first half of 2025, we and our partners provided at least one form of humanitarian assistance to 2.4 million people across Ukraine. This is about 40 per cent of the people we've aimed to reach with the Humanitarian Response Plan. While we are grateful for generous donor support, the sharp increase in attacks in recent months has triggered additional needs and new displacement, putting further pressure on an already stretched response - particularly ahead of winter. We and our partners continue to scale up assistance ahead of the winter under the 2025-2026 Winter Response Plan. Launched in July, this plan seeks $280 million and is currently 40 per cent funded.

**Peacebuilding

Two more quick notes. Yesterday on 25 September, the UN Peacebuilding Commission held its annual ministerial-level meeting, on the theme of "Promoting Social Cohesion and Inclusive Governance to Foster Community Resilience and Sustainable Peace". It was chaired by the Foreign Minister of Germany and Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission, Mr. Johann Wadephul. Member States expressed support and appreciation for the UN peacebuilding architecture - created 20 years ago to help countries with longer-term stabilization - but they expressed deep concern at the level of conflict around the world and called for tackling the root causes of violence, including inequality and exclusion, with a view to building resilient societies based on strong bonds of social trust.

**Financial Contributions

Four countries paid their contributions. Are you ready? First one is a little easy. This country's name is believed to come from the Portuguese meaning of "Lion Mountain". Sierra Leone. The second is a land-locked country in Africa that was named after the Zambezi River. Zambia. This next country was the first winner of the FIFA World Cup and the first host of the FIFA World Cup. Uruguay. That was easy. Finally, this last country is home to Esmerelda. Esmeralda is a Giant Tortoise, which is believed to be the heaviest one in the world, tipping the scales at over 670 pounds and is estimated to be around 170 years old. Where does she live? Seychelles. We thank our friends in Freetown, Lusaka, Montevideo and Victoria for their full payments [to the Regular Budget]. We are up to 133. Yep. Benno?

**Questions and Answers

Question: Thank you, Steph. I want to start with the talk of the town or the talk of the world, rather - escalator-gate. The United States President wants an investigation into the escalator, and he wants arrests. Where does that investigation stand as of now?

Spokesman: As we had put out, we've been in touch with the US Mission. The Secretary-General had spoken to Ambassador [Michael] Waltz. Others have spoken to the mission. We had said even before the tweet from the President that we had launched a deeper investigation. We've told the US they are welcome to join us as we look further, but, obviously, we stand by our preliminary findings that we shared with you.

Question: And can you walk me through what you specifically investigate? What about the cameras, for example? Are you looking into that footage, and do you think there could be arrests, actually?

Spokesman: Of course, we're looking into the footage. As you know, there are quite a lot of cameras within the UN.

Question: When can we expect an update?

Spokesman: I mean, as I said, we've shared the preliminary findings with you on different occasions. As soon as I have an update, I'll share it with you. Farnoosh?

Question: Thanks, Steph. Is there any plans or discussions about any last minute meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister today?

Spokesman: No.

Question: Okay. Then, sorry. Secondly, you spoke about US Ambassador Mike Waltz. He said in a Fox interview yesterday that in his conversations with the Secretary-General, he has said that the US will not pay its dues until it does a full reform, of US funding of UN organizations. Are you guys assisting them, providing any sort of, you know, documents or any look into that? What is that conversation?

Spokesman: That is a conversation we've had with the United States for quite some time as our largest funder. And the Secretary-General, I think in his first meeting with Ambassador Waltz had a really good meeting with him and they discussed the ongoing UN reforms. And obviously, we'll stay in touch with the US. Pam, then David.

Question: Thanks, Steph. On the side lines of the General Assembly, there have been several meetings about peace talks for Gaza peace plans. One is [Emmanuel] Macron, President Macron, other is President [Donald J.] Trump. Some of them have the UN in a role in this post-war plan. Needless to say, I know the Security Council would have to be involved, but what is the position of the Secretariat about the UN being involved - not in distribution of aid or any other things UN has been involved with, but in a post-war transition?

Spokesman: I don't want to speculate. You know, there are a lot of reports out there. I think you all know the Secretary-General's position on the need for a ceasefire, more humanitarian aid to get the hostages out, and also on the need for the Palestinian people to be able to choose their own future. David?

Question: Thank you, Steph. Two questions. Your reaction to the walkout this morning during Benjamin Netanyahu's speech? And the second question is there any reaction to President Trump's announcement during the gaggle that there is a ceasefire in order and that there's a possibility for a peaceful solution to the…?

Spokesman: Yeah, I mean, I listened to the President of the United States. Obviously, we very much hope there will be a peace deal that meets the aspirations of both the Palestinians and the Israelis. Far be it for me to comment on what Member States do. Abdelhamid, Lenka, and then we'll come back.

Question: Sorry. On the walk-out reaction?

Spokesman: As I said, far be it for me to comment on what Member States do with their legs.

Question: Thank you, Steph. Two questions. First, is anyone from the UN Secretariat attended [Benjamin] Netanyahu speech officially? I mean, like, representing the Secretary-General?

Spokesman: Well, I mean, there are a lot of Secretariat people in the room. I mean, I don't really understand your question.

Correspondent: No. Because sometimes the SG sent someone to sit there… I remember last year and I know…

Spokesman: So, there are two people, there are three chairs on the upper level of the podium, right? There's the secretariat of the meeting, which is usually represented by the Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly Affairs or his Deputy. There's the seat for the President of the General Assembly who sits there or the vice president, and then there's a seat which is either occupied by the Secretary-General or the Deputy Secretary-General. That seat has not always been filled, regardless of who is speaking, because both the Secretary-General and the Deputy Secretary-General have other engagements. So, whether or not there's somebody in that seat or not somebody in that seat has nothing to do with the speaker. It rather has to do with the schedule of those two senior UN officials.

Question: Okay. Second question. How do you characterize this global system when there is a leader who is indicted as a war criminal wanted for the ICC [International Criminal Court] and his counterpart from the Palestinian, who is stretching his hand for peace, says officially that I recognize the state of Israel, I want to make peace with Israel - he's denied coming to the General Assembly. How…?

Spokesman: I will leave that analysis to analysts such as such as yourself. I mean, you know our position is that President [Mahmoud] Abbas should have been given a visa. The fact that he and his delegation were not, we feel, goes contrary to the Headquarters Agreement, because every representative of every Member State and/or Permanent Observer have a right to speak here. Lenka?

Question: Thank you, Steph. Two questions, please. On escalators, who is going to investigate it? Which UN department is focusing on it?

Spokesman: The Secretary-General tasked office of OIOS [Office for Internal Oversight Services] to kind of lead and coordinate between the various services.

Question: Okay. Thank you. Second question, Ambassador Waltz also said in interview with Fox that the UN should get back to basics and "stop all this woke nonsense and reduce focus on climate change". Do you think the UN will follow any of these recommendations?

Spokesman: I'm not going to start commenting on every interview every Permanent Representative gives, but I can tell you that we work on behalf of Member States, and we work towards the goals within the ideals of the Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the mandates given to us by the Member States.

Question: Thank you, Steph. Two questions for you, if you don't mind. First, during this high-level week, nearly all Heads of States have raised the same issue, the need to amend the Security Council permanent member structure. Of course, under Article 108 of the UN Charter, all permanent members must unanimously agree to such reform. The reality is the Council can't even agree on urgent threats to peace like Gaza. So, my question is what practical pragmatic role can the SG play in pushing this?

Spokesman: Well, I mean his role, frankly, the role of his predecessors has been an advocate for Security Council reform. I think he spoke about it during his press conference here. He's spoken about it repeatedly, that it needs to be more reflective of the world that we live in today, as opposed to the world of 1945. Your second question?

Question: And then second question, please. Yeah. Any reactions by the SG to Trump's assertion that the UN was not at all helpful in helping broker any peace deals?

Spokesman: I'm not going to comment on every remarks made from the podium. I think what I can tell you is that the Secretary-General had a very good meeting with the President of the United States. Dezhi, and then we'll go here.

Question: Yes. First, on the speech of Prime Minister Netanyahu, I would presume that those people from the upper level, they are the guests from the Israeli mission?

Spokesman: I mean, every delegation is allowed to bring in guests.

Question: Okay. Yeah. So, in his remarks, he mentioned "Thanks to special efforts by Israeli intelligence, my words are now being carried. They are streamed live through the cell phones of Gazans." Is this the… first of all, is it… has UN staff there received this?

Spokesman: Not that I'm aware of, but I have no comment on this.

Question: On the meeting between the SG and President Trump, since he said today that there may be a deal already on Gaza, what details can you tell us about the?

Spokesman: I nothing to share with you on that.

Correspondent: Between their…

Spokesman: No.

Question: Okay. One last question. I'm sorry. Escalators. I'm sorry. This is what right after the escalator, Fox said… [plays audio]

Spokesman: I don't… I yeah. I don't…

Question: Have you have we seen this before?

Spokesman: Just say what you… please don't play the video, because it's hard to hear. What is your question?

Question: So, they said they either bomb the UN or gas it and tear it down to makes it a luxurious condo near the East River. I mean, what is your reaction?

Spokesman: I think we were shocked, to say the least, at the remarks. There is nothing funny or ironic in calling for the bombing, the gassing, the destruction of this building, in which thousands of people work and UN delegates come in. We do know painfully the reality of what happens when threats are made against the UN. We lost friends in Baghdad. I personally walked through the rubble of the building in Algiers where the UN was bombed. Our colleagues in Abuja were also bombed. That kind of language is unacceptable. We were in touch with Fox News, and Mr. [Jesse] Watters contacted one of our colleagues and apologized. Yes, sir?

Question: Hello. This is Mohammed Ramawi from PassBlue. So, yesterday, the Secretary-General met with the President of Iran. And in the readout, it says that the two discussed regional issues of mutual interest and that the Secretary-General stressed the need to resolve issues regarding Iran's nuclear programme through diplomacy. Can you give us any insight into what are the regional issues of mutual interest between the UN Secretary-General and the Iranian President? And can tell us, like, what they talked about? What did the Iranian President tell him?

Spokesman: I'm sure, if you've learned from reading these readouts, they are very detailed. That was a joke. Issues of mutual interest, I think, are pretty obvious. The situation in the Middle East as a whole, the situation in Yemen, and issues relating to Iran's nuclear programme.

Question: But, what did they tell each other? Did they agree on anything?

Spokesman: I'm not going to go any further than what we said in the readout. Yes, sir?

Question: My name is Yuri Aparov. I'm the UN Geneva-based correspondent of [inaudible]. I have two questions. The first one is: today marks the anniversary of the Nord Stream pipeline attacks, and the investigation has not yet given any results. What message did the SG have on this anniversary?

Spokesman: I mean, I would refer you to what was said not too long ago by our colleague, Mr. [Miroslav] Jenca, in a Security Council briefing regarding the need to protect a civilian infrastructure.

Question: Okay. And my second question is, on Monday, the Russian President say that Russia is ready to continue to follow the limitations of the New START treaty after February 2026. Does the UN support this proposal?

Spokesman: We support the continuation of the major disarmament treaties that exist. Yes, sir?

Question: Hi. I'm Omar of [inaudible]. How do you react to how do you react to the calls by many leaders here who said that UN or its organs could be moved to their cities, to their countries?

Spokesman: What you said, I'm sorry. I didn't hear what you said.

Question: Yeah. So, we heard, Turkish President [Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan saying that Istanbul could be a good UN hub, you know? And there are other leaders who are calling for UN and its organs move to their cities amid the funding shortage.

Spokesman: I mean, the relocation of posts from a number of more traditional UN headquarter cities to others is something that is being looked at, something that has already happened. Istanbul is already home to a number of regional hubs for various UN organizations. So, it is something we're continuously evaluating. Sylviane, sorry.

Question: Yes. It's about Lebanon. What is the reaction of the SG to the situation in Beirut where Hezbollah used the [inaudible] to project the photo of [Hassan] Nasrallah in the sign of defiance against Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at the risk of the new security flare up in Lebanon, especially with the arrival of [Ali] Larijani tomorrow in Beirut to support Hizbullah in its celebration of the first commemoration of Hassan Nasrallah's death. Any reaction?

Spokesman: I mean, no specific reaction to the incident, but only to say that the Secretary-General has met the Prime Minister on a number of occasions, and we are fully supportive of his and the President, the Government's effort in Lebanon. Javier?

Question: Steph, you said that the President Trump and the Secretary-General, they had a very good meeting. President Trump said he transmitted the message that he was 100 per cent with the UN. Is that the same understanding of the Secretary-General?

Spokesman: You know, all we can go by is what they said to each other and the Secretary-General's own perception of his meeting in person with the Secretary-General. You heard the positive comments when the cameras were there. And from what the Secretary-General told me, they did have a very good meeting and they discussed a number of serious issues, notably regarding peace and notably regarding Ukraine. Yes, sir?

Correspondent: Just to follow-up on Netanyahu's speech. Today, he ordered…

Spokesman: On who's speech?

Correspondent: Netanyahu's.

Spokesman: Yeah.

Correspondent: He ordered the…

Spokesman: Sorry, what is your name? I don't know

Question: Sorry, Ali from Al Jazeera. He ordered the Israeli military to broadcast his speech into Gaza. Any comment on a function of this body being used for what can be described as psychological torture of an entire population?

Spokesman: You know, I have no specific comment on that. I have no reports that it worked or didn't work. I think the focus should be on alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people, getting more humanitarian aid in, and getting the hostages out. Yes, sir?

Question: Hello. It's Amar from El Watan newspaper from Egypt. I want to ask, we still have two wars in Ukraine-Russia, and in Gaza. And the people speak about, how we renew trust in UN after 80 years, especially we still have these wars?

Spokesman: Well, you know, if you look around the world, I think you have, if you look at the UN, I think you have to ask yourself which part of the UN are you most frustrated with? Are you frustrated by the work that our humanitarian colleagues do in the field? Are you frustrated by the work that our development colleagues do in the field? Are you frustrated by the human rights monitoring, or are you frustrated by the inability of Member States to come together and agree on certain issues regarding peace and security? Yes, ma'am.

Question: Thank you so much. Stephanie Yao from Xinhua News Agency. And I'd like to hear your take on Chinese Premier Li's speech this morning. Do you see idealism or pragmatism or idealistic pragmatism? Thank you.

Spokesman: To be honest, I think… and I've answered this. We're not in the business of commenting on everyone's remarks. I can tell you that the Secretary-General had a very good meeting with the Prime Minister. As you know, he had been in China recently and as I guess as a major contributor, as a permanent member of this Organization, the role of China in supporting multilateral institutions is very important. Abdelhamid?

Question: Going back to the speech of Netanyahu. He said that he's not targeting civilians. He went on to explain that, which is, you know, the world knows something that Netanyahu… the world doesn't know something Netanyahu only knows. But, he said in his speech, 90 per cent of the Palestinians supported 7 October 2023. Isn't that flagrant case of justifying the genocide? When he said 90 per cent of the Palestinian, 90 per cent.

Spokesman: Abdelhamid, with all due respect, again, we are not going to comment line by line on what the Prime Minister said, whether it's Prime Minister of Israel, the Prime Minister of China, the President of France. We will let you as journalists do a compare and contrast, analyse, pick the speeches apart. That's your job. Our position in terms of what is going on Gaza, I think, could not be any clearer, and we restate it and we state it every day. The Secretary-General is here. He said it in numerous speeches on Monday at the two-state solution, meeting yesterday on the UNRWA [United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East]. So, we will let you do your work. Okay. Anything else? Yes, sir?

Question: Yeah. Can you educate me on where things stand on the snap-back sanctions against Iran if, you know, the draft resolution doesn't pass the Security Council this afternoon? What will happen on Sunday?

Spokesman: Well on my understanding, and obviously things remain in the hands of Security Council: The time of implementation would be 8:01 a.m. Eastern Time on Saturday. Okay. Benno. Sorry. Just… Sorry, Farnoosh. You have to sit, you have to bear, you have to listen through Benno. Go ahead.

Question: Just a technical question. Will you send out like, a summary, how many, from the speakers, how many were female? How many were male? What's the longest speech? All of this.

Spokesman: We will do our best probably on Monday or Tuesday once everything is over and we've had time to tally. Goodbye.