24 May 2010

UN / BAN KI-MOON

Commenting on North Korea’s alleged sinking of a South Korean naval ship, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he is confident that the council, “in fulfilling its responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, will take measures appropriate to the gravity of the situation.” UNTV

Posted at: May 24, 2010 4:01 pm

Duration: 03:04

Available in: SD

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STORY: UN / BAN KI-MOON
SOURCE: UNTV
TRT: 3.04
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/ NATS

DATELINE: 24 MAY 2010, NEW YORK CITY/ FILE

SHOTLIST:

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1.	Wide shot, exterior UN building

24 MAY 2010, NEW YORK CITY

2.	Wide shot, the Secretary-General enters the room
3.	SOUNDBITE (English) Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General:
"The evidence laid out in the joint international investigation report is overwhelming and deeply troubling. I fully share the widespread condemnation of the incident. It is particularly deplorable that the incident took place at a time when the Six-Party Talks and international efforts towards a de-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula remain stalled."
4.	Med shot, reporters
5.	SOUNDBITE (English) Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General:
"I am confident that the Council, in fulfilling its responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, will take measures appropriate to the gravity of the situation. This incident is a stark reminder of the urgency of securing peace and stability on the Korean peninsula."
6.	Wide shot, reporters
7.	SOUNDBITE (English) Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General:
"This is most troubling for me to see what is happening in the Korean Peninsula. That's my mother land. Therefore I really hope that, first of all, we should not repeat this recurrence of this kind of things, and therefore there must be some measures to be taken. There is evidence, it is quite compelling, you know, there's no controversy. Therefore it is the responsibility of the international community to address this issue properly."

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

8.	Close up, reporter's notepad

24 MAY 2010, NEW YORK CITY

9.	SOUNDBITE (English) Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General:
"If accepted and implemented, it could serve as an important confidence-building measure and open the door for a negotiated solution to the Iranian nuclear issue. I have stated repeatedly that Iran should show greater transparency about its nuclear program. Let me stress once again the importance of Iran's full cooperation with the IAEA and full compliance with Security Council resolutions."
10.	Med shot, reporters
11.	SOUNDBITE (English) Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General:
"The Istanbul Declaration sent a clear three-fold message: First, the United Nations will not stand by and watch Somalia struggle alone. Second, the Transitional Federal Government has to do its part and tackle the hard issues of security and governance. Third, if we do not tackle the basic causes onshore we will never be able to stop piracy offshore."
12.	Various shots, end of press conference.

STORYLINE

The deliberate sinking of a navy ship off the coast of the Republic of Korea (ROK) by its northern neighbor, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), has dealt a blow to efforts to promote peace in the region, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today (24 May), voicing hope that the Security Council will act swiftly on the issue.

Seoul released the findings of an international report last week which said that its vessel Cheonan was hit by a DPRK torpedo in late March, claiming the lives of 46 ROK soldiers.

Ban told reporters at his monthly press conference today that the evidence laid out in the report "is overwhelming and deeply troubling," adding his voice to the chorus of international leaders condemning the incident.

He said that it is "particularly deplorable" that this development occurs at a time when both global efforts to de-nucleotide the Korean Peninsula and the so-called Six-Party Talks – bringing together the DPRK, the ROK, Japan, China, Russia and the United States – are stalled.

ROK President Lee Myung-bak has reportedly announced that his country will sever nearly all trade with the DPRK and will bring the matter before the Security Council.

Ban expressed confidence that the Council, "in fulfilling its responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security will take measures appropriate to the gravity of the situation." 
 
Although a national of the ROK, the Secretary-General today asserted his objectivity in the matter.

He said that the recent events were "most troubling" for him as they involve his "mother land", and pointed out that the evidence "is quite compelling" and "there's no controversy", calling on the international community "to address this issue properly."

The UN, he noted, will continue providing life-saving support to the people of the DPRK, given the dire humanitarian situation, where over one third of the co nearly 24 million-strong population is in need of food assistance.

Regarding other matters, the Secretary-General cautiously welcomed Turkey's diplomatic efforts to help resolve international tensions over Iran's nuclear program, undertaken in tandem with Brazil. He said that "If accepted and implemented", the proposed plan "could serve as an important confidence-building measure and open the door for a negotiated solution to the Iranian nuclear issue". He stressed that "Iran should show greater transparency about its nuclear program."

Ban also informed reporters about the results of last week's Istanbul conference on Somalia. He said that the Istanbul Declaration underscored that "the United Nations will not stand by and watch Somalia struggle alone"; urged the Transitional Federal Government "to do its part and tackle the hard issues of security and governance"; emphasized the need "tackle the basic causes onshore" in order to be able "to stop piracy offshore".

The three-day international conference, held in Istanbul and co-hosted by the UN and Turkey, examined Somalia's political, security and reconstruction needs, a year after a similar summit was held in Brussels.