6 October 2016 - Antonio Guterres has the leadership skills to lead the UN
UN Secretary-General selection / Syria - Remarks to the press by Mr. François Delattre, Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations - 6 October 2016
One word on the selection of the Secretary-General. Yesterday’s outcome is great news for the UN. And the Security Council is about to send a strong message of unity.
With respect to Antonio Guterres, who is as you know a great and long-time friend of my country, first and foremost, Antonio Guterres has the leadership skills and the political and moral authority to lead the UN in these very testing times. What is also at stake is the ability of the UN to help frame a multi-polar world that must be based on partnership and not rivalry. So, for these two reasons, the testing times, the need to help frame a multi-polar world, the role of the UN has never been as important as it is today. And for that, Mr. Guterres is the right leader able to bring the nations and the community of nations together.
Q: (Syria) The status of your resolution? Do you think it’s important to put it up for a vote now?
The answer is yes. And as we speak, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault is in Moscow to discuss with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. Jean-Marc Ayrault will be in Washington tomorrow and so we’ll see after these two visits what happens. But yes, we have a draft resolution as you know. We have been working very hard with the 15 members of the Security Council for several days now on this and we think that we need to do whatever it takes to stop the bloodshed in Aleppo.
Q: Are you ready to put it up for a vote this week?
We are ready. We’ll see again the result of the two visits by Minister Ayrault, in Moscow as we speak and in Washington tomorrow. And again we have a strong determination to go to a vote.
Q: What has been Russia’s response to your draft resolution about Syria? Are they cooperating?
We are engaged into negotiations within the 15. That’s the important thing.
Q: Is France going to have a problem if Mr. Guterres is a strong SG and tells France and the P5 what to do?
It’s a very good question. We have always favored a strong leader at the helm of the UN. Always.