Arab journalists can help explain UN work, Annan tells meeting

Senior Arab journalists wrapping up a weeklong meeting at the United Nations today heard Secretary-General Kofi Annan appeal for their help in explaining the world body's role in addressing a host of issues, especially the Middle East conflict and the war in Iraq.

"The United Nations has to deal with many crises in many parts of the world, but there is no other region where it has been so long and so intensively involved as in the Arab countries," he told the high-level briefing programme held at UN Headquarters in New York.

"And that means there is no area of the world where it is more important for us to make sure that what we are trying to do is clearly understood by public opinion, and that we are getting the message out and getting [it] out as clearly as we can," he added.

Concerning regional hotspots, Mr. Annan reiterated his long-held view that only a just and comprehensive settlement to the Middle East problem will end the cycle of violence and terror. On Iraq, he stressed that the country's people are best place to decide on the best mechanism for the transition to full sovereignty. "It is important that the people of Iraq see us clearly as we are: an impartial world body with only one agenda - to help the people of Iraq."

The Secretary-General noted that the programme afforded the 10 senior representatives of Arab media organizations in attendance the chance to meet with both sides of the proverbial aisle dividing representatives of Member States and senior officials of the UN Secretariat.

"You have had a chance, therefore, to see how the UN works, both as a place where governments can work together to reach common decisions, and as a mechanism for carrying out those decisions once reached," he said.

In the ensuing question and answer period, the Secretary-General addressed a range of topics, including efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the lead up to and fallout from the war in Iraq, and negative public opinion in the Arab world about the UN's legitimacy.

Speaking to the UN News Service following the discussion, George Hawatmeh, the Editor of Al-Ra'i in Jordan, said the briefing programme, which featured dialogues with numerous senior officials and diplomats, had served to inform participants about the challenges facing the UN. "We've identified areas where it is suffering from image problems, as well as credibility gaps, especially as far as Arab public opinion is concerned," he said.

He also indicated that the Secretary-General's call for amplification of the UN's message had been heard. "The fact that we understand the situation better now means that our readers, our audiences, will understand it better if we do our homework, and I'm sure everybody seems intent and determined to do just that upon going back home," he said.