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The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, granted an interview to Marc Perelman of France 24 and Christophe Boisbouvier of RFI, in which he assures that he hopes that the International Criminal Court has the capacity to carry out an investigation into the reported massacre of hundreds of Ukrainians in Izium and “create the conditions for those responsible for these atrocities to respond”.
The war in Ukraine topped the list of topics related to the UN chief during the interview with France 24 and Radio France International (RFI).
“I fear a military escalation,” Guterres said in response to a question about the direction the war in Ukraine was likely to take. “The prospects for a peace negotiation are very remote. Both the Ukrainians and the Russians think they can win the war and I don’t see any chance of establishing a serious peace negotiation in the short term,” he adds.
The only positive development in the last six months, according to Guterres, was a July agreement on fertilizer and grain exports from Ukraine and Russia.
There is still hope in the Iran nuclear deal
On the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which was frozen after then-US President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal, Guterres revealed that two weeks ago he was “convinced we were about to reach a deal.” But then things got more complicated.”
The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), according to Guterres, “was one of the major diplomatic success stories in recent years, and it was a shame the United States dropped out.” More than seven years later, Guterres stressed that “it is really vital to re-establish that agreement.”
Uighurs in Xinjiang and Police in Haiti
Referring to other issues, the UN Secretary General called for respect for human rights and the cultural and religious identity of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Meanwhile, regarding Haiti, António Guterres recommended an international program to support the training and equipping of the Haitian National Police, so that it becomes a “robust force capable of putting an end to the actions of gangs.”
Ivorian soldiers detained in Mali and conflict in DR Congo
As for the 46 Ivorian soldiers detained in Mali since July 10, the UN Secretary General said categorically that they are not mercenaries and called on the Bamako authorities to resolve this problem.
Finally, regarding the war in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guterres remarked that the M23 rebels have “more sophisticated heavy equipment than that of Monusco.” Does this equipment come from Rwanda? “They weren’t born in the jungle, they come from somewhere,” replies the secretary general.
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