UN / KEITA SOUTH SUDAN

Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Bintou Keita, said conditions are not present to conduct “meaningful” elections in South Sudan. UNIFEED

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:25
• Production Date: 2 May 2018
• Asset Language: English
• Corporate Name: DEPARTMENT OF PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS - DPKO
• Subject Topical: CONFLICT SITUATION; ELECTIONS; PEACE PROCESS
• Geographic Subject: SOUTH SUDAN
• MAMS Id: 2143154
• Parent Id: 2143154
• Alternate Title: unifeed180502a

Description

STORY: UN / KEITA SOUTH SUDAN
TRT: 02:25
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 02 MAY 2018, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

Shotlist

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters

02 MAY 2018, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, press conference
3. Med shot, journalists
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Bintou Keita, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations:
“It is very clear to us that this is not at all, from economic perspective, from political perspective, from humanitarian perspective, a country where it is conducive right now to go through any meaningful elections as a plan B. So, for us there is no Plan B, the only plan is the High-Level Revitalization Forum.”
5. Med shot, journalists
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Bintou Keita, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations:
“They think that they just, maybe, with a magic wand organize these elections, but my sense is still, when I was in Addis and I interacted with some of them, including later, not in that meeting, my sense is that they are still engaging, they are still dialoguing. And I think we should encourage this. The worse which can happen is that people stop talking to each other and not engaging.”
7. Med shot, journalist
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Bintou Keita, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations:
“They are really trying their best, their level best, to try to reduce the gap between the warring parties in terms of their positions. And they had a plan, which is actually ongoing, which is to have a shuttle diplomacy between Addis and South Sudan, and including at some point they will be going to Pretoria in order to engage Riek Machar. And I think it’s a wise way to look at not just having a meeting for having a meeting and then ticking a box and say, we have had a meeting, but to acknowledge that actually the parties are so far apart that there is a need to have some kind of homework in order to arrive at the 17 May with the parties having reflected a bit more on the possibility to come to a common ground.”
9. Wide shot, journalists
10. Zoom out, end of meeting

Storyline

Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Bintou Keita, today (2 May) said conditions are not present to conduct “meaningful” elections in South Sudan.

Speaking to reporters in New York, Keita said that “from economic perspective, from political perspective, from humanitarian perspective,” South Sudan is not “a country where it is conducive right now” to go through elections.

She said, “for us there is no Plan B, the only plan is the High-Level Revitalization Forum,” scheduled for 17 May.

Keita said the parties “think that they just, maybe, with a magic wand organize these elections,” but pointed out that after meeting with government officials and opposition representatives in Addis Ababa “my sense is that they are still engaging, they are still dialoguing.”

She said, “I think we should encourage this. The worse which can happen is that people stop talking to each other and not engaging.”

The Assistant Secretary-General said the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) “are really trying their best, their level best, to try to reduce the gap between the warring parties in terms of their positions.”

IGAD’s plan, she said “is to have a shuttle diplomacy between Addis and South Sudan, and including at some point they will be going to Pretoria” in order to engage opposition leader Riek Machar.

Keita said, “I think it’s a wise way to look at not just having a meeting for having a meeting and then ticking a box and say, we have had a meeting, but to acknowledge that actually the parties are so far apart that there is a need to have some kind of homework in order to arrive at the 17 May with the parties having reflected a bit more on the possibility to come to a common ground.”

The High-Level Revitalization Forum for the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan was launched on 30 December 18, 2017 by the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Desalegn, who is the Chairperson of the IGAD Assembly of Heads of State and Government.