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STORY: UN / MOUALLIMI
TRT: 02:10
SOURCE: UNIFEED-UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ARABIC / ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 09 JUNE 2016, NEW YORK CITY
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, UNHQ exterior
09 JUNE 2016, NEW YORK CITY
2. Pan left, Mouallimi approaching stakeout
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations:
“The removal of the collation led by Saudi Arabia and includes its sibling (nations) was to protect the credibility of the United Nations. Keeping the coalition on that list would have destroyed this credibility.”
4. Wide shot, Mouallimi
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations:
“I agree with the Secretary-General that undue pressure on the United Nations is unacceptable, and undue pressure was not exercised. So we have an agreement on that. He stands by the report, that’s fine as long as the conclusions are not the way they were and the conclusions have now been changed. And if he stands by the report until further information is provided, that’s up to him.”
6. Wide shot, Mouallimi
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations:
“We did not exercise pressure or intimidation, we made our point clear. We made it firmly. We said this cannot be accepted and we will not allow it to stand because we think it is wrong. It is wrong in terms of the procedures. It is wrong in terms of the conclusions. Now how did the Secretary-General feel about that? That’s up to him to evaluate.”
8. Wide shot, Mouallimi
9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations:
“The information that was gathered was gathered from one side and one side only. There was no communication with the government of Saudi Arabia, with the governments of the other coalition members; there was no communication with the legitimate government of Yemen. And as such the quality of the information has to be suspect in that process.”
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
10. Close up, reporter writing
09 JUNE 2016, NEW YORK CITY
11. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations:
Reporter: “So you were informed as the report was written?”
Mouallimi: “No.”
Reporter: “You weren’t informed?”
Mouallimi: “No.”
Reporter: “But the Secretary-General’s spokesman said on public record that you were informed.”
Mouallimi: “No. No, we were not. No, we were not.”
Reporter: “So you never knew about your country being included in this report.”
Mouallimi: “We never knew about this report. No. Not at all.”
12. Pan right, Mouallimi leaving stakeout
In response to comments made by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Saudi Ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi said his government did not exercise pressure or intimidation to remove the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen from the blacklist of children’s rights abusers. Mouallimi said they instead made their point firmly on the issue and it was up to the Secretary-General to “evaluate” his feelings.
The Saudi Ambassador said the move was done to “protect the credibility” of the UN. He said he agreed with Ban that “undue pressure on the United Nations is unacceptable, and undue pressure was not exercised.” Moualimi said Ban was free to stand by the report “as long as the conclusions are not the way they were and the conclusions have now been changed.”
Mouallimi claimed the information gathered in the report was one-sided and denied any communication with his government, those of the coalition, or the legitimate government of Yemen. He therefore said “the quality of the information has to be suspect in that process.”
