in response to Inner City Press' request for a copy of the document General Gaye waved around on-camera

Update of August 6, 6:40 p.m. -- in response to Inner City Press' request for a copy of the document General Gaye waved around on-camera, the following arrived:

Sent: 8/6/2009 6:32:01 P.M. Eastern Standard Time

Subj: in regard to General Gaye's comments in Room 226 today

Regarding your questions about General Gaye's comments in relation to the fact-finding mission sent to eastern DRC, we've double-checked the video recording and can confirm that General Gaye did not use the word "exonerated."

His exact words were: "Yes, we sent a fact-finding mission in the localities in South Kivu and North Kivu where allegedly there was SEA cases. I have the results of this fact-finding mission. This is the document that I received. Unfortunately, or [do] we say fortunately, most of the time the accusations, the allegations, are not precise enough to see soemthing on ther ground and that is why we have decided to send as soon as possible a fact-finding mission every time there is this kind of accusation. You know that it is up to OIOS to investigate this kind of things. But this fact-finding mission is the way for us to react as promptly as possible in order at least to send evidence and so on and so forth. In both cases, that probably your question is related to, there was nothing on the ground for being evidence that something took place."

In relation to that document which General Gaye referred to, please find below a summary of it:

"The United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) dispatched on 23 July a fact-finding mission to eastern Congo to reinforce preventive measures against sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) by peacekeepers. This initiative follows the appointment last year of 48 military officers to act as focal points within MONUC’s national troop contingents, to strengthen field training programs on SEA and the reporting of offenses.

"The fact-finding team interviewed internally displaced persons, local leaders and medical staff in the areas of Goma-Sake and Rutshuru but did not record any allegation of SEA committed by peacekeepers, nor did it bring to light new factual elements that would require the opening of a formal investigation.

"The fact-finding team was led by a senior MONUC military officer, supported by an independent military officer and two civilian staff from MONUC’s Conduct and Discipline Unit (CDU) one of them a female. A CDU staff remains based in Goma, the capital of North Kivu to liaise with and alert the UN’s investigative arm of possible offenses."