YouSaid · the spoken record

Abdellah

lines on the record: 181
first: 1994-02-15
most recent: 1997-04-23
sittings or episodes: 22
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“The issue before us today is of particular significance to my country, which has contributed to many peace-keeping operations since the 1960s, and continues to do so. In the past few years there has been an unprecedented expansion of peace-keeping operations, requiring an increasing number of troops. The personnel involved in these operations find themselves at greater and greater risk because the nature of the operations has changed and they now entail new and varied tasks. This development means increased responsibilities not only for the Security Council and the Secretariat of the United Nations but also for countries non-members of the Council, which are called upon more often.”
1995-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3611 (1995) · source
“Mr. Abdellah (Tunisia) (interpretation from French): Allow me first to congratulate you, Sir, on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for this month. Your outstanding qualities as an experienced diplomat guarantee the success of the Council's work. I should like also to thank your predecessor, Ambassador Al-Khussaiby of the Sultanate of Oman, for the exemplary manner in which he presided over the work of the Council last month. Allow me also, Mr. President, to convey to you my delegation's thanks for convening this meeting on the question of consultations between members of the Security Council and troop-contributing countries. In addition, I want to thank the authors of the letter of 8 December 1995 for their initiative, which my delegation fully endorses.”
1995-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3611 (1995) · source
“The Security Council must reaffirm its resolutions on Jerusalem and not recognize the changes made by Israel in its de jare situation and demographic structure. It must call upon the Israeli Government to rescind its latest expropriation decision. The United States and the Russian Federation, the sponsors of the Peace Conference, should assume special responsibility by taking a firm stance and bringing pressure to bear so as to prevail upon Israel to rescind its decision so that the peace process can succeed and have as its outcome a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East.”
1995-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3536Resumption1 (1995) · source
“We should like to direct attention to the dangers inherent in Israel's continued defiance of General Assembly and Security Council resolutions, and repeat once again that there will be no success in establishing the foundations for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East if the peace process does not include as principal objectives the recognition of all legitimate Palestinian rights, the withdrawal by Israel from all Palestinian Arab occupied territories, including Jerusalem, and creation of a climate of confidence and good faith. We therefore call upon the international community in general and the Security Council in particular to demand that Israel show proof of a real desire to make the peace process succeed. The peace process needs Israel to act more responsibly and abandon mulish intransigence.”
1995-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3536Resumption1 (1995) · source
“Tunisia, which has given the peace process its blessing ever since the Madrid Conference and is committed to contributing to it in such a way as to guarantee legitimate Palestinian and Arab rights, calls upon the international community to adopt a firm stance on this issue in order to avoid a collapse of the peace process.”
1995-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3536Resumption1 (1995) · source
“It deplored this action, which is in total contradiction with United Nations resolutions on occupied Jerusalem and with the Declaration of Principles between Palestine and Israel, not to mention Israel's own commitments in this respect. Members of the Council will remember well the commitments made by the Israeli Foreign Minister here in the United Nations just a few weeks ago to the effect that Israel would stop, finally and completely, expropriating Arab territories. In just a few weeks, we have seen the reverse of that pledge come true, and now the Israeli Cabinet, before the general outcry from international public opinion, is yet again making yet another commitment that will just be forgotten as soon as the storm is past.”
1995-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3536Resumption1 (1995) · source
“Any decision on the future of Jerusalem before these negotiations are concluded is essentially invalid. Fourthly, the question of Jerusalem is a serious matter of concern not only to the Palestinian people and the parties to the peace process; rather, it surpasses them to include the Middle East and the Islamic nation as a whole, because Jerusalem has a very special place in Islamic hagiology. God Himself made it the first kiblah and third holiest shrine, and anything that brings hurt to Jerusalem cannot but cause outrage and anger. The Tunisian Government, in a statement adopted on 7 May 1995, expressed its grave concern at the Israeli decision to expropriate yet more Palestinian, Arab territory in East Jerusalem.”
1995-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3536Resumption1 (1995) · source
“Here I should like to affirm the following points. Firstly, the Israeli decision is in total contradiction with the principles and foundations of international law. It is also a blatant violation of the relevant Security Council resolutions and of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. Secondly, this decision is a grave threat to the peace process that was launched in Madrid on the basis of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) and the principle of land for peace. T hirdly, this decision is in contradiction with the understanding reached at Oslo, specifically, with the commitment not to undertake any change in Jerusalem's status until there is a final agreement on that status under the agreed agenda.”
1995-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3536Resumption1 (1995) · source
“Moreover, Israel has carried out some excavations under the Al-Aqsa mosque under the pretext of looking for the Temple of Solomon. These excavactions endanger the structure of this holy mosque. An Israeli Cabinet Minister has admitted that the Israeli Government has expropriated since 1967 no fewer than 2,300 hectares of land in East Jerusalem, on which some 35,000 housing units have been built for settlers. These Israeli policies and practices confirm Israel's intentions to carry out its plan for "Greater Jerusalem" - which means the total Judaization of the city. The latest decision to expropriate more Palestinian land is just another phase of that plan, designed to eliminate the Palestinian entity, usurp Palestinian Arab rights in this Holy City and separate Jerusalem completely from the rest of the West Bank.”
1995-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3536Resumption1 (1995) · source
“The Council is holding an emergency meeting today to discuss once again the Israeli practices in the occupied Palestinian territories and, in particular, the risks faced by Jerusalem as a result of the recent Israeli Cabinet decision to expropriate Palestinian land and establish settlements on it. Since it occupied Jerusalem in 1967, Israel has adopted a policy of Judaizing the city, changing its characteristics, expropriating Palestinian land, forcing the Arabs to leave their land and their property, preventing them from engaging in any construction, imposing high taxes on them and not allowing them to enter the city. At the same time, the settlers are being encouraged to live in East Jerusalem on land given to them free and in housing sold to them at token prices.”
1995-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3536Resumption1 (1995) · source
“Mr. Abdellah (Tunisia) (interpretation from Arabic): I am pleased at the outset to extend to you, Sir, my warmest congratulations on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for this month - all the more because you represent a country that has long- standing friendly relations with Tunisia. Your talents and experience are the best guarantee for us that the Council's work will be successful this month. I wish also to pay a tribute to your predecessor as President, Ambassador Karel Kovenka of the Czech Republic, for the wisdom with which he guided the Council's work last month.”
1995-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3536Resumption1 (1995) · source
“Nevertheless, the path to peace is strewn with obstacles and the process now under way is meeting various kinds of opposition that can be neutralized only by speeding up the process towards a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement soon. The Council and the sponsors of the peace process share the paramount responsibility for getting it back on track in order to safeguard the future of peace and stability in the region.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505Resumption1 (1995) · source
“International donors and financial institutions are obliged for their part to honour their commitments to the Palestinians by stepping up the pace of their economic assistance to the self-governing territories; in the short term, this would ease the suffering of the Palestinian people and allow them in time to lay the foundations for their economy, the sine qua non for consolidating self-rule and, later, independence. Tunisia, a peace-loving country, supported the Madrid process then and continues to do so now. It has already hosted several meetings of working groups as part of the multilateral negotiations in which it has been participating actively. Like all nations, it had great hopes for this process, in that it opened a new chapter in the history of the region. Important gains have been made that must not be lost.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505Resumption1 (1995) · source
“However, that does not change the fact that the problems must be tackled right at their roots by putting a full and final stop to settlement activities, withdrawing the Israeli troops from the self-governing territories, holding elections to ground the Palestinian Authority on institutional foundations, lifting the blockade against the territories and freeing the political prisoners - in brief, by the implementation of the agreements between the two parties, all fair, square and above board. The international community has every right to demand that Israel meet its obligations pending an agreement on the ultimate status of the occupied territories.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505Resumption1 (1995) · source
“The most apt answer to this question is provided by the developments now taking place in the occupied territories, where the stubborn economic and social difficulties the Palestinians must wrestle with - aggravated by the cordon round the territories and by continued settlement activities, are currently gelling into frustration, bitterness and disenchantment for the people there, opening up fertile ground for the extremists opposed to the peace process. In any case, the Palestinian Authority has taken effective steps, thereby showing its determination to shoulder its responsibilities in the struggle to combat violence.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505Resumption1 (1995) · source
“These are the same elections that were supposed to be held last July too. What we have seen instead is a succession of reports that never fail to disturb international public opinion. Moreover, for over a month now Israel has kept its borders with the self-governing regions of Gaza and Jericho closed, thus imposing a veritable blockade. The closure has once again sank the territories back into despair, with the concomitant gloomy procession of dire effects on the economy of the occupied territories and consequently for the Palestinian attitude towards the peace process. Reasons of security are adduced and who could fail to understand such concerns, which are of course legitimate ones for any State? However, we could well ask ourselves whether this really is the best way to combat violence and bring about its end.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505Resumption1 (1995) · source
“That was what it was supposed to do in fulfilment of its commitments within the framework of the peace agreements and in accordance with international treaties. And yet, assurances that have been given out by authorized spokesmen to the effect that colonization activities have been halted, unfortunately all too soon contradicted by government decisions that must certainly pander to the wishes of the very people who are opposed to peace. The settlements are a major but not the only obstacle in the way of tangible progress towards the desired goal. Others include the withdrawal of Israeli troops scheduled to begin last April and the establishment of arrangements for holding elections in the self-governing Palestinian territories that were intended to provide them with the necessary political institutions for civilized life.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505Resumption1 (1995) · source
“However, it is obvious that any peace agreement, no matter how important, presupposes good- faith implementation, an open mind and willingness for compromise, as well as the will to achieve peace and the right attitude. Unfortunately, the opposite has occurred with the persistence of an attitude comprising lack of understanding and rejection. Israel has not stopped the settlements being built as it ought to have, prior to dismantling the existing ones completely. Not at all: it is going on building, extending, developing, although its commitments require it to do the very opposite without further delay with a view to re- establishing the normal status quo that prevailed before the occupation.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505Resumption1 (1995) · source
“In fact, the international community has consistently emphasized the illegality of this practice, which the Israelis have turned into a consistent policy, in defiance and denial of international law and legality, in particular of relevant resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly, as well the Geneva Conventions. The advent of the Middle East peace process launched in Madrid made it possible to open the way to what became a tuming-point in the history of the region following the signing of the Israel-Palestinian accords and the Peace Treaty between Israel and Jordan. A peace dynamic thus began, quite rightly giving rise to the highest hopes throughout the world for an overall, just and final settlement of the question of the Middle East as a whole.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505Resumption1 (1995) · source
“Mr. Abdellah (Tunisia) (interpretation from French): Mr. President, allow me at the outset to congratulate you on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council and on your exemplary performance at its helm this month. We should also like to congratulate your predecessor, Ambassador Cerdenas, on his excellent work last month. It is now a year to the day since the Security Council met to debate the situation in the occupied territories following the horrible massacre perpetrated by an Israeli settler in the Al-Haram Al-Ibrahimi mosque in Al-Khalil. Many delegations, including mine, drew attention then in this very Chamber to the real dangers that the Israeli settlements presented to the peace process in the Middle East. The question of settlements is certainly not new.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505Resumption1 (1995) · source
“What is happening right now is merely an attempt by the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina to exercise its inalienable right to regain its territory in the face of the refusal of the Bosnian Serbs to comply with the solution advocated by the international community. It is high time for the Council to shoulder its full responsibility with respect to this tragedy. At stake are its credibility and authority, which the Serbs are obstinately seeking to compromise by flouting the principles of the Charter and of international law.”
1994-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3454Resumption2 (1994) · source
“Finally, allowing the army of the Bosnian Government legally to have the means to defend itself would be a positive factor that could dissuade the Serbs from continuing their policy of Atthnic cleansing@ It is, to say the least, strange to regard as acts of aggression purely defensive operations conducted by the Bosnian army in certain occupied zones, disregarding the fact that the Serb army and militias occupy 70 per cent of the territory of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and, at the same time, denying the victim its inherent right to defend itself against the aggressor.”
1994-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3454Resumption2 (1994) · source
“This will also help UNPROFOR on the ground, particularly in carrying out its mandate to safeguard humanitarian convoys that furnish aid to destitute, defenceless and displaced people. This task, need I recall, is now being hampered by the harassment by the Serbs, who are diverting international humanitarian and medical aid to the armed militias.”
1994-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3454Resumption2 (1994) · source
“Indeed, we could not understand a situation in which the Bosnian people are disarmed by the will of the Council and at the same time are prevented from enjoying the Council's protection. 59 We remain convinced that, far from complicating the situation, the present initiative would have the immediate effect of making the Bosnian Serbs negotiate peace seriously and stop taking advantage of a flagrant and morally unacceptable military imbalance. With its right to self-defence under Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations legally re-established, Bosnia and Herzegovina will help at the political level to facilitate the Contact Group's task of making the Serb side understand that it must accept the peace plan.”
1994-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3454Resumption2 (1994) · source
“Each day, the chances of finding a lasting and peaceful solution are becoming slimmer because of the hostilities that are continuing in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the flagrant violations of the Asafe areas@the systematic pursuit of the policy of Acthnic cleansing@ the obstruction of the United Nations observer mission and the persistent rejection of the peace plan. We are calling upon the Security Council to play its full role as the guarantor of international peace and security and ensure the withdrawal of the Serb forces from the territories seized by force and their return to their legitimate owners. But we are also asking it to reconsider the applicability of the provisions of resolution 713 (1991) to Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
1994-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3454Resumption2 (1994) · source
“We are profoundly concerned at the failure of so many efforts on the part of the international community C specifically, those of the Security Council, which, although acting often under Chapter VII of the Charter, has been paralysed by an absence of political will to secure compliance with its own resolutions. Indeed, we are entitled to ask today whether the Council really has any means other than the lifting of the arms embargo to solve this problem, which is beginning to give rise to doubts about the credibility of this body.”
1994-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3454Resumption2 (1994) · source
“Mr. Abdellah (Tunisia) (interpretation from French): First of all, allow me, Madam President, to congratulate you very sincerely on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the current month. We are convinced that under your guidance the work of the Council will be successful. Our thanks go also to your _ predecessor, Ambassador Hannay of the United Kingdom, for the manner in which he conducted the business of the Council last month. Once again the Security Council is considering the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which for almost three years now has been deteriorating, both on the ground and within this body.”
1994-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3454Resumption2 (1994) · source
“Any measure that runs counter to international law as established by the Security Council can only gravely compromise a just and lasting settlement of the Bosnian question, jeopardize the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and substantially delay any chance for peace and stability in the region.”
1994-09-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3428 (1994) · source
“We do not think that is the message the Council should be sending to Serbia at this 22 grave time, when its own credibility is at stake and when peoples have pinned their hope upon its fairness and objectivity and expect a reaction commensurate with the double-dealing and bad faith of the aggressor. The United Nations would lose much of its authority if, in the guise of imposing new sanctions against the aggressor, it were to lift sanctions designed to make it change its policy and abandon its annexationist aims and inhumane practices.”
1994-09-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3428 (1994) · source
“It is not a situation that would seem to justify easing the sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro, which is solely responsible for this gangrene spreading through Europe and threatening international peace and security. Only yesterday we all heard that Bosnian air space had been violated by military aircraft dispatched by Belgrade - not for the purpose of distributing assistance, not for the purpose of uncovering abuses, but simply to sow terror among the inhabitants and to defy international public opinion. Is it logical to reward the aggressor, the prime author of "ethnic cleansing", who continues to defy the international community?”
1994-09-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3428 (1994) · source
“The Serbian forces persist in their arrogance and continue to rage against the civilian populations of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The repugnant practice of "ethnic cleansing" continues with the same intensity as in the past. Sarajevo remains a hostage, and the Serb war machine implacably advances towards other areas, Banja Luka and Bijeljina, with all its attendant terror and atrocities. Even the personnel of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) and the staff of humanitarian organizations have not been spared and continue to be exposed to provocations and danger. This tragic situation, which seems to have no end, has taken a heavy toll.”
1994-09-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3428 (1994) · source
“Mr. Abdellah (Tunisia) (interpretation from the French): On behalf of my delegation, allow me first to congratulate you, Sir, on your assumption of the presidency of the Council for the month of September and on the exemplary manner in which you are guiding its work. Once again, the Security Council is discussing a question that continually tugs at the world's conscience. We would have liked for this lofty body, after all the resolutions it has adopted and after all the appeals it has made to the Serbian party to abide by international law - to have conducted a thorough review of its actions and the realities on the ground. It would have then come to the conclusion that its numerous demands on the aggressor had not produced the slightest result. What is worse, the aggression is still continuing.”
1994-09-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3428 (1994) · source
“The forthcoming Summit meeting in Tunisia of African Heads of State and Government will give us an opportunity to solemnly welcome South Africa as a fully fledged member of the Organization of African Unity. The people of Tunisia and, at their head, President Ben Ali, who spared no effort to support the heroic combat of the people of South Africa, are delighted at the idea of welcoming President Nelson Mandela and of expressing to him their warmest congratulations and their best wishes for every success in his noble mission to lead his people towards progress and prosperity and to consolidate the values and principles of equality, justice and democracy in Africa and throughout the world.”
1994-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3379 (1994) · source
“The support of the international community is also necessary to strengthen this process by supporting the democratic changes that have taken place and by helping to establish conditions of stability and social progress in the country. The total lifting of all the restrictions imposed by the Security Council on South Africa therefore follows the logic of events. It goes without saying that a democratic, united and non-racial South Africa constitutes a factor for stability and prosperity, at both the regional and international levels. This new nation will certainly contribute to the promotion of cooperation in all fields between the African countries and to joint action aimed at reducing hotbeds of 16 tension and opening up new prospects for the continent's economic and social development.”
1994-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3379 (1994) · source
“They were thus able to avoid obstacles and excesses, inspired as they were by the desire to serve the common interest of all South Africans. Since becoming President of the Republic, His Excellency President Nelson Mandela has persevered along the same path by establishing a Government that faithfully reflects the new political configuration to emerge from April's democratic elections, a Government able to establish national reconciliation. This commitment deserves to be encouraged and supported by all components of South African society, in a framework of continued harmony and respect for constitutional legality.”
1994-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3379 (1994) · source
“The United Nations made a very valuable and constructive contribution. For its part, the Organization of African Unity played a crucial role in the struggle against apartheid by coordinating the actions taken by the African States to that end, and by making the international community more aware of the cause. The people of South Africa at last found the path of harmony and reason in order to make the electoral process work and to make the principles of freedom and equality for all prevail, thus giving birth to a new, democratic, united and non-racial nation. This salutary development was made possible by, in particular, the high-mindedness and statesmanship of the South African leader, Nelson Mandela, and _ of Mr. Frederik de Klerk.”
1994-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3379 (1994) · source
“It is a happy coincidence that the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the great, brotherly African country that holds the chairmanship of the Special Committee against Apartheid is presiding over a meeting of the Security Council devoted to the lifting of the arms embargo against South Africa. We take this opportunity to express our joy at finally seeing South Africa, reconciled with the purposes and principles of our Charter, returning to its rightful place in the bosom of the family of nations. Believing as it does in the just cause of a people struggling to recover their rights and dignity, and inspired 15 by the principles of human rights, the international community took up that cause, giving its complete support and applying various forms of pressure against the segregationist system in that country.”
1994-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3379 (1994) · source
“Mr. Abdellah (Tunisia) (interpretation from French): Allow me to congratulate you, Sir, on your country's assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for this month and to express our great appreciation for the skill with which Ambassador Ibrahim Gambari has guided the work of this body. Our congratulations go also to Ambassador Keating of New Zealand, whose work last month, thanks to his perseverance and determination, was quite remarkable. Allow me also to welcome the presence at this meeting of Mr. Thabo Mbeki, First Executive Deputy President of South Africa.”
1994-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3379 (1994) · source
“The United Nations must now demonstrate unswerving determination to win back respect and credibility in the eyes of the international community.”
1994-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3370 (1994) · source
“If it is to be just, viable and lasting, any settlement process must guarantee the realization of the following goals: the independence, territorial integrity, sovereignty and unity of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina; the restitution by the Serbs of all territory taken by force; a guarantee to the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina of its sovereign access to the Adriatic Sea and the River Sava; the unicity of the city of Sarajevo; the return to their homes of refugees and persons displaced by force; the reconstruction of the entire destroyed infrastructure and compensation of the population; and, lastly, the establishment of binding international guarantees concerning the implementation of the peace agreement and the future security of the Bosnian State.”
1994-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3370 (1994) · source
“The OIC is ready to lend its full support and to join the efforts of the United Nations and interested Powers to promote a peaceful settlement of this issue, with respect for law and international legitimacy, and on the basis of the principles of the Charter. My country believes that any settlement must take into account the legitimate aspirations of the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
1994-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3370 (1994) · source
“My delegation welcomes any serious initiative aimed at re-establishing law in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and places great hope in the decisions taken by the Atlantic Alliance to preserve the security at least of those in the safe areas - all the safe areas. We hope that the Contact Group that has just been established by the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations will act by implementing the resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly. We very much hope that the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) will participate in the planned international conference on the former Yugoslavia within the framework of Chapter VIII of the Charter.”
1994-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3370 (1994) · source
“The need to lift the arms embargo for reasons of self- defence falls under the provisions of Article 51 of the Charter. Moreover, the embargo is called into question by the fact that the aggressor has never suffered as a result of it. The irony is that resolution 713 (1991) has been applied exclusively against the victim of aggression, while the aggressor has an arsenal of sophisticated weapons with which it threatens even the forces of the United Nations and NATO. This is a question of defending Bosnia or allowing it to defend itself. It is unfair to refuse it both options, as President Izetbegovic has told the Council.”
1994-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3370 (1994) · source
“Did not those very Serbs give false hope to the United Nations negotiators while their war machine was ruthlessly devastating territory and decimating civilian populations? The Security Council must today guarantee the security and integrity of all Bosnia and Herzegovina - that is, an entire recognized terrritory and not solely six safe areas. This duty of the United Nations under the Charter cannot be shirked in any way, and it permits no bargaining over territory illegally conquered by force. If this condition is not met, the Security Council will have to review the provisions of resolution 713 (1991) and their applicability to Bosnia in order to allow it to ensure its own security and territorial integrity and the survival of its people.”
1994-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3370 (1994) · source
“Tunisia welcomed the Washington agreement of 18 March between the Muslims and Croatians of Bosnia, and expressed the hope that it would permit the re-establishment of peace and harmony between all the elements of Bosnian society. Given the tragic developments in the situation, the Security Council can end the aggression and bloodshed only by enforcing the unconditional implementation of all its resolutions, since today, after so many broken promises, no benefit of the doubt can be accorded to the aggressors concerning their diabolical plan to annihilate Bosnia and Herzegovina. We have the right to ask whether the tragedy we are witnessing in Gorazde will be repeated. Did not Mr. Vitaly Churkin, the special envoy of the Russian Federation to the former Yugoslavia, himself denounce the bad faith of the Serbs?”
1994-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3370 (1994) · source
“It would be unfortunate if this image were to be engraved in the minds of so many peoples that continue to rely on the ideal represented by our Organization. To preserve that ideal, a determined will must guide our actions in confronting the Serbian challenge, for, in the words of Stendhal, "to allow oneself to be offended with impunity is to lose all". Tunisia, a peace-loving country devoted to international legitimacy, has often warned against the dangers to international peace and security represented by the Serbian aggression against the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has made continuous appeals to the international community to impose a settlement in accordance with law and equity.”
1994-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3370 (1994) · source
“All this has created apocalyptic scenes and images unworthy of the new order that we wish to build on the threshold of the twenty-first century. Apart from the dismal plight of this young Republic, the United Nations itself is likely to become a victim. Some 50 resolutions adopted by the Security Council - the great majority under Chapter VII - intense diplomatic activity, an international force on the ground, prompt air cover provided by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the deployment of thousands of humanitarian and charity organizations have not been able to overcome the Serbs' fanaticism. The United Nations and the Security Council have never in their 50 years' existence been so humiliated or held hostage by outlaw militiamen.”
1994-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3370 (1994) · source
“Beyond this tragedy, the future and the credibility of our Organization are also at stake in these particularly 16 stirring times, when hotbeds of tension are proliferating throughout the world. After its recognition by the community of nations as a full Member State of our Organization, having solemnly accepted its duties and obligations as a Member State, the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina did not even have time to enjoy that status. To the contrary, it has endured two years of savage and systematic aggression, with thousands of victims, rapes, displaced persons and refugees. An entire infrastructure has been destroyed: whole cities have been demolished, historic monuments burned and religious sites desecrated.”
1994-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3370 (1994) · source
“While an assessment of our Organization over the last few years shows on the positive side a renewal of interest in peace-keeping, following publication of the Secretary- General's "An Agenda for Peace", it remains true that the peacemaking role of the United Nations would benefit by being reinvigorated so that the Organization can immediately, without hesitation, respond to threats to international peace and security. The principles of the Charter that bring us all here together in this universal body must take precedence over any other consideration likely to jeopardize the realization of its noble objectives. The tragedy of Gorazde and of all of Bosnia and Herzegovina cries out today to the world's conscience. It is a clear case of aggression against a Member State and against the existence of an entire people.”
1994-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3370 (1994) · source
“Mr. Abdellah (Tunisia) (interpretation from French): Allow me, Sir, to say how much we appreciate your readiness to preside over this important Security Council meeting, in which eminent Ministers for Foreign Affairs are participating on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). We should also like to take this opportunity to pay tribute once again to the Ambassador of New Zealand for the way in which he has been guiding the work of the Security Council. The tragedy of Gorazde should prompt us to ponder deeply the present and future of international action, which so sorely needs the resolute political will of all Member States when it comes to the maintenance of international peace and security.”
1994-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3370 (1994) · source