YouSaid · the spoken record

Ahmad

lines on the record: 388
first: 2000-03-09
most recent: 2023-11-29
sittings or episodes: 45
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

“It must not allow selectivity and double standards in the implementation of its resolutions. The Council must now take decisive and effective measures under Chapter VII of the Charter to ensure the immediate cessation of all Israeli military action and the total withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied territories, as well as the urgent resumption of the political process for the settlement of the Palestinian issue in accordance with its own resolutions. The Council's very credibility and moral authority now depend on this. Pakistan deplores the killing of innocent civilians in the region. We welcome the Secretary-General's call for the deployment of an international force to ensure safety and to provide an opening for diplomatic moves.”
2002-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515 (2002) · source
“Jenin is yet another chapter written in the blood of innocent people, while the memories of Srebrenica and Rwanda are still fresh in the minds of humanity and haunting the conscience of mankind. Nothing could have justified the wanton killing of dozens, if not hundreds, of Palestinians. This happened in spite of, and in defiance of, Security Council resolutions. There is a need for an immediate, comprehensive and impartial international inquiry. While Chairman Arafat has demonstrated commendable respect for humanitarian law by denouncing all terrorist attacks which target innocent civilians, Israel too must be expected to abide by international and humanitarian law. For its part, the Security Council cannot be unmindful of its special responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.”
2002-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515 (2002) · source
“We are meeting in the Council for the fourth time in almost as many weeks to discuss, yet again, the ever-worsening situation in the Middle East. It is indeed a matter of concern to the international community that Israel persists in its defiance of the successive resolutions adopted by the Council in its recent meetings. The tragedy in the Middle East continues to pose a mounting threat to regional peace. It also represents a serious humanitarian crisis, which the Secretary-General has aptly described as an appalling humanitarian situation. The recent massacre in Jenin was as excessive as it was inexcusable. According to the United Nations Special Coordinator, who visited the camp, Jenin looks like a calamity-stricken area.”
2002-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515 (2002) · source
“We also believe that the immediate stationing of international monitors in the region may be necessary not only to ensure the implementation of an effective ceasefire, but also to secure an immediate end to the spiralling cycle of violence and the protection of civilians, who have been the main and innocent victims of the violence in recent weeks and months.”
2002-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4510Resumption1 (2002) · source
“We are dismayed that Israel has also not responded to President Bush's call for the cessation of its operations in Palestinian- controlled areas and the withdrawal from cities that it recently re-occupied. Let us hope that the visit of United States Secretary of State Colin Powell will produce some tangible results. Enforceability of Security Council decisions cannot be allowed to be held hostage to the whims of the violators of its resolutions. It may perhaps be necessary now to move under Chapter VII. Pakistan opposes violence of all sorts and on all scales. We urge its cessation.”
2002-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4510Resumption1 (2002) · source
“The situation in the Middle East, unfortunately, shows no sign of improvement. It is indeed a matter of concern to all of us that, despite repeated calls by the Council through its successive resolutions 1397 (2002), 1402 (2002) and 1403 (2002), the Israeli military operations in the Palestinian cities continue unabated. Numerous Palestinian towns and cities are suffering Israeli military occupation while civilian casualties are continuing to mount. This is blatant defiance of this world body and a challenge to its legal and moral authority. If this trend continues, the Charter and the United Nations itself will lose their relevance as guarantors of international peace and security.”
2002-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4510Resumption1 (2002) · source
“I would only say that it is time to seriously address the question of implementing the outstanding resolutions of this Council without selectivity or delay. The very credibility of this body depends on that. We strongly urge all concerned to fulfil their Charter obligations and to take the necessary steps to implement Security Council resolutions 1397 (2002) and 1402 (2002), ensuring an immediate and effective ceasefire along with an Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian cities, followed up with the resumption of the peace process, including the implementation of the Tenet work plan and the Mitchell report recommendations.”
2002-04-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4506 (2002) · source
“The Council met only last Friday to consider the grievous situation in Palestine. Resolution 1402 (2002) was adopted to reverse the spiralling violence and bloodshed. Painfully, there has been no let-up in the scale of carnage. Many more people have died, and violence has generated more violence. This only demonstrates how helpless the Security Council has become and how scanty is the respect for its resolutions and decisions. This trend is not only a cause for serious concern, but it is also alarmingly indicative of the inability of the Council to uphold its moral authority and its Charter obligations. What is being said today by most of my colleagues one after the other was said at the last meeting and at earlier meetings, so I shall not repeat all the things I said in my last statement.”
2002-04-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4506 (2002) · source
“Thank you, Mr. President, for accommodating me at this late hour. I know that we are all running against time. I promised that I would be brief, and I will be. First, my congratulations go to you, Sir, on your presidency. Then, I express profound appreciation to my colleague, Ambassador Peter Kolby, for a very productive presidency, at the last meeting of which the Council produced its resolution 1402 (2002). The question is, how long shall we continue to repeat our scripts one after the other? The time has now come for action. The Security Council must address itself to how to enforce its decisions. These debates reflect international sentiment both here in the Chamber and in the outside world, but now the Security Council must meet in some other room and seriously address the question of the enforceability of its decisions.”
2002-04-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4506 (2002) · source
“The framework for that settlement already exists in all of the recent peace initiatives, in Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 1397 (2002), and in the Beirut declaration. Those who have the responsibility to maintain international peace, especially the Security Council, must therefore act, and act now, to realize this objective and save what remains of the hopes for a durable peace in the Middle East.”
2002-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4503 (2002) · source
“These and other recent Israeli actions are all the more provocative in View of the Arab League's declaration offering Israel peace, security and recognition in exchange for its complete withdrawal from the territories that it occupied in June 1967. Pakistan calls upon the international community, and especially this body, which is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security, to urge Israel immediately to halt its attacks on the Palestinian Authority and resume peace negotiations. Violence only begets violence. Force will not solve any problem. However, our objective should not be to achieve a ceasefire alone. Our objective is actually the attainment of a final peace settlement in the Middle East.”
2002-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4503 (2002) · source
“Violence continues to escalate, oppression continues unabated, and people - in both Kashmir and Palestine - continue to be deprived of their legitimate right of self-determination. While we have waited for this body to act and to implement its own resolutions, the situation has reached alarming proportions. My Government has expressed its grave concern over the aggressive actions by Israel in surrounding and attacking President Arafat's Ramallah headquarters. The loss of life and injuries resulting from that action simply cannot be justified. Israel's reoccupation of Palestinian Authority territories constitutes a serious threat to regional peace and security and puts in jeopardy the efforts of the international community for the resumption of the peace process.”
2002-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4503 (2002) · source
“It is one of two unresolved disputes - the other being the Kashmir issue - involving the destiny of peoples and their inalienable right of self-determination, with serious implications for world peace and security, which have been on the agenda of the Security Council all these years. In both cases, there are Security Council resolutions which provide a framework for their implementation, and, unfortunately, in both cases the Council's resolutions remain on the shelf, unimplemented. While in the case of Kashmir, the unimplemented resolutions are decades old, ironically, resolution 1397 (2002) was passed only three weeks ago, and yet we have not moved an inch towards its implementation. As these resolutions remain unimplemented, peace in both Kashmir and Palestine also remains elusive, as ever.”
2002-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4503 (2002) · source
“It is regrettable that such bold and imaginative initiatives for peace are being thwarted by the roar oftanks. Over the last two years, there has been a pressing need for the resumption of negotiations. This need could not be more urgent now, especially in the light of the spiralling and escalating violence that has claimed hundreds of innocent lives. With the peace process derailed and violence spiralling out of control, never in the history of the Palestine crisis has the situation been so alarming and the need to respond more critical. We have debated the issue of Palestine in this Chamber for well over half a century.”
2002-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4503 (2002) · source
“Yesterday's Beirut declaration came only two weeks after historic Security Council resolution 1397 (2002), which affirmed the vision of a Palestinian state living side by side with Israel within secure and recognized borders. The resolution demanded an immediate cessation of all acts of violence in the region and the resumption of the peace process. Resolution 1397 (2002) also welcomed the recent peace initiatives, including that of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah. This is in addition to the efforts that the Secretary-General himself has been making to induce the parties, and, indeed, the international community, to move towards the path of peace. He has been acting as the conscience of this world body, if not that of the world itself.”
2002-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4503 (2002) · source
“The Council must act today, if not for its own credibility, at least for preventing the current crisis from erupting into a full-scale conflict or war. Three weeks ago, the Secretary-General had appropriately surmised that - and these are his words - "we are nearing the edge of an abyss". Today, we are indeed at the edge of that abyss. If something is not done urgently to reverse the situation, the consequences will be unimaginable. It is unfortunate that the present deterioration of the situation should have come about in the very month during which bold new initiatives were being launched and hopes for peace revived.”
2002-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4503 (2002) · source
“After all, we must ask ourselves: why would high school girls, who have a bright future ahead of them, opt for these acts of desperation and sacrifice their lives? Why are the Palestinians, one after another, becoming suicidal? Why are we not trying to listen to their cries of anger and anguish? For what reason are other innocent people also losing their lives? The loss of innocent life on one side or the other is the loss of humanity. Are we so caught up in the horror of these acts of desperation that we do not think of their underlying causes? Are we so blind that we do not see obvious reasons for what is happening? Not only is this a matter worthy of serious reflection; it calls for some soul-searching by all and for urgent action.”
2002-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4503 (2002) · source
“The vestiges of hope for peace are being demolished underneath tank tracks. Ramallah's smog has peace under siege. We are all seeing this on television screens. The headlines say, "Arafat Cornered". The fact is, it is peace and the international community that have been cornered. The headquarters of a people's elected leader are being systematically taken apart with violence and bloodshed. Is this the response the Beirut Declaration merits? The spirit of commitment and sincerity shown at Beirut has now been rebuffed amid the chaos of heavy gunfire. The Palestinian issue is not confined to Ramallah. The recent incidents in the region are alarming and the loss ofinnocent lives shocking, but they are linked to a sense of injustice and desperation.”
2002-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4503 (2002) · source
“We meet today in pain and grief over what is happening in Palestine. Only three weeks ago, the Security Council acted with courage and wisdom, reaffirming the vision of a lasting peace in the Middle East. That vision, unfortunately, has been blurred by the events of the past 24 hours, demonstrating how fragile and precarious the situation in that region has become. Only yesterday, the Arab countries together gave the entire world a clarion call for peace in the Middle East with justice and dignity, and the best opportunity ever to move back from the brink of violence and destruction and find a way out of this tragic quagmire. The Beirut Declaration of the Arab League was a message of hope, sincerity and reconciliation. Today we are witnessing the response, in the form of intransigence and belligerence.”
2002-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4503 (2002) · source
“It must demonstrate the political will and the determination to engage and help the Afghan people in rebuilding peace and the economy of their country, and this time the United Nations must be an effective instrument of relief and development in Afghanistan. The Secretary-General is correct when he says in his report that Afghanistan is a shattered society. It will certainly take a long time to heal the wounds left by 23 years of war. The process of healing has started and must not be allowed to reverse itself. This requires from all - from the Afghans themselves as well as from the international community - a continued commitment and determination to stay the course. Afghanistan now has the chance at least to be a country at peace with its neighbours and with itself.”
2002-03-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4497 (2002) · source
“In addition, we have recently pledged another $100 million worth of assistance for Afghanistan's immediate rehabilitation and reconstruction needs. No country, other than Afghanistan itself, has suffered more from the conflict and violence in Afghanistan than Pakistan, and no country could have a greater stake in the return of peace and stability to Afghanistan than Pakistan. My country, like the rest of the international community, hopes that this new era will bring positive changes to Afghanistan. We hope that the efforts of the United Nations in Afghanistan will truly contribute to the achievement of peace, security and development in that country, which needs these so badly. Finally, I need not emphasize again that this time, the international community must not walk away from Afghanistan, as it did in the past.”
2002-03-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4497 (2002) · source
“Tribal and ethnic structures and traditions will, of course, remain of special relevance in any future set- up. While the world owes the Afghans a helping hand, in the larger measure and in the ultimate analysis, it is they themselves who will make or mar the future of their country, and they recognize this. Pakistan, for its part, remains committed to continuing to play its role in assisting the recovery and reconstruction of Afghanistan. We have assured the Afghan Interim Administration, under the leadership of Chairman Hamid Karzai, of our full support and cooperation. Over the last two decades, Pakistan has been providing shelter to millions of Afghan refugees, without any outside assistance.”
2002-03-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4497 (2002) · source
“While we support the deployment of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul, we feel that its size and scope must now be expanded and extended to all of the country, especially its major urban centres. ISAF, in the absence of a proper Afghan security force, is the only option we have at the moment, and restricting it only to Kabul would, in effect, defeat the very purpose for which it was established. In addition to the efforts of the international community to help them, we hope that all Afghan factions and groups will avail themselves of this unique opportunity to extricate their country from the abyss in which it has remained for the last two decades. The success of the Bonn Agreement will depend on how the Afghan leaders acquit themselves of rebuilding their country through a mutual spirit of accommodation.”
2002-03-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4497 (2002) · source
“Similarly, humanitarian relief must come forth generously to alleviate the misery of the Afghans who are either displaced internally or who have been forced to leave their country for reasons beyond their control. Without security, there can be no peace in Afghanistan, no unity, no stability, no humanitarian relief, no reconstruction or recovery. I think that this is a point that everyone appreciates, understands and agrees with. Even the Secretary-General has made this point. The Bonn Agreement stipulated the establishment of a United Nations mandated force for the maintenance of security in Kabul as well as in other areas of the country.”
2002-03-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4497 (2002) · source
“It is the very prerequisite for the implementation of the Bonn Agreement and is imperative for a stable political and economic future in Afghanistan. Lack of security has been a major hindrance to stability in the past and continues to threaten peace today. The Afghan people have suffered far too long at the hands of ambitious warlords. Equally, nature has not been fair to the Afghan people; the country has suffered frequent calamities. The international community must therefore ensure that the old rivalries and hatreds which once wreaked havoc across Afghanistan are not given a chance to obstruct the establishment of a stable political dispensation in that country.”
2002-03-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4497 (2002) · source
“Perhaps this would require various consortiums to be constituted by the international community. No politics should be involved in this effort; it is a genuine need of the Afghan people, and the world at large would benefit from such economic development. Here I must caution that any attempt sponsored or exploited by external vested interests to pit Afghanistan against any of its neighbours or to deepen its ethnic or sectarian divide would only prolong the agony of its people. We must guard against any such temptation. It is needless to emphasize that an Afghanistan at peace with itself and with all of its neighbours is the surest safeguard of its own future security, as well as that of the entire region. Security remains the most pressing issue at this point in time.”
2002-03-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4497 (2002) · source
“Their attention must be diverted from misery and violence to peaceful and constructive activities. Extensive blueprints have been prepared by the regional organization known as the Economic Cooperation Organization. My friend Ambassador Farhadi is well aware of the goals and objectives of that organization, which I had the privilege to serve as its Secretary-General for four years. Those blueprints could be utilized in converting this landlocked county into a bridgehead connecting Central Asia with the warm waters of the Arabian Sea. Afghanistan has the potential to be the shortest transit route between the Central Asian States and the rest of the world. In due course, road, rail and gas and oil pipeline projects - which are already there - passing through Afghanistan could bring unprecedented economic well-being to the country.”
2002-03-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4497 (2002) · source
“The long-term solution of the problem of terrorism in Afghanistan lies in the restoration of peace and stability and in the reconstruction of the country. No amount of financial resources alone would be sufficient to accomplish those tasks. The international community must honour its obligations, not only for the benefit of the people of Afghanistan, but also for its own greater good. The time has now come to break the vicious circle of the past. Humanitarian relief and reconstruction plans must be aimed at genuinely addressing the causes and consequences of the instability and violence which the Afghan people have endured for decades. Every economic plan, whether for relief or for reconstruction, must generate job opportunities and employment for the common Afghan people - those who are living in the country.”
2002-03-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4497 (2002) · source
“Unusual situations always warrant unusual and fresh responses and approaches. As we seek to rebuild Afghanistan, we must be guided by the need not only to rectify the mistakes of the past, but also to avoid repeating them. History always provides the most relevant lessons. Now that the international community has committed itself to healing Afghanistan, we hope that it will not walk away from the country again. It must remain engaged in Afghanistan and in the region. A country ravaged by war has to be rebuilt; a society torn by conflicts has to be healed. All this requires commitment and perseverance. Afghanistan must never again be allowed to become a breeding ground or haven for terrorists.”
2002-03-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4497 (2002) · source
“We hope that the United Nations will continue to play its role in helping the Afghans find home-grown solutions to their problems and bring their country back into the comity of nations as a responsible and law- abiding State. In trying to assist in Afghanistan's political, humanitarian and economic recovery, we must draw lessons from the country's tragic past. Not only is Afghanistan one of the most difficult challenges the international community has faced in recent times, it also represents a case in which a country so much in need of international support and assistance was neglected, isolated and left in the lurch, mercilessly rendering it a wilderness that attracted runaway dissidents and terrorists from all over the world. Today, however, is not the time for remorse or for remaining frozen in the past. We need a new beginning.”
2002-03-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4497 (2002) · source
“We also welcome the continuing efforts and engagement of the United Nations in facilitating the implementation of the Bonn Agreement. In this regard, we support the Secretary-General's proposal, contained in his report, for a two-pillared structure for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) - first, to facilitate the political process in Afghanistan, and secondly to assist in the humanitarian relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction of that war-ravaged country. We agree with the concept of what is described by the Secretary- General as a "light expatriate 'footprint"' (S/2002/278, para. 98) and with its aim to bolster Afghan capacities.”
2002-03-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4497 (2002) · source
“Let me also take this opportunity to thank Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette, who I understand made a comprehensive presentation earlier this morning on the report of the Secretary-General (S/2002/278). We are delighted to see you in the Chair this morning, Mr. Minister, presiding over an important meeting of the Security Council on a subject that has been haunting us all for decades, and which today affects us all and must be the focus of the priority attention of the international community in terms of chasing away the ghosts of violence and misery that have been haunting that unfortunate and war-ravaged country. We appreciate the efforts of the Secretary-General and his Special Representative, Ambassador Lakhdar Brahimi, to restore peace and stability in Afghanistan.”
2002-03-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4497 (2002) · source
“I too would like to begin by conveying to our Afghan brothers, on behalf of my Government and the people of Pakistan, our profound grief and sympathy over the tragic loss of life and the material devastation caused by the earthquakes in the northern part of Afghanistan, which have also affected north-western parts of Pakistan. I want to tell my brother Ambassador Ravan Farhadi, present here, that we in Pakistan share his grief and pain, just as we have always felt the pain and grief of Afghanistan in its difficult moments. We know that this is a moment of supreme grief for his people. The Government and the people of Pakistan would like to do whatever they can to help their Afghan brothers.”
2002-03-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4497 (2002) · source
“The present challenge provides us with an opportunity to move away from the brink. The time has come for a purposeful dialogue to end the legacy of violence and conflict. It must not be allowed to get lost in the maze of obstructionism and filibustering. The time has come for the international community to enable this Council to uphold its moral and legal obligations under the Charter. Those who have the responsibility to maintain international peace must act now to revive the process of negotiations and the hopes of durable peace in the Middle East.”
2002-02-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4478 (2002) · source
“We urge the concerned parties, especially the guarantors of the peace process, to bring this about. We also call on the Security Council to fulfil its Charter obligations by taking urgent steps to safeguard peace and security in the region. The international community must encourage and facilitate a meaningful dialogue with a View to breaking this gridlock which has held the entire Middle East region hostage for so long. The United Nations has always upheld the legitimate struggles of peoples for self-determination and must do so now. It has a responsibility to take the lead role in brokering peace based on the Security Council resolutions. This is the least the Organization can do to justify the Nobel Peace Prize that it recently shared with the Secretary-General in recognition of its Charter mandate to ensure world peace and security.”
2002-02-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4478 (2002) · source
“The recommendations of the Mitchell report need to be implemented. A better environment needs to be created to ensure the safety of all civilians. The international community, particularly the guarantors of the peace process, must use their influence and good offices to ensure full compliance with the peace agreements and the relevant Security Council resolutions. We all know that no lasting peace in the Middle East will be possible without achieving a peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine. And we also know that the realization of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, especially the right to self- determination and the withdrawal of occupation forces from the occupied territories, as well as the dismantling of illegal settlements, are the essential ingredients of a peace settlement.”
2002-02-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4478 (2002) · source
“In building upon any new approach, we do not have to look very far beyond Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), which provide the fundamental basis for peace in that region. Violence only begets violence. It solves no problem. The present deteriorating situation warrants our urgent attention. The international community must act and act with determination to prevent the situation from worsening. The prospects for peace in the Middle East will remain bleak without the immediate cessation of all acts of violence, provocation and destruction. The peace process needs to be put back on track, and that is not possible without a return to the situation that existed before September 2000. Violence of all sorts and on any scale is deplorable and must come to an end.”
2002-02-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4478 (2002) · source
“The Secretary-General has also given a realistic expression to the collective hopes of the United Nations S/PV.4478 membership for an end to this dismal situation by welcoming what he described as "new thinking and imaginative ideas" that seem to find currency in the face of the aggravating situation. This new thinking, if pursued in good earnest, should augur well for the prospect of peace in the Middle East. Every challenge brings with it an opportunity and, indeed, exceptional challenges warrant exceptional responses. The time has now come to close this unpleasant chapter of conflict and misery and turn over a new leaf for peace and coexistence on the basis of justice and equity.”
2002-02-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4478 (2002) · source
“The Palestinian people, like others in similar circumstances, continue to be deprived of their legitimate right to self-determination. While we have waited for this body to act and to implement its own resolutions, the situation has continued to deteriorate, with flickers of hope turning into ashes of despair. The Secretary-General could not have put it more appropriately when he said that "we are nearing the edge of the abyss". We agree with Secretary-General that the situation is bleak, but not irreversible, and that there is room for hope. We also agree with him that the situation now unfolding requires urgent steps.”
2002-02-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4478 (2002) · source
“It is one of the two unresolved disputes - the other being the Kashmir issue - involving the destiny of peoples and their inalienable right to self-determination which have serious implications for world peace and security and have been on the agenda of the Security Council all these years. In both cases, there are Security Council resolutions which provide a framework for their resolution and, unfortunately, in both cases the resolutions remain on the shelves of the Council, unimplemented. The Security Council's resolutions on Palestine call for peace in the Middle East based on Israel's withdrawal from the occupied territories. Yet, as these resolutions remain unimplemented, this peace also remains as elusive as ever. Violence continues to spiral out of control.”
2002-02-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4478 (2002) · source
“Once again we return to this Chamber, as we have done so many times before, to discuss the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. Like others, Sir, we too are happy to see you presiding over this important Security Council meeting. The deteriorating situation in Palestine now threatens to nullify all the efforts made over the past two decades to bring peace and stability to the Middle East. With the peace process derailed and violence spiraling out of control, never in the history of the Palestine crisis has the situation been so fragile or the need to respond more critical. We have debated the issue of Palestine for well over half a century in this chamber.”
2002-02-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4478 (2002) · source
“The Security Council must rise above power politics and political expediency and respond to international crises and conflicts in an objective manner. When I say crises and conflicts, I think we must address long-standing disputes and resolve them. It is a time for courageous decisions, for correcting historical wrongs and redressing endemic injustices. Our universal obligation to fight terrorism must not deflect us from the need for a just, lasting and honourable settlement of the Kashmir issue and other similar issues, which will restore peace and stability not only to our region but also to the world at large. It is time for the Security Council to restore its credibility and legitimacy and work as a true instrument of peace and security as mandated by the Charter of the United Nations.”
2002-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4453 (2002) · source
“Perhaps it could make a significant contribution towards attaining that goal. This phenomenon will continue to haunt us if the roots of terrorism, which lie in the inequality of societies, in the exploitation of the downtrodden, in the denial of fundamental rights and in a sense of injustice, are not addressed. It would be too simplistic merely to focus on the symptoms or their ugly manifestations. Terrorism has now emerged as a different challenge which has to be dealt with in a different, but resolute and measured, manner. Finally, we must admit that these are unusual and difficult times demanding exceptional responses. As we confront the universal evil of terrorism in a determined manner, we cannot be oblivious of the need to address the source of this problem at its roots.”
2002-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4453 (2002) · source
“Sheer bandages will not heal wounds that are rooted in the injustice of systems and societies. Nabbing a few individuals or banning a few groups will not serve the purpose. I think we have to solve problems and settle disputes. No matter what action we might contemplate against terrorism, that faceless enemy, which lurks in the shadows of fear and frustration, which breeds on despair and disillusionment and which is fed by poverty and ignorance, will not disappear unless we build global harmony and stability through mutual tolerance and shared prosperity. If I may take this opportunity, as one of the Co- Chairmen of the Preparatory Committee for the High- Level International Intergovernmental Event on Financing for Development, let me say that we should all try to make that Event successful.”
2002-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4453 (2002) · source
“Surely, the perpetrators of terrorism, whoever they are and wherever they may be, must be brought to justice. But our battle must not remain confined to retaliation and retribution alone. We must tackle the causes that give rise to forces of hatred and violence. Individual acts of madness or the behavioural insanity of groups that snuff out innocent lives are both crime and disease. Yes, crimes must be punished; the disease should be treated at its roots. International conventions and Security Council resolutions on terrorism are indeed important and necessary. We must implement them. Freezing assets, closing bank accounts, denying safe haven and sharing information are important steps in controlling terrorist acts. For a long-term solution, however, we must unearth the source of the problem and diagnose the disease beneath the skin.”
2002-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4453 (2002) · source
“How long will Kashmir remain a nuclear flash point and continue to be "the most dangerous place on Earth"? How long will it be before the Security Council can take the same sort of impressive action on Kashmir that it has taken in countering terrorism? Pakistan, for its part, remains ready to resolve the Kashmir dispute through peaceful means, in accordance with the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter. When President Musharraf extended the hand of genuine friendship to Prime Minister Vajpayee at Kathmandu recently, it was no empty gesture. We have indeed backed up our words with deeds, our gestures with resolute action. As we seek to grapple with the worst-ever challenge to humanity, our approach should not be cosmetic. Nor should it be guided by emotion or anger.”
2002-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4453 (2002) · source
“While a just cause cannot be ennobled by the killing of innocent civilians, neither can the civilized community of nations condone the use of force for the suppression of the legitimate cause of a people. Eighty thousand Kashmiris have lost their lives in this struggle, which has sadly drawn no attention from the international community - not even a one-line press statement from this body. And those 80,000 Kashmiris are buried inside Kashmir; the mothers who are mourning over their graves are Kashmiri women; they are not women come from outside. That shows the indigenous nature of the struggle. How long will the people of Kashmir have to wait before the international community answers their call? That is a question awaiting an answer from this body.”
2002-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4453 (2002) · source
“Thirteen million people is no small number- perhaps it would constitute one of the 50 countries Members of the United Nations with the largest populations. Thirteen million people in Indian-held Kashmir are struggling for freedom against foreign occupation and alien domination. The people of Kashmir continue to be deprived of their inalienable right to self-determination, which is enshrined in the resolutions of this very body, which have remained unimplemented for more than half a century. If East Timor, with a population of less than half a million, can exercise its right of self-determination, why should the 13 million people of Kashmir continue to be deprived of that fundamental inalienable right? They have been victims of State terrorism and repression of the most brutal sort.”
2002-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4453 (2002) · source
“And indeed, terrorism has many forms and manifestations, which should also be included within the ambit of Security Council resolutions and within the purview of the Counter-Terrorism Committee. Here, I recall that, a short while ago, Ambassador Greenstock spoke of the scope of the Committee. Those who employ the State apparatus to trample upon the fundamental and inalienable rights of peoples are also perpetrators of terrorism, especially those who do this in blatant violation of Security Council resolutions. If, as some would say, terrorism is defined by the act, not by the description of the perpetrators, then alien occupiers and usurpers, especially those who employ ruthless measures against people under occupation, also fit that definition.”
2002-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4453 (2002) · source
“In fact, this crisis, imposed on us and accompanied by blatant threats of the use of force, has shifted the focus away from the real fight against terrorism. It is driven only by political ambitions for regional hegemony, not by the fight against terrorism. If those who have provoked this confrontation are really sincerely committed to the cause of fighting terrorism, then they should practice what they preach and in doing so end the terrorism that they themselves perpetrate - and perpetuate against the people under their occupation, in the guise of democracy and secularism, by keeping those people under military occupation in violation of Security Council resolutions. Terrorism, the anathema of this new century, has to be eliminated root and branch in all its forms and manifestations.”
2002-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4453 (2002) · source