YouSaid · the spoken record

Ahsan

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76

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2001-02-22

most recent

2001-11-15

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12

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un-security-council

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1. “But, of course, we are very happy to learn that even in the absence of this, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration, with the cooperation of Indonesian authorities and UNTAET, have been arranging returns in small groups. We also share the concern raised by a number of delegations about the taxes imposed on international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). We believe that in the situation that we find in East Timor, it is very important that the NGOs be allowed to work in the way they work everywhere in the world. That is why we would also request that the ongoing discussion be continued and a solution be found to this problem of taxes imposed on NGOs. The next point is about the economic situation, in particular the employment situation.”

   2001-04-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4308 (2001) · source

2. “We would have liked to see the same balance in the Constituent Assembly, and it is a bit of a disappointment for us that the mandatory quota for women was not agreed. The next point I want to mention is the refugee situation. This is still a very big concern for us, as the refugees continue in their plight in the camps in West Timor. We believe that we have to do something about it very quickly. We are encouraged by the meeting between the Secretary-General and the Indonesian Foreign Minister, and the security category re-rating is something which we would encourage the Office of the United Nations Security Coordinator to go forward with as soon as possible, because we believe that that is the only way to encourage and facilitate the large-scale and definitive return of the refugees from West Timor.”

   2001-04-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4308 (2001) · source

3. “To begin with, public service; we all know that this year is very important, and it has been mentioned around the table that public service will be one of the factors that will determine to a great extent the kind of transition we can expect in East Timor towards independence. We are therefore happy to note that a large percentage of civil servants have already been recruited to the East Timor Transitional Administration. We appreciate the efforts of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) to encourage gender balance in this new public administration, reflected in the recruitment of about 2,000 women out of 8,000 officers recruited in this service. This is an encouraging sign.”

   2001-04-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4308 (2001) · source

4. “Let me begin by thanking you, Mr. President, for injecting quite a bit of novelty into our formal meetings here, not least because you have allowed questions from non- members through members. That is quite something, which we appreciate very much. We would also like to thank Mr. Annabi for his comprehensive briefing upon his return from East Timor. We have, like many others, noted considerable progress in a number of areas, including the civil registration process, the training office of the East Timorese Defence Force and recruitment in public service. We also share a number of points made by previous speakers and some of their concerns, but, nevertheless, I would like to make some brief points.”

   2001-04-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4308 (2001) · source

5. “The international community also should continue to encourage and assure all Kosovars that they are not looking for an exit strategy, but are constructively involved with them in finding a final settlement of all outstanding issues. We are open to the idea of a Council follow-up mission at an appropriate time. We believe this needs further consultation. We wish to conclude by assuring Mr. Haekkerup and his colleagues in UNMIK of our continued support in their commendable endeavour.”

   2001-03-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4296 (2001) · source

6. “Haekerrup's proposal that the cases of those not covered by the Amnesty Law should be processed through a judicial review conducted under UNMIK supervision. An intense effort should be made to find information about the missing persons. The release of detainees is an important measure for building confidence. The progress already achieved in pursuing the long-term goals in Kosovo by UNMIK is significant. This includes the development of a functional municipal administration through elections in October 2000, which now forms the basis of provincial self- government. The political leaders in Kosovo should demonstrate their willingness to live in an inclusive and tolerant multi-ethnic society.”

   2001-03-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4296 (2001) · source

7. “The incidents in the Presevo Valley have given rise to widespread concerns. However, the closure of the buffer zone needs to be accompanied by deployment of sufficient international monitors and by confidence-building measures. About 100,000 civilians reside in this belt. Their security and protection, as well as that of those living in adjacent villages, could be affected by hasty changes in the zone. We welcome the Amnesty Law approved by the Yugoslav Parliament on 27 February. This is a significant step toward healing the wounds of war and towards the building of confidence. All prisoners covered under this law should be released without undue delay. The rest of the detainees should also be returned to Kosovo, or the process will remain incomplete. We support Mr.”

   2001-03-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4296 (2001) · source

8. “The incident must be properly investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice. At the same time, we also need to take a deeper look at the causes of such desperation. Experience has shown that the security situation hardly improves unless the root causes are redressed. We are concerned at the lingering inadequacy of the local judiciary, particularly, the ethnic bias among local judges. Alongside improving security, a very important task is to ensure a properly functioning judiciary. We believe the Special Representative will continue his efforts in this area, including through continuation of efforts to employ more international judges to deal with sensitive cases. There was probably no other way than to close the ground safety zone between southern Serbia and Kosovo, as it was increasingly being used for extremist activities.”

   2001-03-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4296 (2001) · source

9. “This includes agreeing on a legal framework which will define the bodies for election and their mandates. We are happy to know that the work for defining a framework has already started. Only the elected representatives in Kosovo, with full participation of all communities, will have the mandate to take decisions for the future of Kosovo. We believe that the democratic changes in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia have opened up an opportunity for a constructive and meaningful relationship with Belgrade for progress. It is unfortunate that the security situation in Kosovo is worsening. It took considerable effort and investment to achieve some stabilization. The Council has strongly condemned the terrorist attack that occurred last month on a convoy of buses carrying Serb civilians.”

   2001-03-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4296 (2001) · source

10. “We join others in warmly welcoming to the Council Mr. Hens Haekkerup, Special Representative of the Secretary- General and Head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). The job of the Special Representative is by no means an easy one. He has taken over at a time when many of the gains achieved by his predecessor are at risk because of increased political and security challenges that the Mission is now facing. We deeply appreciate the comprehensive briefing he provided to the Council on the current situation in Kosovo and the priorities he has set for the United Nations Mission there. I would briefly mention some issues in Kosovo that we feel demand urgent attention. Organization of Kosovo-wide general elections for provisional self-government is a distinct priority.”

    2001-03-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4296 (2001) · source

11. “We also believe that it is important to preserve the gains made by the painful efforts of both sides to date and to build upon that. The initiative of the Deputy Prime Minister of Israel to come to the Council was appreciated by all here yesterday. We believe that it is a clear recognition by Israel of the Council's role in this issue. That role is as relevant today as it was at the time of the adoption of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), which together constitute the framework for a final settlement. Bangladesh strongly supports the Secretary- General's role in facilitating the Sharm el-Sheikh understanding. We believe that he can also play a constructive role in helping both sides return to the negotiating table. The Security Council must work towards that end.”

    2001-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4295Resumption1 (2001) · source

12. “We believe that the proposal to establish an international observer force is a good basis for the Council's deliberations and we fully support it. In our View, the Council is unanimous on the need for the immediate and unconditional lifting of the economic blockade. We agree with the Secretary- General that donor assistance is absolutely critical to alleviating the hardship of the Palestinian population. We appreciate the role that the European Union has played in this regard and encourage it to continue its assistance. Nobody is under the illusion that the negotiation of a final settlement is easy. However, the parties must be encouraged to continue efforts to achieve their objective through peaceful negotiation.”

    2001-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4295Resumption1 (2001) · source

13. “The net result has been a worrisome crisis of confidence, leading to what the Secretary-General has characterized as the unravelling of the progress that had been made between Israelis and Palestinians in moving towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace. The Security Council cannot watch this situation continue, as it only strengthens those who do not want peace. We believe, first of all, that further escalation of violence must be prevented. The onus is on those who insist on using lethal force on civilians. The commitment to peace has to be demonstrated in practice by reversing these actions on the ground. As the situation deteriorates, the Security Council must re-engage itself and continue to explore a way out of this crisis, which is truly an international one, as the Ambassador of the United Kingdom reaffirmed today.”

    2001-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4295Resumption1 (2001) · source

14. “We, too, are grateful to you, Sir, for scheduling this important and timely meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the question of Palestine. The situation in the occupied Palestinian territories and East Jerusalem has been deteriorating for some time now. Mindless violence continues and the defenceless Palestinian population bears the brunt, with hundreds dead, thousands injured and properties destroyed. My delegation would like to express sincere condolences to the families of the victims. Excessive use of force has fuelled the dangerous escalation of violence. The policy of collective punishment, inflicted by Israel through the imposition of a blockade and closures, is crippling the economy. This has caused intense hardship, unemployment and deprivation.”

    2001-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4295Resumption1 (2001) · source

15. “While we urge all concerned to act accordingly, the larger goal of bringing back peace and stability to the people of Angola should not be lost sight of. The international community has to guard against the appalling prospect ofthat people enduring a no-war-no-peace situation for an indefinite period, compounding the humanitarian crisis. Such situations are often left at the doorstep of the international community for resolution. That is why, alongside sanctions, a process of peaceful resolution of disputes and of genuine national reconciliation is what we encourage. The responsibility for this fully rests with the players at the national level. The work of the United Nations and of other humanitarian actors is essentially aimed at facilitating such a process in Angola, not at achieving a military solution.”

    2001-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4283 (2001) · source

16. “Due to the technical nature of the work of tracing UNITA's assets and financial resources, the Committee agreed to the commissioning of a private firm for a feasibility study. The report of the study and the need for further work are currently under active consideration in the sanctions Committee with a view to taking a decision. There may be a need to strike a balance between desirability and feasibility. The work of both the Panel and the Mechanism brings to the fore the issue of continuity in monitoring the implementation of sanctions. We welcome that in principle, and we look forward to further consideration of it in the Council. We believe that no regime of sanctions can be effective unless Member States and all other relevant actors fulfil their obligations under the relevant resolutions of the Security Council.”

    2001-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4283 (2001) · source

17. “Notwithstanding the ongoing nature ofthe process, we believe that it is vitally important to focus on tasks that should help close the loopholes and make the sanctions against UNITA more effective. On this understanding of its remaining tasks, we agreed to the three-month extension of the Mechanism's mandate. Before doing that, however, we were constrained to raise the issue of fair and equitable representation. We found it difficult to accept that no candidate from Asia was proposed for inclusion in the Panel of Experts or in the Mechanism. The weakest aspect ofthe United Nations quest to curb UNITA's capability to wage war remains the funds and financial network. We believe it is important for the Council to have an insight into these matters in order to ascertain the extent to which they support UNITA's continued war efforts.”

    2001-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4283 (2001) · source

18. “Supporting measures such as licensing diamond miners and buyers, profiling production from mines and recording the characteristics of diamonds from each mine will be required to settle disputes regarding the origin of diamonds. The Angolan single channel buying system (ASCorp) is a laudable effort towards this end. On the other hand, the standardization of statistics and custom codes by diamond centres will be useful for monitoring the movement of diamonds. The work of the Mechanism helped to further enhance the Council's understanding of the ways and means employed by those violating the sanctions. It has become apparent that there remains some unfinished business that the Mechanism will have to address.”

    2001-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4283 (2001) · source

19. “The report also establishes details on the rough diamond export mechanisms that UNITA employed and the role that certain neighbours and individual brokers played in it. On the other hand, considerable statistics are provided in its follow-up on the Panel's work on diamond centres. However, the Mechanism realized that UNITA was able to hide most of its trade from the official statistics maintained in these centres. This necessitates the tracking of the origin of rough diamonds. The Mechanism suggested that devising a global certificate of origin regime would resolve much of the problem of illicit diamond smuggling and protect the legitimate diamond industry.”

    2001-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4283 (2001) · source

20. “We believe that a regularly updated United Nations list of senior UNITA officials and their adult family members forms the basis for action to be taken by Governments for effective implementation of the sanctions relating to the ban on travel and on UNITA representation abroad. The people of Angola have for a very long time lived in an unreal world, characterized by a great wealth of natural resources, contrasting with poverty and despair. Angola's diamonds have bred only suffering for its people and sustained the one of the longest-lasting conflicts in the world. In the report, the Mechanism, inter alia, traces the history of UNITA's diamond mining and its linkage to different phases of its military capability.”

    2001-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4283 (2001) · source

21. “Owing to their long stay in certain countries, some UNITA representatives have acquired nationality or permanent resident status there, along with rights that allow them to continue their activities and travel abroad. One problem identified by the report in this area is a conflict that appears for the member States of the Schengen Agreement - a conflict between their national obligation to allow their nationals free movement across their borders and the international obligation flowing from the relevant Security Council resolutions. We believe that a way must be found out of this situation, in consultation with the concerned States. It has also been reported that travel documents issued by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have been used by UNITA representatives.”

    2001-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4283 (2001) · source

22. “The report argues that with the loss of secure areas inside Angola, UNITA increasingly has resorted to using its representatives abroad to maintain contact with dealers and to manage its external relations as a whole. The Mechanism found UNITA structures in certain European, Western and southern African countries as well as in the United States. While it is encouraging to note that most such countries have formally ended UNITA representation on their soil, UNITA continues to have a presence in some identified countries, using non-governmental organizations as fronts. Clearly, these actions are designed to circumvent the sanctions, and the States concerned have an obligation to prevent this.”

    2001-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4283 (2001) · source

23. “We cannot overemphasize the need for concerned States to strengthen legislation relating to the export and import of arms and to check for forged end-user certificates. The system of issuance of such certificates should be made more secure, and a mechanism should be set up to facilitate the verification of their authenticity by authorities in arms- exporting countries. The issue of transport naturally arises when discussing illegal arms trafficking. The report vividly brings out the nefarious activities of individuals and the countries that collaborate with them. We support the recommendations relating to tighter controls on aircraft registration procedures and agree that aircraft used in sanctions-busting should be de-registered and their pilots de-licensed. Obviously, enforcement will be up to the concerned Governments.”

    2001-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4283 (2001) · source

24. “We are particularly happy that a strict evidentiary standard has been employed and that the views of concerned quarters have been reflected, as appropriate. We have examined the Mechanism's recommendations with interest. In doing so, we see value in keeping in mind the recommendations of the Panel, as appropriate. Our comments, therefore, will focus on seeing where the Mechanism has advanced the cause. In the area of the illegal arms trade, the work done on reviewing the export and import procedures of concerned countries, on current practices in the issuance of end-user certificates and on the uncovering of forged ones, as well as the profiling of firms or brokers involved in the export and import of arms, merits our appreciation. The latter, however, remains unfinished and should be a key task for the Mechanism in future.”

    2001-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4283 (2001) · source

25. “The Panel was mandated to investigate violations of the sanctions, identify the violators and propose ways and means to make the sanctions more effective. It left some unfinished business, such as leads not investigated for want of time. In addition, the Monitoring Mechanism was also mandated to investigate any additional leads relating to allegations of violations of the measures and to collect additional relevant information. These tasks were aimed at improving the implementation ofthe measures imposed against UNITA. Bangladesh welcomes the report, which is well- structured, with supporting information. We find that the method of work adopted by the Mechanism was suitable to the task.”

    2001-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4283 (2001) · source

26. “Let me join previous speakers in welcoming to this meeting Foreign Minister Miranda of Angola. My delegation would like to commend you, Mr. President, for convening this important meeting. This gives us an opportunity to exchange views on the final report of the Monitoring Mechanism on the sanctions imposed by the Security Council against UNITA. We thank Ambassador Ryan for his presentation ofthe report earlier in this meeting. We also want to express our deep appreciation to Ambassador Juan Larrain, Chairman of the Monitoring Mechanism, and the team he leads for their valuable work. Last April, the Security Council adopted resolution 1295 (2000) on the basis of the recommendations of the report of the Panel of Experts established by Security Council resolution 1237 (1999).”

    2001-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4283 (2001) · source