YouSaid · the spoken record

Al Nafisee

lines on the record
11
first
2009-07-27
most recent
2009-11-11
sittings or episodes
2
sources
un-security-council

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  1. “The Mission's report (A/64/490, annex) finds that flagrant violations of international humanitarian law led to the killing of 1,420 Palestinians, 1,170 of whom were civilians. How would the situation look if the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and other Arabs of the Occupied Territories, established more than 40 years ago, were enabled to carry out its duties in the investigation of Israeli practices? If that Committee were to execute its mandate, what would its report include? What would be included in that Committee's report about over 40 years of atrocities and horrors? There is no doubt that the report of that Committee would be painful and sad for us and embarrassing for Israel.”

    2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source

  2. “The Security Council, fulfilling its duties in full transparency, is an important tool for preserving and maintaining the dignity and lives of civilians. The dispatch of fact-finding missions is a powerful instrument to prevent the recurrence of such violations. Moreover, the assignment of commissions to investigate violations of international law and human rights and to identify and prosecute those who are responsible for such violations at the national and international levels sends a strong message to parties to conflicts that the protection of civilians is a high priority of the United Nations. The Fact-Finding Mission led by Justice Goldstone had a specific mandate and objective.”

    2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source

  3. “It must also defend the principle of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of States and non-interference in their internal affairs, which constitutes a strong guarantee for the protection of civilians, the principal casualties in conflicts. The discussion of the protection of civilians must not be restricted to the Security Council, but should be extended to the policy and strategy sessions of many other departments and agencies of the United Nations, such as the Department of Field Support, the Peacebuilding Commission, United Nations peacekeeping missions, the Department of Public Information and other divisions. Furthermore, civilian protection and its improvement must be priorities of those agencies and departments. There are numerous instruments for civilian protection.”

    2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source

  4. “That is a living example of double standards in addressing similar issues within and outside the Security Council. The international arena is dominated today by many crises and sources of conflict of varying form and characteristics. Furthermore, the goals of those conflicts vary from one region of tension and conflict to another. Those and other elements create for all of us a tense reality that demands a different approach by the United Nations and its bodies, particularly the Security Council. Thus, the United Nations policy of response must be replaced by a policy of initiative. Such initiative should respect the principles of justice and promote a culture of responsibility and intolerance for impunity.”

    2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source

  5. “While we welcome General Assembly resolution 64/10 on the follow-up to the report of the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict (A/64/490, annex), we are somewhat frustrated by the positions of some countries, including certain members of this Council. How can we understand that those countries emphasize in their statements the importance of protecting civilians in armed conflicts while they vote against a resolution that seeks to protect those civilians? Are we to conclude that civilians differ from one county to another, or that moral and legal responsibilities differ according to ethnic groups and nations? Some claim that they seek to protect civilians through a variety of ways and means but do not want to discuss such issues in the Security Council.”

    2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source

  6. “That would enhance the credibility, efficiency, openness and transparency of the Council's work and would make it possible for the Council to take into consideration other views as a means of achieving respect and appreciation. There is no way for the Security Council to enhance its respectability and consideration other than by the demonstration of political will, strong determination and sincere desire on the part of its members, particularly the permanent members, which bear the primary responsibility for achieving the aspirations of Member States and all peoples without exception, preference or discrimination among the States.”

    2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source

  7. “It also has humanitarian and economic dimensions, reflected in the forced displacement of civilians and the consequent misery and humiliation that can overnight turn civilians into refugees or persons who have been displaced, either internally or externally. Participation in the discussion of this issue, in my view, is not solely a matter of rule 37 of the provisional rules of procedure of the Security Council. It does not only mean being invited to sit at the Council table, to make a statement, to listen to dozens of other statements and to exchange compliments. It also means that Security Council members must take into consideration the opinions offered by countries during discussion of the resolutions and documents adopted by the Council.”

    2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source

  8. “Mr. Al Nafisee (Saudi Arabia) (spoke in Arabic): Allow me first to thank His Excellency the Secretary- General for his report on the protection of civilians in armed conflict (S/2009/277). My thanks go also to Mr. John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, for his statement. I also take this opportunity to congratulate you, Sir, as your friendly country, Austria, presides over the work of the Security Council this month. The protection of civilians in armed conflict has become an important item on the Security Council agenda. The issue has the political dimension of encompassing threats to international peace and security and also has a legal dimension because of violations of international law and international humanitarian law during armed conflict.”

    2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source

  9. “Saudi Arabia welcomes the effort of President Obama's Administration to push for a comprehensive peace plan and the establishment of a sovereign State for the Palestinian people, living side-by-side with the State of Israel.”

    2009-07-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6171Resumption1 (2009) · source

  10. “We have continued to affirm our commitment to a just and comprehensive peace based on international law. Unfortunately, on the other side, no reciprocal commitment has yet been forthcoming from Israel. It is very crucial to stress the importance of reviving the peace process and Israeli seriousness and truthfulness towards the peace process, including the immediate cessation of the building of settlements or their expansion. The status quo in the situation in the city of Gaza is another factor exacerbating the problem in that besieged city. The call on Israel to withdraw its forces from all occupied lands, including the Golan in Syria and the Sheba'a farm lands and Kafr Shouba in Lebanon, must go hand-in-hand with the overall peace plan in the region.”

    2009-07-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6171Resumption1 (2009) · source

  11. “At the outset, I would like to express our appreciation to the Ugandan presidency of the Council for organizing this open debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, and to thank the Assistant Secretary-General for his comprehensive briefing on this issue. No regional crisis has greater potential to affect other regional conflicts than the Arab-Israeli conflict in Middle East. It has overshadowed and dominated all other issues in the Middle East for the past six decades. This situation has created a climate conducive to the development of extremism and the spread of terrorism, while hampering regional development, modernization and reform. Saudi Arabia, along with other Arab Governments, has made its commitment to peace loud and clear in the Arab Peace Initiative.”

    2009-07-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6171Resumption1 (2009) · source