YouSaid · the spoken record

Al-Shara'

lines on the record: 74
first: 1996-09-27
most recent: 2005-10-31
sittings or episodes: 6
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

“Thirdly and finally, we want to uncover the truth - no more and no less - based on conclusive evidence. I think that we can all agree on that point. We want to uncover the truth about who assassinated Hariri, and to see conclusive evidence. We have no other objective. I am talking and acting in good faith. There is no bad faith, and I do not have a hidden agenda. I would like to thank you, Mr. President, for having given me this opportunity to comment, and I apologize for having taken so long.”
2005-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5297 (2005) · source
“Syria suffered from terrorism before many other States did; we have had to pay a very high price. I will not bore the Council at length with the history of the 1980s and the ugliness of the terrorist campaigns from which Syria suffered during that period. At that time, many States did not stand with us in the way that we have stood with the United States, the United Kingdom and Spain. As Mr. Straw is well aware, we sent many messages of condolence and sympathy and expressed our condemnation many times after the attacks on the London Underground in July. Despite all of the controversy and disputes, I even contacted Jack Straw by telephone on several occasion to express personally to him our indignation, condemnation and denunciation of those attacks. If I am wrong, perhaps he would be kind enough to tell me so.”
2005-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5297 (2005) · source
“They said that they would pay their own hotel fees, and we said, "Fine". I do not want to go into further detail about that. Secondly, we have condemned the attack of 11 September 2001 on dozens of occasions. I cannot think of a single lecture or event about the international situation or on peace in the Middle East or on politics in the region that has failed to condemn the events of 11 September 2001. Simply stated, we are paying the price for what was perpetrated by those terrorists. I will not go on at length about that. Those who stand accused are paying the price for the terrorist attacks, rather than the terrorists themselves. You know where certain people are, and they are still free from justice. Those being punished are those who have condemned 9/11.”
2005-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5297 (2005) · source
“Mr. Al-Shara' (Syrian Arab Republic) (spoke in Arabic): I apologize for taking the floor for the second time. I do not want to enter into a controversy. However, I would like to elucidate some of the points made by Mr. Jack Straw. My first point relates to the statement by Commissioner Mehlis. He almost agrees with us that these are hypotheses. However, as far as we know, we did not deny Commissioner Mehlis anything he wanted. Everything he requested was approved. After finishing his interviews with Syrians on 23 September, we asked him, "Do you need to come back?", and he said, "I may; I may not" - although he seemed to indicate that he would not return. Furthermore, some of the investigators accompanying Mr. Mehlis were amazed at the beauty of Syria and expressed the wish to return as tourists, which we welcomed.”
2005-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5297 (2005) · source
“He was right when he said that the assassination of the late Rafik Hariri was similar to what took place in medieval times. I would go further than what Jack Straw said: the investigation of the crime has also taken place in near-medieval circumstances in which the accused is presumed guilty before his guilt was proven.”
2005-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5297 (2005) · source
“The inclusion in the Security Council resolution, adopted a few moments ago, of two paragraphs that have no relation to the work of the Investigation Commission, but instead deal with regional issues, is a clear indication that the objective of the resolution was not to uncover the truth behind the assassination of the late Rafik Hariri, but rather to target Syria and its positions vis-a-Vis issues that affect the present and future of the region. Finally, allow me to express the aspirations of Syria and its people for a day when peace, security and stability will prevail in the Middle East, in particular in Syria and Lebanon. Actually, I also have a very brief observation I would like to add, pertaining to the statement by His Excellency Jack Straw.”
2005-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5297 (2005) · source
“Let me express Syria's appreciation for all the efforts of some Security Council member States to ensure that the maintenance of peace and security and adherence to basic principles was foremost in debating the draft resolution. Syria also expresses appreciation to those States for not giving into pressures or policies that rely on distorting the facts and on attacking the independence and freedom of States.”
2005-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5297 (2005) · source
“We are convinced that the cooperation between those three parties and close coordination of their activities will uncover the truth without any politicization of the matter. In that regard, I must recall that the creation of the special judicial commission requires the cooperation with the Investigative Commission and the Lebanese judicial authorities. It is no secret that that cooperation was not available in the immediate aftermath of the crime because of the unprecedented tension on the streets of Beirut, which escalated very rapidly and which was accompanied by emotional accusations against Syria that made it difficult, if not impossible, to participate in any investigation that involved Syria.”
2005-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5297 (2005) · source
“96 of 29 October 2005, creating a special judicial commission - to be chaired by the Attorney-General of the Republic and with the membership of the military Attorney-General and a judge to be named by the Minister of Justice - tasked with directly investigating Syrians, both civilians and military personnel, on all aspects of the mission of the International Independent Investigation Commission created by resolution 1595 (2005). That decree calls for that special judicial commission to cooperate with the International Independent Investigation Commission, as well as with Lebanese judicial authorities, in all matters pertaining to the investigation and that the Investigation Commission may call on all civilian and military judges or members of the Attorney-General's office, both military and civilian.”
2005-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5297 (2005) · source
“When, in April of 2002, Israel attacked the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank - an attack that led to the deaths of more than 400 Palestinians, including dozens of women and children - Israel simply refused to receive the commission that was set up by the Security Council under the stewardship of former Finnish President, Martti Ahtisaari, and the page was quietly turned on that affair. Despite all of the above and proceeding from its desire to uncover the truth, Syria's decision was and is to fully cooperate with the International Commission until conclusive evidence is found as to who perpetrated that heinous crime. In that regard, the President of the Syrian Arab Republic, Bashar Al- Assad, issued legislative decree No.”
2005-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5297 (2005) · source
“The Council did not set up an international investigation committee into the Qana massacre, because in that case Israel was the accused party. The Council also found it sufficient to issue a presidential statement on the explosion that led to the killing of Sergio Vieira de Mello, the United Nations special representative in Iraq. Perhaps members should recall that attack, which killed Mr. Vieira de Mello and more than 20 of his colleagues in 2003 in Baghdad.”
2005-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5297 (2005) · source
“Who would have prevented him from doing so? No one. The investigation continues; it is not yet finished, as stated in the report of the Commission. We are prepared, in a closed meeting if the Council so wishes, to provide details clearly showing Syria's full cooperation with the Commission to date. There are things that are rather difficult to state in public. Although we cannot say them today, we are fully prepared to say them in a closed meeting to prove the large extent of our cooperation with the International Independent Investigation Commission. One can only wonder at the Council's adoption of resolution 1636 (2005) under Chapter VII of the Charter, whereas it did not deal accordingly with other similarly painful events, such as the Qana massacre of April 1996, where more than 100 Lebanese civilians were killed.”
2005-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5297 (2005) · source
“It seems that there was an intention to point a finger of accusation at Syria - an accusation of non-cooperation paving the way for this very resolution, adopted this morning under Chapter VII of the Charter. It is clear to anyone who has followed this issue that Syria has fully cooperated throughout - I repeat, fully. As to form, the Commission could have undertaken all its activities without any Syrian objection to anything that Mr. Mehlis wished. All the measures taken in Syria were undertaken to the satisfaction of Mr. Mehlis and on the basis of an agreement between the Legal Adviser to the Foreign Ministry of the Syrian Arab Republic and Mr. Mehlis. As for substance, the Commission must provide evidence of the credibility of the statements made to it. Mr. Mehlis could have listened for hours and posed hundreds of questions.”
2005-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5297 (2005) · source
“Syria also finds it strange to see this accusation of non-cooperation from the Commission - the same accusation endorsed by the Security Council in the resolution it adopted this morning. Following Mr. Mehlis's Visit, the Foreign Ministry of the Syrian Arab Republic did its utmost to provide the best possible conditions for the Commission's work, both in form and in substance. We acted in complete good faith in that regard. However, it seems that some people in the Commission were not acting in good faith. As the Council is aware, the Commission could very well have laid down the conditions for the interviews it wished to undertake with Syrian persons freely, and it could have refused any request from the Syrian authorities.”
2005-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5297 (2005) · source
“The seventeenth preambular paragraph of the resolution states: "Mindful of the Commission's conclusion that while the Syrian authorities, after initial hesitation, have cooperated to a limited degree with the Commission, several Syrian officials have tried to mislead the investigation by giving false or inaccurate statements". Of course, Mr. Mehlis did not specify what these false or inaccurate statements were, either in the report or in statements to the media. Furthermore, it is stated that the Syrian authorities have cooperated in form but not in substance with the Commission. Operative paragraph 5 states that "several Syrian officials tried to mislead the Commission by giving false or inaccurate information". This repetition is bizarre.”
2005-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5297 (2005) · source
“Paragraph 123 of the report states that "there is little probability that a third party would undertake surveillance and monitoring measures against Mr. Hariri for more than a month prior to the blast and maintain the resources, logistics and capacity needed to initiate, plan and commit a crime of this magnitude without the knowledge of the competent Lebanese authorities." More grave than the accusations levelled at Syria in the resolution adopted today is the claim by the Commission that Syria cooperated with it in form but not in substance. It is regrettable that the resolution takes on verbatim the conclusions of the Commission's report.”
2005-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5297 (2005) · source
“Thus, for instance, as we know that the British security forces were expecting terrorist bombings to occur in the Underground and had previously trained to deal with them, can we now accuse them of having had prior knowledge of such attacks? It is illogical to level accusations that are based on presumptions of the kind endorsed by this resolution. That means that all security forces in all countries of the world that have recently experienced terrorist attacks may be implicated in such crimes. I think that the first to be delighted at such conclusions will be the terrorists themselves. The Council's resolution took on board the presumption of Syria's involvement and, for reasons we are not aware of, ignored another presumption: the possibility of involvement by a third party, a term I quote verbatim from the Mehlis report.”
2005-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5297 (2005) · source
“It is rather strange that the Council has supported that line of thinking by the Investigation Commission. The presence of military forces and a security apparatus in a country where a criminal or terrorist act takes place does not mean that it must have taken place with the knowledge of, or concurrence by, such forces and apparatus. If that were the case, we would have had to accuse the United States security forces of knowing about the terrorist acts perpetrated on 11 September 2001; Spanish security forces would have been accused of knowing about the train bombings in Madrid on 11 March 2004; and, indeed, British security forces would have been accused of knowing about the London Underground bombings of 7 July 2005.”
2005-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5297 (2005) · source
“Operative paragraph 2 states that the Security Council "Takes note with extreme concern of the Commission's conclusion that there is converging evidence pointing at the involvement of both Lebanese and Syrian officials in this terrorist act, and that it is difficult to envisage a scenario whereby such a complex assassination could have been carried out without their knowledge". The use of phrases such as "envisage a scenario", "probable cause to believe" and other unclear terminology casts doubt on the seriousness of the work of the Investigation Commission and leads one to believe that the Commission proceeded on the basis of preconceived notions, leading it to accuse Syria because of a fact on the ground that is not in itself evidence of the commission of a crime.”
2005-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5297 (2005) · source
“The sixteenth preambular paragraph of the amended resolution states: "Taking note of the Commission's conclusions that, given the infiltration of Lebanese institutions and society by the Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services working in tandem, it would be difficult to envisage a scenario whereby such a complex assassination plot could have been carried out without their knowledge, and that there is probable cause to believe that the decision to assassinate former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri could not have been taken without the approval of top-ranked Syrian security officials".”
2005-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5297 (2005) · source
“Syria's fundamental criticism of the Commission's report is that it proceeds from the presumption that Syria is guilty of committing that crime, rather than presuming its innocence, and that the report does not, instead, seek the facts and evidence that would lead to the real perpetrator.”
2005-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5297 (2005) · source
“Mr. Al-Shara' (Syrian Arab Republic) (spoke in Arabic): At the outset, I thank you, Mr. President, for giving me the opportunity to state Syria's position on the issue under consideration by the Security Council. Allow me to welcome the Secretary-General Kofi Annan. I am also happy to see some friends and colleagues around the table. Friends both within and outside the Security Council advised us not to go into the second report of the International Independent Investigation Commission at length today. However, there is no such need, because the resolution just adopted by the Council contains a number of paragraphs that repeat verbatim parts of the report that make accusations against Syria, accusing it of committing the crime of assassinating the late Rafik Hariri and of not fully cooperating with the Commission.”
2005-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5297 (2005) · source
“During the remaining period of its membership in the Security Council, Syria will make every necessary effort in this regard, and will always remain faithful to the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter.”
2003-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4833 (2003) · source
“The Syrian Arab Republic, through its membership in the Security Council, has contributed to deepening the understanding of the role of the Security Council and the importance of supporting United Nations peace-building missions as an attempt to assist in reorganizing the various aspects of justice and the rule of law. The Syrian Arab Republic, as a member of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, has encouraged the attempt to give the United Nations a primary role in peacekeeping. Syria encourages all Member States to support, financially, the role of our Organization, in order to allow it to undertake its responsibilities in full.”
2003-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4833 (2003) · source
“Indeed, it is extremely paradoxical that an occupying Power in Palestine or Iraq requests the assistance of neighbouring States to consecrate its occupation and to help it address security concerns, including the security of its soldiers, and accuses those who do not immediately comply of being rogues, terrorists and a threat to international peace. It is also regrettable, that in the twenty-first century some think-tanks produce false and misleading information to decision makers, on the basis of which wars are waged outside the context of the United Nations and its resolutions, blood is shed and baseless and unbridled accusations are levelled in deliberate defiance of the values and principles on which our countries have unanimously agreed.”
2003-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4833 (2003) · source
“Who among us will see the establishment of two States living side by side in peace and security in 2005, if the current situation should continue? We should recall the fact that the Israeli Prime Minister, when asked about his views on a ceasefire, said that a ceasefire should be concluded among the Palestinians themselves, not between Israel and the Palestinians. Syria has every right to ask here, how can justice be attained, if Israel refuses to turn the Middle East region into a zone free from weapons of mass destruction and when Israel, at this time, owns the largest arsenal of such weapons in the entire region, and when it continues to falsely accuse others of possessing such weapons.”
2003-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4833 (2003) · source
“In addition, one would have to be extremely naive to believe that the number of Israeli civilians killed by defenceless Palestinians under the yoke of occupation outnumbers Palestinian civilians killed by Israel, when everyone knows that the Palestinian people have no army and no military arsenal, unlike Israel. Now the nagging question is how much longer can Israel succeed in convincing the world that it is the victim while it continues to occupy by force the territories of others, to besiege them, to destroy their homes, to uproot their trees and crops, and to murder their sons, instead of sitting at the negotiating table to restore to the Palestinians the rights that belong to them. Isn't peace throughout history concluded among enemies?”
2003-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4833 (2003) · source
“With regard to justice and the rule of law, one may well wonder how one can compel the Palestinians to commit themselves to the rule of law if one chooses to ignore the rights of refugees to return to their homeland and to reclaim their identity, under the pretext that they left their country more than 50 years ago and that their return threatens the existence of democratic Israel, while in fact Israel is the party that threatens their existence every time it grants the right of return to a Jew whose ancestors might have left Palestine 2,000 or more years ago. I do not know why Israel would consider their return a threat to its existence if it truly upheld a democratic system in theory and in practice.”
2003-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4833 (2003) · source
“Despite the fact that the Charter of the United Nations has sought to ensure a degree of justice and equality in relations among nations, a number of the resolutions adopted by the Security Council have been imposed on some States while not truly imposed on others, to the extent that the meaning of the phrase "double standard" - which is extremely vague - has become much clearer among the ordinary citizens of our region than among those of any other region in the world.”
2003-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4833 (2003) · source
“Mr. Al-Shara' (Syrian Arab Republic) (spoke in Arabic): Allow me at the outset, Mr. President, to express our appreciation for your chosen theme for this ministerial meeting, "Justice and the rule of law: the United Nations role". It is difficult to find in this world a clearer example of this theme than in the Middle East region - a region of conflicts and post-conflict situations; a region where the United Nations plays a noble role in its search for solutions to those conflicts. No wonder, then, that the Organization has achieved a new record in the number of resolutions adopted with regard to the region.”
2003-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4833 (2003) · source
“We also express the hope that, in these last hours and minutes, the option of peace is still available, that wisdom and historic vision can prevail and right and justice be done to the benefit of the prosperity of the people of the Middle East and the world in general. At this critical moment, Syria urges those concerned to shut down the machinery of war and to spare the lives of millions of innocent Iraqis as well as the lives of their new oppressors who are marching thousands of miles in their advanced armour, holding up the banner of liberation like a myth. Many people- including many Americans - have stood against the foreign occupier in defence of liberty and independence. That is the logic of history. That is the march of history - a march that will continue, no matter how many challenges and obstacles stand in the way.”
2003-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4721 (2003) · source
“In conclusion, I would like to pay tribute to those States members of the Security Council that supported a peaceful resolution of the issue in the Council for their great sense of responsibility in very sincerely expressing the position of the majority of the members of the international community, regardless of race or creed. They also reflected the feelings of the millions who demonstrated, in thousands of cities all over the world, against war and in favour of peace. We are very appreciative of the principled position taken by those members of the Security Council, who chose to stand firmly in support of right and justice, regardless of the difficulties and challenges that might result, instead of succumbing to pressure or to short-term gains, to say nothing of threats of coercion.”
2003-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4721 (2003) · source
“If we consider both the letter and the spirit of the United States ultimatum, issued on Monday, we can only conclude that the objective of the war is the removal or the bringing to justice of an individual or a group of individuals. Is ensuring justice an objective corollary of the killing of tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis? Have we gone back to the Middle Ages, or are we truly in the twenty-first century? Anyone in the world has the right to denounce such actions and to consider their negative results. The United States might choose to forget the assassinations and the carnage directed against the defenceless Palestinian people, but how can it choose to forget the fact that Rachel Corrie, an American peace activist, was recently crushed to death by Israeli bulldozers?”
2003-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4721 (2003) · source
“How many people throughout the world believe that Iraq represents a danger to the security of the United States and the American people? If such a claim were true or based on fact, we would have to consider that not just Iraq but more than 150 countries throughout the world also pose a threat to the security and integrity of the United States. There are active or sleeper Al Qaeda cells in those countries - a fact known to the United States Administration. Such countries also have a declared or undeclared class of weapons of mass destruction, according to the records of the specialized international agencies. Those records also indicate that the United States has the largest arsenal of those lethal weapons in the world.”
2003-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4721 (2003) · source
“What logic could be used by the countries of the world to justify to their people the waging of a war, in contravention of international law and in grave and flagrant violation of the Charter, in order to pursue hidden objectives that give precedence to the law of the jungle over international legitimacy? Have not the United Nations inspectors confirmed, to the Council that Iraq has cooperated actively with them ever since the adoption of resolution 1441 (2002)? Have we not clearly seen the Iraqis destroy Al Samoud 2 missiles, in response to demands by the international inspectors? How can some deny that Iraq has provided plenty of evidence and document after document to prove that it is free from weapons of mass destruction?”
2003-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4721 (2003) · source
“That is particularly significant given that paragraph 12 of the resolution demands that the Security Council be convened in order to discuss any issue relevant to the implementation of the provisions of the resolution. Syria believes that ignoring that paragraph, demanding that inspectors be suddenly withdrawn from Iraq or that their work be suspended also makes it clear, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that the objective is not to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, but to occupy it and usurp its natural resources, in contravention of all norms and laws. Syria categorically rejects today the feverish calls for war against Iraq, just as in 1990 it rejected the occupation of Kuwait. Syria can find no legal or moral justification for that destructive option, particularly outside the context of the Security Council.”
2003-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4721 (2003) · source
“With the unanimous adoption by the Security Council of resolution 1441 (2002), basic international terms of reference were set out to settle the Iraqi question. The verbatim record of meetings of the Security Council include comments by those members that are hastening to wage war against Iraq, confirming their belief that that resolution does not allow for international law to be circumvented or to permit a strike against Iraq without first reverting to the Security Council. We categorically oppose the views of those who have reneged on that resolution, particularly given that they are sure that Iraq has no weapons of mass destruction, as well as those who worked to deliberately discredit the contents of the resolution, in accordance with the infamous claim that the end justifies the means.”
2003-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4721 (2003) · source
“Syria wishes to express its extreme regret and concern at attempts by some to call into question the role of the Security Council in particular, and the United Nations in general, simply because they did not succeed in imposing their will and positions on the Council and the United Nations. Our attention, and the attention of the majority of the countries of the world, has been drawn to the attempts by some to blame the Security Council - perhaps a particular member of the Council - for the failure to adopt a draft resolution authorizing military force against Iraq. Such attempts deliberately ignore the fact that the majority of the members of the Council rejected the idea of adopting a draft resolution authorizing the use of force, thus rendering the use of the veto unnecessary by any country.”
2003-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4721 (2003) · source
“We were prompted to do so by our belief in supporting the international will to find a peaceful solution to the Iraqi crisis and to eliminate Iraqi weapons of mass destruction through peaceful means. Since the adoption of resolution 1441 (2002), the inspection process has yielded tangible results, due to positive and proactive Iraqi cooperation with the inspectors on procedure and substance. Indeed, on more than one occasion the inspectors said that they needed a few months, not a few years, to complete the tasks entrusted to them. However, we are now told that war is days, or hours, away. It is as if war were an inescapable fate, as if it were a popular demand in every part of the world rather than otherwise.”
2003-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4721 (2003) · source
“While if war will be waged against Iraq to disarm it of its weapons of mass destruction, which do constitute a threat to its neighbours, Israel has a stockpile of such weapons, particularly nuclear weapons, unmatched even by some major Powers. No one ignores the threat that such weapons pose to its close, and not so close, neighbours. If the international monitoring and inspection processes are ineffective and unproductive in Iraq, then why is Israel the only country in the Middle East that rejects any international inspection or supervision of its weapons of mass destruction, if it does not possess such weapons, thereby laying to rest all allegations against it in this regard? Syria voted in favour of Security Council resolution 1441 (2002).”
2003-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4721 (2003) · source
“Whoever said that the Security Council's mission is to wage war, not to establish peace? Since when has making peace been an easy feat in any international crisis? Within hours, a war of aggression will be unleashed in Iraq, as was declared yesterday in Washington. Emotions are running high - perhaps as high as the temperature over there. By now, anyone with vision and insight knows that this is an unfair and unjustified war. It will come back to haunt those who have advocated and promoted it, instead of enhancing their status in history. This war is not being waged for a reasonable, let alone just, cause.”
2003-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4721 (2003) · source
“This leads us to substantial issues, whether we are about to deal with the pressing issue of Iraq and its implications for the Middle East and the world, or whether we are about to discuss the forgotten Palestinian cause and its accumulated tragic consequences for the entire world. The first question is: can the United States absolve itself and its ally, the United Kingdom, of the responsibility that has befallen the two causes and their catastrophic consequences to date? History is the best witness - particularly the history of the United Nations. The second question is: can the United States use the difficulty of arriving at constructive solutions to the two questions within the United Nations itself as a pretext and then blame failure on the Security Council?”
2003-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4721 (2003) · source
“I would like to remind our audience - here or there - that this Charter was signed in the United States of America, in the city of San Francisco, in 1945, and that this historic monument that hosts our deliberations was also built half a century ago in the United States of America, in the city of New York, one of the most densely populated cities in the world, and that the American people who live in the American continent between these two great cities - one overlooking the Pacific and the other overlooking the Atlantic - is in its plurality and diversity a microcosm of the international community, more so than any other country in the world.”
2003-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4721 (2003) · source
“Mr. Al-Shara' (Syrian Arab Republic)(spoke in Arabic): At this critical and painful moment, I have nothing to say to the victims of the imminent war against Iraq, except for these words from the Preamble to the United Nations Charter: "We the peoples of the United Nations, determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security. . .". This is the most important commitment consecrated in the United Nations Charter 58 years ago. The rest are details.”
2003-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4721 (2003) · source
“We are gravely concerned over the possibility of heinous massacres of the Palestinian people, the demolition of their homes and their forced transfer when war against Iraq is in full swing. Our apprehensions are well founded, given developments in the occupied territories since 11 September 2001, and the Security Council must take them into account as we approach the moment of truth, which we hope will never arrive. We are confident that the United Nations, which represents the will of the international community, will opt for peace. We are confident that this option will prevail over the use of force. The United Nations and its Charter shall remain the main instruments of humankind for the achievement of international peace and security.”
2003-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4714 (2003) · source
“Contrary to the wisdom which holds that backing away from an improper position is a virtue, some believe that the huge build-up of forces is by itself sufficient to justify war against Iraq and to destroy it, merely because no one with any sense of realism can accept that these forces should return to their barracks empty-handed. If that is the case, are we witnessing action in a just cause or merely armed robbery? Regardless of the accuracy of arguments advanced internationally on the possible objectives of the American military campaign - be they to control the oil fields or to change the map of the Middle East- the Arabs in particular and the international community in general are very apprehensive.”
2003-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4714 (2003) · source
“What logic allows Israel to possess all kinds of weapons of mass destruction, although it continues to occupy the territories of its neighbours and to threaten them, in contravention of all norms of international law? President Bashar Al-Assad has asked: "They fear for our safety from Iraq, but not Israel?" Given that resolution 1441 (2002) does not set a time limit for the inspectors' work, what is the basis of arguments that time has run out and that Iraq has only days left to comply or else? It is truly ironic and somewhat naive to claim that war against Iraq will uncover its undeclared weapons of mass destruction, despite the fact that the inspectors, with all the unprecedented facilities provided to them, cannot find these weapons.”
2003-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4714 (2003) · source
“It is being extended at the very moment when inspectors are achieving tangible progress in implementing resolution 1441 (2002). We believe that it is the right of any State or individual to ask: Why insist on adopting a new resolution allowing the use of military force, as if war were the best and not the worst option? In the light of all this, one cannot also but wonder what logic can explain the cooperation of the United States with Israel in developing sophisticated missiles that cost American taxpayers billions of dollars, while the United States denies such an opportunity - even more modest missiles with shorter range and less capability - to the Arab countries that need them to defend themselves.”
2003-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4714 (2003) · source
“In this context, we Arabs and Muslims should recall with appreciation the appeals that have been made for months now by the leaders of churches throughout the world that peace should be pursued and war averted. These appeals were crowned by the message that the emissary of the Holy See conveyed two days ago to the President of the United States, in which he clearly conveyed the opinion that war against Iraq is illegitimate and unjust. As for Iraq, Mr. Blix informed us earlier today that it has cooperated actively. As Mr. ElBaradei explained, this cooperation has also been positive, procedural and substantive. The destruction of missiles that is currently under way in Iraq is tangible and material evidence of that cooperation, which can neither be considered deceptive nor dismissed as insignificant.”
2003-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4714 (2003) · source
“The Arab leaders expressed their solidarity with the Iraqi people, called for a lifting of the sanctions and established the follow- up committee to which I referred earlier and which included Bahrain, Lebanon, Tunisia, Syria, Egypt and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States. The committee is entrusted with transmitting the Arab point of view to the five permanent members of the Security Council and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, as well as to Baghdad should the situation warrant. The Arab summit was immediately followed by an Islamic summit in Doha at which Islamic countries confirmed the decision and themes of the Arab summit.”
2003-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4714 (2003) · source