YouSaid · the spoken record

Albright

lines on the record: 1,073
first: 1993-02-05
most recent: 2000-01-24
sittings or episodes: 157
sources: un-security-council

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

“"The Security Council welcomes the important contributions of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), including through its Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution, as well as those of subregional arrangements, in preventing and resolving conflicts in Africa, and looks forward to a stronger partnership between the United Nations and the OAU, as well as subregional arrangements, in conformity with Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations. The Council supports enhancement of the capacity of African States to contribute to peacekeeping operations, including in Africa, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations. The Council highlights the important contribution of the African Nuclear- Weapon-Free Zone Treaty to international peace and security.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“"The Security Council notes that African States have made significant strides towards democratization, economic reform, and respect for and protection of human rights in order to achieve political stability, peace, and sustainable economic and social development. "Despite these positive developments, the Security Council remains gravely concerned by the number and intensity of armed conflicts on the continent. Such conflicts threaten regional peace, cause massive human dislocation and suffering, perpetuate instability and divert resources from long- term development. The Security Council reaffirms the responsibility of all Member States to settle their international disputes by peaceful means and its own primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“Following consultations among members of the Security Council, I have been authorized to make the following statement on behalf of the Council: "The Security Council met on 25 September 1997, at the level of Foreign Ministers, to consider the need for a concerted international effort to promote peace and security in Africa. "The Security Council reaffirms its commitment to Africa in keeping with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. The Council also reaffirms the principles of political independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of all Member States.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“I am pleased to announce my own plans to Visit the continent before the end of the year, to meet with leaders and people there and to make as real as I can America's commitment to stand with Africans as they realize long- delayed aspirations for true freedom, growing prosperity and simple human dignity. President Nelson Mandela once said that, in the history of nations, generations have made their mark by appreciating critical turning points and seizing the moment; that better life will be achieved only if we shed the temptation to proceed casually along the road - only if we take the opportunities that beckon. Let us take that road together. I now resume my functions as President of the Council.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“We have democracy-building programmes in 20 countries and are also helping to strengthen civil society in order to improve governance and bolster the rule of law. Finally, we welcome Africa's increasing contributions to the solution of global problems that concern us all, such as the proliferation of crime, terrorism, environmental degradation and the spread of infectious disease. Today, the greatest divide in the world is not between East and West or North and South - it is between those trapped by the grievances and preconceptions of the past and those who have the vision and courage to shape the future. We are all here this morning to salute the Africans who have that vision and courage and to make sure we have the vision and determination needed to support them.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“Today more than half of the 48 countries in sub- Saharan Africa have leaders chosen in elections that were deemed by international observers to have been free and fair. This is important politically and economically, because development depends on people. A democratic people free to exchange ideas, publish thoughts, organize labour and invest capital will build a richer - and ultimately more stable - society than a people shackled by repression. Free elections are a necessary part of democracy, but they are not sufficient in themselves. The United States is committed to working with Africa and the international community to help develop durable and effective democratic institutions, such as legislative assemblies, judiciaries and an independent press.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“But that does not mean stepping back from the good that only aid can do. Last year the United States contributed more than $1.5 billion in direct humanitarian and development aid, plus another $1 billion through multilateral organizations such as the World Bank and the African Development Bank. In addition, more than 2,400 Peace Corps volunteers are working in Africa in a total of 29 countries. And President Clinton has proposed a Partnership for Economic Growth and Opportunity to stimulate commerce, reduce debt, encourage investment and provide technical aid. It is no accident that Africa's current economic upturn is paralleled by a growing embrace of democratic principles.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“To do less is to insult the memory of those who died so tragically and to deny the victims' families the demands of justice. United Nations efforts also play a central role in Africa's plans for development - development that gives citizens more opportunity, government more capacity and peace a firm foundation. Today we know that in Africa, as elsewhere, the primary impetus for economic growth must come from the private sector. That requires strategies that make indigenous investment rewarding and foreign investment welcome. It requires privatization, more open markets and regulatory and financial reform. And it requires efforts to improve education, training and health care, so that all people, men and women, may reach their potential. Today we know that aid cannot substitute for reform.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“In shaping his ideas, we urge the Secretary-General to consult closely with leaders in the region and to encourage a spirit of mutual respect and mutual responsibility. At the same time, Africans themselves must reject the culture of impunity that has protected those guilty of gross violations of human rights or the export of terror to other nations. In this regard, let me say today that there can be no compromise with Libya when it comes to terrorism. With respect to the case of Pan Am 103, the responsibility for the effect of this Council's actions on the people of Libya does not rest with us. It rests squarely on the Government of Libya. We must be united in our demand for full compliance with this Council's resolutions.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“The United States would also welcome the Secretary- General's ideas on improving the overall response of the international community to complex humanitarian emergencies in Africa, including the transition from crisis to development. We should pay special attention to lessons learned during the past four years in the Great Lakes region and consider steps for ensuring that refugee camps are not used as a safe haven for war criminals or as a base for military operations, as well as steps for achieving justice and accountability in the aftermath of large-scale Violations of human rights. And we suggest that the Secretary-General outline a comprehensive approach for the issues still confronting the Great Lakes: preventing further conflict and promoting human rights, democratization and reconstruction.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“We also commend the efforts of the ECOWAS C-5 group of Ministers to bring peace to Sierra Leone, and we are strong supporters of the peace process there. In Angola, as one of three observer States to the Lusaka Protocol, we endorse strongly the efforts of the United Nations, supported by the Southern African Development Community (SADC), to ensure full implementation. We will use the powers of this Council to penalize any party that fails to meet its obligations. The United States is also working, in partnership with Africans and donors, to enhance the ability of African nations to respond when peacekeeping is needed. This is a capacity-building initiative with long-term goals that is openly conducted and aimed solely at preventing, ending and alleviating the consequences of conflict.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“The United Nations is central to meeting those challenges through its peacekeeping operations, good-offices missions, and emergency relief programmes. Throughout Africa, the United States supports the role of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in preventing and responding to crises, and we are assisting its plan to build a Conflict Management Centre and improve its ability to react quickly to emergencies. We urge the Secretary-General to strengthen the ties between the United Nations, the OAU and Africa's regional security organizations in recognition of the work they are doing. In Liberia, we congratulate the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for its success in helping to end the civil war and monitoring democratic elections.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“A decade ago, Africa was the scene of multiple conflicts fueled, in large measure, by cold-war rivalries and, in southern Africa, by the Vicious and destabilizing effects of apartheid. Today the greatest threats to peace are posed by civil strife caused by ethnic tensions or by straightforward competition for resources and power. These threats are aggravated by the lack, in some societies, of strong and representative institutions of government and by economic prospects so poor that hope is starved and desperation fed. In this environment, a security strategy must include political, economic and humanitarian components. But to implement these components, a climate of relative safety must be established and maintained.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“We must be clear about what our own interests are, and about what we are prepared to do to help Africans to guide change in directions that create new opportunities for their people. We are requesting that the Secretary-General report on how we can better identify sources of conflict, prevent or resolve them, and help Africans lay the groundwork for peace and prosperity. And we take this opportunity to urge support for the Secretary-General' s reform proposals, which provide an important opportunity for the United Nations to use better its resources to address security, humanitarian and development needs in Africa. Our starting point is peace and security, the Council's traditional responsibility, but we should take this opportunity to look at the broad picture of our interactions with Africa.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“Although enormous problems remain, we must not let them blind us to the new African leaders who are quietly emerging with intense determination to create new African realities; to replace autocracy and internal strife with democracy, stability and the rule of law; to battle poverty, corruption and despair instead of domestic rivals or hostile neighbours; to become engines of growth rather than outposts of isolation; and to stand before the international community not as supplicants, but as true equals. Ours is a supporting role. We must listen carefully to what African leaders and African citizens have to say about the challenges they face and the solutions they favour.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“I shall now make a statement in my capacity as Secretary of State of the United States of America. The United States welcomes this ministerial session of the Council and the opportunity it affords to recognize and support a new quality in Africa's relations with the world. In many nations, difficult reforms are producing economic growth and progress towards democracy.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“I call on the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, The Right Honourable Robin Cook.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“I wonder if I might at this moment express condolences, on behalf of the whole Council, to the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, whose wife died last night. He has returned home. On behalf of us all, I express our condolences to Mr. Alhaj Abdus Samad Azad. I call on the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation of Kenya, His Excellency The Honourable Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“The next speaker is the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, His Excellency Mr. Keizo Obuchi. I invite him to make his statement.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“I thank the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Egypt for his kind words addressed to me. I call on the Minister for Foreign Affairs of France, His Excellency Mr. Hubert Vedrine.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“I call next on the Minister for External Relations and Worship of Costa Rica, His Excellency Mr. Fernando Naranjo-Villalobos.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“I thank the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe and Current Chairman of the Organization of African Unity for his kind words addressed to me. I call on the Secretary-General of the United Nations, His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“I should like to draw the attention of the members of the Council to document S/ 1997/730, which contains the text of a letter dated 22 September 1997 from the Permanent Representative of Argentina to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council, transmitting a letter of the same date from the Minister for Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship of Argentina addressed to the President of the Security Council, concerning today's meeting. It is my privilege to call on the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe and current Chairman of the Organization of African Unity, His Excellency Mr. Robert Mugabe.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“In recent years the members of the Security Council have worked together and have achieved a number of successes in tackling some of the most complex, critical and challenging issues facing the international community. Today's meeting is intended to focus the attention of the international community on the situation in Africa. This meeting provides an opportunity to assess the present and to help lay the foundations for a peaceful and prosperous future for the African continent. We trust that today's meeting will spur our common efforts to assist the peoples and nations of Africa as they build that future.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“I should also like to acknowledge and welcome the presence of other Ministers for Foreign Affairs in the Council Chamber today. Their presence is an affirmation of the importance of the subject matter to be addressed at this meeting. The spirit of cooperation demonstrated by all those present here, which has made this meeting possible, is greatly appreciated by all of us. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Security Council is today holding its first ministerial meeting on Africa. This unprecedented meeting takes place at a time when there is a new partnership in global responsibility, one which is shared by all members of the Security Council and by the international community as a whole.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“Invitation to Mr. Salim Ahmed Salim, Secretary- General of the Organization of African Unity The President: In accordance with the understanding reached in the Council's prior consultations, I invite His Excellency Mr. Salim Ahmed Salim, Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity, to take a seat at the Council table. At the invitation of the President, Mr. Salim Ahmed Salim, Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity, took a seat at the Council table. Welcome to Foreign Ministers The President: I am very pleased to acknowledge that at this meeting of the Security Council all members of the Council are represented by their Ministers for Foreign Affairs. I welcome their presence at the Council table.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“Members of the Security Council will recall that the date and agenda for this meeting of the Security Council were agreed upon by members of the Council in its prior consultations. The agenda was adopted. The situation in Africa Invitation to His Excellency Mr. Robert Mugabe, President of the Republic of Zimbabwe and current Chairman of the Organization of African Unity The President: In accordance with the understanding reached in the Council's prior consultations, I request the Chief of Protocol to escort His Excellency Mr. Robert Mugabe, President of the Republic of Zimbabwe and current Chairman of the Organization of African Unity, to a seat at the Council table. Mr. Robert Mugabe, President of the Republic of Zimbabwe and current Chairman of the Organization of African Unity, was escorted to a seat at the Council table.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“We also urge all parties to cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which is authorized to deal with those persons responsible for the 1994 genocide.”
1996-11-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3713 (1996) · source
“Although considerable progress has been made, some outstanding questions concerning the organization and operation of the mission remain to be worked out. It is a complex effort and planning for an appropriate operation to follow the temporary multinational force must also begin right away. We applaud the effort that the Secretary-General's Special Envoy, the Organization of African Unity (OAU), regional leaders, the European Union and other mediators are making to address the underlying political problems that must be resolved before the region can achieve true peace and stability. We urge all the parties in the region to cease hostilities directed at one another, cooperate with the mediation efforts, permit the flow of humanitarian assistance and support the secure repatriation of refugees.”
1996-11-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3713 (1996) · source
“We welcome this development and hope it continues. The Government of Rwanda has taken credible steps and made further pledges to ensure the security of the refugees and is working with the international relief agencies to assist them upon their return. We are consulting with the Governments of the region on the arrangements necessary for potential deployment of United States forces. The United States is working closely with the Canadian and other Governments, the United Nations agencies and the humanitarian community to determine precisely the humanitarian requirements and how we might most usefully participate in these humanitarian efforts and to facilitate the orderly and successful repatriation of the refugees.”
1996-11-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3713 (1996) · source
“The United States strongly supports the initiative of the Canadian Government to lead a multinational force to allow the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the refugees and displaced persons in the current crisis, with the dual function of facilitating the voluntary repatriation of refugees to their home countries. We welcome the offers by nations from around the world to participate in the multinational force that the Security Council would be authorizing with this draft resolution, as well as the many offers of humanitarian assistance. The long-term solution is voluntary repatriation of the refugees. To avert a recurrence of this humanitarian tragedy, refugees who wish to return to Rwanda must be able to do so. It appears, as we speak, that perhaps tens of thousands are finally taking advantage of this opportunity.”
1996-11-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3713 (1996) · source
“Last week, the Security Council adopted a resolution which laid the basis for a rapid and effective international response. In the interim, the Secretary-General's special envoy and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have been working to calm the situation and aid the refugees. And a lot of nations have been developing coordinated plans for a temporary humanitarian force, under the leadership of Canada, to permit restoration of aid and repatriation of refugees. But the complexities of the situation in eastern Zaire, with multiple armed groups and a fragile political environment, require prudent preparation.”
1996-11-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3713 (1996) · source
“With great sadness, the world is once again watching tragedy unfold in Central Africa. None of us can forget the shock and horror of the strife in Rwanda in 1994, the hundreds of thousands of innocent people slaughtered in churches and schoolyards and in their homes. Millions of refugees fled the violence across the borders into Zaire and Tanzania. Thousands died in makeshift camps until the international community was able to bring water, food and medicine. Now, in the last few weeks, new fighting again has sent most refugees and displaced persons into flight, danger and deprivation and blocked humanitarian support from reaching them. Their plight is urgent. The international community is, as always, ready to assist those most in need - the innocent civilians caught between fighting and fear.”
1996-11-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3713 (1996) · source
“However, we continue to hope that each faction will come to understand that Afghanistan will be stronger, more prosperous, more independent and more durable if the parties now fighting are able to unite, to pool their energies and resources and to begin pulling the country back together, rather than continuing senselessly and inconclusively to tear it apart. Accordingly, we renew our call to the leaders of each party to cease pursuing the fool's gold of a military victory and to turn their efforts towards the real reward of a political settlement that will last. We urge them to stop fighting, resume talking, observe international standards of human rights and act in accordance with the best interests of all the people of Afghanistan.”
1996-10-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3705 (1996) · source
“It will make it extremely difficult or impossible for the international community to administer badly needed humanitarian aid and it should be opposed strongly by the Security Council, by the United Nations and by all civilized peoples. Despite the current difficult circumstances, my Government hopes that international relief agencies will do all they can, consistent with a requirement to adhere to international human-rights norms, to maintain the flow of humanitarian and relief assistance to those in desperate need in Afghanistan. We urge those in authority to cooperate with these aid agencies and not to hamper the flow of assistance. The years of bitter fighting have deeply divided the Afghan people. As a result, the process of forming a true national government will not come easily or be completed soon.”
1996-10-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3705 (1996) · source
“In parts of Afghanistan today, this principle is being shredded. We see decrees being issued in the name of stability that would essentially deprive women of all rights, except the right to remain silent, indoors, uneducated and invisible. If the reports we receive are accurate, women and girls are being denied the chance to work, to go to school and to participate freely in the day-to-day life of their communities. Even minor violations can lead to vicious beatings. This approach to women's rights cannot be justified or defended. It is medieval. It will, if continued, doom prospects for economic and social progress in Afghanistan.”
1996-10-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3705 (1996) · source
“Such a future would contribute to stability elsewhere in the region, reduce the illegal flows of arms and narcotics and result in a closing of the military training camps that have supported terrorist activities in the region and beyond. In pursuing this outcome, my Government does not support or favour any particular party, faction, movement or individual in this conflict. We are interested not in personalities, but in outcomes. Accordingly, we have maintained contacts with all of the major groups over the years, and we will continue to do so. I want to emphasize that the United States remains concerned that all parties in Afghanistan respect international human rights standards. Every Member of the United Nations is obliged to uphold the provisions of the Charter, which affirms the principle of equal rights for men and women.”
1996-10-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3705 (1996) · source
“The recent summit in Almaty highlighted the concerns of neighbouring States about regional stability and underscored the urgency of an Afghan political settlement. In particular, this body and the General Assembly have repeatedly warned against supplying the belligerents with arms and supplies. We continue to support an arms embargo; we believe that the flow of arms to the warring parties only perpetuates the fighting and makes it less likely that they will come to the negotiating table. My Government urges the international community to continue working together, with the parties, to establish a process that will unite Afghanistan and that will lead to a future characterized by stability, economic recovery and law.”
1996-10-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3705 (1996) · source
“In this connection, we want to express our continued support for the efforts of the United Nations Special Mission headed by Mr. Norbert H011 and his team of political advisers. So far, the parties have not cooperated actively or fully with the Special Mission in the search for peace. Nevertheless, the Mission remains prepared and determined to assist the Afghan parties. The Mission is in contact with all the groups and is uniquely placed to serve as an impartial facilitator among them. The United States reiterates its concern about the dangers of foreign interference in Afghanistan's internal affairs and urges all outside parties to refrain from meddling. We urge the regional Powers and all of Afghanistan's neighbours to work together with the United Nations to encourage the Afghan parties to move towards peace.”
1996-10-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3705 (1996) · source
“Members of the Council and others who share our concern about the situation in Afghanistan: the political and military situation in Afghanistan has been dramatically altered by events of the past few weeks. The immediate future is uncertain. Fighting continues, and it is possible that Kabul itself may once again be overrun. The result would be more casualties, more refugees and still more uncertainty. The position of the United States with respect to this turmoil has not changed. We call upon all parties to stop fighting and to begin negotiations aimed at a political settlement. There can be no lasting military solution to this conflict. There can be no durable peace in Afghanistan until a broad-based government is formed which represents and respects the rights of all of Afghanistan's diverse peoples.”
1996-10-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3705 (1996) · source
“Let us turn our attention not towards condemnation, but towards encouraging the parties to restore the peace process and return to efforts to achieve concrete progress.”
1996-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3698Resumption1 (1996) · source
“Hope is what sustains progress and the process in the Middle East is such that it cannot stand still. During the past few years, we have seen the dawn of high hope and promise in the Middle East. It is a cause of great sadness that this era is mixed with moments of deep sorrow. Innocent victims, Palestinians and Israelis alike, have suffered senseless violence. Rhetoric offers them no comfort. It does not advance the cause of peace. It does not bring closer the day when the people of the Middle East can live in safety and lead normal lives. Instead, such rhetoric encourages extremism and diverts attention from the task at hand: restoring a situation in which we can return to progress towards a comprehensive and lasting peace.”
1996-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3698Resumption1 (1996) · source
“Tangible results must be seen. To be effective, both sides must reach out to each other as real partners. Partners take into account the needs of others. Both sides must feel a heightened sense of mutuality which underscores partnership and enables it to work. Both sides should keep that reality in mind as they consider their actions. We are working intensively with both sides to achieve a restoration of calm and forward movement to produce tangible, positive events on the ground. The members of this Council should focus on how to help, how to restore calm, how to encourage the peace process, and how to make and consolidate real gains. Words here are no substitute for action in the region. Only through such action can we restore that essential component to the peace process: a sense of hope.”
1996-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3698Resumption1 (1996) · source
“The United States Government joins other members of this Council in expressing deep sorrow and regret at the loss of life during these past few days in the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem. We offer our condolences to the families of the victims. We extend our sympathies to the injured. Our focus today should be on how to stop the violence. That violence is an unfolding tragedy not only for the victims, but also for the hopes invested in the peace process. We want to restore that process, as it is the best way to end the continuing sorrows, not only now, but for the future as well. Our first objective is to restore calm. Our second objective is to accelerate the negotiating process. That process is the way to resolve key outstanding issues for implementation of the Interim Agreement. Implementation must go forward.”
1996-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3698Resumption1 (1996) · source
“Finally, I listened carefully to the representative of Cuba use the phrase, "Sentence first - verdict afterwards". I still do not understand the point he was making, since this Council asked the ICAO to investigate precisely and to render its final judgment after an objective examination of the events of 24 February 1996. But sadly, I must admit, "Sentence first - verdict afterwards" is precisely what happened. For it is certainly true that on 24 February, five months ago, without any inquiry, without any warning, and without regard to law and decency, the Cuban Government sentenced four of my countrymen to death over international waters. Five months have gone by and the verdict is in: this Council has declared Cuba guilty as charged - guilty of violating international law. It is high time for Cuba to accept the judgment.”
1996-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3683 (1996) · source
“We heard nothing to change the fact that the ICAO has concluded that Cuba violated all norms of civil aviation by shooting first and asking questions later. And we have heard nothing to change the fact that the Security Council has now endorsed the conclusions of the ICAO report and thereby rejected Cuba's case completely. But more important than all of that, I sat here and listened to the representative of Cuba for more than one and a half hours and, despite all the words I heard, I heard nothing to indicate regret by the Cuban Government for the four civilian men who were killed. I heard no offer of condolences to the families, and I heard no willingness by the Cuban Government to take responsibility for an act that this Council has condemned as a violation of international law.”
1996-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3683 (1996) · source
“I would like to thank the members of the Security Council for this overwhelming support and also for the condolences expressed for the deaths of the pilots. But I feel committed to making a brief statement of reply. The representative of Cuba has offered us many words this afternoon. But, despite the many words we heard, we have heard nothing new. We have heard nothing to change the fact that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has concluded that Cuba shot down two planes over international waters. We have heard nothing to change the fact that the ICAO has concluded that these were civilian planes. If the representative of Cuba continues to doubt this fact, perhaps he should talk to the pilots of the Cuban MIGs who identified these planes as civilian aircraft before they blew them out of the sky.”
1996-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3683 (1996) · source
“In some cases, we know that the tragedy is caused by mechanical shortcomings which we can address. In other cases, we do not know the cause and there is little we can do. In this case, we know the cause and we know that the remedy is to accept and adhere to the rule of law. That is all that we demand of Cuba. And that is the standard we must always demand of each other and of ourselves.”
1996-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3683 (1996) · source
“As far as I am concerned, what the Cuban military did on 24 February was a crime and no excuse, no rationalization and no finger-pointing by the Cuban Government can change that judgement. If we were to allow such acts to occur without expressing our condemnation, we would not be meeting our responsibility to the international community. If we were to remain silent in the face of Cuba's continued threat to shoot down civil aircraft in flight, we would invite a repetition of this tragedy. If we were not to insist that all countries meet their obligations concerning civil aviation, we would put at risk the lives of all people who travel by air. In recent weeks, we have seen and heard a great deal about the anguish that the loss of a loved one in an aeroplane crash can cause.”
1996-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3683 (1996) · source
“All along, we have asked the Cuban Government for information concerning alleged intrusions into its airspace, and we have kept Cuba apprised of our actions. And Cuba has previously acknowledged our efforts and cooperation in this regard. As I said at the beginning of my remarks, this is not an issue of the United States versus Cuba. The people of every nation are vulnerable to lawless acts, be they acts of terrorism or acts committed intentionally by Governments in violation of international law. The very purpose of the Security Council is to help protect the people of all nations against such acts. We are here to protect international security and peace.”
1996-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3683 (1996) · source