YouSaid · the spoken record

Baroness Valerie Amos

lines on the record: 58
first: 2002-07-18
most recent: 2002-07-18
sittings or episodes: 2
sources: un-security-council

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“I think there has been much food for thought and many good ideas, which really leave us with a kind of comprehensive action plan for a way forward which we can all take away. There are no further speakers on my list. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration ofthe item on its agenda. The meeting rose at 5.30 p.m.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“The United Kingdom delegation will produce a written summary of the conclusions of our discussions today based on the comments which have been made around the table, and these will then be made available for all of you. All that remains is for me to thank all the participants very much indeed, in particular Ministers Fall and Koroma for being with us today, and to thank our speakers this morning and this afternoon and everyone around the table for your very active participation. I would also like to thank you for your very kind comments about the role that the United Kingdom has played in Sierra Leone and my own role in chairing this meeting today. I have to say that you all made it very easy indeed. It has been a very good meeting.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“The issue of refugees was central to our discussion this morning, and has also come up this afternoon. In particular, it is not just a matter of looking at refugee flows, but looking at refugee flows at a very early stage as a possible indicator of problems in terms of different regions on the continent. A final point, which I think is a very important point, is that the Security Council is good place to bring key players together - not just those within the Council but from the international financial institutions, other countries and other organizations, all of which have an important role to play, not just with respect to the Mano River Union, but in other areas of conflict throughout the world.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“There was a general view that despite the obvious difficulties, it is important for the international community to engage with Liberia. A policy of constructive engagement was discussed, as was the need to facilitate dialogue between the parties in Liberia and to look at other possibilities for dialogue. It is clear that we need some kind of comprehensive conflict-resolution strategy for Liberia. I think that that was agreed by everyone around the table. I have three final points. One is the importance that we all attach to there being a sustained effort. We had two different analogies. We had our sprinkler/ bucket system from our colleague from Singapore, and, from Sir Kieran, we had his antibiotic analogy. I am not sure which one I prefer. But I think we understand exactly what they both had in mind.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“It was recognized that sanctions have played a key role in bringing peace to Sierra Leone and that they must be applied, but, at the same time, that we need to reconcile possible differences that could open up between the Security Council and others on the future of sanctions, particularly in relation to Liberia. It is important to strengthen the capacity of ECOWAS in terms of mediation and conflict prevention. There is a possible role for the European Union with respect to this. The wider question arose on how it is best for the United Nations to mobilize resources for peace- building, as well as for peacekeeping. In that context, we had a discussion about development issues and how to create the right kind of environment to promote investment, which is very much the long-term strategy for the region.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“The importance of the new United Nations Office for West Africa was recognized in terms of it being a focal point for United Nations support for regional efforts and indeed efforts within Liberia itself. I think that the strong feeling was that the physical presence of the United Nations on the ground was absolutely critical. A third theme that emerged was the need to reinforce efforts to control the flow of small arms and to stop illegal exploitation of economic resources, which was also a theme that came out ofthis morning's discussion.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“Are there any further comments? I will attempt to sum up the very rich discussion that we have had this afternoon. I think that the first general point is that we are all agreed that we cannot look at the situation in Sierra Leone in isolation and that we need to address the instability that exists in the region as a whole. Several key themes emerged. The first is the need to encourage regional efforts at reconciliation within Liberia and between Liberia and its neighbours. Absolutely critical to that is coordination between initiatives and that the Mano River Union, supported by ECOWAS, should continue its efforts to promote greater security and confidence-building measures between the three countries.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“Can I ask if Security Council members who did not speak this afternoon wish to do so now, or if anybody has any follow-up comments or questions before I attempt to sum up this afternoon's discussion? For the moment, there appear to be none, so I will now ask the two Foreign Ministers to take the floor.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“My apologies for my short absence. Can I perhaps now ask principal speakers who opened this afternoon's session if they would like to make any brief responses to the comments which have been made? There were some direct questions to Sir Kieran, so I will ask him to start, and then I move on to Mr. Mar Dieye and then to General Diarra.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“On that last point, I know that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is beginning to distribute the report of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Task Force on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Humanitarian Crises, which is something - in terms of its peace and security aspects - which the Council may want to come back to, for instance, in our debate on conflict and gender on 25 July.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“I think one of the things that we in the European Union will also need to focus on is continuing, and perhaps enhancing, the support that we give to regional structures, and to the institutional side of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in particular, because they must get resources from somewhere to build a further capacity to be able to do the things that General Diarra was talking about earlier. I think the European Union is a prime partner with ECOWAS for that purpose.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“The next speaker is the representative of Denmark. I invite her to take a seat at the Council table and to make her statement.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“Baroness Amos apologizes, because she has just been called up to talk to the BBC for a few minutes. She will be coming straight back. She will be sorry to have missed your speech, Sir.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“Clearly, this is something to which we will have to return. Moving from peacekeeping to peace-building, I think, is the core of some of the issues we have been discussing this afternoon.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“Mr. Fichtl, you spoke about the support given to Sierra Leone during the transitional period. In the light of that experience, is the Bank prepared to move into peace-building activity before a conflict is fully over?”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“You asked some specific questions which I will ask Sir Kieran to respond to at a slightly later stage. I know we are due to move to speakers' responses now, but I would like to hear from our speaker from the World Bank before I move to speaker responses at a later stage. Thank you for your comments and also your idea about a meeting in the margins ofthe General Assembly later this year. I would like to invite Mr. Fichtl, the Senior Social Protection Specialist for Regional Human Development ofthe World Bank, to take the floor.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“I think we all recognize the importance of regional initiatives, and in particular the importance of what went on in Rabat. I hope that it will be possible to coordinate the different regional initiatives which have been taken in the Mano River Union.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“Ambassador Mahbubani's analogy about the sprinkler system leads me to think that perhaps we should not be thinking about people coming along with buckets, but about building replacement sprinkler systems. But this is something that I hope that others will return to. The next speaker on my list is the representative of Morocco. I invite him to take a seat at the Council table and to make his statement.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“I thank Mr. Koonjul in particular for his thoughts and ideas on the way forward. I would now like to give the floor to Ambassador Mahbubani of Singapore in his capacity as Chairman of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1343 (2001) concerning Liberia.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“I will now call on Ambassador Koonjul in his capacity as Chairman of the ad hoc Working Group on Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“You talked about the importance of the Security Council bolstering the efforts of ECOWAS. Did you have any specific things in mind that the Security Council might do?”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“Thank you for those comments and for setting out the role of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as you see it. You described a role that sounds very resource- intensive, and that I am sure is resource intensive in terms of being able to work with the different countries to not only bring about peace but to try to consolidate peace. Does ECOWAS have the financial and institutional capacity to meet subregional requirements? If not, are there proposals or plans for expansion?”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“I have one follow-up question on economic development. Mr. Mar Dieye talked about where the region sits in terms of the Human Development Index. We all know that if a country or a region really wants to develop quickly, then we need to attract investment and to retain capital in-country. It seems to me, given what Mr. Mar Dieye and, indeed, what Sir Kieran said, that we are very far from that in this region. What should the priorities be to enable us to get to the place where economic development becomes a reality?”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“I thank Mr. Mar Dieye in particular for the thoughts he has given on the way forward. I was struck by the comments that he made about what is needed in each country. I would ask him to tell me if, in his view, he thinks that the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) actually has the right kind of machinery in place for the coordination and integration of institutional development programmes at a subregional level? He focused very much on what needs to be done in each of the countries within the Mano River Union, but on a subregional basis, does the capacity exist?”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“We may come back to you later, Sir Kieran. I would now like to invite the Director for West Africa of the United Nations Development Programme to take the floor.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“You said "thank you" in a way that indicated that you do not want me to ask any more questions. But thank you very much indeed.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“Sir Kieran, you painted quite a complex and difficult picture in terms of what is actually going on in Liberia. Given that there will be presidential elections next year and given the importance I think we all attach to there being some kind of dialogue within Liberia to ensure that we move away from the current instability, what do you think the Security Council and others in the international community can do to foster a constructive, democratically based dialogue in Liberia?”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“If I hear no objection, I shall take it that the Council agrees on an invitation under rule 39 to General Chekh Omar Diarra. There being no objection, it is so decided. I invite General Diarra to take a seat at the Council table. In accordance with the understanding reached in the Council's prior consultations, and in the absence of objection, I shall take it that the Security Council agrees to extend an invitation under rule 39 of its provisional rules of procedure to Mr. Florian Fichtl, Senior Social Protection Specialist for Regional Human Development ofthe World Bank. It is so decided. I invite Mr. Fichtl to take a seat at the Council table. We will now start our second session. We have three keynote speakers, and I should like to give the floor to Sir Kieran Prendergast, Under- Secretary-General for Political Affairs.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, Director for West Africa of the United Nations Development Programme. It is so decided. I invite Mr. Dieye to take a seat at the Council table. I should like to inform the Council that I have received a letter dated 15 July 2002 from the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations, which reads as follows: "I have the honour to request that the Security Council extend an invitation to General Chekh Omar Diarra, Deputy Executive Secretary of the Economic Community of West African States, to address the Security Council under rule 39 of the provisional rules of procedure of the Council, during its consideration of the Mano River Union on 18 July 2002". This letter will be published as a document of the Security Council under the symbol S/2002/760.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“We now begin the second session of the workshop, which is on developing a coordinated action plan for the Mano River Union. In accordance with the understanding reached in the Council's prior consultations, and in the absence of objection, I shall take it that the Security Council agrees to extend an invitation under rule 39 of its provisional rules of procedure to Sir Kieran Prendergast, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs. It is so decided. I invite Sir Kieran to take a seat at the Council table. In accordance with the understanding reached in the Council's prior consultations, and in the absence of objection, I shall take it that the Security Council agrees to extend an invitation under rule 39 of its provisional rules of procedure to Mr.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577Resumption1 (2002) · source
“In post-conflict support, security-sector and justice reform was identified as being absolutely critical. We also touched on the value of having a lead nation to give focus to international action and to Security Council action in conflict areas. And finally, the importance of flexibility to respond to changing circumstances was highlighted. I think it came across very strongly that it was important that we not get locked into strategies which clearly are not working. I look forward to this afternoon's discussion. I hope to have a prompt start at 3 p.m. With the concurrence of the Council members, I shall now suspend the meeting until 3 p.m. The meeting was suspended at 1.10pm.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577 (2002) · source
“I would like to sum up by identifying the key themes which I think emerged out of our very good discussion this morning. We identified the need for early international action, including by the Security Council; the need for a regional strategy from the beginning; the need for properly coordinated intervention, both within United Nations agencies and between the United Nations and regional players; the need for rapid agreement to an appropriate and robust mandate for any United Nations peacekeeping force, backed up with adequate resources and with the unity of Security Council members; and the critical role of humanitarian and economic action, both short-term to alleviate the suffering and longer- term to sustain post-conflict recovery.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577 (2002) · source
“I thank all of our speakers this morning, in particular for their discipline in relation to time. I would now like to return to Foreign Minister Koroma and Foreign Minister Fall, and just ask if they have any very brief comments they would like to make in response to what they have heard this morning. I call on the Foreign Minister of Sierra Leone, Mr. Koroma.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577 (2002) · source
“I thank the representative of the African Union for his comments and in particular for identifying the role that the African Union will play.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577 (2002) · source
“I think key themes are emerging from all our speakers. The next speaker is Mr. Sylvain Ngung, the Deputy Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United Nations. I invite him to take a seat at the Council table and to make his statement.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577 (2002) · source
“I thank the representative of Cameroon for identifying those questions, to which I think we will return this afternoon. The next speaker is the representative of Japan. I invite him to take a seat at the Council table and to make his statement.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577 (2002) · source
“I thank Mr. Simonovic for his comments, which, I think, completely match the issues which have already been raised this morning.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577 (2002) · source
“I thank you very much, Ambassador Aguilar Zinser, for reflecting on learning points related to sanctions issues. We are now going to move on to a number of speakers all of whom have been allocated five minutes - of which I am gently reminding our speakers before they start. I would like to welcome very warmly the President of the Economic and Social Council. The fact that he is addressing us today is a very good example of the kind of coordination that we have been talking about, and I give him the floor.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577 (2002) · source
“I would now like to call on Ambassador Adolfo Aguilar Zinser, who is the Chairman of the Sierra Leone sanctions Committee.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577 (2002) · source
“Thank you very much indeed, Ms. McAskie, for that very comprehensive briefing. It has been drawn to my attention that I am already failing to meet my own standards in terms of timekeeping, because I am asking too many questions, but I should like to ask you one question. In a way, I think you answered it in your last point, about resources. It relates to the way in which donors have responded to the humanitarian crisis. That has been a priority for the United Nations, but do you consider the donor response to have been effective and adequate?”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577 (2002) · source
“I was struck, Mr. Guehenno, by your comments on the need for wider security sector reform. I hope that will come up in the discussions we have following our next contribution, which will be from the Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Ms. Carolyn McAskie. I ask Ms. McAskie to take the floor.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577 (2002) · source
“My other question relates to the point you made very early on, which was about the urgency which was introduced into the process after the recognition that the credibility of the United Nations was at stake. Collectively, as the Security Council, what can we do to get that sense of urgency into the situation at an earlier stage in the process, without getting to the point where we think the credibility of the United Nations is at stake?”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577 (2002) · source
“I thank Mr. Guehenno for his very kind comments about the role that the United Kingdom played. I thank him for the honesty and frankness of the assessment that he made and his very constructive comments in terms of solutions. Mr. Guehenno, I was struck by the importance you gave to the clarity of the mandate and to coordination and the implications of that for the management of the operation overall. In that context, I would like to ask you about the relationship between the United Nations political, military and humanitarian wings, because it has been different in Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Afghanistan. It is now a live issue in Angola. Should we be looking for a single model, or should we be developing and learning from each of the countries and adapting to each context?”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577 (2002) · source
“That concludes the introductory remarks to our meeting. We now begin the first session of our workshop, which deals more specifically with the lessons learned in Sierra Leone. I would like to ask the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations to take the floor.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577 (2002) · source
“The other issue that I would like to touch on is the role that Guinea has played and perhaps could have played. Do you have any thoughts, looking back on the situation, on whether Guinea could have been more proactive in terms of getting international help for the region, and if so, at what point in the crisis?”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577 (2002) · source
“I thank the representative of Guinea for his comments, particularly as they relate to the regional situation, and for the suggestions he made as to the way forward. Mr. Minister, could I ask you two questions? Just because I asked the Foreign Minister of Sierra Leone two questions does not mean that I am going to have two questions for everybody. But there are two things that came out in your comments. We have talked about the situation, particularly as it relates to refugees, but it would be helpful to have a sense of other areas where you think the situation in Sierra Leone has had a direct impact on Guinea. For example, what were the political reactions to the crisis in Sierra Leone? What kind of affect has there been on the economy in Sierra Leone?”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577 (2002) · source
“Mr. Minister, thank you for your very thoughtful analysis of the issues. Could I ask you two questions? First, could you say where you think mistakes on Sierra Leone were made by the international community in the years running up to the crisis and also in the last couple of years? As well, in your statement, you mentioned the particular situation of refugees and the ways in which you feel that this can continue to fuel instability. Could you say something about what you think the international community should be doing to support Sierra Leone and the other countries in the region with respect to the situation of refugees?”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577 (2002) · source
“I thank you, Mr. Secretary- General, for not only setting out so briefly some of the challenges that faced us in Sierra Leone but also for doing it with such style. The next speaker on my list is the Foreign Minister of Sierra Leone, on whom I now call.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577 (2002) · source
“With respect to the situation in the Mano River Union, it is a region that is inherently unstable and where there has been a cycle of conflict, with significant refugee flows between countries. What we need to do today is to look at ways in which we can work with the countries in the Mano River Union to support a regional approach, but also to think about how the United Nations can raise its profile, particularly in the context of the crisis in Liberia, and facilitate and coordinate a peace process. As I said, I will say more as the day progresses. But I would like to stop there. I have great pleasure in asking the Secretary- General to make some opening remarks.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577 (2002) · source
“So the objectives that we have set ourselves today are to learn the lessons from the United Nations experience in Sierra Leone that might be relevant to other conflict situations, to consider how the United Nations can focus more on peace-building in Sierra Leone, and to examine what more the United Nations can do to help reduce subregional instability and end fighting in Liberia. Others will talk in more detail about the lessons we have learned from Sierra Leone, but I think the key issues are that conflict is complex and that there are no easy solutions. In learning the lessons from Sierra Leone, I hope that we will be honest and as open as possible about where we think we did the right thing, as well as where we think we made mistakes.”
2002-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4577 (2002) · source