YouSaid · the spoken record

Bliss

lines on the record: 62
first: 2012-11-30
most recent: 2014-12-12
sittings or episodes: 9
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

“After two years as a Security Council member, Australia's conviction that the fight against impunity is essential to the maintenance of international peace and security has only strengthened. Our support for the ICC and our efforts to ensure accountability will continue.”
2014-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7337 (2014) · source
“As we have said before, sanctions committees should give consideration to ICC arrest warrants with a view to ensuring consistency between sanctions lists and ICC indictments. The Council should also establish a forum for legal experts to discuss how to strengthen cooperation between the Council and the Court. Our most pressing immediate task, however, is to respond to the ICC's eight unanswered letters regarding non-cooperation in relation to the situation in Darfur. To have completely ignored eight successive letters sent to the Council in accordance with the Rome Statute is an indictment of the Council's commitment to ending impunity for serious international crimes.”
2014-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7337 (2014) · source
“The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber clearly concluded that Head of State immunity does not apply in the current circumstances, and we remind all other States, as well as concerned regional and international organizations, that the Council has urged them to cooperate fully with the Court. We also call in this context for the strict implementation of the Secretary-General's guidelines on non-essential contact with persons subject to a warrant of arrest. The Prosecutor's has asked us again this morning what amount of suffering Darfur's victims should endure before the Council will act decisively. The answer to this question for Australia is clear. The Council has failed the victims of Darfur. It is not, however, too late to take action.”
2014-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7337 (2014) · source
“We are deeply concerned that the Sudan has still taken no meaningful steps to apprehend the four individuals against whom there are outstanding arrest warrants, and that other States in a position to do so have not done so either. We take note of the Prosecutor's advice in her report that her Office will soon file a motion with the Pre-Trial Chamber requesting another formal finding of non-cooperation against the Sudan. In this context, we remind the Sudan and other parties to the conflict in Darfur of their obligation under resolution 1593 (2005) to cooperate with the Court. States parties to the Rome Statute also have cooperation obligations under part IX of the Statute.”
2014-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7337 (2014) · source
“While it continues to be important that the Council provide strong support to political reconciliation efforts in the Sudan, the ongoing violence demonstrates the challenges this process faces and, therefore, the importance of ensuring that those responsible for such violence are held to account. Without justice, it will be difficult to bring an inclusive and lasting peace to Darfur. Australia is acutely aware that this is the twentieth briefing by the Prosecutor to the Council on the Darfur referral. Those briefings have provided a consistent message. The ICC cannot achieve its mandate - a mandate given to the Court by the Council - unless the Darfur suspects are arrested and transferred to The Hague.”
2014-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7337 (2014) · source
“Taking into account the well-known challenges associated with the investigation of crimes of sexual violence, in relation to which victims and witnesses may be unwilling to come forward, we urge the Sudan to ensure that its domestic criminal investigations meet international standards. The Sudan must also cooperate fully with UNAMID to enable a thorough and independent investigation of these allegations, including by providing full and unimpeded access to the relevant locations. More generally, we reiterate the importance of accurate and comprehensive reporting by UNAMID, which is critical to the work of both the Security Council and the International Criminal Court.”
2014-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7337 (2014) · source
“On 19 November, the Council expressed concern at reports that hundreds of women had been raped in Thabit in North Darfur on 30 and 31 October (see SC/ 11658) and called on the Government of the Sudan to investigate the allegations. We note that the report of the enquiries conducted by the Sudan's Office of the Prosecutor General for Darfur Crimes has now been circulated to the Council. The report's advice that the criminal investigation undertaken by the Prosecutor General and his aides lasted only four hours is concerning, as are statements in the report that "no such grave crimes could have happened while men would not move a finger or have some reaction" and "from their demeanour and psychological posturing, there appeared no signs of rape or sexual violence".”
2014-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7337 (2014) · source
“We thank Prosecutor Bensouda for her frank briefing this morning. We could not agree more with her analysis. We are grateful that the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) continues to do all that it can in difficult circumstances to investigate Rome Statute crimes committed in Darfur since the Council's referral of the situation in 2005. Once again, the Prosecutor has advised us of allegations that Rome Statute crimes continue to be committed in the setting ofunabated violence in Darfur, confirming information received in the context of briefings on the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID). We deplore these acts and express deep concern at their impact on the civilian population, and on the peacekeepers and humanitarian workers seeking to provide assistance.”
2014-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7337 (2014) · source
“It was on the basis of a mutual commitment to such dialogue that negotiations on a Stabilization and Association Agreement for Kosovo were concluded and accession talks with the EU by Serbia opened. In conclusion, Australia encourages the newly elected leadership in Pristina and in Belgrade to work together to consolidate the peaceful future for their peoples that is within close reach.”
2014-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7257 (2014) · source
“While progress has been made in assisting the 230,000 people who were displaced during the Kosovo conflict in returning to their homes, much remains to be done. Their return is an essential component of long- term reconciliation in Kosovo. The shooting of a Serbian police officer on 27 August near the Serbian town ofMerdare and close to the border with Kosovo is a worrying development that must be investigated. But, as Special Representative Zarif has said, it will be important not to speculate on possible political motives. Australia is encouraged that the overall security situation in Kosovo generally remains peaceful. It is essential that the new leadership in Kosovo, once in place, recommits to dialogue.”
2014-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7257 (2014) · source
“Australia commends the efforts of the European Union Special Investigative Task Force to investigate allegations of widespread and systematic crimes committed after the end of the war in 1999. The work is challenging and complex, not least because of utterly unacceptable witness intimidation. It is critical that the perpetrators of serious international crimes found to have been committed in Kosovo be held to account and that no one impedes that process. It is essential that the specialist court to be established to adjudicate allegations arising from the work of the Task Force be set up as soon as possible. We note the report of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, presented in Geneva on 12 June (A/HRC/26/33/ Add.2).”
2014-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7257 (2014) · source
“The delays are understandable but should not stand in the way of practical steps at the working level to implement existing agreements. We recognize that both sides remain committed to the process, and we call for renewed political dialogue as soon as a new Government is formed in Kosovo. Australia commends the European Union's efforts to facilitate technical discussions in order to maintain momentum for dialogue. We were concerned by the violent clashes that took place in Mitrovica on 22 June. We commend the response of the Kosovo police, EULEX and the Kosovo Force. We strongly encourage all sides, at all levels, to renounce violence, eschew inflammatory rhetoric and commit fully to reconciliation and dialogue.”
2014-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7257 (2014) · source
“Australia welcomes the successful holding of Kosovo Assembly elections on 8 June, which the European Union (EU) election observation mission assessed as being transparent and well organized. In a major achievement, the elections were held peacefully across the country, including in Kosovo's four northern Serb-majority municipalities, under a unified legal framework. We recognize the role of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in facilitating the electoral process in northern Kosovo. We acknowledge the series of political developments in both Serbia and Kosovo that have slowed high-level dialogue on the implementation of the 19 April 2013 First Agreement of Principles on the Normalization of Relations between the two countries.”
2014-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7257 (2014) · source
“I would like to thank Special Representative Zarif for his briefing to the Security Council today. I also welcome First Deputy Prime Minister Dacie of Serbia and Foreign Minister Hoxhaj of Kosovo and thank them for their statements and their presence. I also acknowledge the report on the activities of the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX), and welcome the extension of EULEX's mandate through June 2016. The extension, supported by Kosovo, will ensure that EULEX can continue to investigate and prosecute serious organized crime, corruption and war crimes, while helping to build the capacity of Kosovo's multi-ethnic justice and police institutions, and working to progressively transfer tasks to local institutions.”
2014-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7257 (2014) · source
“As Council President, Sir, you laid a wreath on our behalf at the memorial site at Schiphol Airport for the victims of Flight MH-17. It was a powerful reminder of the awful and unpredictable consequences of conflict, and the stake that every United Nations Member State has in the Council fulfilling its primary responsibility to maintain international peace and security.”
2014-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7254 (2014) · source
“We must take every opportunity to reinforce these fundamental norms - through Council resolutions such as 2170 (2014), on ISIL, and 2171 (2014), on conflict prevention; through the inclusion of listing criteria in our sanctions regimes for those who violate international humanitarian and human-rights law, as we have just done on Libya (see S/PV.7251); through accountability mechanisms, including commissions of inquiry and support to the ICC; and through timely Council visits at critical moments, such as the one to South Sudan. There was one another important event in The Hague: the Council's meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Rutte, who conveyed his gratitude for the adoption of resolution 2166 (2014) and called for its full implementation.”
2014-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7254 (2014) · source
“We have even seen violations of the very foundations of the Charter of the United Nations, the obligation of non-interference and the prohibition on the use of force, with the annexation of part of Ukraine's territory and active destabilization of other parts of the country. And we have seen the tragic and far-reaching consequences of this, including the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH-17. It is tempting to think that, having established the normative framework for international peace and security and its supporting institutions through treaties and Council resolutions, ourjob is complete. We cannot take such a view. We cannot just work at the margins. We must protect the very foundations.”
2014-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7254 (2014) · source
“ISIL's destruction ofthe Musa Bin Oumair Mosque in Iraq's Diyala province is only the latest shocking example. We see that erosion of norms reflected in the deliberate targeting of humanitarian actors. As we marked World Humanitarian Day on 19 August, we heard that 155 humanitarian workers were killed in 2013, the highest level for a decade. We have also seen it in the use of chemical weapons in conflict. In adopting resolution 2118 (2013) a year ago, the Council reaffirmed the absolute prohibition of the use of such weapons anywhere. The completion of destruction processes for Syrian chemical weapons on the United States vessel MV Cape Ray this month was welcome, but the job is not yet complete, and allegations of the use of toxic chemicals in the Syrian conflict must be investigated.”
2014-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7254 (2014) · source
“In Iraq, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is committing unspeakable atrocities against civilians on the basis of their religion or ethnicity. That is a stark challenge for the Council - a terrorist group acting as a rebel insurgency, acquiring and holding territory and brutally repressing the civilian population. The role of foreign terrorist fighters in such groups deserves the Council's urgent attention. We see that erosion of norms in the frequent use of civilian facilities, including schools and hospitals, for military purposes, and in the deliberate targeting of such sites. That has been a feature of conflicts in Syria, Iraq, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Gaza. We see it in attacks on cultural heritage, often part of a deliberate strategy to destroy the very foundations of cultures and religions.”
2014-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7254 (2014) · source
“We heard testimonies of massive human-rights violations, massacres and ethnic targeting. United Nations staff told us of approaching famine. Civil society representatives pleaded with us to do more to end the conflict. That jarring juxtaposition of lofty international aspirations and the harsh reality of conflict is reflected in many of the crises before the Council, including Syria, Iraq, Ukraine, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Gaza and Libya. While the causes and consequences differ, there is a common element to the conduct of those conflicts * the erosion of fundamental norms. We see that in the brazen defiance of fundamental provisions of human rights and international humanitarian law.”
2014-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7254 (2014) · source
“It underlined the central role of accountability in our joint efforts to prevent and deter conflict and to build sustainable peace. The visit was a vivid reminder of the challenge of agreeing on and upholding international norms concerning the conduct of conflict. A year after the Peace Palace opened its doors, in 1913, the First World War broke out. Our visit to Belgium underlined the horrific consequences of that entirely preventable conflict. Of course, during that conflict many of the fundamental norms established at The Hague Peace Conference were blatantly violated. Just 24 hours after leaving The Hague, we were at a protection site at an United Nations Mission in South Sudan base in Malakal. We saw the consequences of conflict, including large-scale displacement and desperate humanitarian need.”
2014-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7254 (2014) · source
“We thank you, Mr. President, and your entire United Kingdom team, for your able leadership this month. I will focus my remarks on the Security Council visit as well as our enduring interest in and responsibilities for conflict prevention, a key theme of our work in August. The Council's visit to the Peace Palace in The Hague, established following the 1899 Peace Conference there, was a reminder that for more than a century the inherent link between peace, justice and the rule of law has been understood. The Peace Palace is of course now home to the International Court of Justice. The Council's exchange of views with the Court, the International Criminal Tribunals established by the Council and the International Criminal Court (ICC) reinforced the role those bodies can play in conflict prevention.”
2014-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7254 (2014) · source
“The Netherlands Mission has just circulated to Council members a letter on its response to the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH-l7 crash. Significant progress has been made by the Netherlands in identifying the remains of the victims and repatriating them to their own countries. The letter also states that the independent investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing and that the Netherlands remains fully committed to ensuring accountability for the perpetrators. Australia is working closely with the Netherlands on the response to the crash and fully supports its efforts. In order for those efforts to succeed, it is imperative that all States fully implement the provisions of resolution 2166 (2014).”
2014-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7253 (2014) · source
“Some immediate steps must be taken. Russia must immediately withdraw its military equipment and personnel from Ukrainian territory. Russia should withdraw all support for the separatists and ask them to lay down their arms so that the conflict can be brought to an immediate end. Russia must also control its border. That is the only effective way to prevent troops and equipment from entering Ukraine and is key to establishing a ceasefire, as has been said by other speakers. Strenuous efforts must be made to engage in political dialogue. That depends on Russia. While the focus of the discussion has been on developments in the past 48 hours, we must not lose sight of the need for the full implementation of resolution 2166 (2014).”
2014-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7253 (2014) · source
“We are also deeply concerned about Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov's announcement on 25 August that a second aid convoy would be sent to Ukraine this week, despite the fact that the first proceeded without the agreement of the Ukrainian Government or the participation of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Australian Foreign Minister Bishop described the aid convoy situation, on 24 August, as one in which Russia showed flagrant and reckless disregard for international norms and international law. Any further aid convoys must be sent only with the agreement of the Ukrainian Government. The 26 August talks in Minsk had the potential to provide a useful forum for finding a diplomatic way to end the crisis, but at the same time that Russia was engaging in those talks further escalation was occurring in southern Ukraine.”
2014-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7253 (2014) · source
“The latest developments come against a backdrop of other serious incidents, including the killing by separatists of the Lithuanian Honorary Consul in Luhansk, on 22 August; the parading by separatists of captured Ukrainian soldiers in Donetsk on 24 August, in blatant contravention of the prohibition on humiliating and degrading treatment of prisoners of war, the Geneva Conventions and customary international law; and a Russian helicopter attack on a border post in Luhansk oblast on 25 August, in which four border guards were killed. Despite claims by Russia of non-involvement in the conflict, we have the public statement of 28 August by separatist leader Zakharchenko claiming that some 3,000 to 4,000 Russians have fought in separatist ranks since the conflict began.”
2014-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7253 (2014) · source
“Yesterday there were reports of some 100 tanks, armoured vehicles and rocket launchers travelling towards Telmanove, south of Donetsk. In the past 48 hours, separatists have conducted operations to seize the coastal town of Novoazovsk and several villages inside Ukraine near the Russian border. Reports that regular Russian armed forces are involved are deeply concerning. The latest developments indicate a new and even more dangerous escalation of the crisis, which appears to be moving to a wider area of Ukraine, including the southern land route to Crimea. All of that points to the use of force by Russia against Ukraine. That would be a flagrant breach of Ukraine's sovereignty and a blatant violation of the Charter of the United Nations.”
2014-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7253 (2014) · source
“I thank Mr. Feltman for his briefing. We recognize the ongoing efforts that the Secretary-General, Mr. Feltman and other colleagues are making to resolve the crisis. There is now overwhelming evidence that significant numbers of Russian troops, armoured personnel carriers, tanks and other equipment have moved into Ukrainian territory. There are credible reports that Russian combat soldiers equipped with sophisticated heavy weaponry are operating inside Ukraine. Large quantities of advanced weapons, including air-defence systems, artillery tanks and armoured personnel carriers, are being transferred to separatist forces in eastern Ukraine. Russian paratroopers have been captured in Ukraine, and there are reports of funerals being held in Russia for Russian troops killed in Ukraine.”
2014-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7253 (2014) · source
“In conclusion, I would like to express the Security Council's sincere thanks to the Government and the people of Belgium, to the mayors of Dinant, Leuven and Ypres, to the Permanent Representative of Belgium, Ambassador Frankinet, and her Mission, and to the Secretariat colleagues who facilitated our visit. I would also like to thank the United Kingdom for arranging the visit and for extending to Australia the privilege of co-leading the Belgian component.”
2014-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7245 (2014) · source
“The visit to Belgium starkly underlined for the Council the inherent futility of armed conflict and the dramatic scale of losses in the First World War. The Council witnessed the remarkable commitment by the people of Belgium to commemoration and the importance of the protection of cultural heritage. We were compelled to recall the first line of the Preamble to the Charter 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, crucially, we were motivated to reflect on what more the Council can and must do to effectively discharge its conflict prevention responsibilities.”
2014-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7245 (2014) · source
“A visit to the In Flanders Fields Museum provided further evidence of the magnitude of the destruction of that conflict and poignantly reminded us that, although said to be "the war to end all wars", the subsequent 100 years have been repeatedly marked by armed conflict. The final component of our Visit to Belgium - a visit to the Poelkapelle military base, where chemical weapons from the First World War continue to be dismantled and destroyed - served to underline the devastating impact of those weapons. Almost 100 years after their first use, ordinance from the First World War is still being uncovered every day. That was a timely reminder to the Council of the need to ensure the complete elimination of all chemical weapons and to reinforce the absolute prohibition of their use.”
2014-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7245 (2014) · source
“The brief and powerful ceremony, which consists of the playing of the Last Post, a recitation for those who fell in the First World War and the laying of wreaths, has taken place every single evening since 1928 - a remarkable act of commemoration by the people of Ypres and of Belgium. The laying of a wreath by Australia and the United Kingdom on behalf of the Security Council constituted a formal act of remembrance for the losses of that conflict. The Council's visit to Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, outside Ypres, on 10 August emphasized the horrific consequences of armed conflict. The cemetery contains the graves of over 10,700 soldiers killed in the First World War.”
2014-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7245 (2014) · source
“The Council viewed the museum commemorating that incident and learned that in 2001, 87 years after the incident, a reconciliation ceremony had been held, with Germany formally apologizing to the people of Dinant for the attack. The Council's Visit to the city of Leuven underlined the crucial importance of protecting cultural heritage in times of armed conflict. In August 1914, the deliberate destruction of the 600-year-old Leuven University Library and its unique 300,000 volume collection shocked the world. The stunning reconstruction of that building served as the venue for a stimulating discussion between Council members and academic experts on the lessons from the First World War, conflict prevention and approaches to reconciliation. The Last Post ceremony at Menin Gate in Ypres on the evening of 9 August was a revelation.”
2014-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7245 (2014) · source
“I am pleased to provide a brief report on the Council's visit to Belgium on 9 and 10 August, the first leg of our recent visit to Europe and Africa. The purpose of our visit to Belgium was to commemorate the centenary of the commencement of the First World War, to pay tribute to the sacrifice of all those who served their countries during that conflict and to draw lessons from the conflict that could assist the Security Council in discharging its mandate to maintain international peace and security. A visit to the town of Dinant, the site ofa massacre early in the First World War, provided a solemn start. On 23 August 1914, 674 civilians were killed in a deliberate attack by invading German forces.”
2014-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7245 (2014) · source
“In that connection, it is noteworthy that the meeting of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in November demonstrated that, by adopting a flexible and constructive approach, appropriate solutions can be found to address legitimate concerns. It is essential, however, that all ICC States parties abide by their obligations under the Rome Statute, including in relation to cooperation with the Court. Eight years after the Council's referral of the situation in Darfur to the ICC, conflict continues to be a daily reality. Rome Statute crimes continue to be perpetrated with impunity, and that only fuels further violence. It is crucial, therefore, that the Council provide stronger support for the Court's efforts to end impunity than it has to date.”
2013-12-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7080 (2013) · source
“As Australia has suggested before and as has been suggested earlier today, one obvious step for the Council to take would be for the Council's Sudan Sanctions Committee to give greater consideration to how the measures at its disposal could assist the ICC on the execution of the outstanding arrest warrants. But we can do more. We support the view that we need a Council forum for legal experts to discuss ICC matters, so as to strengthen the Council's cooperation with the Court. We note that differences of View have emerged among States in recent months on the role of the ICC in particular contexts.”
2013-12-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7080 (2013) · source
“The same presidential statement emphasised that "ending impunity is essential in a conflict and post-conflict society's efforts to come to terms with past serious crimes under international law, and in preventing future serious crimes under international law" (ibid). The time has well and truly arrived for the Council to take concrete steps to assist the Court in relation to the situation in Darfur. We need to consider carefully what the Council can do to support the Court, which, after all, is only exercising its jurisdiction as a result of the Council's referral.”
2013-12-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7080 (2013) · source
“For eight years, the Sudan has ignored its obligations under resolution 1593 (2005). In response, the Council has been virtually silent. The inescapable conclusion is, as Ms. Bensouda has put it, that the Council's silence and inaction have contributed to the Sudan's continued determination to ignore the Council. The Council's inaction on that issue lies in stark contrast to the Council's recognition of the importance of accountability processes. As Ms. Bensouda has reminded us, as recently as 6 August the Council recalled that "justice and rule of law are of key importance for promoting and maintaining peace, stability and development in the world" (S/PRST/2013/12, p. 5).”
2013-12-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7080 (2013) · source
“While we welcome the Office of the Prosecutor's ongoing preparations for the trial of Abdallah Banda, it is clear that the Office has been unable to progress on other investigations and prosecutions owing to the Sudan's failure to cooperate with the Court. The ongoing failure to arrest and surrender, or to bring to justice, President Al-Bashir, Defence Minister Hussein, the Governor of Southern Kordofan, Ahmad Harun, and Ali Kushayb is of particular concern. While the adoption of policies of non-essential contact has somewhat limited the movements of the indictees in the most recent reporting period, Australia regrets that President Al-Bashir and Defence Minister Hussein have been able to travel outside of the Sudan, including to certain ICC States parties, without being arrested.”
2013-12-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7080 (2013) · source
“Australia remains concerned at the continued failure on the part of the Government of the Sudan to ensure the protection of civilians, and at its failure to cooperate fully with the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur and the Special Representative for Darfur. As the Council recognized when it referred the situation in Darfur to the International Criminal Court (ICC) eight years ago, the ICC has a crucial role to play in ensuring accountability in Darfur. Given the ongoing violence and crimes being committed, that fact is no less true today than it was eight years ago.”
2013-12-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7080 (2013) · source
“I would like to thank Ms. Bensouda for her briefing, for the comprehensive report submitted to us and for the continuing efforts of the Office of the Prosecutor in relation to the situation in Darfur in difficult circumstances. Australia is deeply concerned that, in the six months since the Prosecutor's last briefing (see S/PV.6974), there has been no improvement in the situation in Darfur. Violence has continued unabated. Furthermore, the Prosecutor's report makes it clear that crimes, including the targeting of civilians, sexual and gender- based violence, forced displacements and attacks on humanitarian workers and peacekeepers continue to be committed.”
2013-12-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7080 (2013) · source
“Finally, we wish to recognize and thank Guatemala, Ambassador Rosenthal and his entire team for their outstanding leadership of the Informal Working Group on International Tribunals over the past two years.”
2013-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7073 (2013) · source
“The workshop is aimed at sharing international best practices in the investigation and prosecution of sexual Violence. Twenty years ago, the Security Council breathed life into the international community's wish that those alleged to be responsible for serious international crimes be held to account. The Council's power to refer situations to the International Criminal Court underscores the fact that it remains a key player in accountability matters. As the work of the ad hoc Tribunals winds down, it is more important than ever that the Council fulfil its responsibilities regarding ending impunity, including by providing ongoing political and diplomatic support to the International Criminal Court. Otherwise we will be failing to live up to the vision that the Council established 20 years ago.”
2013-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7073 (2013) · source
“They have developed rules ofprocedure and evidence, constructed legal aid systems, and found solutions for how and where their sentences could be enforced. And they have developed the means to protect victims and witnesses in order to encourage them to let their voices be heard. The Tribunals have also shared both evidence and experience with national courts. In doing so, they have helped to foster the type of national accountability processes that are essential to truly ending impunity, and in that way have made a major contribution to strengthening the rule of law. It is crucial that the experience of the Tribunals be shared and their legacy promoted. To that end, Australia is pleased to be supporting the ICTR's international workshop on sexual and gender-based violence, to be held, as we heard earlier, in Kampala in January 2014.”
2013-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7073 (2013) · source
“We also consider it imperative that the Council renew those mandates of ICTY judges that will shortly expire, in accordance with the request made by President Meron, in order to ensure that the ICTY's remaining cases can be concluded as efficiently as possible. Much has been said about the achievements of the ad hoc Tribunals and the legacy that the Residual Mechanism has been established to preserve. It is no overstatement to say that the work of the ICTY and the ICTR has been ground-breaking. Most obviously, the Tribunals have played a major role in the development of our understanding of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. But beyond that, the Tribunals have won the cooperation of States that is necessary to conduct investigations, obtain evidence, and arrest and transfer indictees to Arusha and The Hague.”
2013-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7073 (2013) · source
“The ongoing support and cooperation of the international community is therefore essential to the successful completion of the work. The Council must also play its role in addressing the challenges that remain before the ICTY and the ICTR. Specifically, Australia considers it necessary for the Informal Working Group on International Tribunals to give further consideration to how the Council can support the ICTR's efforts to relocate the 10 acquitted and released persons currently in Tanzania, some of whom, as we have heard, have been effectively confined to safe houses in Arusha for over 10 years. In light of the impending closure of the ICTR, the time has come to elevate diplomatic and political efforts to identify a solution and we urge all Member States to enhance their cooperation with the ICTR on that critical matter.”
2013-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7073 (2013) · source
“Achievements include the successful launch of The Hague branch of the Residual Mechanism on 1 July, good progress in transferring the ICTR's archives to the Mechanism, the delivery of five judgements by the ICTY and the signing of a host-State agreement between the United Nations and the Government of Tanzania for the Arusha branch of the Mechanism. We also welcome the fact that the ICTY will shortly be returned to its full complement of judges. As the reports before us and today's briefings make clear, the work of the ad hoc Tribunals is not yet done and will clearly extend beyond 2014. Key trials and appeals remain before the ICTY. The last appeal before the ICTR is still to be finalized. Victims and witnesses require ongoing protection. Fugitives from the ICTR must be found and apprehended.”
2013-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7073 (2013) · source
“I thank Presidents Meron and Joensen and Prosecutors Brammertz and Jallow for their briefings today. I also thank you, Mr. President, for convening this important debate, which provides us with an opportunity to reflect on the contribution to peace and security made by international criminal justice in general, and more particularly on the work of the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals. We welcome the progress made by the three bodies in relation to their respective mandates in the latest reporting period.”
2013-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7073 (2013) · source
“We commend both Prime Ministers for their continued active engagement in the EU-brokered dialogue to help achieve a peaceful and prosperous future for their countries.”
2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source
“Despite generally positive developments during the reporting period, there have been some incidents of serious concern. Australia unreservedly condemns the attack perpetrated against two EULEX vehicles in the vicinity of Zvecan municipality in northern Kosovo on 19 September. We were saddened by the death of a Lithuanian member of EULEX in the attack and welcome the efforts made by all parties to bring the perpetrators to justice. The good progress achieved over the reporting period has allowed Serbia and Kosovo to advance on their respective paths towards European integration. Serbia will soon commence accession negotiations with the European Union (EU), and in October Kosovo commenced negotiations on a Stabilization and Association Agreement.”
2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source