YouSaid · the spoken record

Chandra

lines on the record
16
first
2009-06-26
most recent
2009-06-26
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1
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un-security-council

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  1. “In conclusion, we would like to acknowledge the valuable contribution of the United Nations agencies, particularly the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and other national and international partners in providing support and assistance to the Government's efforts towards the relief, rehabilitation and resettlement of the affected civilians.”

    2009-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6151Resumption1 (2009) · source

  2. “We have endeavoured to cooperate constructively with the Secretary-General and the Council without being divisive or confrontational while the Government dealt with the complex challenge of countering a ruthless terrorist group that shunned and sabotaged all genuine attempts at negotiations for over 25 years and brought harm and suffering to the very people whom it said it was seeking to represent. On Sri Lanka's part, the Government reiterates that the framework which the Secretary-General and President of Sri Lanka agreed upon in their joint statement would be the basis on which we will continue to cooperate with the United Nations in the post-conflict period as we look forward to the priority tasks of rehabilitation, reconstruction, reconciliation and launching the political process.”

    2009-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6151Resumption1 (2009) · source

  3. “My delegation hopes that the Council's debate on protection of civilians will facilitate practical decisions based on realities on the ground. The challenges facing us are primarily of a practical nature, requiring more international cooperation and greater coordination between the United Nations bodies and Member States. It is for this reason that my delegation has sought to share our experience and for all of us to invest greater efforts in preventing conflicts and their recurrence and to respond practically and proportionately to situations affecting civilian populations. For Sri Lanka, one of the longest-standing democracies in our subregion, this period was also extremely difficult and, in a way, defining. We appreciate the Council's concerns because they are also our shared concerns.”

    2009-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6151Resumption1 (2009) · source

  4. “However, United Nations agencies seeking compliance by concluding instruments with non-State armed groups should do so with the concurrence of Governments and be cautious of terrorist groups seeking legitimacy. Censure of armed groups should not be confined to rhetoric. Experience tells us that the measures suggested to engage such terrorist groups are less effective than targeted measures, taken bilaterally, that compel the key diaspora figures of such groups to move away from promoting and funding extremism. It is also agreed that more in-depth consideration of this issue is needed. However, it would not be useful to conduct such a discussion in limited forums without involving the larger membership, given the geographic spread of such groups and their networking in the diaspora.”

    2009-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6151Resumption1 (2009) · source

  5. “In my country, over a period of 26 years, many lives were senselessly lost due to suicide terrorist attacks on our Central Bank, the central bus station, passenger trains and other public places. From the standpoint of civilian protection efforts, efforts to end prolonged conflicts which have resulted in massive casualty tolls and where so many lives could be saved should be recognized as a priority. It is agreed that more attention needs to be paid to the issue of making armed groups compliant. In this regard, our Government would welcome more openness on the part of United Nations agencies with regard to sharing outcomes from the monitoring of compliance by armed groups to ensure that appropriate measures are taken by the Government to protect civilians from armed groups.”

    2009-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6151Resumption1 (2009) · source

  6. “That would also apply to resettlement, where, in some situations, uncharted mine fields laid by armed groups, unexploded ordnance and booby traps have to be cleared - quite apart from the reconstruction activities that create conditions conducive to resettlement in secure surroundings. The cost of armed conflict for civilians is a matter of concern to all democratic and elected Governments. Quite often, and quite naturally, the focus on civilian casualties is centred on the loss of life and property damage caused in military operations, while insufficient consideration is given to the thousands of lives lost in suicide attacks on civilian targets by non-State actors.”

    2009-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6151Resumption1 (2009) · source

  7. “Key among them is that armed groups use displacement to exploit civilian populations, sometimes by masquerading among them. In that context, civilians have a right to be protected, and the State has the primary responsibility not only to provide for the welfare of displaced civilians in terms of food, clothing, medical care and shelter, but also to ensure their safety and to take necessary measures in that regard. Unfortunately, these ground realities are not understood or considered by those who look at civilian protection in isolation and who apply generalizations regardless of the specific circumstances.”

    2009-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6151Resumption1 (2009) · source

  8. “Therefore, military and humanitarian personnel must seek to work in partnership, and their responsibilities towards civilians must be addressed through regular dialogue and consultation in places where civilian protection is at stake. Therefore, we should look at measures to build the capacity of military personnel and peacekeeping forces to deal with civilian protection activities. This becomes particularly pertinent given that we are dealing increasingly with internal conflicts. Another inevitable consequence of armed conflict is internal displacement. The Secretary-General's report brings out the concern that internal displacement is on the rise globally. Council resolution 1674 (2006) addresses this issue. Internal displacement poses several challenges.”

    2009-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6151Resumption1 (2009) · source

  9. “The role of Governments in civilian protection should be respected, as it is their primary responsibility to protect their own citizens, especially in times of armed conflict. United Nations and other humanitarian agencies must support and assist Governments and in doing so be sensitive to ground realities including respect for the sovereignty of States. The principle of unimpeded access for humanitarian personnel must be respected, but one cannot disregard the State's responsibility to ensure the safety and security of humanitarian personnel, as terrorists do not distinguish between military and humanitarian personnel in their attacks. It must never be overlooked that the military, often at huge cost to its personnel, must brave the dangers of suicide terrorism to bring civilians out of harm's way.”

    2009-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6151Resumption1 (2009) · source

  10. “On the other hand, external actors such as diaspora communities openly fund arms purchases aimed at destabilizing States, while receiving support and protection in their host countries; and their criminal agents cross international boundaries at will, unchecked. The smuggling of arms in international waters and across boundaries continues rendering regimes such as Council resolution 1373 (2001), rather ineffective in this area. There is also a need to recognize the legitimate role of the military in civilian protection, although we can agree that it is not an exclusive role. It is noteworthy that protective responsibilities are part of the mandate of United Nations peacekeeping forces, and their valuable contribution in that regard has been noted.”

    2009-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6151Resumption1 (2009) · source

  11. “Unless we are able to stop such proliferation, as agreed in Council resolution 1612 (2005), civilian safety will remain at stake and our best efforts to deal with the humanitarian consequences of conflicts will soon exceed existing capacities and available resources. While measures can be imposed, albeit selectively, on States legitimately engaged in protecting their civilian population from terrorists, non-State actors such as terrorist groups, on the other hand, can have relatively easy access to illicit weapons. This is because there is no dedicated international regime to conduct surveillance, let alone interdict such illicit arms trafficking.”

    2009-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6151Resumption1 (2009) · source

  12. “As in most conflicts - especially those involving a ruthless and unrelenting terrorist group such as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) - the ending of the conflict inevitably had its cost in terms of loss of life, property and national wealth. But the Government is gratified that, due to the professionalism and sacrifices of the soldiers, there was no cataclysmic scenario, as some had predicted. We need to recognize that this effort by the security forces succeeded in bringing to safety hundreds of thousands of civilians from a terrible hostage situation and a human shield created by that terror group, the LTTE. Member States also need to address the causes of the escalation of armed conflict. The proliferation of illicit arms has contributed to the spread of violence and terrorism everywhere.”

    2009-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6151Resumption1 (2009) · source

  13. “It is necessary, therefore, to recognize the extraordinary challenges and new situations that constantly confront elected Governments in dealing with such unrelenting groups and to find new ways to address those challenges from the lessons learned. Our recent experience showed how non-State actors taking cover in civilian garb used schools and hospitals for terrorist operations in order to deceive the world by blurring the distinction between civilian and military targets. Non-State actors pay scant attention to international norms and standards and do not feel bound by any legal framework. The country, the region and the international community have recognized and acknowledged that by bringing the conflict in Sri Lanka to an end, further loss of lives and prolongation of suffering have been prevented for our people.”

    2009-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6151Resumption1 (2009) · source

  14. “The children of those civilians were forcibly conscripted, suicide attacks were launched on civilians who exercised their legitimate right to seek protection by leaving the area of conflict, adults were used for forced labour and a large portion of the food and medicine delivered to those civilians by the Government and agencies including the United Nations were forcibly taken by this terrorist group. All appeals of the international community to the terrorists to release the civilians went unheeded. In those circumstances, security forces had to facilitate the rescue of the civilians from the unsustainable hostage situation created by the terrorists and to bring an end to the conflict that would have otherwise prolonged the suffering.”

    2009-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6151Resumption1 (2009) · source

  15. “While the report correctly outlines a framework of core challenges in this field and notes that the Council has reflected several of these complexities in some of its resolutions, albeit inconsistently, the report itself suffers from selectivity of language and situations in dealing with different countries. It must also be noted that the synthesis in the report cannot be looked at in isolation as a set of all-purpose guidelines that can be applied regardless of the circumstances. The recent situation in my country, which is also referred to in the report with considerable factual inaccuracies in some places, was one where a terrorist group took a large number of civilians hostage and used them as a human shield.”

    2009-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6151Resumption1 (2009) · source

  16. “I join previous speakers in expressing appreciation to you, Mr. President, for convening today's open debate. I would also like to thank the Secretary-General for his report (S/2009/277). The Secretary-General's report provides useful information and analysis for us, the Member States, to address the complex but essential issue of protecting civilians in armed conflict. As noted by the report itself, the protection task cannot be understood and addressed in humanitarian terms alone, as it requires focus and action on a multiplicity of different areas, ranging from politics to human rights to disarmament.”

    2009-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6151Resumption1 (2009) · source