YouSaid · the spoken record

David Hannay

lines on the record: 845
first: 1992-01-06
most recent: 1995-07-12
sittings or episodes: 138
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

“These reductions to the United Kingdom's sub-strategic forces, together with the decision that, when Trident is fully in service, each submarine will deploy with no more than 96 warheads, mean that our warhead stockpile will be 21 per cent lower than in the 19705 and the total explosive power of those warheads will be some 59 per cent lower than in the 1970s. These are massive reductions. This is not the occasion to set out in detail my Government's position on the future of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. My Secretary of State will do so here in New York next week in his address to the Review and Extension Conference. Nor is it my intention to prejudge the outcome of that Conference. That Treaty is the cornerstone of international efforts to avoid the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.”
1995-04-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3514 (1995) · source
“This improved climate, to which the resolution will further contribute, has also enabled and encouraged the nuclear-weapon States, including the United Kingdom, to make very significant reductions in their nuclear forces. The United Kingdom has never maintained nuclear forces at other than the minimum level it has judged necessary. Since the end of the cold war, my Government has reassessed that level and adjusted its nuclear forces accordingly. The United Kingdom has eliminated entirely its surface maritime nuclear capability. It has reduced by half the number of its free-fall bombs. The remainder will be withdrawn by the end of 1998 and will not be replaced by any air-delivered system. We will rely instead on Trident as our sole nuclear system.”
1995-04-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3514 (1995) · source
“Furthermore, the resolution develops resolution 255 (1968) by setting out the kinds of Council measures which might be taken in response to a request from the victim of an act of nuclear aggression, including in respect of compensation under international law, and technical, medical, scientific or humanitarian assistance. We believe that in so doing this resolution will contribute substantially to international peace and security. The fact that the five nuclear-weapon States have for the first time acted collectively in sponsoring this resolution is a reflection of the profound changes in the international political and security climate in recent years.”
1995-04-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3514 (1995) · source
“The United Kingdom and the other nuclear-weapon States have responded to the continuing concern of those non-nuclear-weapon States parties to the NPT that all the nuclear-weapon States should give these assurances and that the negative security assurances given by them should be in analogous terms. This resolution is of historic importance and it makes a very significant step forward beyond the terms of the Council's resolution 255 (1968), which was adopted in 1968. For the first time, a Council resolution relates to both positive and negative assurances. For the first time, all five nuclear-weapon States have given negative assurances in such a clear-cut and comprehensive way. For the first time, the five nuclear Powers have acted together to provide a common positive security assurance, as reflected in the resolution.”
1995-04-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3514 (1995) · source
“May I offer you my congratulations, Sir, on your assumption of the presidency of the Council. My thanks also go to the Ambassador of China for the excellent way in which he directed our work last month. The Council is today addressing a question of the very greatest importance, that of security assurances to the non- nuclear-weapon States parties to the Treaty on the Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). My Government recognizes that States which have renounced nuclear weapons are fully entitled to look for specific assurances that nuclear weapons will not be used against them and that the Security Council will take action in the case of nuclear aggression against such States. The resolution which has just been adopted by the Council reflects that recognition in precise and unprecedented terms.”
1995-04-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3514 (1995) · source
“We believe this would be disastrous, in particular for the real victims, the ordinary people of Bosnia. We therefore appeal to all sides to show restraint, and to cooperate with UNPROFOR in implementing the cessation-of-hostilities agreement. That agreement should be extended in order that the political process can continue. The Contact Group will be visiting the region again next week. We urge all sides to respond constructively to the proposals the Group will be putting forward so that the desperately needed progress in the peace process can be achieved.”
1995-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3512 (1995) · source
“The deployment of the United Nations Confidence Restoration Operation in Croatia (UN CRO) will clear the way for further talks on economic normalization, and the start of talks on a political settlement. The latter, as the Contact Group has urged, should not be long delayed. Sadly, the more encouraging news from Croatia is not matched in Bosnia. My Government is increasingly concerned by the slide towards a resumed war. No side is likely to win outright victory. A negotiated settlement remains the only way to lasting peace. A further escalation in the fighting would put at risk the political process, increase the difficulties in delivering humanitarian aid, which benefits all those in need, and could even call into question UNPROFOR's ability to remain in Bosnia.”
1995-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3512 (1995) · source
“We now urge all concerned to cooperate fully in the implementation phase so as to ensure the deployment of the new Force as quickly and smoothly as possible. Fresh obstacles created now will merely delay progress in the peace process and in bringing about the mutual recognition of the States of the former Yugoslavia for which we are all working. My Government remains fully committed to Croatia's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. At the same time, it is essential that a satisfactory autonomous status and protection for individual rights be firmly established for the Krajina Serbs if the much needed reconstruction and rehabilitation is to go ahead.”
1995-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3512 (1995) · source
“We hope that all those concerned in Croatia will now work constructively under the mandate for the new United Nations Force which the Security Council has agreed today. We attach particular importance to the early conclusion and implementation of a status-of-forces agreement. The Force in Croatia will need to continue to monitor the cease-fire between the two sides, which is vital to continued stability, and it will also need to facilitate the implementation of the Economic Agreement. It will monitor Croatia's internationally recognized borders. Negotiating a mandate for the new Force has been a difficult, but important, task. My Government warmly commends the efforts of Mr. Stoltenberg and Mr. Akashi.”
1995-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3512 (1995) · source
“Those who have driven from Zagreb to Belgrade on the reopened highway will have experienced a striking example of UNPROFOR's work. My Government, however, understands very well the frustration of the Croatian Government at the slow rate of progress. Key elements of the Vance plan remain unimplemented - in particular, the demilitarization of the United Nations Protected Areas and the return of refugees and displaced persons. But the withdrawal of United Nations forces would not advance the Croatian Government's legitimate aims. On the contrary, the increased tensions would only exacerbate the risk of renewed fighting in Croatia, which could all too easily spill over into a wider conflict. This would be a disaster for Croatia and for the region as a whole.”
1995-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3512 (1995) · source
“UNPROFOR in The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is a strikingly successful example of preventive action. When The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia entered the United Nations two years ago there were many who did not expect it to survive. UN PROFOR has played an invaluable role in maintaining the stability of that country's borders and as a symbol of international commitment to its sovereignty and territorial integrity. UNPROFOR in Croatia has also had its successes. The Yugoslav army was successfully, and peacefully, disengaged. Some stability has been achieved in a tense and volatile situation. UNPROFOR has been able to monitor the Cease-Fire Agreement and, more recently, to facilitate the implementation of the Economic Agreement between the Croatian Government and the Krajina Serbs.”
1995-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3512 (1995) · source
“In Bosnia, UNPROFOR has escorted convoys, negotiated and monitored cease-fire agreements and heavy-weapons agreements, mounted anti-sniper patrols and, where possible, helped to begin the painful task of rehabilitation and reconstruction. Progress on consolidating the Bosnian-Croat Federation depends crucially on UNPROFOR's work in disengaging the two sides' forces and dismantling the confrontation lines. It is no exaggeration to say that there are hundreds of thousands of people alive today in Bosnia because of UNPROFOR. I would not claim, however, that UNPROFOR has never failed in its efforts. But too often those who criticize it misunderstand the nature of peace- keeping operations and expect UNPROFOR to undertake tasks for which it has neither the mandate nor the resources.”
1995-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3512 (1995) · source
“It is fashionable to belittle the achievements of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR). But they have been considerable, and they have been attained only at considerable human cost. So far, as other Permanent Representatives have reminded us, UNPROFOR has lost 155 soldiers killed and has had 1,366 wounded. I should like at this stage to express my gratitude to the Ambassador of Botswana for the extremely eloquent way in which he spoke about UNPROFOR's contribution. As my country has nearly 4,000 troops in Bosnia, this was a very welcome thing to hear, and I hope that the Ambassador's words fell on fertile ground. The international community as a whole should recognize the courage of the troops who are willing to take these risks, and the commitment of their Governments.”
1995-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3512 (1995) · source
“I should like to offer my congratulations to Ambassador Li Zhaoxing - somewhat belatedly, as this is the thirty-first day of the month during which he has presided over the Council, but better late than never - and to you, Sir, who have presided today like someone who had been doing so for 31 days rather than just one. Also, I thank the Ambassador of Botswana for his chairing of the Council last month. My Government welcomes the adoption of these three resolutions. We hope that they will help to sustain a continued United Nations presence in the Republic of Croatia, the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and to underpin the continuing efforts of the international community to bring about a peaceful solution to the problems of the region.”
1995-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3512 (1995) · source
“In the view of my Government, the only Viable way forward is for Israel and the PLO to accelerate their negotiations with each other with a View to completing the process initiated on the White House lawn on 13 September 1993 and to implementing the Declaration of Principles and the subsequent agreements reached at Cairo and Erez. The international community must continue to offer its full support to the parties in their efforts, but the international community cannot become a substitute for direct bilateral negotiations between the parties.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“Settlement expansion also undermines the confidence of one party in the true intentions of the other. It cannot be in Israel's interest to sow doubt about its good faith on this crucial issue, especially when to do so plays straight into the hands of those hostile to the peace process. At the same time, my Government cannot and does not underestimate or seek to belittle Israel's legitimate security concerns. We condemned the Beit Lid bombing in the strongest possible terms, and we have urged the Palestinians to do all they can within their area of responsibility to cooperate in the fight against terrorism. But Israel's security concerns, however legitimate, must not be allowed to hold up progress towards peace.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“One of the major achievements of the peace process has been that it has enabled the parties concerned to speak to each other directly and to resolve problems by direct negotiations. We want that process to continue. But we understand the frustration felt by the Palestinians in relation to Israeli settlement activity. The British Government's position on settlements is well known, and I reiterate it now: they are illegal, they contravene the Fourth Geneva Convention and they represent an obstacle to an overall peace. Moreover, the Declaration of Principles defined settlements as a final status issue, and the implication of that is that the status quo would remain in the meantime. Any expansion of existing settlements thus clearly goes against the spirit of the Declaration of Principles.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“The Ambassador of France will be making an intervention later in this debate on behalf of the members of the European Union, and my Government fully supports the statement he will make then, which will set out in detail the European Union's views on this important issue. My Government welcomes this opportunity for the Security Council to debate the situation in the occupied territories, since it offers Council members the opportunity to reiterate their whole-hearted support for the Middle East peace process, which is based on resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973). The peace process is currently at a difficult and delicate stage, but we must not overlook the dramatic successes of the past few years. My Government regrets the fact that the question of settlements has had to come before the Council again.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“It cannot determine the future of Mozambique; only Mozambicans can do that. If they show the same spirit of national reconciliation as they amply demonstrated in the two years from the signing of the Rome Accords to the holding of the elections, then the future will be bright. We look to both the Government and the democratic Opposition in Mozambique to work closely together to this end. If they do so, they can be assured of the full backing of the international community. In conclusion, I would offer one New Year resolution to the new democratically elected Government of Mozambique - namely, that never again should this Council have on its agenda, as we have today, an item entitled "The situation in Mozambique". That would indeed be an achievement for the Government and people of Mozambique and for this Council.”
1995-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3494 (1995) · source
“The United Kingdom is proud to have played its part in support of the peace process, including bilaterally through assisting in the formation and training of the new armed forces and the provision of electoral observers, and through the assistance offered by the European Union, about which the Permanent Representative of France, speaking later in this debate on behalf of the European Union, will say more. The United Kingdom will, to the best of its ability, continue to support the people of Mozambique in their efforts to reconstruct the economic and social base of their country. The international community has done much to help the people of Mozambique over the last two years, and its assistance will not come to an end when ONUMOZ is terminated on 31 January. But it can only help.”
1995-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3494 (1995) · source
“Its peace-keepers, military observers and civilian police made a vital contribution to the sustaining of peace and security throughout the country as it made the difficult transition from civil war to multi- party democracy. The Electoral Division and the many international and national electoral observers contributed to the effectiveness and credibility of the electoral process. My Government warmly congratulates the Secretary-General, his Special Representative, Mr. Aldo Ajello, and the thousands of men and women who worked within the United Nations Operation in Mozambique on their skill and dedication. It is important that the lessons learned and the experience gained from ONUMOZ be put to good use in other United Nations peace-keeping operations.”
1995-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3494 (1995) · source
“I should like to begin by extending a very warm welcome to the Foreign Minister of Mozambique, His Excellency Mr. Leonardo Simao. It is a great pleasure to see him here and to have had the opportunity to listen to his important and encouraging statement. The holding of free and fair elections in Mozambique in October last year represented a historic achievement for the people of Mozambique and for the international community. We pay tribute to the people of Mozambique, whose will for peace overcame all the obstacles, and who exercised their right to vote in such impressive numbers and in such a responsible manner. The United Nations Operation in Mozambique (ONUMOZ) has been a success of which the United Nations can be justly proud.”
1995-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3494 (1995) · source
“It is crucial that we reach substantive conclusions through the open-ended General Assembly working group on finance during the first half of this year. This Supplement to "An Agenda for Peace" provides much food for thought for the Council. But it provides food for thought also for the Assembly, including its Special Committee on Peace-Keeping Operations. My delegation will listen carefully to what is said here today, both by members and non-members of the Council. I hope that we can soon thereafter, on the basis of those views, start work on an early and positive response to the paper on the part of the Council.”
1995-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3492 (1995) · source
“While we do not, therefore, agree with all the points made on sanctions by the Secretary-General, we do agree that there is a need to strengthen the overburdened section of the Secretariat dealing with sanctions. This would allow the issues of monitoring the application and effects of sanctions and of the delivery of humanitarian assistance to be addressed in a more coherent and effective manner. We look forward to the Secretary-General' s taking action to recognize this priority in the allocation of Secretariat resources. Lastly, the Secretary-General is quite right to stress once again that none of the instruments he refers to can work unless the United Nations has a sound financial basis. We, the Member States of this Organization, cannot ignore the financial crisis of the United Nations or fail to find means to address it.”
1995-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3492 (1995) · source
“The Secretary-General was right to point up some of the problems raised by sanctions. But the posing of paradoxes, such as the conflict between sanctions and development, is hardly a sound basis for making difficult policy decisions. Moreover, a decision to impose sanctions presupposes - because it is taken under Chapter VII - that there is a threat to international peace and security. Such threats are themselves inimical to the development objectives of both the transgressor and the victim. Is it, then, the threats and the unlawful actions that damage development, or is it the sanctions imposed to counter them? The Security Council must be able, if the international situation warrants it, to impose sanctions at short notice and without undue delay.”
1995-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3492 (1995) · source
“But, short of that last resort, sanctions, to which the Secretary-General referred, remain, in our view, a valid and sometimes necessary option. We attach importance to devising sanctions regimes that have the greatest effect on the target Government and its supporters and the least effect on innocent civilians. But we should not be blind to the ruthlessness of regimes that use sanctions to justify their own appalling treatment of the civilian population. Nor should we be seduced by what are called smart sanctions - sanctions that are partially and narrowly targeted. There may be opportunities for this sort of instrument, but in general they are notoriously hard to enforce and are therefore unlikely to have the desired effect of bringing about a change of policy.”
1995-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3492 (1995) · source
“We look forward to working with others in the weeks and months ahead to carry this initiative forward. Preventive action, peacemaking, peace-keeping - these are obviously the preferred tools: persuading, negotiating, cooling heads. But sometimes that is not enough. Aggression needs to be reversed, halted in its tracks or prevented from recurring, and support for terrorism must be halted. In these cases the Security Council has to have resort to the instruments provided by Chapter VII of the Charter. No such measures are taken lightly. Armed force should be used only as a last resort. We recognize the validity of the Secretary-General's argument that recent experience has shown that the United Nations as such is not well equipped to carry out such actions.”
1995-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3492 (1995) · source
“In his speech during the general debate in the General Assembly's forty-ninth session, the British Foreign Secretary, Douglas Hurd, made a number of specific proposals to enhance the capacity for peace-keeping and preventive action in Africa. They included the designation of peace-keeping training skills centres and logistics basing centres. We have been working up these and other ideas in consultation with a wide range of African countries and the Organization of African Unity, as well as the United Nations and a number of countries outside Africa. Those discussions are producing practical ideas but also a political will to work together more closely to develop more effective capabilities in Africa to respond rapidly to crises in both the Organization of African Unity and the United Nations.”
1995-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3492 (1995) · source
“In particular, a successful conclusion to the forthcoming conference of the parties to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, leading to the indefinite and unconditional extension of that Treaty, is of fundamental importance. In many of the areas I have referred to, United Nations cooperation with regional agencies and arrangements is crucial. The paper makes a number of wise points and suggestions in this area, and I welcome the Secretary-General's offer to assist regional organizations, particularly in the fields of peacemaking and peace-keeping. The need, in our view, is particularly pressing in Africa, where so many of the demands for preventive action and peace-keeping arise.”
1995-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3492 (1995) · source
“The spread of small arms and anti-personnel land mines is indeed a matter of considerable and continuing concern and one that is of relevance to peace-keeping and, to a lesser extent, preventive action. We support fresh efforts to address these problems. However, we would not wish to see the serious question of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction neglected because of that. This is an area in which the Council has a fundamental role to play with regard to the maintenance of international peace and security. Steady progress is being made in efforts to prevent the spread of these weapons of mass destruction, and these efforts must be sustained.”
1995-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3492 (1995) · source
“We therefore welcome the Secretary-General's comments regarding post-conflict, as well as preventive, peace-building - particularly the emphasis on an integrated approach, making best use of the wide political and technical expertise of the United Nations and its specialized agencies. And we believe that there are further steps that need to be taken to achieve the proper coordination and coherence of those efforts. In the section of the report on weapons proliferation the Secretary-General has focused attention primarily on what he describes as micro-disarmament - namely, practical disarmament in the context of conflicts that the United Nations is dealing with.”
1995-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3492 (1995) · source
“More needs to be done, we believe, to build on the embryo system of stand-by arrangements so far established, including on the provision of equipment to less well- equipped troop contributors. The sort of planning data base that the United Nations needs to develop requires a detailed and continuing dialogue and exchange of information with Member States. My Government stands ready to participate in such an exercise. More thought could be given, too, to ways in which better-equipped contributors with high-readiness forces can be deployed quickly at the outset of a United Nations peace-keeping operation, being then replaced by other troop contributors that may need more time to prepare for deployment. We wholeheartedly agree that the role of the United Nations does not end with the departure of a successful peace-keeping force.”
1995-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3492 (1995) · source
“We believe that the management of field missions needs to be similarly transparent to help to ensure that the large sums of money that we and all other Member States spend on peace-keeping are used wisely and effectively. The Secretary-General draws attention to the need to ensure more rapid deployment of United Nations peace-keeping operations, and we agree that this is a high priority. But the formation of a distinct rapid-reaction force is only one way of approaching that issue - and, in our View, not necessarily the most cost-effective or the most realistic way of doing it. The United Kingdom has already responded to the Secretary-General's stand-by planning initiative and is ready to send a force planning team to New York to provide greater detail of the assets that we might make available to the United Nations.”
1995-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3492 (1995) · source
“This Council, as well as the General Assembly, has often called for a more proactive approach to the public information function in peace-keeping operations. We therefore strongly welcome the comments made by the Secretary-General in his position paper and the instructions he has issued regarding planning for an information capacity, including United Nations radio facilities, in all future operations. But it is not only the operational aspects of peace- keeping that deserve our attention. We must also continue our efforts, and we hope that the Secretary-General will continue his efforts, to improve its administration and management. We welcome the recent decisions by the General Assembly to streamline the budget cycle and to commission more transparent budgets that better reflect the operational requirements of peace-keeping missions.”
1995-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3492 (1995) · source
“But that must be complemented, as the Secretary-General recognizes, by the fullest possible information to troop contributors, in theatre as well as here in New York. In the case of Headquarters, I hope that, as soon as resources permit, the weekly situation report may again be made available to Council members and troop contributors. It served as a vital informational tool to them both. In theatre, more needs to be done to inform and consult contingent commanders, or national military representatives assigned to the mission headquarters, about operational planning and decision-making. Nor is the need for better-quality information restricted to troop contributors. The populations of the territories in which United Nations operations are deployed must be given reliable and impartial information.”
1995-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3492 (1995) · source
“And we agree with the Secretary-General that a clear line needs to be drawn between peace-keeping and peace enforcement. It is similarly quite clear to my country - currently the fourth-largest contributor of troops to United Nations peace-keeping operations - that peace-keeping is most likely to be successful when it is strictly impartial and based upon the consent of the parties. The United Nations, as well as a number of Member States, including the United Kingdom, has already done a lot of work to develop a military doctrine for modern, multidimensional United Nations peace-keeping based upon these key principles. My Government would endorse most of the Secretary-General's comments regarding command and control of peace-keeping operations. Unity of command is vital.”
1995-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3492 (1995) · source
“While we are not convinced of the case for a fixed sum contingency provision for preventive action in the regular budget, we would be willing to consider a small enlargement to the existing provision for unforeseen and extraordinary activities and for making it available for all preventive action and peacemaking. We could also consider greater use of voluntary contributions to finance longer term preventive missions. We are impressed by the value of small United Nations support missions of the sort the Secretary-General has deployed in Burundi, and believe that there will be further instances in which that model may usefully be followed. Sadly, however, preventive action will not always be effective. There will continue to be a need for a substantial number of United Nations peace-keepers.”
1995-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3492 (1995) · source
“For our part, the British and French Governments have jointly expressed their willingness to provide for preventive missions' equipment and personnel, ranging from the senior diplomatic figures mentioned by the Secretary-General in his paper to logistics experts and interpreters. We have already made illustrative lists of such people available to the Secretariat. I hope other Member States will follow our example and that the Secretariat will draw upon it and use it. Preventing conflicts may be cheaper than resolving them after they break out, but, as the Secretary-General notes, it is not cost-free.”
1995-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3492 (1995) · source
“My Government can wholeheartedly endorse many of those proposals, and does so in a manner complementary to what will be said on our behalf in this respect by the Ambassador of France, who will be speaking in the name of the European Union later in the debate. The United Kingdom has long championed greater recourse by the United Nations to preventive action. More such action is taken now than was taken a few years ago, and the structure and practice of the Department of Political Affairs have evolved, in our view, in the right direction. But we believe the United Nations could still be more imaginative and more proactive. There should be greater coordination between the different parts of the United Nations system to identify potential crises, and a greater willingness to address such crises early, before they escalate into armed conflict.”
1995-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3492 (1995) · source
“It is timely, not only because of the United Nations fiftieth anniversary year, which has just begun, but because it is right, over two years after the publication of "An Agenda for Peace", to reflect on the progress made and the distance that must still be travelled until the United Nations is as effective an organ for collective security as its founders hoped it would be. It is important because in the years since the publication of the first report the United Nations has faced increasing challenges, particularly in intra-State conflicts, and needs to learn both from its successes and its failures. It is important also because in this new paper the Secretary-General has offered a number of practical proposals to improve the United Nations performance in the light of that experience.”
1995-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3492 (1995) · source
“President, the British Prime Minister, John Major, sat where you now sit, and at the end of the first-ever Summit-level meeting of the Security Council, read out a Presidential statement that commissioned the report that has come to be known as "An Agenda for Peace". That report offered the United Nations a new vision of its role in international peace and security and a series of concepts, such as post-conflict peace-building, whose common usage today is witness to how far we have progressed in the last three years. The position paper by the Secretary-General we are considering today updates the original "Agenda for Peace". I should like to say at the outset that my Government warmly welcomes the paper. It is timely and important.”
1995-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3492 (1995) · source
“It is a great honour to be the first to speak in a debate which it is clear from the length of the speakers' list is arousing a great deal of interest. I should like to pay tribute to the Ambassador of France, who typified this last month as the sort of debate which we should have in open session before we get down to a serious discussion of the follow-up. I think it is very encouraging that there has been such a strong response and that the countries that will be speaking in this debate represent such a very broad cross-section of countries that have honourably contributed to United Nations peace-keeping over the years. It will be very important indeed to hear their views. Just under three years ago, Mr.”
1995-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3492 (1995) · source
“The news we have heard this morning, alas, of the failure of the Accra talks so far to reach a decision on the installation of the Council of State is discouraging indeed, and it hardly augurs well for that review or for the hopes for peace in Liberia.”
1995-01-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3489 (1995) · source
“Each time, the Security Council has expressed its support for the peace process and underlined its willingness to work with the factions and with ECOMOG to help bring about a solution to the conflict which is having such a devastating impact on the lives of the people of Liberia. It is our sincere hope that this time the agreement into which the mediators have put such commendable effort will be translated into deeds and that by the time we review the mandate of the United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia (UNOMIL) again in April we will have seen concrete evidence of the commitment of the Liberian factions to the peace their country desperately needs.”
1995-01-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3489 (1995) · source
“The damaging effect of the brutal conflict in Liberia, not only on the people of that country but also on Liberia's neighbours, is a matter of great concern to my delegation. The conflict is sustained by arms traffic across and within Liberia's borders, which can only increase the risk of regional destabilization. My Government attaches great importance to the effective implementation of this arms embargo by all. Finally, let me say that, as the Council adopts this resolution today, my delegation has to admit to the feeling that we have been here before. Throughout the Liberian conflict we have seen a number of agreements signed, each one seeming to offer a way out of the impasse reached.”
1995-01-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3489 (1995) · source
“We commend his efforts and those of the ECOWAS Military Observer Group (ECOMOG), which has been playing a valuable peace-keeping role in the country. The efforts of ECOWAS, ECOMOG, the United Nations and its Member States represent an enormous commitment on the part of the international community to reaching a settlement to the conflict in Liberia. We urge the Liberian factions now to demonstrate similar commitment and to uphold the cease-fire and implement the other provisions of the Accra Agreement in accordance with the agreed timetable, including the prompt installation of the Council of State. One of the very important issues covered in the resolution we have just adopted is that of reminding all Member States of their obligation strictly to abide by, and comply with, the arms embargo.”
1995-01-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3489 (1995) · source
“My delegation welcomes the signing of the Accra Agreement as a positive step towards the solution of the Liberian conflict. It is right that, in the light of this development and, in particular, the implementation of a cease-fire, the United Nations should maintain its involvement in the peace process in Liberia, and it is for this reason that my delegation was pleased to vote for the resolution just adopted. The successful conclusion of the Accra Agreement is due in very large part to the efforts of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and, in particular, its current Chairman, President Rawlings of Ghana, who has shown admirable persistence and commitment in bringing all the factions together to hammer out a solution.”
1995-01-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3489 (1995) · source
“It is essential that significant progress, both in the political negotiations and also on the return of refugees, be achieved by then.”
1995-01-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3488 (1995) · source
“It is contradictory that the Abkhaz authorities on the one hand declare Abkhazia to be a sovereign State while at the same time claiming to be ready to negotiate a political settlement in accordance with the Council's past decisions. That contradiction must be resolved in a manner that respects Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Both parties must now fully and unreservedly commit themselves to making a genuine effort to settle their differences and to cooperate with Mr. Brunner to that end. By adopting the resolution before us, this Council has committed itself to undertake a thorough review of all aspects of the situation in Abkhazia, Republic of Georgia, in four months' time, before the next expiration of UNOMIG's mandate.”
1995-01-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3488 (1995) · source
“The overall aim of this Council's policy is to bring about a viable and lasting settlement to the Georgian- Abkhaz conflict while fully respecting the Republic of Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Secretary-General's Special Envoy, Mr. Brunner, with the assistance of the Russian Federation and the participation of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), has worked hard towards that end, and we welcome his efforts. But we share the Secretary-General's View and his concern that the political process is stalled. United Nations action alone cannot resolve that situation. UNOMIG's presence is a means to an end, not an end in itself.”
1995-01-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3488 (1995) · source