YouSaid · the spoken record

Dorda

lines on the record: 199
first: 1998-08-27
most recent: 2002-10-16
sittings or episodes: 15
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

“With regard to conflict, we should not be surprised by what we have witnessed in Africa. From a purely historical point of view, it is easy to understand and interpret the grave social upheavals on the continent. The peoples and States that we now call the developed countries - at least in the material or cultural sense - have gone through much worse. They have been through numerous civil wars and foreign conflicts that have lasted centuries. They have also been involved in regional wars and in wars that took place not at home, but in the homelands of others, such as ours. Those they called "world wars". Historical evolution is governed not by decisions, but by time.”
2002-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4460Resumption2 (2002) · source
“Moreover, I extend my thanks and best wishes to my brother, the Secretary General of the Organization of African Unity, Mr. Amara Essy, for his statement and for all his efforts on behalf of Africa. We are hopeful that his leadership and capabilities will help Africa achieve a better future. The theme of our debate, "The situation in Africa", is very clear. I would say that the situation is truly bad. We have suffered from conflicts, rivalries, debt, disease and external pressures; even nature is angry with the continent. We have witnessed extreme drought and desertification, which have caused much hunger and deprivation. We have witnessed floods and catastrophes of all sorts throughout Africa, including the eruption of volcanoes that have destroyed entire villages and towns.”
2002-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4460Resumption2 (2002) · source
“Mr. Dorda (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) (spoke in Arabic): At the outset, I should like, on behalf of my delegation, to thank you, Sir, and through you, your Government, your people, your mission here in New York and Ambassador Koonjul for your initiative to convene this meeting, which we welcome. Secondly, I extend our sincere thanks to the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, who, among all officials of this international Organization, is the most interested in African issues. His many reports to the Security Council and other organs of the United Nations reflect that intense interest. I also thank the Deputy Secretary-General for the various practical points she made in her statement yesterday. I extend my sincere regards to the many African ambassadors who have come here specifically to participate in this debate.”
2002-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4460Resumption2 (2002) · source
“President, I am in fact optimistic that, under your stewardship, and thanks to the convening of today's meeting, there will be follow-up to these matters among members of the Council. This meeting is giving us greater understanding and optimism with respect to the Council's future work on the question of Somalia.”
2001-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4392 (2001) · source
“Sufficient funding should be made available to enable the National Reconciliation Commission to convene as soon as possible and to meet any other relevant expenses that could facilitate the work of the Commission. I would ask the Council to support the Transitional National Government of Somalia in creating and operating vital infrastructure facilities that are important to the work of the United Nations as well, such as the airport and the seaport. Those facilities could also be a source of income for the Transitional National Government; moreover, the United Nations and its missions could make use of them in the event of any threat to the work of United Nations staff members in Somalia. Mr.”
2001-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4392 (2001) · source
“In brief, my country, which has made every possible effort, remains willing to work, through the Council and the African Union, to ensure that stability is restored to Somalia. I call on the Council to do the following. First, a Security Council mission, similar to those sent to many other countries, should be dispatched to Somalia and submit a report, on the basis of which, I would hope, the Council would be able later to deploy a peace-building mission. Secondly, I hope that the Council would agree to fund the National Commission for Reconciliation and Property Settlement. The Government of Somalia cannot convene that Commission, if I have understood the Prime Minister, quite simply because it cannot afford the travel costs of the participants, who live in the United States, Europe, Arab countries, Africa and some Asian countries.”
2001-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4392 (2001) · source
“I mean to suggest that a peace-building mission could be permanently deployed in Somalia in order to lay the egg of peace, but calling upon the Transitional National Government to establish peace, then having the Security Council guarantee that peace, would be acting like those who would place the cart before the horse. Why do we set aside a budget for peacekeeping and pay our annual contributions to the United Nations budget? Do we do so in order to maintain peace in one region and not in others? This is the subject of discussion in the African Group and other forums. We should like to see the Council act uniformly in all cases that require peacekeeping or peace-building.”
2001-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4392 (2001) · source
“The best option is to support the Transitional National Government, but what role is there for the Council in requesting that Government to establish peace? What justification is there for the United Nations to intervene if the Transitional National Government can attain peace by itself? What party can intervene if the Transitional National Government alone has the power to achieve peace? Furthermore, I have found in the Koran the answer to the conundrum of the chicken-and-egg. When Noah boarded the ark that God had ordered him to build, he was told to bring a pair of animals of each species. I believe that religion has a basis in reason. The pair of chickens was composed of a hen and a rooster, not two eggs. Eggs would have broken in the tumult of the flood that later deluged the ark.”
2001-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4392 (2001) · source
“War and violence have become the sole profession of these warlords and they know no other. Will this Council allow those factions to achieve their own selfish goals to the detriment of the interests of Somalia? Let me cite one example. The representative of France, Ambassador Levitte, raised a very important point that should be given the Council's full attention. Outlaws - be they terrorists, drug lords or arms dealers - along with the forces of their countries, may perceive Somalia as an ideal haven. Should we allow Somalia to become a base for all these outlaw forces and only then consider mounting a campaign like that staged by the Security Council and the United Nations a few years ago, with all its potential dangers, sacrifices and loss of life?”
2001-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4392 (2001) · source
“Today, however, there is a Transitional National Government, an Assembly and popular support among all Somalis for this new beginning. All sectors of the Somali population are fed up with war and tired of living in such unstable conditions. The most skilled workers of Somalia have left the country and now live abroad. Only the warlords want to abort the outcome of the Arta process, certainly out of self-interest. If they felt that the Security Council and the United Nations system were serious in supporting the Transitional National Government, they would have retreated from their current positions and accepted the advice to join the Arta process. However, their perception that the Council and the United Nations were not serious led them to believe that the former conditions in Somalia could be restored.”
2001-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4392 (2001) · source
“The approach resulting in that consensus and in the adoption of the Transitional National Charter and Government is the essential one if we wish to support and strengthen that country and ensure the stability and unity of the Somali people and homeland. I believe that one of the most important functions of the Security Council in this regard is to achieve the objectives embodied in its name - the maintenance of international peace and security - in considering such questions. I believe that the fears arising from past experiences in Somalia are no longer valid and that the Council can therefore have no excuse to hesitate, because the conditions that prevailed in those years were very different from those prevailing today. In those days, there were no Somalis with whom to maintain cooperation.”
2001-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4392 (2001) · source
“My country has also called for convening meetings on Libyan territory among all factions involved in the conflict in Somalia over the past decade. We have tried by all possible means to enable those factions to reach a peaceful solution that would ensure the stability and territorial integrity of Somalia and the unity of its people. We pay tribute to the efforts of Djibouti and its President for their tireless efforts leading to the convening of the Somalia National Peace Conference in Arta, where, for the first time, a sound and correct foundation was laid for achieving consensus among 5,000 Somalis representing all social, religious, ethnic and regional factions throughout Somalia.”
2001-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4392 (2001) · source
“Let me pay tribute to the Prime Minister of the brotherly country of Somalia. I would like to thank him for his statement, which was extremely important and useful for all of us, and for the Council in particular. Also, I would like to commend the Secretary-General, who was the one most interested in the question of Somalia, and who has submitted many reports to the Council, including the report under discussion in today's meeting. I would also like to thank the Representative of the Secretary-General for his valuable statement. It is common knowledge that my country was the only one to maintain its embassy in Mogadishu. We have never closed our diplomatic mission there for a single day, other than on official holidays, from the start of the crisis to this very day.”
2001-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4392 (2001) · source
“Mr. Dorda (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) (spoke in Arabic): Allow me to express our thanks to you, Sir, and to salute you for convening this meeting dedicated to the discussion of the situation in Somalia. I am very pleased to see you presiding over the Council, in view of my deep respect for you and my estimation of your abilities. I also thank you for making this an open meeting, held in the only natural and right forum. I am not the only one who is pleased to see the Council in session here. I would presume all Members of the United Nations and the international community, on whose behalf you are acting, are, as well. I can assure you that the seats of this Chamber have lost the warmth of living bodies and have become bored with that artificial warmth of the lifeless heating system.”
2001-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4392 (2001) · source
“On behalf of the Arab Group, we ask the following: first, that an international observer force be sent to protect the Palestinian people in the occupied territories; secondly, that a fact-finding mission be sent to inquire into all the acts of violence perpetrated against the Palestinian people, and that the conclusions it reaches be submitted to the International Criminal Court; and thirdly, that the relevant Security Council resolutions be implemented. The Arab Group may be obliged to revisit the question in coming days, with a view to seeing what the Council will do. Mr. President, I hope that you can take this request into account.”
2000-11-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4231 (2000) · source
“If the Council is to express, as it should, the will of the international community and if it is to maintain international peace and security, we would ask only one thing of it: that it be just and that it shoulder its responsibilities under the Charter of the United Nations and its own resolutions, as set forth in the relevant international instruments. We are not asking for the impossible. We are asking for justice, for our rights, for law.”
2000-11-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4231 (2000) · source
“With respect to establishing relations with Israel, some Arab Governments have succumbed to pressure from the Arab people and have retreated from such relations. No people can accept capitulation. We are advocates of peace. The former United States Secretary of State, James Baker, said this in his book. Read it, and it will become clear. "I ask the Israelis what their positions are. I go to the Arabs and relay that information. Then I go back to the Israelis." This is not our testimony, but that of James Baker.”
2000-11-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4231 (2000) · source
“What the Palestinians want is their historical rights, which they are free to demand. But not even 20 per cent of their legitimate rights have been given them. Colonies of armed settlers surround their autonomous land and they are prevented from enjoying these rights. How can there be peace if their lands are not restored? Refugees cannot return home. Those Palestinians who are abroad will not come back. So what peace are we speaking of? The Palestinian Authority has no authority in its own land. The children who are throwing stones were born after 1967, in occupied Palestine. If this is the case with this generation, what will happen to succeeding generations? This will become a cause embraced by all Arab peoples; the events that have occurred in Arab capitals are proof of this.”
2000-11-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4231 (2000) · source
“A member of the Economic and Social Council told me today that he was, to all intents and purposes, taken out of the room - abducted, in a sense, to prevent him from voting. So where are these human rights? This is happening today, right here in the United Nations. There is no hope for peace for the Palestinian people, because they live under occupation. How can we talk about peace in the face of the violence that is taking place in the region and in a situation in which the occupier and the occupied are placed on an equal footing? What is the cause, and what is the effect? Is it the violence that is causing the occupation, or is it the occupation that is causing the violence? Let us look at the causes. The real cause is occupation, and violence is the effect. To stop the violence is to stop the occupation.”
2000-11-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4231 (2000) · source
“Are we talking of an international Security Council or a United States National Security Council? We know the answer. But who can pronounce this truth? Fear no one but God, the Almighty, the Creator. More than 200 martyrs have fallen in Palestine because of the occupation, and no one in the United Nations has lifted a finger, including the Security Council. More than 10,000 people have been injured, maimed and have joined the ranks of the handicapped, as if they were not even human. Meanwhile, those who invoke the principles of human rights say nothing when they take the floor. And yet, are human beings not the same all over the world? Where are the rights of the Palestinian people? The Economic and Social Council, despite all the pressures brought to bear by the United States delegation, has defended the rights of the Palestinian people.”
2000-11-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4231 (2000) · source
“My brother, the representative of Palestine, has enumerated dozens of them. Pressure has been exerted by the United States not to implement these resolutions. The United States has supported the occupying Power. It is not something to be proud of when a State proffers such support. Why have the dozens of Security Council resolutions not been implemented and applied? Recently, a Security Council meeting was convened in the wake of the deaths of three people in West Timor, and the representatives of all States stood up to observe a minute of silence or prayer. The Libyan Arab Jamahiriya is opposed to the killing of any human being, for whomever they may work. But why has no one done anything about the murder of hundreds of Palestinians? Where was the Council? Is there one kind of peace for some and another kind of peace for others?”
2000-11-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4231 (2000) · source
“Between the Israelis and the Arabs, there are those who are armed; these include nuclear armaments, surface-to-air missiles, anti-missile missiles and so forth. Certain parties are given technology, expertise and all kinds of financing - that is, one party, Israel. The other party is prevented, indeed prohibited, from even manufacturing the smallest light weapon, pistol or rifle. Thus, if there is cooperation from other States in the creation of defensive disarmament, pressures are exerted on the other parties to cease cooperation with the Arab States. What can happen given such an equation? What is happening in the region is an attempt to impose capitulation - not peace. And, if there is such a peace, it cannot be a lasting one, because it is not based on justice, law and equality. How many resolutions have been adopted by this Council?”
2000-11-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4231 (2000) · source
“Even the Palestinian delegation at Camp David - according to a statement made by Mr. Zaanoun, the head of the Central Palestinian Council here in the United Nations, at a meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) last September - was told by the American team: either you accept these conditions or there will be no recognition of you as a liberation movement. You will be treated as terrorists and we will break our relations with you. We will break off our assistance and our dialogue with you. What kind of peace is this when such conditions are imposed upon the Palestinians? How can it be considered a negotiating process or an equitable negotiation? Can such a process succeed? Can this kind of process lead to a truly peaceful outcome that would restore the rights, land and property, to the injured party?”
2000-11-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4231 (2000) · source
“Three decades have elapsed since the inception of the process and no results whatsoever were achieved. The land of Palestine is still occupied. The Palestinian people are still outside of Palestine. The land has not been restored; refugees have not returned home; Palestinians residing in refugee camps continue to be refugees scattered throughout the world. What kind of peace can be established without restitution of the land? What sort of peace can be concluded without a return of Palestinians to their homes, their work, their schools and their land? Recent events have proven the social truth - that there is a Palestinian people that does reside in its land. Moreover, what we are witnessing today is not peace but imposition of submission to the conditions dictated by the occupier.”
2000-11-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4231 (2000) · source
“The negotiations, beginning in Madrid, continuing in Oslo, in Washington and Wye Plantation, in Sharm el-Sheikh and Camp David, as well as all the other venues - all those negotiations have remained a dead letter. From one instrument to another, from one convention to another, from one accord to another, there has been no implementation. This includes the Palestinian Authority; it has no authority. The events have demonstrated this in front of the entire world - the Palestinian Authority has no true authority over its land. Entries and exits from Gaza and the West Bank have been blocked and blockaded by those who actually possess the authority - that is, the occupying Power. What have the Arab regimes that participated in the peace process ended up with?”
2000-11-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4231 (2000) · source
“The question of Palestine is a question of occupation. Numerous people have come from various corners of the world to occupy Palestine. The land of Palestine is the land of all religions. It is a question of occupation and must be addressed as such: occupation. We all are aware of the consecutive wars that have taken place. We all are aware of the political consequences of those wars. And we are all aware of the occupiers' claims that they want peace, not war. They said they were going to strive for the experience of peace, because they are the prophets of peace. The Arabs believe in peace, and the Arabs begin their greetings with a declaration of peace, as I have done at the beginning of my speech. What is the result of this process, incorrectly labelled the "peace process"? There is a process - that is true - but there is no peace. Why?”
2000-11-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4231 (2000) · source
“Mr. Dorda (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) (spoke in Arabic): I would like to extend to you, Sir, my thanks for having responded to the request that I addressed to you on behalf of the Arab Group to convene this meeting. And on behalf of the Arab Group let me say that the question of Palestine -I am not calling it the Middle East question because there is no Middle East question; there is no geography or history of the Middle East. This concept of course exists, but let someone tell me where the Middle East is. The Middle East is a creation designed to replace Palestine and to integrate the occupying State into the region. That is why I am here discussing the question of Palestine rather than the question of the Middle East. The Middle East does not exist in our minds either geographically or historically.”
2000-11-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4231 (2000) · source
“My country's position vis-a-vis the crisis in Somalia is based on the following objectives: reunification of the territories and people of Somalia; rejection of fragmentation; peace and stability in a united and independent Somalia; dealing with all representatives of the Somali factions and urging them to come to the negotiating table to settle their differences by peaceful means; and the rejection of violence or any attempt to reach solutions militarily. The United Nations should not let Somalia down; it should return to Somalia in a forceful way. We would also like to stress that the Security Council is about to take practical measures to support the initiative of the President of Djibouti, both politically and materially, which should enable Somalia to regain its normalcy.”
2000-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4166 (2000) · source
“We have invited the Somali faction leaders and held conferences and meetings in Libya and in other capitals and countries, all in the interest of national reconciliation in Somalia. We have participated in and supported, both materially and financially, all conferences aimed at that same objective. We have contributed to improving relations between the various Somali factions and neighbouring countries, such as Ethiopia. Our interest and concern for Somalia dates back to the beginning of the crisis and is demonstrated by the presence of the Libyan diplomatic mission, which may be the only one remaining in Somalia, in spite of deteriorating security conditions. My country has declared its financial and political support for the Djibouti President's initiative and continues to provide humanitarian assistance to the Somali people.”
2000-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4166 (2000) · source
“All those who object to or display scepticism at the possibility of the Djibouti initiative's success will drop their objection and scepticism when faced with the international community's determination to support the initiative and ensure its successful conclusion. We do not expect things to change overnight, but with perseverance and determination we will realize our desired objectives. Therefore, we should not cease bringing pressure to bear on the parties that object to the convening of the Conference to participate in it and to work for its successful conclusion. My country's interest in and concern for Somalia is not recent. It dates back to the beginning of the crisis.”
2000-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4166 (2000) · source
“We hope that this meeting will represent a concrete new beginning in the revival of the international community's interest in Somalia and that it will assist the Somali people in regaining unity, stability and the achievement of development through their territory. The initiative of Mr. Omar Guelleh, the President of Djibouti, could not have come at a better time. It requires the full material and political support of the international community if it is to achieve its objectives- material support to enable Djibouti to continue hosting the reconciliation Conference and political support to bring pressure to bear on all Somali parties to participate successfully in the Conference. We should not stand aside wondering or expressing doubt about the possibility of participation or non-participation.”
2000-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4166 (2000) · source
“His advice to the Council not to yield to hopelessness was extremely valuable and ought to be followed. We also thank the representative of Djibouti for his comprehensive presentation. Somalia has long been left on the sidelines and neglected by the United Nations due to the erroneous perception of certain States that they represented the international community and could do whatever they wished on its behalf. Action was taken inappropriately. The situation in Somalia had been intolerable for a very long time. That situation was rejected by the international community as a whole, just as it had been rejected by the Somali people themselves.”
2000-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4166 (2000) · source
“Mr. Dorda (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) (spoke in Arabic): I wish at the outset, Mr. President, to thank you and to congratulate you on the work that you and your colleagues in the French delegation have done to ensure the success of the work of the Security Council this month, especially as regards transparency and your excellent relationship with non-members of the Council. I am saying this not merely as a traditional expression of appreciation, but as a statement of facts that have been noted by other speakers as well. We hope that all other States, especially States members of the Council, will follow your example in this regard. I wish to express our appreciation also to Sir Kieran Prendergast, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, for his important statement and for his valuable advice and serious-minded proposals.”
2000-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4166 (2000) · source
“At least we should adopt a resolution along those lines. If we do not, Africa will never forgive those who have made this merely a media issue and a forum for political one- upmanship.”
2000-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4087Resumption1 (2000) · source
“I would propose, therefore, that the resolution that we will adopt here take into account the debate at this meeting, including, inter alia, first, the financing of the campaign against AIDS through determining a certain proportion of the contributions of Member States to the budget of the United Nations and devoting that amount to combating AIDS. Secondly, I propose that the Group of Seven finance a certain amount of that campaign, which would be commensurate with their economic level; thirdly, that international financial organizations make a contribution to this campaign; and fourthly, that universities, research centres, companies, individuals and non-governmental organizations also make proportionate contributions. Also, the media should discharge their proper role in terms of making the public aware of the epidemic.”
2000-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4087Resumption1 (2000) · source
“24) That is what I said in September last year when we raised the question of AIDS. Today I must say very frankly, and I am speaking here on behalf of Africa and of the African Group in the United Nations, that the Security Council is faced with a major challenge. The question of AIDS has been added to its agenda, so the challenge is to adopt and implement tangible measures. Otherwise, the Council would be making great statements without having actually done anything. The mountain would have given birth to a mouse, as we say in Arabic. This would be unacceptable for Africa, as we have already decided to devote days, weeks and a month to the consideration of questions relating to Africa. Africa can do without publicity. What counts for Africa is results.”
2000-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4087Resumption1 (2000) · source
“As I already stated in the Council, on 27 September 1999, when it devoted a meeting to the situation in Africa: "an urgent international programme should be set up under the auspices of the United Nations and the OAU, supervised by the World Health Organization, to deal with AIDS treatment, prevention and awareness. This disease threatens the entire continent and must be swiftly dealt with through an international plan of action. It should also adopt a similar international programme against malaria and other endemic diseases. In addition to the United Nations, all countries and international organizations, governmental and non-govemmental, foundations, companies and individuals should provide contributions, financial and in kind, to this humanitarian work." (S/PV.4049, resumption 2, p.”
2000-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4087Resumption1 (2000) · source
“Mugabe, participated then, and President Compaore took part the following year. What has happened or been decided upon this year regarding Africa in the Council? Questions related to Africa comprise over 60 per cent of the work of the Council. Africa needs not only pious hopes and eloquent speeches to solve its problems. Good intentions are not enough. Africa needs tangible work. It knows its maladies and their remedies. It is just that Africa is unable to obtain those remedies, given the shortage of resources to deal with these maladies.”
2000-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4087Resumption1 (2000) · source
“Mr. Dorda (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) (spoke in Arabic): I would like to point out that the days devoted to Africa in the Security Council have increased in number since 25 September 1997, when we decided to devote a day to Africa in the Council. Other days followed in 1998, and in 1999 several meetings were devoted to Africa - including the meeting of 29 September, as well as another in December. The Council has now decided to devote a whole month to Africa. Africa thanks all those who are devoting days, weeks and months to it. In reality, it would take years to consider the questions related to Africa. But what has actually taken place since 25 September 1997, when the Council devoted a day to Africa at the level of Ministers for Foreign Affairs? The then Chairman of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), Mr.”
2000-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4087Resumption1 (2000) · source
“It is not difficult to cite the problems in a given country in order to justify and provide cover for an intervention that has implicit and predetermined purposes that affect the interests of those who would intervene, and not the humanitarian situation of those affected. For instance, Libya lost exactly half its population in order to gain independence. We are therefore not prepared to accept any resolution that would contravene paragraph 7 of Article 2 of the Charter of the United Nations, conveying the right to intervene in the domestic affairs of any State, even under the lofty pretext of humanitarian considerations. Where were humanitarian considerations when we were under colonial rule? This is one instance of bad intentions we can cite. Kosovo is not the only example in this regard and East Timor will not be the last.”
1999-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4072 (1999) · source
“The Council does not really act on the basis of international security, or in the interests of the majority of the Members of the United Nations. This situation must change if the Council indeed wants to play a constructive role in the prevention of armed conflicts. We expect the Council to respond to genuine potential threats anywhere in the world, in the real interest of world peace and security. In closing, I wish to say that we have heard time and again references at today's meeting to the question of humanitarian intervention. Let me repeat that for a situation to be called "humanitarian" it must be dealt with seriously and dispassionately by those who have addressed this point today. But this is not the case.”
1999-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4072 (1999) · source
“But, in actual fact, the Security Council failed to adopt long overdue resolutions. The representative of Namibia has referred to many relevant and indeed important questions in this regard that the Security Council must seriously consider. How long does it take the Security Council to take a decision to deploy observers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Sierra Leone, using various pretexts? Some demanded written guarantees. Others demanded adequate financial and security resources and guarantees. The Council is treating the case of Somalia as if it were on another planet. It seems nowadays that the Security Council is driven by certain Western mass media campaigns and the interest that lies behind that media.”
1999-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4072 (1999) · source
“The Security Council should not deal with subjects that it has started to take up, such as the illicit arms trade, human rights and drugs, because there are other competent organs in the United Nations system that can adequately deal with, and should address, such subjects. Even the deployment of peacekeeping missions has been subjected by the Council to considerations and criteria that vary from one region to another in accordance with the whims and interests of some States, and not in the interests of international collective peace and security. Suffice it to cite here the way in which the Council addresses many ongoing conflicts, especially in Africa, which are virtually ignored except for meetings regarding Africa or statements or resolutions that favour support or appeal for support for Africa.”
1999-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4072 (1999) · source
“Are Security Council resolutions binding in certain cases and non-binding in others? What did the Security Council do in order to put an end to the daily bombardment of Iraq, which bombardment is not in implementation of a Security Council resolution? This is what we expect the Security Council to do to prevent the outbreak of armed aggression: to deter aggressors and to hold them accountable by punishing them, and to complete its role afterwards by building and maintaining peace and by deploying peacekeeping forces and clearing the way for other international organs to perform their functions in order to promote and build durable peace.”
1999-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4072 (1999) · source
“That aggression was condemned by the majority of the Members of the United Nations. In that case, did the Security Council act in accordance with the will of the majority of the United Nations Member States or the international community? What did the Security Council do, and what is it currently doing, in the face of the almost daily military aggression against Lebanon and the occupation of Lebanese territory, despite the fact that the Security Council had adopted a resolution in that regard? Indeed, Israel struck United Nations posts and massacred civilians that had sought refuge in United Nations facilities in Qana, Lebanon. Did the Security Council not adopt a resolution calling for Israel's withdrawal from Southern Lebanon? There is a contrast here that stands in stark relief.”
1999-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4072 (1999) · source
“The Council can firmly confront acts of aggression and occupation of territory by other States, but it cannot gain the confidence of the larger membership when it remains idle in the face of such gross violations. Where is the credibility of the Council, when it has done nothing in the face of Israeli acts of aggression against Arab States for over 50 years and has taken no measures to deter such aggression? The Council was satisfied to pass resolutions that were totally disregarded. In the meantime under various fabricated pretexts and with astronomical speed, it hastened to impose sanctions against Arab States. Why did the Security Council not act against the military aggression of the United States against Libya in 1986? That aggression was absolutely unwarranted and targeted civilians, who were massacred by the scores.”
1999-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4072 (1999) · source
“Removal of such threats cannot be achieved without total elimination of nuclear weapons. To focus only on nuclear non- proliferation has proved to be impractical. As long as there are States that have nuclear capabilities and that insist on possession of nuclear weapons, the world will not be free of nuclear weapons, since other States will seek to acquire a similar nuclear capability. The Security Council could play a crucial role in achieving the total elimination of nuclear weapons, especially since the nuclear-weapon States are permanent members of the Security Council. If they are genuinely serious about carrying out their pledge to eliminate nuclear weapons, they can act, and do so through the Security Council.”
1999-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4072 (1999) · source
“What is the nature of its contribution in the context of its responsibility to maintain international peace and security in correspondence to the contributions of other United Nations organs and regional and international organizations and subregional organizations? No agreement on answers to these questions can be reached before identifying the existing or potential threats to international peace and security in our contemporary world. Agreement on the nature of these threats and their early detection is a sine qua non, along with the political will to speedily take action to confront them and to prevent the outbreak of armed conflicts. It is our view that nuclear threats and risks, even as a result of human error or a technical malfunction, remain the greatest threat to international peace and security.”
1999-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4072 (1999) · source
“The question that arises is as follows: what is the impact and significance of the opinions of the Member States of the United Nations in this forum today - indeed, every day? To enhance, or rather to restore, the credibility of the Council, it must comply with the resolutions that it adopts. Indeed, the Council must be the first to comply with its resolutions and the last to breach them. Otherwise, how can the Council call upon States and other organs to comply with those resolutions if the Council itself modifies its resolutions, or reinterprets them, or changes their interpretation, in response to the wishes of this or that party? That being said, allow me to proceed to the core subject to which the Council has dedicated this open debate on what it could contribute to prevent armed conflicts.”
1999-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4072 (1999) · source
“The majority of States represented in the General Assembly must participate in the open debates held by the Council from time to time before the adoption of any important decisions by the Council, or when the Council takes up a new subject. These discussions must form the basis of any resolution to be adopted by the Council; the basis must not be closed-door discussions among a limited number of States, which discussions do not represent the collective will of the international community, as is the case in addressing many issues, including the issue before the Council today. The text of the draft presidential statement was drafted and discussed before this meeting was convened.”
1999-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4072 (1999) · source