YouSaid · the spoken record

Elaraby

lines on the record: 820
first: 1992-01-06
most recent: 2015-10-22
sittings or episodes: 83
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

“We ask the Council to consider the Quartet to be a Council mechanism and to consider the mandate it gave the Quartet, in accordance to resolution 1515 (2003), to achieve a two- State solution based on the borders of4 June 1967, to be a mandatory step on the path to security and stability in the Middle East.”
2015-10-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7540Resumption1 (2015) · source
“Finally, measures aimed at protecting Palestinian civilians faced with the violations perpetrated by the Israeli occupying forces and the settlers are essential to addressing the current situation. However, the crux of the problem is the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. As long as this occupation continues, the Israeli violations will continue, be it is in Jerusalem or any other part of the occupied territories. It is high time that this method of managing the conflict be brought to an end. The Security Council must act quickly to end the conflict by halting the Israeli occupation of the occupied Palestinian territories.”
2015-10-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7540Resumption1 (2015) · source
“That is why I thank the Secretary-General for having distributed and published this important legal study, which stresses the need for international protection through a direct presence in the occupied Palestinian territories, given the recent developments. I would also like to state that the first article of the Geneva Accord stipulates the shared legal commitment of all States, which have the collective responsibility to guarantee the compliance and implementation of the provisions of that Accord. In addition, the International Committee of the Red Cross, among other bodies, can guarantee international protection by elaborating on this concept.”
2015-10-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7540Resumption1 (2015) · source
“(spoke in Arabic) This international protection through the United Nations can be easily carried out. In that connection, I recall the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), established pursuant to resolution 73 (1949), which stipulates that the Secretary-General could take all necessary steps to use as many United Nations staff members as necessary to ensure that the truce is respected. UNTSO remains in Jerusalem to this day. That body can play a role in protecting the holy sites. In that regard, I recall resolution 904 (1994), which was adopted following the massacre in the Mosque of Ibrahim to guarantee the safety and security of all Palestinian civilians throughout the occupied territories and which stipulates that there should be a temporary international presence.”
2015-10-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7540Resumption1 (2015) · source
“Since the emergence of the Palestinian question, in the days of the League of Nations when the territory was under a mandate, the situation has been the responsibility of the international community. The International Court of Justice, in a well- known Advisory Opinion issued in 1950, stipulated the following: (spoke in English) "Two principles were considered to be of paramount importance: the principle of non-annexation and the principle that the well-being and development of such peoples, those under the mandate, formed a sacred trust of civilization." (spoke in Arabic) The legal study of the Secretary-General adopted yesterday refers to this, for which I thank him. (spoke in English) The International Court of Justice confirmed that the mandate remained valid after the determination of the Covenant of the League of Nations.”
2015-10-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7540Resumption1 (2015) · source
“A great many of these have been adopted over the past 50 years, such as, for example, resolution 181 (II), 242 (1967), 267 (1969), 338 (1973) and many others asking Israel to withdraw from the occupied Palestinian and Arab territories in order to resolve the conflict. The Security Council has never witnessed such a precedent, in which manipulation and blackmail by a State that disregards international law and commits war crimes is allowed. Ensuring international protection has now become the most urgent question, as this is a legal requirement given the situation and the need to achieve the peace to which we aspire. The need for international protection for Palestinian civilians is stipulated in the provisions of international legality and resolutions on Palestine.”
2015-10-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7540Resumption1 (2015) · source
“Until when will the international community, represented by the Security Council, stand idly by, unable to put an end to the occupation or achieve a lasting and permanent settlement on the basis of the Security Council and General Assembly resolutions on this issue? The lack of effectiveness and efficiency of the Council given current developments only aggravates the deterioration of the situation, taking it ever further away from international legality. The Council of the League of Arab States has repeatedly warned against the situation and the non-respect by Israel of United Nations resolutions on the issue.”
2015-10-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7540Resumption1 (2015) · source
“All of this represents a violation of international law, the will of the international community and the inalienable legal rights of the Palestinian people. The Israeli Government is solely responsible for the impact of these actions, which have jeopardized international peace and security in the Middle East throughout the occupation. I am speaking today on behalf of the League of Arab States, which adopted a decision on 13 October asking for the protection of the Palestinian people and the holy Christian and Muslim sites. This is not the first time that the League has asked the Security Council to take urgent steps to implement resolutions on the occupied Palestinian territories and guarantee international protection for the Palestinian people and the holy sites. I ask, how long will the Israeli occupation last?”
2015-10-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7540Resumption1 (2015) · source
“This requires a review of the Council's mechanisms and of the resolutions it has adopted, as well as their follow-up and the commitment of States to abide by them. Given the explosive situation in the region, the Palestinian question remains the central issue on which peace and security in the Middle East hinge. For decades now, the Council has continuously considered the deteriorating situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, given the ongoing escalation and the serious violations committed by the Israeli occupying forces against the Palestinian people and their rights and against the holy sites of both Islam and Christianity, in particular Al-Quds and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Unarmed Palestinians are the victims ofmassacres, lynchings and collective punishment.”
2015-10-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7540Resumption1 (2015) · source
“I should like to thank you, Sir, and the Spanish presidency for having convened this very important meeting, which is taking place at a time when the Middle East is facing serious challenges and threats of all kinds, for which the Security Council is responsible at the political, legal and moral levels, given current developments and their serious impact on the peoples of the region. However, the Council is not adopting any resolutions to tackle these very serious crises in the region, either in Palestine or in Syria. It must also face the threat of terrorist groups, which have turned the region into a breeding ground from which to spread their influence, while threatening both the region and the independence and sovereignty of States.”
2015-10-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7540Resumption1 (2015) · source
“The Council started its work in 1946 and maintains the same provisional rules of procedure to this day. We do not have a permanent standing set of rules of procedure. The international community needs to face the challenges of the twenty-first century. We must strengthen the Security Council so that it can shoulder its responsibilities with regard to international peace and security.”
2015-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7527 (2015) · source
“Bernardino Leon, aimed at ensuring stability in Libya under international law. Those situations threaten the integrity of other countries and international peace and security in the Middle East, as well as throughout the rest of the world. The current predicament is rooted in the fact that States have not complied with the text of agreements and with international law. Terrorism, in turn, gains from the absence of solutions to the conflict. In conclusion, I would ask once again whether the Security Council has made adequate use of its prerogatives aimed at protecting and saving people from the scourge of war. That applies to all countries. Permit me to say that one of the main reasons for the current state of affairs is the exercise of the right of the veto.”
2015-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7527 (2015) · source
“That is the gravest humanitarian crisis of the century, and I wonder, once again, what has the Security Council done? In its capacity as a regional organization that cooperates with the United Nations under Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations, the League of Arab States seized the Organization ofthis matter in 2012. But our call was not heeded by the Security Council. We again call on the Security Council to fully support the implementation of the Geneva communique (S/2012/522, annex) in order to ensure peace and stability in Syria. We must fully support the efforts of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, Mr. Staffan de Mistura, as well as those of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of Mission in Lybia, Mr.”
2015-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7527 (2015) · source
“Israel has tried to further appropriate Palestinian territory through actions considered illegal by the Council and the International Court of Justice. The questions that we now ask are the following: Where does the Security Council stand and why does it not act? On our television screens, we see the attacks committed by Israel against Muslim and Christian holy sites and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Israel's actions pose a challenge not only for Arab countries, but also to the principles, the pillars, of the international community. The Security Council must immediately take measures to ensure the effective implementation of those resolutions and the establishment of a Palestinian State with Jerusalem as its capital. With regard to Syria, a murderous conflict is taking place that has produced countless victims and has caused untold destruction.”
2015-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7527 (2015) · source
“I myself was in the Security Council during the unanimous adoption of resolution 242 (1967), and also for the adoption of resolution 338 (1973), which established the urgency of implementing the earlier resolution. Resolution 338 (1973) was drafted in Moscow during a visit by the representative of the United States to that city. The two resolutions called for the withdrawal of Israel from the occupied territories. Israel withdrew from Egypt and Jordan, and partially withdrew from Syria within the framework of another agreement. But Israel did not withdraw from Palestine and some Lebanese and Syrian territories. Israel continues to stall for time in order to avoid compliance with those resolutions.”
2015-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7527 (2015) · source
“I would like to thank you, Mr. President, for inviting the League of Arab States to present its views on the current situation in the Middle East. The Security Council is the organ primarily responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security. It is regrettable that the Council has not upheld its responsibilities in the Arab world. Terrorism continues to threaten the countries of the region. We must definitively eradicate terrorism at its roots. I have heard more than a few speakers today mention the eradication of terrorism. But we must not forget that there is another type of terrorism: State terrorism, as practiced by the State of Israel. Palestine has been occupied since 1967.”
2015-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7527 (2015) · source
“With regard to Palestine, I would say only that managing the conflict is no longer a solution; one has to end the conflict. The Security Council gave up its responsibility with regard to Palestine to something called the Quartet. I did not mention it, but today many speakers pointed out that we said last year that something would happen this September. The month is about to end and nothing has happened. It is time that the Security Council takes the matter into its own hands, debate it and see what can be done.”
2012-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6841 (2012) · source
“Mr. Elaraby: I would like to thank you very much for Germany's excellent initiative in calling for this meeting. At this meeting we heard very important statements by the 15 members of the Security Council. I hope that members will consider basic matters, and not just the general statements that we can hear everywhere. It is important that we try to reach the core of the problems and to see how we can resolve them. With regard to the Syrian Arab Republic, as many said today, the question is how to build upon what was agreed upon in Geneva on 30 June. At the start of the transitional period, the Security Council has to act and to act according to Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations. That has to be done. The five permanent members of the Council have agreed upon a text; let them build upon it.”
2012-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6841 (2012) · source
“Throughout the world, the Security Council is considered the source of international peace and security, and I hope that will prove to be the case.”
2012-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6841 (2012) · source
“Fourthly, greater importance must be attached to cooperation between the two organizations relating to humanitarian assistance. In conclusion, I reiterate my thanks and appreciation to the President of the Council for his initiative to hold this high-level meeting. At the same time, allow me to thank all of the Ministers who have travelled from afar to participate in the meeting. I hope that it signals the beginning of a new interaction between the two organizations to support peace and security in the Middle East, with a view to transforming the region from one of conflict and crises to one of security and stability, whose peoples enjoy peace and prosperity, as well as one capable of regaining its historic status as a source of knowledge and a beacon of human civilization.”
2012-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6841 (2012) · source
“First, we believe that the agreement on cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States (General Assembly resolution 44/7) signed in 1989 must be updated to keep up with priorities and emerging and future challenges. Secondly, regular meetings, as well as those required by events, should be held between the Security Council and the League of Arab States, represented by the presidency of the Arab Summit Conference, the presidency of the Council of Ministers of the League, and the Secretary General of the League. Thirdly, the status of the cooperation meetings held between the United Nations and the League of Arab State needs to be enhanced so as to enable them to deliver programmes which are effective, particularly with regard to preventing and resolving disputes and peacekeeping.”
2012-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6841 (2012) · source
“We believe that the establishment of such a zone would eliminate the spectre of a conflagration with the use of non-conventional weapons in our region. In dealing with the Middle East, we should not look upon it merely asa region of conflict and threats, for it is also a region full of hope, aspirations and possibilities. The challenges confronting it are multifaceted. There are political and military challenges, but there are also development and humanitarian challenges. Cooperation on all those and other issues requires updating and review and moreeffective relations between the League of Arab States and the United Nations, as well as new mechanisms. I should like to put forward some proposals in that regard.”
2012-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6841 (2012) · source
“I hope that President Al-Bashir and President Salva Kiir will reach a definitive agreement on the controversial issues in Addis Ababa, and I hope that this Council will give the necessary time to do so. Let me take this important opportunity to refer to a serious challenge facing our region. At the end of this year, we are to take a step long awaited by the world. It is a practical move towards establishing a zone free of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East. We believe that it will mark the beginning of the road towards an international conference to be held in Helsinki with the participation of all States of the Middle East. Three permanent members of the Security Council and the Secretary-General have a mandate to organize the conference. It requires the formal support of the Council.”
2012-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6841 (2012) · source
“The cooperation between the United Nations, the African Union, the League of Arab States and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in Somalia deserves credit for successfully ending the transitional period in Somalia and has initiated the creation of permanent institutions. There has been success in Darfur and in the relations between the Sudan and South Sudan where tensions must not be allowed to return. Therefore, the League of Arab States has set out an initiative to support the humanitarian situation, in both Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan states, in cooperation with the United Nations and the African Union and with the support of the Security Council.”
2012-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6841 (2012) · source
“In Yemen, efforts must be intensified to support the Government in overcoming the consequences of the political crisis and its economic repercussions and to move forward towards reconstruction and rebuilding the State. As for the situation in Libya, we hope that the appointment of Mr. Tarek Mitri as the new Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya will help to promote cooperation and coordination between the United Nations and the League of Arab States and its representatives in Libya, to provide assistance to the Libyan people in rebuilding the State and reconstructing the country.”
2012-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6841 (2012) · source
“It is now clear that insulting religions and faiths is a phenomenon that threatens international peace, security and stability. The League of Arab States calls for the establishment of a binding international legal framework, based on resolution 1618 (2005), in order to combat the denigration of religions and ensure that religious faiths and their symbols are respected. Such a framework would also be based on articles 19 and 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. We must work together towards a dialogue that increases understanding between cultures and civilizations and encourages tolerance. Cooperation and coordination between the United Nations and the Security Council, on the one hand, and the League of Arab States, on the other, to confront the challenges in the Middle East should take various forms.”
2012-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6841 (2012) · source
“We prize the values of freedom of expression. We believe that such principles must be respected and maintained. However, we do not see any relation between freedom of expression, which aims at enriching culture and building civilization, on the one hand, and activities that merely offend and insult the beliefs, cultures and civilizations of others, activities that incite hatred and violence. If the International Bill of Human Rights protects freedom of religion and faith, it is not merely affirming the right to build houses of worship and practise a faith, it is also stating the right of religionsto be treated with deference. Faiths must be respected and not abused or insulted. Since the international community has criminalized bodily harm, it must criminalize psychological and spiritual harm as well.”
2012-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6841 (2012) · source
“We fully reject and condemn the violent reactions in some Arab countries, including irresponsible and reprehensible attacks against some foreign embassies and facilities, acts that most regrettably led to the killing of the United States Ambassador to Libya and other innocent citizens. While we reject such actions, which are not in any way justifiable, we would like to sound the alarm that insulting religions, faiths, and their symbols is, indeed, a matter that threatens international peace and security. The Charter of the United Nations begins with, "We the peoples of the United Nations", thereby establishing the principle that relations among people are the basis of international peace and security. Therefore, the international community must firmly deal with anything that returns us to the abhorrent concept of racism.”
2012-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6841 (2012) · source
“Lakhdar Brahimi, Joint Special Representative of the United Nations and the League of Arab States for Syria, to succeed, the Security Council must support him in deeds, not just in words. And it can do so by compelling implementation of its resolutions in a way that is binding on all parties. Binding resolutions must be implemented in a binding manner. The challenges confronting peace and security, on which we may cooperate, are many and multifaceted. Some are traditional, some are nascent and spreading rapidly in this era of developing modern technology. In the past few years, the world has witnessed very disturbing events because of actions that insult Islam and our Prophet.”
2012-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6841 (2012) · source
“We believe that the very first step is to stop the bloodshed in Syria, so as to begin the transformation leading to a healthy democratic regime that responds to the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people to a life of freedom and dignity. However, once again, the Security Council failed to achieve any of those objectives because of a disagreement among the permanent members, which is, frankly, most lamentable. And, I regret to say this, those resolutions have remained dead letters; they are not being implemented. The serial killing, bloodshed and destruction continue unabated. Let me state to Council members very clearly: if we want the mission of Mr.”
2012-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6841 (2012) · source
“The League of Arab States has turned to the Security Council and called on it, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the powers entrusted to it, to maintain international peace and security; to take the necessary measures to compel the implementation of the resolutions adopted by this very Council; to implement the plan set out by Kofi Annan, the former Joint Special Envoy of the League and the United Nations; to implement the final document of the 30 June meeting of the Action Group on Syria in Geneva, which was agreed by consensus and with the participation of the Permanent Five of the Security Council; and to lay the foundation on which to begin a political transformation in Syria towards a democratic regime that responds to the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people.”
2012-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6841 (2012) · source
“The spectre ofa sectarian civil war darkens Syria's skies and indeed the skies of the entire region and provides a warning of a potential regional and international catastrophe that will affect all and take years to resolve, involving threats to international peace and security as well. The League of Arab States has been eager to cooperate with the United Nations to resolve the crisis from the very beginning. Indeed, a Joint Special Envoy was appointed by the two organizations in a new initiative based on joint action.”
2012-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6841 (2012) · source
“We therefore very much want the Security Council to review the matter, and soon. The Syrian crisis is deteriorating and escalating day by day. The fact that the Syrian Government persists in seeking a military security solution, including through the use of heavy weapons and military aircraft against its own people, and the fact that it refuses to respond to all initiatives, including the initiatives of the League of Arab States, have now confronted us with a serious and tragic situation. More innocent Syrians continue to be killed. The number of refugees flooding neighbouring States is increasing.”
2012-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6841 (2012) · source
“Tension and instability have continued in the Middle East. The Palestinian people are the only people in the world whose issue has not been resolved and who have not obtained their right to their legitimate self- determination, freedom and independence, or indeed to set up their own independent State. The time has come for us to review our calculations regarding the way in which we tackle the issue and to review the approach of the past, which has been one based on conflict management rather than on ending conflict. That requires, inter alia, avoiding double standards. It requires avoiding dual measures. With the exception of one or two resolutions adopted in the 1940s - and more than 200 have been adopted since then - how strange that not a single one has the Council acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.”
2012-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6841 (2012) · source
“The Council has adopted many resolutions on ending Israeli occupation of occupied Arab lands, particularly resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973); resolutions on the legitimacy of building settlements on Palestinian land, the most important being perhaps resolution 446 (1979) and resolution 252 (1968) on the non-recognition of unilateral measures taken by Israel, the occupying Power, in Al-Quds Al- Sharif; resolutions on the occupied Syrian Arab Golan; and resolutions relating to ending Israeli occupation of the remaining occupied land in southern Lebanon. It has also adopted resolutions asserting that the basis for a settlement on the Palestinian track runs through the establishment of two States, Palestine and Israel, living side by side within secure, internationally recognized borders. Those resolutions have not been implemented.”
2012-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6841 (2012) · source
“Resolutions have been adopted for more than six decades on Palestine, which is the fundamental, central issue for the Arab world and has been the fundamental cause of tension and instability in the region for many decades, persisting as one of the oldest unresolved issues in the international arena. The League has always stressed that a just, durable and comprehensive settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict, with the question of Palestine at its core, will only be achieved through a complete and faithful implementation of Security Council resolutions. Those resolutions have addressed all aspects of the conflict.”
2012-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6841 (2012) · source
“The League of Arab States, which was established before the United Nations, believes that a fundamental pillar for international peace and security is the effectiveness and credibility of the Security Council, as well as the full, faithful and precise implementation of resolutions of international legitimacy, particularly those of the Council. The League believes that non-implementation of those resolutions is one of the fundamental reasons for tension and instability, both regionally and internationally. The involvement of the Security Council in Arab issues is very old, going back to the birth of the United Nations itself.”
2012-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6841 (2012) · source
“It has adopted resolutions supporting such cooperation, most notably resolution 1631 (2005), whose paragraph 7 refers to regular meetings between the Security Council and regional organizations in order to promote cooperation in maintaining international peace and security. In that context I must stress that transparency, clarity and frankness are the bases required for any cooperation between the Security Council and such parties, so allow me to speak transparently and to be clear and frank about the crucial need for a dialogue between the League of Arab States and the Security Council.”
2012-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6841 (2012) · source
“I would like at the outset to express my deepest thanks and appreciation to my dear friend Guido Westerwelle, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany and current President of the Security Council, for his initiative in holding this high-level meeting ofthe Security Council to debate the situation in the Middle East and the means to strengthen relations of cooperation and joint action between the United Nations and the League of Arab States. Such an initiative embodies an important principle set out in Chapter VIII of the United Nations Charter, which encourages regional organizations to tackle issues in their regions by turning to the Security Council to find peaceful solutions to conflict and to maintain international peace and security. On many occasions the Security Council has moved in that direction.”
2012-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6841 (2012) · source
“I do not intend to enter into an argument. However, the Ambassador of Syria raised an issue that I feel compelled to clarify. When you contacted me, Mr. President, you mentioned that some members wanted General Al-Dabi to attend this meeting. I said then that the Prime Minister of Qatar and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States would attend at the request of the Ministerial Council of the League of Arab States in order to inform the Council about what had happened. General Al-Dabi was not requested to appear before the Council; his job is on the field and his report is before the Council (S/2012/71, annex, enclosure 4).”
2012-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6710 (2012) · source
“As Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, I must also stress the importance of the prompt cooperation of the United Nations and relevant international organizations with the Arab League in order to alleviate the worsening humanitarian conditions of the Syrian people. In conclusion, allow me once again to thank the Security Council for having responded so rapidly to our request and for its support of the Arab initiative. I hope that such support will give a strong impetus to the Arab League's efforts and serve as an example of positive interaction between the United Nations and regional organizations. I urge the Council not to fail the Syrian people in their plight. The violence and killing, whatever their source, must stop. We need a clear resolution in support of the Arab League's initiative.”
2012-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6710 (2012) · source
“Furthermore, the League is fully aware that the international community's support for the Arab plan as the necessary mechanism to resolve the Syrian crisis is pivotal and crucial to its success and to achieving its objectives. Therefore, allow me to reiterate that the League of Arab States looks forward to a supporting resolution of the Security Council that calls on all parties to immediately cease all acts of violence in order to protect the Syrian people and to engage in a serious national dialogue, under the aegis of the League of Arab States. Such a resolution should adopt the Arab initiative as a basis for resolving the crisis and should support the Arab League's mission when it decides to resume.”
2012-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6710 (2012) · source
“In reporting to the Security Council on all such developments, I should like to state that immediately before coming to New York, I was compelled to take the urgent step of suspending the work of the Arab observers in Syria owing to the recent serious deterioration of the situation in the country after the Syrian Government openly declared that it would resort to a security-based option. That led to some observers being withdrawn until I take the matter to the Council of the Arab League in a few days. As can be seen from the brief report on the Syrian crisis, the Arab League has consistently tried to find a peaceful political settlement to the Syrian crisis that would spare the lives of the Syrian people and meet their demands and aspirations.”
2012-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6710 (2012) · source
“The national Government should restore security and stability to the country, and reorganize the police force so that it can perform security functions of a civilian nature, with Arab States undertaking to fund such efforts in coordination with the League of Arab States. An independent commission should be established to investigate the violations to which citizens have been subjected. Within three months of its formation, the national unity Government should hold free and fair elections under Arab and international monitoring in order to establish a constituent assembly.”
2012-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6710 (2012) · source
“I should like to stress that the road map adopted on 22 January can in no way be interpreted as calling on the Syrian President to renounce power. There is a precedent. I visited Damascus on 13 July last year and talked with the President of the Republic on the need for true political reform. The President said that he would entrust Mr. Farouk Al-Shara, his first Vice-President, who is responsible for the necessary fundamental reforms and that he would inform me of those political reforms. That is similar to the current demand of the League of Arab States. Once formed, the national unity Government would state that its aim is to establish a democratic and multiparty political system that ensures the equality of all citizens irrespective of their affiliation or sectarian or religious identity, as well as the handover of power.”
2012-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6710 (2012) · source
“The mission called on the Syrian Government and all parties of the Syrian opposition to enter into a genuine political dialogue under the auspices of the League of Arab States within two weeks of the issuance of that resolution in order to implement a series of initiatives. The first initiative is the formation of a national unity Government within two months of the dialogue, with the participation of the current Government and opposition under an agreed leader. Its task should be to implement the provisions of the Arab plan of action and prepare for free, multiparty parliamentary and presidential elections, in accordance with a law specifying the procedure under Arab and international supervision and authorizing the Vice-President to negotiate and cooperate with a unity Government to facilitate the transitional period.”
2012-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6710 (2012) · source
“The Council of Ministers underscored the need for an end to all acts of violence and killing from all quarters so as to protect Syrian citizens. It also called on the Syrian Government to release all detainees, withdraw all armed elements from the cities and residential areas, and grant access to the relevant League agencies and Arab and international media. It highlighted the need to recall the Syrian Army and any armed forces of whatever formation to their barracks and original locations; to ensure the right to all forms of peaceful demonstration and not to confront protestors; and to facilitate the mission's work and the entry of equipment, in particular communications equipment.”
2012-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6710 (2012) · source
“The mission was able to obtain lengthy lists of detainees and missing persons through extensive contact with the people in direct meetings and on the websites created by the League of Arab States for that purpose. In view of the conclusions presented in the mission's report, having studied developments on the ground in Syria since the League began to address the crisis - and with a View to complementing the efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis without resort to foreign intervention or lapsing into civil war and in respect for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, and the partial progress that was achieved by the mission - on 22 January the Council of the League, meeting at the ministerial level, adopted a resolution in which it stressed several points.”
2012-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6710 (2012) · source
“That is taken directly from the report. Fifthly, although the presence of observers on the ground did not lead the Syrian Government to fully and immediately keep its promises, it nevertheless had some positive effects. For example, the Syrian people have been given greater freedom to express their demands, as was clearly evidenced by the increased number of protestors in many cities following the mission's arrival. Many Syrians found a mechanism by which to directly express their own experience and positions through witness accounts, which they provided directly to the members of the mission. The mission was able to monitor and record substantial information regarding the human rights situation in Syria.”
2012-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6710 (2012) · source
“It must be clearly stated that the mandate of the mission was to verify the Syrian Government's implementation of its commitments, and not - I repeat, not - to bring about disengagement or a truce between warring parties, which is usually the case when monitors or missions are dispatched by the United Nations to any conflict area in the world. Fourthly, the most important fact in the mission's report is the reference to the excessive use of force by the Syrian security forces since last March, which sparked a reaction from protestors and opposition elements. Paragraphs 71 and 74 of the report refer to the state of severe tension, injustice and repression to which Syrian citizens were being subjected. The opposition had taken to bearing arms as a result of the excessive force deployed by Government forces since last March.”
2012-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6710 (2012) · source