YouSaid · the spoken record

Günter Sautter

lines on the record: 115
first: 2020-08-19
most recent: 2020-12-16
sittings or episodes: 17
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

“I wish to thank Nickolay Mladenov very much for his briefing and excellent work. I would like to make several points. The first one is on the normalization agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Israel and the United Arab Emirates have come to a truly historic decision by agreeing to normalize their relations. This is truly good news, as it is an important step towards peace in the region. We trust that annexation plans are truly and indefinitely suspended and that this will also include restraint with regard to ongoing settlement expansion or plans to build new settlements. We see with great concern the demolition of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem. This is particularly worrisome against the backdrop of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Confidence-building steps are needed instead.”
2020-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/837 (2020) · source
“Children have suffered dramatically under the so-called caliphate, and almost an entire generation may be lost. With a view to continuing negotiations on a resolution in which where we exhaustively consider the situation of children, our position is clear: children are victims of terrorism and of their upbringing when they are born or brought into a region of conflict. After a certain age, they become juveniles who are responsible for their actions and must face the consequences. But before that, they are victims first and foremost. To protect them and lead them back into society should therefore be our most important goal when it comes to rehabilitation and reintegration. In very concrete terms, we in Germany are considering humanitarian cases, especially children who are German nationals, on a case-by-case basis.”
2020-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/836 (2020) · source
“Counter-terrorism measures must not hinder the delivery of humanitarian assistance by humanitarian actors consistent with international humanitarian law and based on humanitarian principles. These days we are celebrating the twentieth anniversary of resolution 1325 (2000), on women in armed conflict. Gender is and remains an important element in countering the terrorist threat, in a number of ways. On the one hand, women are often affected by violent conflict and terrorism even more than men. On the other hand, women are not only victims. Within Da’esh, women have been among the perpetrators as well. They have assumed important operative functions within the organization. We should therefore include female radicalization in the priorities on our agenda. One word on the weakest of all — children.”
2020-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/836 (2020) · source
“Among the most important lessons we have learned in our struggle is that counter-terrorism measures must never serve as a pretext for human rights violations. We all know examples of so-called counter- terrorism measures that indiscriminately target ethnic minorities. That must not be our approach. The exclusion of ethnic minorities only makes those marginalized more prone to falling into the traps of violent extremism and terrorist networks. That counteracts all our efforts in trying to prevent terrorism.Regarding Xinjiang, the internment of large parts of the population is, in our view, unjustified. In the long run, it is likely not to reduce but, rather, to increase the risk emanating from terrorist organizations.”
2020-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/836 (2020) · source
“Bringing Da’esh’s territorial control to an end was an enormous achievement. Its withdrawal into the shadows, however, was not a reason to celebrate. As the Secretary-General has reported, 2020 brought a surge in activity in Syria and Iraq. The coronavirus disease may keep terrorists from travelling, but the terror continues wherever they dwell. So we must continue our counter-Da’esh efforts tirelessly. My third point is on why our values matter. It is also about double standards, on which we have already seen quite a discussion this morning. Our values are key to ensuring that our response remains credible and effective. As soon as we are perceived as employing methods similar to those used by terrorists, we are losing the battle for the hearts and minds.”
2020-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/836 (2020) · source
“International, regional and subregional cooperation remains vital. There is a fourth tool, in our view. Counter-terrorism works best with a strong role for civil-society organizations. But even more important are the stories of those who lost a brother, a mother, a friend to terror, the stories of those who have lost their own lives. And let us also in the Council remember those who stand at the front lines of this conflict, sometimes even, sadly, at the cost of their lives. Together, we should honour the women and men in the field who do the actual work: members of the armed forces and of law enforcement, social workers, religious leaders, those working for urban and rural development — they all are the heroes of this struggle. My second point is on the threat that Da’esh continues to pose.”
2020-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/836 (2020) · source
“The first tool that works is respect. Disrespecting people and pushing them to the margins of society will make the world less safe, step by step. Inequality and injustice fuel the propaganda machinery of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, Al-Qaida and the like. If the Members of the United Nations fail at providing everyone with opportunities for a meaningful life, a life in dignity, we will all fail in our fight against terrorism. The second tool is a second chance after adequate prosecution respecting the principles of due process and fair trial. Rehabilitation and reintegration are not easy, but there is no humane alternative. The third tool that works is not trying to solve the problem alone but working together. Here lies the true value of cooperation, be it internationally or within a society.”
2020-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/836 (2020) · source
“I would like to make three remarks. The first is on our approach to fighting international terrorism and foreign terrorist fighters in particular. The second point is on the continuing threat emanating from Da’esh. The third point is on why it is important that we be serious about our values when it comes to fighting terrorism. The issue of terrorism, including the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters will remain on our agenda for the foreseeable future. Our goal must indeed remain the lasting defeat of Da’esh, Al-Qaida and all the other terrorist organizations and their gruesome ideologies. We therefore need to find the right responses, here in the Council, back home and in all the conflict-torn regions on which terrorists focus, because they serve as a base of operation. We believe that we have four tools at our disposal.”
2020-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/836 (2020) · source
“The message is clear: whoever commits crimes against humanity or war crimes cannot feel safe anywhere and will eventually be held accountable. We therefore call on all States to use all legal means at their disposal to prosecute the perpetrators and to initiate criminal proceedings under the principle of international universal jurisdiction. We call on the Council to finally live up to its responsibility, join the fight against impunity and ensure that those who commit the most serious crimes under international law are held accountable.”
2020-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/823 (2020) · source
“This report, as well as the findings of the Investigation and Identification Team of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the United Nations board of inquiry, demonstrate that the Syrian regime and its allies are responsible for indiscriminate attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure in north-west Syria. There has not yet been appropriate follow-up to those findings. We must not tolerate impunity. Russia and China have blocked the referral of the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC). It is their responsibility that those who have committed and are still committing the most serious crimes in Syria cannot be brought to justice before the ICC. National jurisdictions are starting to at least fill some of the void in Germany and elsewhere.”
2020-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/823 (2020) · source
“Thirdly, the Syrian regime must inform families of the fate and whereabouts of the tens of thousands missing and disappeared persons. My fourth and last point is on accountability. We remain convinced that national reconciliation and sustainable peace in Syria will be possible only once truth, justice and accountability are established for all crimes and atrocities committed during the Syrian conflict. In its latest report (A/HRC/45/31), the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic details human rights violations and war crimes in Idlib.”
2020-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/823 (2020) · source
“We also need to see progress in the broader political process and the full implementation of resolution 2254 (2015). My third point is on detainees. Resolution 2254 (2015) calls for the immediate release of arbitrarily detained persons, particularly women and children. But since its adoption, in December 2015, almost five years ago, there has been no progress. Three concrete points are crucial in that regard. First, we urge all parties, in particular the Syrian regime, which holds the overwhelming majority of detainees, to immediately release all arbitrarily detained persons, starting with the most vulnerable — women, children, the sick, wounded and elderly. Secondly, the Syrian regime must also allow immediate, unconditional and unhindered access for relevant humanitarian organizations to all its prisons and detention facilities.”
2020-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/823 (2020) · source
“I would like to make it very clear that the sanctions imposed by the European Union contain clear humanitarian exemptions, and we work very hard to make sure that such exemptions are implemented faithfully in a way that does not create humanitarian damage. In that context, let me add that much more humanitarian damage is done by closing border crossings into Syria. To allow for progress on the political process, the third round of the Constitutional Committee, starting on 24 August, will be an important step. That will be another occasion for the Syrian regime to demonstrate that it is serious about the political process. We urge Russia to use its influence over Damascus in order to create the right spirit. We agree with Special Envoy Geir Pedersen that the Constitutional Committee alone will not suffice.”
2020-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/823 (2020) · source
“Under the auspices of the United Nations, we must pursue a political process that is in line with resolution 2254 (2015) and the 2012 Geneva communiqué (S/2012/522, annex). In that context, I would like to make it very clear that only after a comprehensive, genuine and inclusive political transition is firmly under way will Germany and the European Union (EU) assist in reconstruction. In that connection, when the Syrian regime changes its brutal behaviour and ends its grave violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, there will also come a point for EU sanctions to be lifted. The issue of sanctions has been touched upon by previous speakers.”
2020-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/823 (2020) · source
“I would like to make four remarks — on the security situation, the political process, detainees and accountability. On the security situation, we remain concerned about the fragile security situation throughout the country. In particular, we are worried that a new military offensive in or around Idlib would result only in more mass displacements and a humanitarian catastrophe. This should be avoided at all costs. We therefore continue to fully support the call of Special Envoy Geir Pedersen for a complete, immediate and nationwide ceasefire. On the political process, there is a clear way out. That view has been expressed by many delegations, and it is also the position of Germany.”
2020-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/823 (2020) · source