YouSaid · the spoken record

Haley

lines on the record: 982
first: 2017-02-02
most recent: 2018-12-18
sittings or episodes: 124
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

“The sovereign nation of Kuwait presides as President of the Security Council. I once again thank our Kuwaiti friends for calling today's important meeting. It is a great reminder of the purposes of this body. And I congratulate the entire nation of Kuwait for being a living reminder of what this institution can accomplish when it lives up to the principles of the Charter.”
2018-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8185 (2018) · source
“But when we do not uphold the principle of sovereignty by allowing the Kim, Al-Assad and Putin regimes to act with impunity, just the opposite is true. When the Security Council provides accountability for nations that violate the United Nations Charter, we protect sovereignty. Such was the case in 1990, when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. After the invasion, Saddam proceeded to ignore 11 resolutions calling for him to withdraw. On 29 November 1990 the Security Council rightly invoked Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter. It gave Saddam Hussein one last chance to do what was right. In January 1991, after he refused to comply, a coalition of 34 countries, led by the United States, began the fight to liberate Kuwait. That coalition's efforts were successful. The proof is in the Chamber today.”
2018-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8185 (2018) · source
“For the words of the Charter to have meaning, the Security Council must be willing to act when Member States violate them. The Security Council has done an admirable work to address the threat of North Korea, but too many Member States have failed to abide by their Charter obligation to enforce the sanctions the Council has imposed. In the meantime Pyongyang continues to develop its nuclear arsenal, threaten its neighbours and categorically refuse to discuss denuclearization. We must do better. For far too long the Council has watched Iran play a deeply destabilizing role in the Middle East, without addressing the urgent regional threat it poses. In Ukraine Russia remains an occupying force in Crimea and a destabilizing force in eastern Ukraine. Let me repeat: the sovereign rights of nations are fundamental.”
2018-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8185 (2018) · source
“That is so because the United Nations Charter calls on all Members to respect those rights, and also because violations of human dignity inevitably lead to threats to peace and security. Sovereignty is no excuse for a Government to use violence and rape to expel a minority group to a neighbouring country, as the Burmese security forces have done. Sovereignty is no excuse for the Council to do nothing. Sovereignty is no excuse for a regime to gas its own people, as the Al-Assad regime is doing in Syria, or for the Council to do nothing. Sovereignty is no excuse for any dictatorship to abuse its people, spark violence, foment regional conflict and then get off scot-free. If that were true there would be no reason for us to be here. For the words of the Charter to have meaning all Member States must be accountable and abide by them.”
2018-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8185 (2018) · source
“The United States will never forfeit its sovereign right to govern itself and determine its future. All Member States share that right, but they also struggle to balance their sovereign interests with the need to work cooperatively with other nations. In the United States our Constitution and democratic system of Government bind us to act in the interests of our people. I am accountable to the American people in what I say and do. Governments that are not accountable to their people are less constrained. They often point to sovereignty to justify bad behaviour and claim the Council has no business meddling in their affairs. But sovereignty gives no country the right to trample on the human rights and fundamental freedoms of others. Human rights are the Security Council's business.”
2018-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8185 (2018) · source
“Everyone claims to be motivated by it and to be acting in accordance with its principles. But all too often Member States invoke the United Nations Charter not to inspire us to act, but to excuse their lack of action. And so we see the Security Council frequently failing to act at the times it is most important to defend the principles of the Charter. However, the United Nations is not simply a collection of nations. The United Nations Charter gives this organ an identity and a meaning of its own. The Charter commits all Members to the pursuit of peace and security based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination. It calls on Members to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms for all. In practice, however, the United Nations has all too often fallen short of that ideal. Sovereignty is critically important.”
2018-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8185 (2018) · source
“I would like to personally thank the Secretary-General for being here a second day in a row, but, more important, for his comments on Syria. I think that it is time for us to realize that we cannot continue to look away. I very much appreciate him taking the time to make that personal plea. I think it is important for all of us to know. It is certainly an honour to have former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with us today. We welcome him back home and are happy to see him. I thank Kuwait's presidency of the Security Council for convening today's meeting. It is important that we pause for a moment every so often to reflect why it is we are here and what guides our work. We should start by being honest. There is a lot of lip service paid to the Charter of the United Nations.”
2018-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8185 (2018) · source
“Putting forward old talking points and entrenched and undeveloped concepts achieves nothing. That approach has been tried many times and has always failed. After so many decades, we welcome new thinking. As I mentioned in the meeting held last month on this issue (see S/PV.8167), the United States stands ready to work with the Palestinian leadership. Our negotiators are sitting right behind me, ready to talk. But we will not chase after you. The choice is yours.”
2018-02-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8183 (2018) · source
“The United States knows the Palestinian leadership was very unhappy with the decision to move our embassy to Jerusalem. It does not have to like that decision. It does not have to praise it. It does not even have to accept it. But know this: that decision will not change. So once again you must choose between two paths. You can choose to denounce the United States, reject the United States' role in peace talks and pursue punitive measures against Israel in international forums such as the United Nations. I assure you that path will get the Palestinian people exactly nowhere towards the achievement of their aspirations. Or you can choose to put aside your anger about the location of our embassy and move forward with us towards a negotiated compromise that holds great potential for improving the lives of the Palestinian people.”
2018-02-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8183 (2018) · source
“We welcome President Abbas as the leader of the Palestinian people here today. But I will decline the advice I was recently given by his top negotiator, Saeb Erekat. I will not shut up; rather, I will respectfully speak some hard truths. The Palestinian leadership has a choice to make between two different paths. There is the path of absolutist demands, hateful rhetoric and incitement to violence. That path has led and will continue to lead to nothing but hardship for the Palestinian people. Or there is the path of negotiation and compromise. History has shown that path to be successful for Egypt and Jordan, including the transfer of territory. That path remains open to the Palestinian leadership if only it is courageous enough to take it.”
2018-02-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8183 (2018) · source
“But beyond the substance, perhaps its biggest flaw was that it encouraged the false notion that Israel can be pushed into a deal that undermines its vital interests, damaging the prospects for peace by increasing mistrust between the Israelis and the Palestinians. In the past year, the United States has worked to repair that damage. At the United Nations I have opposed the bias against Israel, as any ally should do. But that does not mean that I or our Administration is against the Palestinian people. Just the opposite is true; we recognize the suffering of the Palestinian people, as I have recognized it here today. I sit here today offering the outstretched hand of the United States to the Palestinian people in the cause of peace. We are fully prepared to look to a future of prosperity and coexistence.”
2018-02-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8183 (2018) · source
“We are joined here today by Palestinian Authority President Abbas. I am sorry he declined to stay in the Chamber to hear the remarks of others. Even though he has left the room, I will address the balance of my remarks to him. When the new American Administration came into office last January, we did so against the fresh backdrop of the passage of resolution 2334 (2016). In the waning days of the previous American Administration, the United States made a serious error in allowing that resolution to be adopted. Resolution 2334 (2016) was wrong on many levels. I am not going to get into the substance now.”
2018-02-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8183 (2018) · source
“Israel has been forced to live under constant security threats like virtually no other country in the world. It should not have to live that way. And yet Israel has overcome those burdens; it is a thriving country with a vibrant economy that contributes much to the world in the name of technology, science and the arts. It is the Palestinian people who are suffering more. The Palestinians in Gaza live under Hamas terrorist oppression. I cannot even call it a governing authority, as Hamas provides so little in the way of what one would normally think as Government services. The people of Gaza live in truly awful conditions, while their Hamas rulers put their resources into building terror tunnels and rockets. The Palestinians in the West Bank also suffer greatly. Too many have died, and too much potential has been lost in this conflict.”
2018-02-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8183 (2018) · source
“It has been dealt severe setbacks in Iraq and Syria, but it is not yet completely destroyed and still poses serious threats. Egypt faces repeated terrorist attacks, and of course there is the terrorist-sponsoring regime in Tehran that initiates and encourages most of the troubles I have just outlined. These immense security and humanitarian challenges throughout the region should occupy more of our attention rather than having us sit here month after month and use the most democratic country in the Middle East as a scapegoat for the region's problems. But here we go again. I do not mean to suggest that there is no suffering in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Both sides have suffered greatly. So many innocent Israelis have been killed or injured by suicide bombings, stabbings and other sickening terrorist attacks.”
2018-02-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8183 (2018) · source
“In Yemen, there is one of the worst humanitarian disasters on Earth, with millions of people facing starvation. Meanwhile militia groups fire Iranian rockets from Yemen into neighbouring countries. In Syria, the Al-Assad regime is using chemical weapons to gas its own people. This war has taken the lives of more than halfa million Syrians. Millions more have been pushed into neighbouring Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon as refugees, causing major hardships in those countries. In Lebanon, Hizbullah's terrorists exert ever more control, illegally building up a stockpile of offensive weapons, inviting a dangerous escalation that could devastate regional security. The Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham is engaged in an inhumane level of cruelty in much of the region.”
2018-02-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8183 (2018) · source
“One reason we did that is our well-founded belief that the United Nations spends an altogether disproportionate amount of time on Israeli-Palestinian issues. It is not that those issues are unimportant. They are certainly very important. The problem is that the United Nations has proved itself time and again to be a grossly biased Organization when it comes to Israel. As such, the disproportionate focus of the United Nations has actually made the problem more difficult to solve by elevating the tensions and the grievances between the two parties. Another reason we have attempted to shift the discussion is that the vast scope of the challenges facing the region dwarf the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As we meet here today, the Middle East is plagued by many truly horrendous problems.”
2018-02-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8183 (2018) · source
“I wish to thank the Secretary-General for being with us today as well as Mr. Mladenov for his briefing. We are meeting today in a forum that is very familiar to all of us. This meeting on the Middle East has been taking place each month for many, many years; its focus has been almost entirely on issues facing Israelis and Palestinians, and we have heard many of the same arguments and ideas over and over again. We have already heard them again this morning. It is as if saying the same things repeatedly without actually doing the hard work and making the necessary compromises will achieve anything. Beginning last year we have tried to broaden the discussion, and we have had some success in doing so. I thank my colleagues who have participated in those broader discussions.”
2018-02-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8183 (2018) · source
“If the Geneva process is going to work, therefore, we need to see a change. As one ofAl-Assad's key backers, Russia can change that behaviour. It can push the regime to commit to seeking a real peace in Syria - a peace that helps the Syrian people, a peace that helps ensure the region's security. Now is the time for Russia to use that leverage. The road to peace will come when all of the parties stop provoking each other and choose the responsible path. That path is clear: follow resolution 2254 (2015), support Geneva and, most of all, push the Al-Assad regime to do what it plainly does not want to do. If we rally around those goals, we will achieve real peace in Syria.”
2018-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8181 (2018) · source
“There is no doubt that Geneva and the United Nations-led political process are the sole, legitimate venue for coming up with a political solution in Syria. Special Envoy De Mistura has talked about setting up a constitutional committee, and he must be fully empowered to do so. No party should have a veto over the United Nations decisions about the composition of the constitutional committee, but it is hard to see how a peace process will work while the Al-Assad regime continues to launch all-out attacks against the Syrian people and Iran and Hizbullah are entrenching themselves within the country. Ultimately, we must recognize that the Al-Assad regime does not want peace unless it is peace on its terms - a peace in which every person in Syria who opposes the regime is murdered, tortured, starved, imprisoned or forced to flee the country.”
2018-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8181 (2018) · source
“Russia was supposed to guarantee adherence to those de-escalation zones in order to help the political process, but, then again, Russia was also supposed to guarantee the removal of all chemical weapons from Syria. Instead, we see the Al-Assad regime continues to bomb, starve and - yes - gas civilians. All ofus on the Council know what it will take to get to peace in Syria. More than two years ago, the Council unanimously adopted resolution 2254 (2015), which includes a framework for ending the war. The United States is committed to seeing the full implementation of resolution 2254 (2015), which President Trump and President Putin also reaffirmed when they met in Viet Nam in November 2017. We also know how peace talks need to happen.”
2018-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8181 (2018) · source
“When we look out across the Middle East, we know one thing for certain: when Iran and Hizbullah move in, instability always follows. Therefore, when we talk about peace in Syria, we need to face the reality of what is happening on the ground. Peace is urgently needed in Syria. All of us on the Security Council know that, but we cannot offer support for peace, on the one hand, and ignore the fact that the chief sponsor of terrorism in the Middle East and its terrorist militia are digging in, on the other. Even as we talk about peace at the United Nations, the fighting is getting worse. Much of the violence is happening in so called de-escalation zones.”
2018-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8181 (2018) · source
“Parties on the ground need to adhere to all established deconfliction mechanisms, and ensure that nothing like that ever happens again. The Al-Assad regime has become a front for Iran, Hizbullah and their allies to advance their irresponsible and dangerous agenda for the Middle East. On every front of the conflict, we find fighters imported by Iran from Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan. When we see the Al-Assad regime starving civilians in eastern Ghouta or pummelling schools and hospitals in Idlib, we see advisors from Iran and Hizbullah helping direct those atrocities. That support for the Al-Assad regime, of course, is not new, but the drone flight this week was a wake-up call for all of us. Iran and Hizbullah are making plans to stay in Syria.”
2018-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8181 (2018) · source
“The United States will always stand by its ally when confronted by provocations from Iran, Hizbullah or the Al-Assad regime, but that incident shines a spotlight on the reality in Syria today. We are seeing actors engage in a dangerous game of pushing boundaries instead of behaving responsibly and committing to peace. Last week, pro-regime forces launched an unprovoked attack against the Syrian Democratic Forces and advisors from the coalition to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham. This was a large attack involving numerous tanks, artillery and fighters. The coalition acted in self-defence to repel the attack, and the United States will always reserve the right to act in self-defence. But the attack showed the recklessness of pro-regime fighters.”
2018-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8181 (2018) · source
“I thank Staffan de Mistura for his briefing and all his efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Syria. The United States fully supports his initiative to bring the parties back to Geneva and begin work on a new constitutional committee in accordance with resolution 2254 (2015), but we are not going to bring about peace as the situation on the ground continues to escalate with dire risks for the security of the entire region. Earlier this week, Iranian-backed militias in southern Syria launched a drone into Israeli territory. It was an egregious and unprompted escalation. Iran was once again doing what it does: risking conflict and testing the will of its neighbours and opponents to resist its aggression. Israel rightly took action to defend itself.”
2018-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8181 (2018) · source
“I urge my colleagues to seize this opportunity to end our inaction and live up to our responsibilities as members ofthe Security Council. I call on all nations to join the United States to do more than just demanding an end to the atrocities in Burma, and to actually take the steps we know are needed to put the crisis on the path leading towards a solution.”
2018-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8179 (2018) · source
“We need to honour the bravery of the Buddhist village elder who provided Reuters with horrific photographs of the atrocities at Inn Din because, in his words, "I do not want it to happen like that in the future." We need to honour his hope for a better Burma, one in which such behaviour is not tolerated against any person or group. Unfortunately, the Security Council has so far failed in its responsibility to act in response to the clear threat to international peace and security that has resulted from recent events in northern Rakhine state. We cannot look the other way in this situation. What happened and continues to happen in Burma is not okay. The Council must hold the military accountable for its actions and exert pressure on Aung San Suu Kyi to acknowledge that those horrific acts are taking place in her country. No more excuses.”
2018-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8179 (2018) · source
“It must create the conditions to assure refugees that they can safely return to their villages and their homes. Burma and Bangladesh have had substantive discussions on repatriation and that is a good thing. But we can talk forever and not make progress, as long as the military and the Government continue to make living in Burma a death sentence for the Rohingya people. I am profoundly grateful to my colleagues from the United Kingdom for arranging this meeting today. There are powerful forces at work trying to cover up the unspeakable horror taking place in Burma, but we owe it to both the victims and the rest of the Burmese people to demand transparency, access and accountability.”
2018-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8179 (2018) · source
“We understand the burden that it creates, and we ask Bangladesh to continue to work closely with UNHCR and other international organizations to ensure that repatriations of refugees are voluntary. We ask that it continue to ensure the safety and security of both those who choose to relocate and those who do not. But, in the end, real progress depends on an end to the terror and the killing. We cannot expect nor should we ask refugees to return to Burma until it is safe to do so. They must be confident that they will not fall victim to the same horrors that drove them from their homes in the first place. Right now, those refugees do not have that confidence. Many are too scared to return to their country. The Government of Burma - and the Government of Burma alone - has the power and the moral obligation to correct that.”
2018-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8179 (2018) · source
“What we have seen so far is cruel and barbaric. To top it off, it has the gall to blame the media. Unhindered media access is vitally important. Journalists, like the two imprisoned Reuters reporters, are an indispensable source of information. I also call on the Secretary-General to quickly appoint a special envoy for Burma, and I call on the Burmese Government to allow a United Nations fact-finding mission and the Special Rapporteur into the country. Without the media and United Nations personnel in Burma to shed light on the crimes being committed, there is no hope for justice for the Victims. We are grateful to the people and Government of Bangladesh for hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees.”
2018-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8179 (2018) · source
“We have urged Burma to work with the United Nations and its agencies to allow the Office ofthe United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other humanitarian organizations immediate and unhindered access to Rakhine state. We repeat that call today with even more urgency. The need for humanitarian aid in Burma is dire and it is immediate. The leader of Burma has been internationally celebrated in the past for her commitment to peace and to her fellow man. If any of that love of humankind can still be found in the Government of Burma, it must act now. The least it can do is allow humanitarian groups access to those who are suffering. It costs the Government nothing to allow food to the starving, medical care to the wounded and psychological services to the sexually abused. The world is watching and waiting for Burma to act.”
2018-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8179 (2018) · source
“To make sure that no one contradicts their preposterous denials, they are preventing access to Rakhine to anyone or any organization that might bear witness to their atrocities, including the Security Council. The result is that they are denying access to many organizations that the displaced and starving in Burma desperately need today. Even before the violence started, malnutrition was a serious problem in Rakhine state, but now there are reports from Rohingya who have found refuge in Bangladesh that the military's actions are leading a campaign of purposeful starvation, forcing more families out of the country. Homes are being looted. Farmers are being denied the ability to harvest their crops. Girls and women are being abducted into sexual slavery.”
2018-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8179 (2018) · source
“They reported that the police ordered villagers to participate in the killing, dismemberment and burial in a mass grave of 10 Rohingya men and boys. Witnesses said that some were still alive when they were thrown into the grave. The police claim that they were acting in self-defence, that the Rohingya men attacked them, but the reporters compiled evidence, including photos, that contradicted the police. For the crime of reporting the truth, the Burmese Government arrested and imprisoned the reporters. They remain incarcerated in Burma without bail. We strongly call for their immediate and unconditional release. Like the soldiers in Gu Dar Pyin, powerful forces in the Burmese Government have denied the ethnic cleansing in Rakhine state.”
2018-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8179 (2018) · source
“The Burmese Government regularly denies the existence of massacres and mass graves and claims to be fighting terrorists. But what Kadir found that day indicated that the military knew what it was doing was wrong and did not want the world to know. To his horror, Kadir saw that not only were his friends dead, but also their faces had been burned away with acid. Some had been disfigured by bullet wounds. The Burmese soldiers had also burned away the hands of the dead so the bodies could not be identified. The Associated Press reporters who uncovered these atrocities deserve our thanks and praise. It is neither easy nor safe to report from Burma these days. Two Reuters reporters uncovered evidence of another massacre and mass grave in a fishing village last September and they paid for it with their freedom.”
2018-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8179 (2018) · source
“I thank Mr. Grandi and Mr. Jenea for their briefings. The news reports from Burma have long been brutal and heartbreaking. Because of the lack of access granted by the Burmese Government, few reports get out, but those that do are simply horrifying. The Associated Press recently told the story of Kadir, a Rohingya man from the village of Gu Dar Pyin. Kadir and 14 of his friends were choosing sides for a game of a traditional Burmese sport when the Burmese military began shooting. Survivors reported that more than 200 soldiers descended on the village, burning homes and shooting anyone who could not get away. Kadir got away, but only he and two friends survived the shooting. When he returned to the village six days later, Kadir found his teammates partially buried in mass graves. In all, there were reportedly five mass graves.”
2018-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8179 (2018) · source
“Lastly, we continue to strongly support Kosovo's membership in all relevant international organizations, including the United Nations and INTERPOL. Much has changed during the 19 years since the Council authorized the establishment of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo. The time has come for the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia to do what the Mission cannot and what it was never intended to do: to independently and cooperatively build a future of mutual security, prosperity and peace for all the peoples in the region.”
2018-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8176 (2018) · source
“We trust that Kosovo's institutions are capable of handling that professionally and impartially to hold those responsible to account without external interference. We call on all parties to avoid dangerous rhetoric at this sensitive time. Another pillar of our peacekeeping reform agenda is to know what success looks like and, once it is achieved, to set the countries on a path to operate independently of the peacekeeping mission. We believe that we have achieved that measure of success with the United Nations Mission in Kosovo. It is long past time to wind down the Mission to preserve scarce United Nations resources. Significant changes are needed in the role of the United Nations in Kosovo. I urge the Council to waste no time in making those changes.”
2018-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8176 (2018) · source
“In the strongest terms, we urge the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia to take this opportunity. The coming months will be crucial. The stage is set. The benefits are clear. All that is needed is the political will to come together to create a just and lasting peace between Kosovo and Serbia. A good indication of whether or not Kosovo and Serbia can come together to normalize relations will be how both nations respond to last month's murder of Kosovo-Serb politician Oliver Ivanovie. The United States has condemned that killing in the strongest terms. We have offered our support for a full and impartial investigation by Kosovo's police and judicial institutions. The world will be watching to see if that investigation results in accountability for those responsible.”
2018-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8176 (2018) · source
“Both nations' leaders must come together to reach an agreement on the normalization of Kosovo-Serbia relations as soon as possible. Much work has been done, but more progress is needed on crucial issues, such as ending corruption, strengthening the rule of law and laying the foundation for economic growth. For Kosovo and Serbia, normalization is a win-win proposition. Both nations will benefit from expanded ties with one another and with the wider European community. To facilitate that, the United States reiterates its support for the Brussels dialogue. We appreciate and thank the European Union for its leadership in that effort. Its support and guidance has helped create the opportunity for both sides to make progress towards normalization and lasting peace.”
2018-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8176 (2018) · source
“What we end up with is an artificial, subsidized peace that is imposed from the outside. But what we want is real peace, which is created by the people who must nurture and sustain it. As Kosovo approaches the tenth anniversary of its independence, we believe that the opportunity is at hand for such a genuine peace. The people of Kosovo are establishing the institutions of self-government. Last year, a new Administration was formed following free, fair and peaceful democratic elections. A functioning multi-ethnic democracy continues to be strengthened in Kosovo - one that respects the rule of law and the human rights of all. The United Nations Mission in Kosovo has been an important part of that achievement, but now it is time for leaders in Kosovo and Serbia to take their future into their own hands.”
2018-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8176 (2018) · source
“Let me first thank Special Representative Tanin for his briefing. I also thank the representatives from Serbia and Kosovo. There is always more progress to make, but the conditions in Kosovo have changed markedly since the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo was established, in 1999. And it has changed for the better. That is work which we should be proud of, and it is work that the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia must now seek to build upon. As my colleagues know, peacekeeping reform has been a focus of my work on the Security Council. Central to that reform agenda is the support for political solutions on the ground, which include the parties themselves. Without the political buy-in of the various parties, no real progress can be achieved.”
2018-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8176 (2018) · source
“That is the sincere wish of the American people, and I know that it is shared by many on the Council. We are not motivated by score-settling, payback or power politics. We are motivated by the urgent need to end the unique and horrible suffering that chemical weapons have inflicted on innocent men, women and children in Syria. The Syrian people are counting on us.”
2018-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8174 (2018) · source
“It is a true tragedy that Russia has sent us back to square one in the effort to end the use of chemical weapons in Syria. But we will not cease in our efforts to know the truth of the Al-Assad regime - and ensure that the truth is known and acted on by the international community. That is why we hosted all 15 members of the Council at the United States Holocaust Museum last week. The exhibit was called "Syria: Please Don't Forget Us". All of us saw undeniable evidence of the Al-Assad regime's atrocities and human rights violations. We cannot, and should not, forget the Syrian people. The United States will not forget them. While the Council has not yet been able to act to provide real accountability for the use of chemical weapons in Syria, the United States will not give up on the responsibility to do so.”
2018-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8174 (2018) · source
“Therefore, while we regret the need for its creation, we applaud the efforts of France to launch the International Partnership against Impunity for the Use of Chemical Weapons. That is yet another way to hold accountable the Al-Assad regime and any group that uses chemical weapons. The United States has also announced that we will contribute to the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism to Assist in the Investigation and Prosecution of Persons Responsible for the Most Serious Crimes under International Law Committed in the Syrian Arab Republic since March 2011. The United States strongly supports the Mechanism as a valuable tool to hold the Al-Assad regime accountable for its atrocities, including its repeated and ongoing use of chemical weapons.”
2018-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8174 (2018) · source
“For their new investigation, Russia wants to be able to cherry-pick the investigators. It wants to insert unnecessary and arbitrary investigative standards. And it wants the Security Council to be able to review all the findings of this investigation and decide what makes it into the final report. That is not an impartial mechanism; it is a way to whitewash the findings of the last investigation that Russia desperately wants to bury. No one should believe that the draft resolution is a good basis for discussion, when it is designed to undermine our core principles on chemical weapons. We cannot hope to end the use of chemical weapons if those who use them escape the consequences of their actions.”
2018-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8174 (2018) · source
“The requirements for establishing accountability for the use of chemical weapons have not changed since the Council voted unanimously to create the Joint Investigative Mechanism, in 2015. They have not changed since Russia acted alone to kill the Mechanism last year. Such a mechanism must be independent and impartial. It must be free of politics. It must be controlled by experts, not politicians or diplomats. And it must be definitive. The latest Russian draft resolution does not meet any of those criteria. Russia's draft resolution completely ignores the findings ofthe Joint Investigative Mechanism, which was an investigation that Russia supported until the investigators found the Al-Assad regime to be responsible. That should already be enough to make us sceptical. However, there are other deep problems.”
2018-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8174 (2018) · source
“So far, Russia has delayed the adoption of the draft statement - a simple condemnation of Syrian children being suffocated by chlorine gas. I hope Russia takes the appropriate step to adopt the draft text, thus showing that the Council is unified in condemning chemical-weapon attacks. Accountability is a fundamental principle, but it is just the first step. Our goal must be to end the use of these evil, unjustifiable weapons. When actions have consequences - when perpetrators are identified and punished - we come closer to reaching our goal. But if we cannot even take the first step of establishing accountability for the use of chemical weapons, we have to seriously ask ourselves why we are here.”
2018-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8174 (2018) · source
“These are worthy goals. These are urgent goals. Yet we spent much of last year in the Council watching one country protect the Al-Assad regime's use of chemical weapons by refusing to hold them responsible. What do the American people see? What do people of all countries see? They see a Council that cannot agree to take action, even after the OPCW-United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism, created by the Council, found that the Al-Assad regime used chemical weapons. Now we have reports that the Al-Assad regime has used chlorine gas against its people multiple times in recent weeks, including just yesterday. There is obvious evidence from dozens of victims, and therefore we proposed a draft press statement by the Security Council condemning these attacks.”
2018-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8174 (2018) · source
“The news out ofSyria this morning is following a troubling pattern. There are reports of yet another chemical-weapon attack on Sunday. Victims of What appears to be chlorine gas are pouring into hospitals. Few things have horrified my country and the world as much as the Al-Assad regime's use of chemical weapons against its people. The Security Council has been outspoken on ending Syria's use of chemical weapons, and yet they continue. Under the Chemical Weapons Convention and resolution 2118 (2013), the Al-Assad regime's obligations are clear: it must immediately stop using all chemical weapons. It must address the gaps and inconsistencies in its Chemical Weapons Convention declaration. And it must destroy all of its remaining chemical weapons under the supervision of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).”
2018-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8174 (2018) · source
“This is peace with commitment". I ask here today, where is the Palestinian President? Where is the Palestinian King Hussein? Where is the Palestinian Anwar Sadat? If President Abbas demonstrates that he can be that type of leader, we will welcome it. His recent actions demonstrate the total opposite. The United States remains deeply committed to helping the Israelis and the Palestinians reach a historic peace agreement that brings a better future to both peoples, just as we did successfully with the Egyptians and the Jordanians. But we will not chase after a Palestinian leadership that lacks what is needed to achieve peace. To get historic results, we need courageous leaders. History has provided such leaders in the past. For the sake of the Palestinian and Israeli peoples, we pray that it does so again.”
2018-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8167 (2018) · source
“Just as it did for Egypt, peace requires compromise. It requires solutions that take into account the core interests of all sides, and that is what the United States is focused on for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Hate-filled speeches and end runs around negotiations take us nowhere. Ultimately, peace will not be achieved without leaders with courage. King Hussein of Jordan was another such leader. In 1994, he ended 46 years of war and entered into a peace agreement with Israel that holds to this day. When he signed the peace treaty, he said: "These are moments in which we live. The past and the future [W]hen we come to live next to each other as never before, we will be doing so, Israelis and Jordanians together, without the need for any to observe our actions or supervise our endeavours. This is peace with dignity.”
2018-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8167 (2018) · source