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

“President Abbas also acknowledged criticism from other Arab leaders, and he too had a message for them. His response was that they should get lost. Curiously, his speech has gotten little attention in the media. I encourage all who care about the cause of a durable and just peace in the Middle East to read President Abbas's speech for themselves. A speech that indulges in outrageous and discredited conspiracy theories is not the speech of a person with the courage and the will to seek peace. Despite all of this, the United States remains fully prepared and eager to pursue peace. We have done nothing to prejudge the final borders of Jerusalem. We have done nothing to alter the status of the holy sites. We remain committed to the possibility and potential of two States, if agreed to by the parties.”
2018-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8167 (2018) · source
“Compare those words to what Palestinian President Abbas said to the Palestine Liberation Organization Central Council 11 days ago. In his speech, President Abbas declared the landmark Oslo peace accords dead. He rejected any American role in peace talks. He insulted the American President. He called for suspending recognition of Israel. He invoked an ugly and fictional past, reaching back to the seventeenth century to paint Israel as a colonialist project engineered by European Powers. Once more, let us contrast Sadat's words with Abbas's. President Sadat acknowledged that some Arab leaders did not agree with him, but he told them that it was his responsibility to "exhaust all and every means in a bid to save my Egyptian Arab people and the entire Arab nation the horrors of new, shocking and destructive wars".”
2018-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8167 (2018) · source
“In all sincerity, I tell you, we welcome you among us, with full security and safety We used to reject you Yet today, I tell you, and declare it to the whole world, that we accept to live with you in permanent peace based on justice." Those were the words that led to peace between Egypt and Israel. It was not an easy process; it took another 16 months of tough negotiations to reach a peace treaty, and both sides made difficult compromises. But Sadat's words helped make Israel understand that it had a partner with which it could make those painful compromises. Some have said that those were the words that got Anwar Sadat killed, but no one can question the generations of Egyptians and Israeli citizens that have enjoyed a peace that has stood the test of time.”
2018-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8167 (2018) · source
“The Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was such a leader. Forty years ago, President Sadat did an exceptional thing. Egypt and Israel were still in a state of war. In fact, Sadat himself had led Egypt in war with Israel only a few years before. But Sadat made the courageous decision to pursue peace, and when he had made that decision, he went to Jerusalem and delivered a speech before the Israeli Knesset. The fact that he went to the Knesset was courageous in itself, but what took real courage was what he said there. He did not go to Jerusalem on bended knee. He spoke in no uncertain terms about the hard concessions he expected from the Israelis. And then he said the words that both he and the world knew marked a turning point. He said to the Israeli legislators, "You want to live with us in this part of the world.”
2018-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8167 (2018) · source
“The events of the past month have shed light on a critical aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian problem, and it is important to ensure that we do not miss the opportunity to bring attention to it here at the United Nations. The aspect I will address is the single most critical element to achieving peace. No, it is not the issues of security, borders, refugees or settlements. All those are important parts of a peace agreement, but the single most important element is none of them. The indispensable element is leaders who have the will to do what is needed to achieve peace. Real peace requires leaders who are willing to step forward, acknowledge hard truths and make compromises. It requires leaders who look to the future rather than dwelling on past resentments. Above all, such leaders require courage.”
2018-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8167 (2018) · source
“I would first like to thank Mr. Mladenov for his briefing. During the past year, as the representative of the United States I have most often taken the position that this monthly meeting on the Middle East is miscast. As I have pointed out many times, we spend far too much time in this meeting on Israel and the Palestinians and far too little time on the terrorist regimes and groups that undermine peace and security in the region, chief among them Iran, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham, Hizbullah and Hamas. That remains my view, and I expect that in the months to come I will continue to focus on the threats from the Middle East that attract too little attention at the United Nations. Today, however, I will set aside my usual practice, and I too will focus on the issue of peace between Israel and the Palestinians. What has changed?”
2018-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8167 (2018) · source
“The United States will never give up on this effort, but ifthere is to be true peace in South Sudan, its leaders must step up and make a true commitment to ending this conflict once and for all. The time is theirs to determine the future of South Sudan.”
2018-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8166 (2018) · source
“At the upcoming African Union (AU) Summit, we urge the African Union to consider seriously the accountability measures it pledged for those who refuse to pursue peace. The AU can hold these individuals responsible for violating the ceasefire and obstructing the peace process, including through the establishment of the Hybrid Court for South Sudan. And it is past time for the leaders of Uganda and Kenya to get involved and put pressure on President Kiir. They are key players in the success of a true peace process. The Government of South Sudan is increasingly proving itself to be an unfit partner to the Council and any country seeking peace and security for the people of South Sudan.”
2018-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8166 (2018) · source
“I urge my fellow Council members to support an arms embargo. This is neither punishment nor is it a meaningless gesture. It is something we can do to actually help the people of South Sudan to slow the violence, slow the flow of arms and ammunition, and protect innocent lives. Every council member can and should act on the position we all took in our 14 December presidential statement (S/PRST/2017/25) to impose costs and consequences on those who undermine the peace process in South Sudan. At the upcoming Intergovernmental Authority on Development High-level Revitalization Forum, the parties must find the political will to compromise on longer-term security and governance arrangements that meet the needs of South Sudanese people. If they do not, the Security Council should work with the region to find a new path to pursue peace.”
2018-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8166 (2018) · source
“It is a slap in the face of basic decency. Our attempts to ease the suffering of the people of South Sudan are not working and what is worse, we are failing - not despite the leadership of South Sudan but because of it. The time has come to acknowledge the hard reality that the leaders of South Sudan are not just failing their people, they are betraying them. Thus, the Council is at a crossroads. We are morally obligated, and obligated under the terms of the Charter of the United Nations, to address threats to international peace and security in South Sudan. We cannot stand by idly as innocent civilians are murdered and raped. We must change course. It is long past time that the Security Council establish an arms embargo on South Sudan rather than continue to hold endless meetings on a crisis that only becomes worse each month.”
2018-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8166 (2018) · source
“Forces under Riek Machar's command spearheaded an attack in which at least 15 civilians were killed, and on 4 January forces loyal to a former South Sudan Army Chief orchestrated an attack on a Government checkpoint. All of this is bad news. It is not just a lack of forward momentum; things are going backwards in South Sudan. Just last month, President Kiir promoted three generals who this Council sanctioned in 2015. These are men who led the slaughter of innocent South Sudanese children, women and old men. Hundreds of victims reportedly were buried in mass graves and the Government of South Sudan decided to promote their killers. Human Rights Watch called this a slap in the face ofjustice. It is also a slap in the face ofthe Security Council and the nations that have supported the Kiir Government.”
2018-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8166 (2018) · source
“We were encouraged by the efforts of South Sudan's neighbours to create a forum to negotiate peace, but President Kiir delayed and attempted to undermine the process. We welcome the Agreement on the Cessation of Hostilities, Protection of Civilians and Humanitarian Access which that forum produced in December, but hours - hours - after the Agreement went into effect, it was violated. Instead of reporting the end of fighting in South Sudan, independent ceasefire monitors are reporting that Government forces continued their deployments despite the agreement. Not surprisingly, more fighting followed. Opposition forces are also responsible for the fighting.”
2018-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8166 (2018) · source
“Thus, in November we welcomed President Kiir's Republican Order for the Free, Unimpeded and Unhindered Movement of Humanitarian Assistance Convoys, but instead of reaching more struggling South Sudanese, aid workers continue to be blocked in record numbers and the parties just will not stop fighting. The Government continues to insist that aid workers pay high fees just to provide assistance to the people of South Sudan. These fees would cost the humanitarian community $7.6 million - money that should be used to provide clean water in a country plagued by cholera. It could provide shelter for some of the 2 million internally displaced or it could feed some of the six million people facing life-threatening hunger. Nonetheless, our support has continued.”
2018-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8166 (2018) · source
“I thank the briefers for talking about this very important issue facing us. The United States has been a supporter of South Sudan from the beginning. Since independence, we have invested well over $11 billion in South Sudan and the Government of President Kiir. What began with so much promise has slipped into a state of horror that has haunted all of us for more than four years now. We have tried to help; we have tried to find a solution. The Security Council has tried to help as well. Our support has consisted of much more than mandating a peacekeeping mission. The Council has lent its expertise, its guidance and its credibility to the effort to help South Sudan's leaders find peace. We have treated the Kiir Government as a partner in this effort. We have assumed that the best interests of the people were its priority.”
2018-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8166 (2018) · source
“We remain forever committed to preserving the truth about what the Al-Assad regime has done in Syria and, sadly, what it will likely continue to do.”
2018-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8164 (2018) · source
“We agree with Russia that the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham must be held accountable for its use of such weapons, as the Joint Investigative Mechanism has found. But the difference between the United States and Russia is that we believe that no one should be let off the hook. Chemical weapons must never be used. Russia can continue to talk for as long as it wants about chemical weapons. It can bring it up in the Security Council Chamber as often as it wants. We welcome the debate. The United States and the international community will not be fooled. We remain steadfast in pursuing accountability for those who use chemical weapons. We stand strong in doing all we can to preserve the norm against their use.”
2018-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8164 (2018) · source
“When the investigators found that the Al-Assad regime had used them, Russia tried to find any excuse to poke holes in the investigation and threw up smoke to question the findings. But hat is not how independent investigations work. You do not get to question the findings when they do not go your way. We are therefore not going to accept any Russian proposal that undermines our ability to get to the truth or that politicizes what must be an independent and impartial investigation. If the Russians want to work in good faith towards that goal, we are ready to re-establish the JIM, with its original, independent and impartial mandate, right now. But anything less is unacceptable. To be crystal clear: the United States supports accountability for anyone who uses chemical weapons.”
2018-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8164 (2018) · source
“Today, Russia once again threw around many different accusations. Again, that is not surprising. Russia often puts out misleading and unfounded claims to confuse the conversation about chemical weapons. In fact, this happens so often that we recently wrote to the Security Council with a detailed assessment of Russia's misleading claims. The letter is public and available for anyone to see. We encourage everyone to take a look at it for themselves. Here is the bottom line. The Security Council gave the Joint Investigative Mechanism a mandate to tell us who used chemical weapons in Syria. When investigators found the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham to be responsible, Russia was fine.”
2018-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8164 (2018) · source
“Make no mistake - the United States, together with the Council, will continue to pursue those who have used chemical weapons to ensure that they are held accountable for their atrocities. Russia says that it has concerns about this French initiative to share evidence of the use of chemical weapons. That is no surprise. Russia opposed the Joint Investigative Mechanism because it collected facts about who used chemical weapons in Syria. Now Russia is questioning the French effort to collect facts on who used chemical weapons. What can we conclude? To put it simply, when Russia does not like the facts, it tries to distract the conversation. That is because the facts come back over and over again to the truth that Russia wants to hide, which is that the Al-Assad regime continues to use chemical weapons against its own people.”
2018-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8164 (2018) · source
“Will the representative of the Russian Federation say anything at all today about the suffering caused by Al-Assad's barbaric tactics? Will it hold Al-Assad to account? Of course not. It never does. It is therefore fitting that Russia brought us here on the same day that a new initiative on accountability for chemical weapons has been introduced in Paris. Today, France launched an international partnership against impunity for chemical weapons. We strongly support that effort and commend France for its leadership. More than 25 like-minded countries have come together to share and preserve information on who has used chemical weapons and to make sure that the perpetrators will be held accountable.”
2018-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8164 (2018) · source
“Russia should look in the mirror before bringing us into the Security Council to talk about chemical weapons. Earlier this week, we received yet another report that the Al-Assad regime had used chlorine gas on its own people. Dozens of civilians had to be treated for suffocation. Syrian children were literally gasping for breath as chlorine gas surrounded them. Of course, it is no coincidence that this week's chlorine-gas attack reportedly happened in the exact place that the Al-Assad regime is trying to take over militarily. We know that it resorts to such brutal tactics when it wants to retake territory, without any regard for innocent civilians, and we know that Russia has looked the other way for years while its Syrian friends use those despicable weapons of war. Russia is complicit in the Al-Assad regime's atrocities.”
2018-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8164 (2018) · source
“Russia has convened us with almost no notice, and then put forth a proposal that it hopes will distract from the new French initiative to hold accountable those who use chemical weapons. Today, Russia is again doing what it does best with regard to chemical weapons. It is running from the facts. It has the audacity to lecture the Security Council about how to stop the use of chemical weapons. I know that I have said this before, but it is worth repeating. In the past year, Russia exercised the right to veto three times to kill the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons-United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) in Syria. All by itself, Russia killed the Mechanism, which we had specifically tasked with identifying those responsible for using chemical weapons in Syria.”
2018-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8164 (2018) · source
“Al-Assad, that he must eliminate his chemical weapons and cooperate fully with OPCW and the United Nations. The Security Council tackles some of the greatest challenges to international peace and security daily. None is greater than the proliferation of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. The United States works hard to ensure the non-proliferation of such deadly weapons. We encourage the creation of a security environment that benefits non-proliferation. We believe all nations have a moral responsibility to join in the creation of that environment.”
2018-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8160 (2018) · source
“The Council created the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) for the express purpose of exposing the perpetrators of those crimes. The JIM. determined that the Al-Assad regime and ISIS used chemical weapons in Syria. Both must be held accountable for their actions. However, one nation stands in the way of the Security Council fulfilling its duty. That nation is Russia. It was Russia that vetoed three Council draft resolutions that would have renewed the Joint Investigative Mechanism. It is Russia that has gone to great lengths at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague to prevent the Al-Assad regime from being held accountable for its actions. If the Russian Government is serious about the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, it will convince its client, Mr.”
2018-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8160 (2018) · source
“We impose those obligations as the Security Council. Together we must respond to Iran's dangerous violations, not because we want the nuclear agreement to fail but because we want the cause of non-proliferation to succeed. We must not forget that weapons of mass destruction are not just an abstract threat, but weapons that evil regimes will put to use. The Syrian regime has repeatedly used chemical weapons against its own people. They are the actions of a Government so corrupt that it stands with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham (ISIS) as the only entities to use chemical weapons as tools ofwarfare in the twenty-first century. The Security Council must respond to the outrageous Violation of international law and basic human decency.”
2018-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8160 (2018) · source
“When the Council adopted resolution 2231(2015), it endorsed the nuclear agreement and retained its series of prohibitions on Iran's behaviour. The Iranian regime has repeatedly violated those prohibitions and, in doing so, it has repeatedly shown itself to be unworthy of our trust and our confidence. When the Council considers the question of how we can promote trust that States will not engage in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the place we must start and the very least we can do is to insist that States comply with their existing international obligations. In the case of Iran, while the United States continues to uphold its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the international community must also demand that Iran fulfil its obligations under resolution 2231 (2015).”
2018-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8160 (2018) · source
“However, let me say it one more time: the United States remains fully committed to defending itself and its allies if necessary. The actions of the Iranian regime are another example. The regime in Tehran is the leading cause of instability in an unstable part of the world. It supports terrorists, proxy militants and murderers like Bashar Al-Assad. It provides ballistic missiles in violation of United Nations arms embargoes. Its proxies launch them at civilian targets, as we saw when Houthi militias in Yemen fired an Iranian- supplied missile at an airport in Riyadh. When the Iranian people protest their money being diverted to terrorists, the regime arrests and kills them. It silences their voices and lies about their motivations.”
2018-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8160 (2018) · source
“There is no greater threat to the international nuclear non-proliferation regime than that posed by North Korea. North Korea continues its reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons, in defiance of repeated resolutions by the Council. It continues to pursue nuclear weapons while its people starve, and to threaten other nations, while intimidating its own citizens. The example that Kazakhstan set and the efforts of so many others to curb the spread of nuclear weapons will begin to unravel if the Council cannot rise to the challenge. We call on all Member States to fulfil their obligations and fully implement all Council resolutions on North Korea. We will continue to work with our partners in the Security Council in pursuit of a peaceful, diplomatic solution to the crisis.”
2018-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8160 (2018) · source
“Together with our partners, we work to assist States and international organizations in their efforts to prevent non-State actors from developing and acquiring nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and their delivery systems. But the reality is that today's security environment is more challenging than in the past. An essential element of further nuclear disarmament is successfully addressing fundamental security challenges. The regimes that most threaten the world today with weapons of mass destruction are also the source of different kinds of security challenges. They deny human rights and fundamental freedoms to their people. They promote regional instability. They aid terrorists and militant groups. They promote conflict that eventually spills over their borders.”
2018-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8160 (2018) · source
“It was a vote of confidence in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which remains the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation effort. Critically, Kazakhstan's action demonstrated that it valued peace and stability in its relations with other countries. It was an unmistakable concrete expression of Kazakhstan's willingness and readiness to be a responsible member of the community of nations. The United States continues to lead in efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. We play a leading role in ensuring the full implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) - a landmark agreement that the Security Council unanimously adopted in 2004.”
2018-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8160 (2018) · source
“I thank you, Sir, for convening today's meeting. I would also like to thank the Secretary-General for his briefing and his leadership in working to find enduring solutions to increasingly complex problems. It is fitting that Kazakhstan has called this important meeting. One of Kazakhstan earliest decisions as an independent nation remains one of the most important moments in the history of non-proliferation. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan voluntarily removed Soviet nuclear weapons from its territory and joined the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. By rejecting nuclear weapons, President Nazarbayev set an example for the rest of the world. That action built confidence. It showed Kazakhstan's neighbours and the world that it was not a threat.”
2018-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8160 (2018) · source
“The door to a more peaceful Libya is open through engagement with the United Nations political process. The United States urges all parties in Libya to seize this opportunity without further delay.”
2018-01-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8159 (2018) · source
“As the Libyans prepare for elections, we support United Nations efforts to promote more effective and accountable governance for this transitional period. All Libyan parties should engage constructively with the United Nations to strengthen the Libyan Political Agreement. The Security Council has affirmed that the Libyan Political Agreement must remain the framework for the political process throughout the country's transitional period. The fact is that after decades oftyranny followed by years of fighting and chaos, the Libyan people deserve a better future. Libya's political leaders must set aside their personal agendas and come together for the sake of peace. The Libyan people deserve a stable, unified, democratic Government with institutions that are capable of stamping out the abuses of criminal networks and non-State militias.”
2018-01-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8159 (2018) · source
“There is no room here for political spoilers. The United States will oppose attempts to impose a military solution to this political crisis, which would further undermine Libya's stability. Those who pursue a military solution will wind up helping terrorist groups that thrive on instability. The only legitimate path to power is through free and fair elections. We welcome the recent progress with voter registration in Libya, including significant numbers of youth and women who have already signed up to vote. The United States is providing assistance to Libya's High National Electoral Commission to help prepare as well. To build on this progress, the House of Representatives must uphold its commitment to pass laws for a constitutional referendum and for elections this year, in consultation with the High State Council.”
2018-01-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8159 (2018) · source
“Stepping up sanctions enforcement would be another step towards disrupting the criminal networks that contribute to the instability in Libya. While the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham has been weakened in Libya, the threat of terrorism is very real. Libya must not be a safe haven for terrorists to plot attacks, and terrorist groups must be defeated to secure a peaceful future for the Libyan people. The only viable solution to these security, economic and migration challenges is a political solution to the current crisis. The United States is committed to a strong, unified Libya, which is why President Trump hosted Libyan Prime Minister Faiez Mustafa Serraj in Washington, DC, recently. The United States commends Prime Minister Serraj's leadership and the efforts of the Government of National Accord to support a political solution.”
2018-01-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8159 (2018) · source
“The United States will also continue its efforts with the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and other United Nations agencies to strengthen Libyan police and security institutions, and we urge others to join us. Libya's wealth and natural resources are also at risk. These are resources that should be protected and used to benefit all Libyans. But political spoilers and criminal gangs are diverting these assets for themselves. The United States strongly condemns these actions. We are especially concerned about fuel-smuggling, and we will continue to press the Security Council to sanction any vessels involved in such criminal activities. We expect all States Members ofthe United Nations to fully comply with their obligations regarding ship designations.”
2018-01-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8159 (2018) · source
“We strongly support the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in their work to improve conditions for migrants in Libya and to help those with claims to protection. Since 2011, we have contributed generously to these organizations to address this regional crisis, including more than $150 million to ease suffering in Libya, including support for refugees, vulnerable migrants and the internally displaced. But there is much more work to do. We appreciate Libya's cooperation with UNHCR and the IOM. and urge them to deepen this collaboration. As the Security Council, we can look for opportunities to identify and designate for sanctions the individuals and criminal networks responsible for the human rights abuses aimed at migrants.”
2018-01-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8159 (2018) · source
“We appreciate that Libya's Government of National Accord swiftly condemned slavery in all forms and made a commitment to investigate and hold those responsible to account. Such an investigation should proceed quickly and transparently. An untold number of migrants continue to be detained in camps outside of Government control, where their captors assault them and deprive them of food. This ongoing crisis shows just how urgent it is to support Libyan efforts to stabilize the country. The Libyan people deserve a Government able to provide basic services, enforce the rule of law and guarantee security, including the protection of the most vulnerable. The United States is committed to the humane treatment and protection of migrants and refugees.”
2018-01-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8159 (2018) · source
“That is why the United States stands firmly behind the efforts of Special Representative Salame and behind implementation of the United Nations action plan. As we have said many times before, political dialogue and reconciliation is the only way forward. There is no alternative to the United Nations process. There is a window of opportunity right now for Council members to push for new momentum in the political process, and that is where we must focus all of our efforts. The recent video of Afghan migrants being sold into slavery shows the dire consequences of allowing Libya's security vacuum to continue. It was a profoundly disturbing sight. The existence of slave markets anywhere in the world must offend the conscience of every decent human being. These heinous abuses of human rights must come to an end.”
2018-01-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8159 (2018) · source
“I thank Special Representative of the Secretary-General Salame, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Sweden and Ms. Sharief for their briefings. When we talk about Libya today, so many of the problems we face go back to one key issue: respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. This conflict began when the Libyan people rejected the Al-Qadhafi regime's decades of oppression and tyranny. That brutal dictatorship left Libya with weak institutions, which gave political spoilers, criminal gangs and terrorists a chance to exploit Libya for their own purposes. After organizing a revolution to demand a more stable, unified and prosperous future for all, the Libyan people have yet to achieve that fundamental goal.”
2018-01-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8159 (2018) · source
“In 2009, the world stood by passively while the hopes of the Iranian people were crushed by their Government. In 2018, we will not be silent. Once again, the people of Iran are rising up. They are asking for something that no Government can legitimately deny them - their human rights and fundamental freedoms. They are calling out, "Think of us." If the founding principles of this institution mean anything, we will not only hear their cry; we will finally answer it. The Iranian regime is now on notice. The world will be watching what it does.”
2018-01-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8152 (2018) · source
“I call on all of my colleagues to join me in amplifying the Iranian people's message. And I call on the Government of Iran to stop censoring the voice of the people and to restore their access to the Internet, because, in the end, the Iranian people will determine their own destiny. Let there be no doubt whatever that the United States stands unapologetically with those in Iran who seek freedom for themselves, prosperity for their families and dignity for their nation. We will not be quiet. No dishonest attempt to call the protesters puppets of foreign Powers will change that. The Iranian people know the truth, and so do we. They are acting of their own will, on their own behalf, for their own future. Nothing will stop Americans from standing in solidarity with them.”
2018-01-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8152 (2018) · source
“Stop taking our wealth and spending it on foreign fighters and proxy wars. Think of us." Freedom-loving nations worldwide have spread support for the cause of the Iranian people - Canada, Norway, the United Kingdom, Israel, France, Sweden and other countries of the European Union. We honour and appreciate all of their statements of support for universal human rights. But we must do more. The Iranian regime is cutting off Internet access in an attempt to shut down communication among the protesters. They are attempting to silence the voice of the Iranian people. We cannot allow that to happen. Every State Member of the United Nations is sovereign, but Member States cannot use sovereignty as a shield when they categorically deny their people human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
2018-01-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8152 (2018) · source
“Every year it gives millions more to the Houthi rebels in Yemen, including by sending them ballistic missiles to fire at other countries. Meanwhile, the average Iranian family is 15 per cent poorer today than it was 10 years ago, so the Iranian people are demanding, "Think of us." The regime gives low- interest loans to the elite and well connected. It rewards construction contracts to corrupt firms affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It constructs buildings that skimp on safety. Thousands of those buildings collapsed during an earthquake in which hundreds of people died. And the Iranian people chant, "Think of us." Today, the people of Iran are speaking to their Government, and their message is undeniable. "Stop the support for terrorism. Stop giving billions of our money to killers and dictators.”
2018-01-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8152 (2018) · source
“The people of Iran have finally had enough, and they are showing it by taking to the streets. The Iranian people understand the nature of their regime. They understand that their lack of voice in their Government has allowed the regime to ignore them, and to spread conflict and instability far and wide. If we listen to the slogans they chant in the street, that understanding comes through loud and clear. The United Nations reports that the Iranian regime spends at least $6 billion every year propping up the murderous Al-Assad regime in Syria. The people of Iran know that, and they are therefore telling the Government, "Let go of Syria. Think of us." The Iranian regime spends millions on militias in Iraq every year.”
2018-01-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8152 (2018) · source
“They believe that human rights and fundamental freedoms are the business solely of the Governments that control them. The United States does not share that belief. Human rights are not the gift of Governments. They are the inalienable rights of the people themselves. Freedom and human dignity cannot be separated from peace and security. When the rights of the people are denied, the people rightly resist. If their concerns are not acknowledged, peace and security are inevitably threatened. We have seen that repeatedly throughout human history. The case of Syria is a horrible recent testament to that fact. And what is happening in towns and cities across Iran right now bears out that fundamental truth. The Iranian regime's contempt for the rights of its people has been widely documented for many years.”
2018-01-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8152 (2018) · source
“I wish a happy new year to all of the members of the Security Council and the General Assembly. In the past week, what has happened on the ground throughout the nation of Iran is something the world must take note of. It is a spontaneous expression of fundamental human rights. The Iranian people are rising up in over 79 locations throughout the country. It is a powerful exhibition by brave people who have become so fed up with their oppressive Government that they are willing to risk their lives in protest. The world should applaud their courage. The voices of the Iranian people should be heard. We have debated the proper role of human rights in the Security Council. Some of our colleagues believe that the subject has no place here.”
2018-01-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8152 (2018) · source
“I am grateful to my colleagues for the serious measures we have enacted on behalf of the North Korean people. And I ask them keep those people in their thoughts and prayers this holiday season as we continue to fight against this, the most tragic example of evil in the modern world.”
2017-12-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8151 (2017) · source
“I would ask them to imagine being a North Korean soldier, so desperate and so ravaged by hunger and disease that he would take five bullets from his fellow soldiers in order to escape across the Demilitarized Zone; to imagine being a 12-year-old in North Korea and being forced to attend public executions as a reminder of what would happen if he stepped out of line; to imagine being a mother, so desperate for a better life for her child that she would risk rape, torture and imprisonment if she were caught trying to leave the country; and then to imagine getting caught, being forced to abort her baby without anesthesia, and then trying again and again to escape. These are real stories of real people. These things happened. They should motivate us to do more.”
2017-12-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8151 (2017) · source
“The unity that the Council has shown in leveling these unprecedented sanctions is a reflection of the international outrage at the Kim regime's actions. But we are not the only ones who are appalled by the North Korean regime. We are not the only ones sacrificing for a solution - not even close. At our most recent meeting on North Korea (see S/PV.8137), I called on all nations to sever diplomatic and trade relations with North Korea. I reiterate that call today. I would ask any nation that continues to support the Kim regime to consider the nature of that regime, and to consider this crisis through the eyes of the North Korean people.”
2017-12-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8151 (2017) · source