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

“I thank Under-Secretary Feltman for his briefing today, and Ambassador Vale de Almeida for his comments. The topic of compliance by the Iranian regime with its international obligations reminds me of the fable of the scorpion and the frog. The scorpion asks the frog for a ride across the river. The frog, quite rationally, asks: "how do I know you will not sting me?" And the scorpion replies: "because it would kill both of us. We would both drown." So the frog is convinced. He lets the Scorpion get on his back and starts across the river. But, sure enough, midway through, the scorpion stings him. With his last breath, the frog asks: "why?" And the scorpion replies: "because it is in my nature." The Secretary-General's report (S/2017/515) is filled with devastating evidence of the nature of the Iranian regime.”
2017-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7990 (2017) · source
“The Council can go and do what it always does - pick a side, bashing either Israel or the Palestinian Authority. That will get us nowhere. But anyone who has seen what I saw - the current terrorist activity in that area - would understand that every ounce of what we say in the Council, pitting the two sides against each other, is only strengthening the terrorists. Every ounce of what we do should combat Hamas. They are a dangerous actor that has no care for the Palestinians, no care for the Israelis, and is determined to destroy everything in their path. Once again, we are having this meeting, and once again we will hear speeches on whether a country is for Israel, against Israel, for Palestinians or against Palestinians. But I would ask that each country address the real threat that is causing so many people harm - the threat of Hamas.”
2017-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7977 (2017) · source
“And if they do not, Member States of the United Nations need to come together to put real pressure on supporters of Hamas to stop. Together, we can show Hamas that their terrorist tactics will lead only to more isolation. Together, we can show Hamas that their terrorist tactics will fail. We should act now, before Hamas puts the people of Gaza at risk again by building more tunnels under their feet. I want to conclude by saying that I spent a lot of time in Israel and also in Palestinian areas. I spoke with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. I went to schools of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. I went to every border of Israel. I saw the threats. There are threats that completely surround Israel from every single side.”
2017-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7977 (2017) · source
“And we should designate Hamas as a terrorist organization in a resolution, with consequences for anyone who continues to support it. That is how we can help build a more peaceful Middle East, and how we can fulfil our responsibility on the Council to actually maintain international peace and security. And while we must do whatever we can to ease the suffering of the people in Gaza, we must also recognize that the suffering will not be fully addressed until the terrorists lose their grip on power. All States have a role to play here. We must do much more to show Hamas that we will never tolerate terrorism. We must show that when Hamas uses homes and schools to hide its terrorist infrastructure, there will be consequences. Those who give Hamas the arms, money and political support to operate must cease.”
2017-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7977 (2017) · source
“Its goal is to defeat Israel by force. It will use all the resources it can to continue the fight. The Security Council must stand up to condemn Hamas' terror. Hamas represents yet another regional threat that the Council far too often ignores. While United Nations agencies and Member States dissect Israel's actions, few speak out against the terror that Hamas continues to plot. Some States Members of the Organization even maintain ties to Hamas and other terrorist groups that flourish in Gaza. The Security Council must unite to say that enough is enough. We need to pressure Hamas to end its tyranny over the people of Gaza. We should condemn Hamas in the Council's resolutions and statements. We should name Hamas as the group responsible when rockets are fired from Gaza or when fresh tunnels are discovered.”
2017-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7977 (2017) · source
“Rather than govern, Hamas chooses to devote its resources to building a terrorist arsenal. Rather than pursuing peace, Hamas chooses to provoke destructive wars. Rather than allowing help to reach the Palestinian people, Hamas chooses to divert untold amounts of aid to feed its military enterprise. I saw how this works firsthand. I walked through one of the terrorist tunnels coming out of the Gaza Strip, which Israel discovered and has since secured. The top and sides of the tunnel were lined with solid, sturdy concrete. We know how badly Palestinians in Gaza need concrete to rebuild their homes. But there, in that tunnel, we see how Hamas uses the concrete Gaza receives - not to help the people, but to fortify its terrorist infrastructure. Hamas remains a terrorist organization bent on Israel's destruction.”
2017-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7977 (2017) · source
“Make no mistake: Israel did not cause the problems in Gaza, even though it is often the usual suspect around here. Ten years ago every Israeli soldier was withdrawn from Gaza, and for the past 10 years, there has not been a single Israeli settler in Gaza. Other outside countries and political factions are also not the cause of Gaza's problems. We all would like to see Palestinians in Gaza receive the aid they so desperately need, and we will continue to work to find avenues to get aid safely to them. But we should never forget that the responsibility for this humanitarian crisis rests squarely with the one group that actually controls Gaza: Hamas. Hamas has exercised control over Gaza since 2007. After 10 years of Hamas rule, life for the people of Gaza is worse than ever before.”
2017-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7977 (2017) · source
“Hamas hides military infrastructure in and around apartment buildings, hospitals and, as we saw again this month, United Nations compounds. In this way, Hamas consciously plots and plans to attack civilians and it uses the cover of civilian buildings to launch those attacks. It is a sick and cynical strategy. There is a terrible humanitarian crisis in Gaza. We remain a strong supporter of Gaza's recovery and reconstruction. I myself was at the Gaza border earlier this month, where Special Coordinator Mladenov briefed me on the latest chilling developments. What is happening to the people of Gaza is heartbreaking, and it is so preventable. Gaza is prime real estate on the Mediterranean Sea. It has enormous potential, but the potential is being squandered by the terrorists who govern it.”
2017-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7977 (2017) · source
“Those tunnels are what Hamas uses to smuggle in the materials they need to make rockets or to sneak into Israel to attack civilians or kidnap them in the dead of night. Imagine children playing in their schoolyard while Hamas moves explosives underneath their feet. Imagine children trying to learn while a few feet below terrorists might have been crawling towards Israel. All of this was happening under a building flying a flag of the United Nations. It is an outrage. But when we consider Hamas and the other terrorist organizations that operate in Gaza, the existence of that tunnel should not be a surprise. This is the way Hamas does business. Tunnels in heavily populated civilian areas are its signature.”
2017-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7977 (2017) · source
“I thank all of our briefers who spoke with us today. First, the United States condemns in the strongest terms the cowardly terrorist attack last week in Jerusalem. This stabbing attack left one Israeli border guard dead and wounded several others. We express our deepest sympathies to the victims and their families. The United States reiterates its commitment to stand with Israel against these forces of terror. Hamas is one of those forces of terror, which yet again showed its true colours to the world earlier this month. It is a terrorist organization so ruthless that it will not hesitate to put the lives of innocent children on the line. A few weeks ago, United Nations officials discovered a tunnel underneath two schools run by the United Nations in Gaza. It was the exact type of tunnel that Hamas has used for years.”
2017-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7977 (2017) · source
“Again, we thank the Secretary-General and the AU Commission Chairperson, as well as their organizations, for their commitment to advancing the AU-United Nations partnership and, through that, the peace and security of Africa and the world.”
2017-06-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7971 (2017) · source
“Therefore, before considering moving forward on any framework resolution with regard to financial support through the United Nations, we will look for implementation and concrete results from the AU's own benchmarks and timelines. It may therefore be premature for the Council to take action on any substantive resolution on this issue in 2017. The men and women who plan and conduct peace operations are given a great responsibility. People in the most vulnerable of situations rely on them for their safety - often for their lives. It is essential that we get this right. It is worth taking the time to make sure that we get it right.”
2017-06-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7971 (2017) · source
“Ensuring respect for human rights and accountability for those who violate those rights is essential, not just for African Union-United Nations cooperation, but to preserve the trust between troops and the communities they are supposed to protect. That will require the creation of rigorous procedures for the screening and selection of troops and police, followed by the training and monitoring of personnel. Violations and abuses must be reported and independently investigated. Perpetrators must be held accountable. On that, there will be no compromise. We are encouraged by the prospect of more effective, self-sufficient, and African-led peace operations. We understand, however, that additional progress will take time.”
2017-06-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7971 (2017) · source
“Working together early helps us ensure that the strategic concept - including operations, force generation, and mission cost - has the buy-in of all parties. We support the AU's efforts to increase financial self-reliance and to build the African Union Peace Fund. We look forward to working with AU member States to identify non-trade mechanisms for greater self-financing. But any resolution with that goal in mind must hold member States accountable to their international obligations and commitments. We welcome the AU's efforts to put in place effective mechanisms to respect human rights in all of its missions.”
2017-06-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7971 (2017) · source
“We value our cooperation with our African partners. It is in the interest of all ofus to work for peace and prosperity in Africa. The question is not whether the AU Peace and Security Council and the Security Council will continue to improve our cooperation, but rather how we can best work together to promote peace and security. Progress has been achieved thanks to the work of both organizations, but there is much more work to be done. In order to ensure that the Security Council's response to the AU initiative is effective, we need better cooperation in planning operations. The Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council must share assessments of the political, security, humanitarian and human rights dimensions of missions from the very outset.”
2017-06-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7971 (2017) · source
“It does so, moreover, in some of the most challenging environments in the world. We applaud the increasing leadership the AU has displayed in contributing to peace operations and battling terrorist and insurgent groups. In Somalia, the AU quickly deployed to provide security for a fledgling Government in 2007. A decade later, thanks to the bravery and courage of the African Union Military Observer Mission in Somalia AMISOM troop- and police-contributing countries, Somalia is on a gradual path toward stability and peace. In Darfur, the AU partnered with the United Nations to stabilize a complex conflict. Across the continent, the AU is partnering with subregional organizations and countries to respond to emerging and complex threats - from tense electoral transitions in West Africa to Boko Haram in the Lake Chad basin.”
2017-06-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7971 (2017) · source
“I want to begin by conveying our thoughts and prayers to the people of China, as well as to those affected by the school tragedy that we have just heard about this morning. I know that the facts are still incomplete, but from what we have heard so far, it is heartbreaking. The United States stands with the students and the families in prayer. I want to thank our briefers, as well as Senegal, Ethiopia and Egypt, for their contributions to this meeting. We truly value their leadership in the promotion of cooperation between the African Union (AU) and the United Nations. The African Union is an indispensable partner to both America and the United Nations in promoting peace and security in Africa. It has a unique capacity to anticipate crises, mediate conflicts and deploy troops and police on short notice.”
2017-06-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7971 (2017) · source
“Beyond diplomatic and financial consequences, the United States remains prepared to counteract the aggression of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea through other means, if necessary. The United States is fully committed to defending itself and its allies against aggression by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Once again, it is up to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to decide whether to stay on this dangerous path. As the Security Council showed today, future missile launches and nuclear tests are absolutely unacceptable. We hope that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea sees that response and chooses a more constructive path towards stability, security and peace.”
2017-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7958 (2017) · source
“The United States will continue to seek a peaceful, diplomatic resolution to the situation. We want a negotiated solution, but the Democratic People's Republic of Korea must fulfil its basic obligations by first stopping all ballistic missile launches and nuclear weapons testing and taking concrete steps towards getting rid of its nuclear-weapons programme. Our goal is not regime change. The United States has no wish to threaten the people of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea or destabilize the Asia-Pacific region. And we have never closed the door to dialogue with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. But as we have said before, all options for responding to future provocations must remain on the table.”
2017-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7958 (2017) · source
“Until the Democratic People's Republic of Korea reconsiders, all States Members of the United Nations must do their part to increase pressure. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is a global threat that requires a global response. There is still a lot of room to improve the implementation of the Security Council's sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. That is why the United States renews its call on responsible States to sever diplomatic ties and cease illegal trade with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Countries must also do more to break up the smuggling rings of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and cut off the sources of funding that it uses to pay for the development of weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver them.”
2017-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7958 (2017) · source
“The Security Council has rightfully and repeatedly condemned the launches and required the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to suspend all activities related to its ballistic-missile programme. Foreign Ministers gathered here one month ago (see S/PV.7932) to demand that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea stop. Resolution 2356 (2017) shows that those were not just words. The United States will work tirelessly to make sure that the international community never gets used to violations by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea or looks the other way. And the Democratic People's Republic of Korea must understand that the international community will never accept the regime's development and testing of nuclear weapons.”
2017-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7958 (2017) · source
“Each North Korean rocket has the potential to hit an airplane or ship, which threatens civilian lives. Each test ratchets up tensions in the region. But despite all the risks and the sanctions that the Council has imposed so far, North Korea still chooses to keep escalating. The reason that North Korea keeps launching these missiles is obvious. It openly says that it wants the ability to deliver its weapons of mass destruction over long distances to United States, South Korean, and Japanese cities. That is why the regime's ballistic missile tests are increasing. With each launch, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea gains valuable technical data to make even more progress, but, bit by bit, it wants to extend its reach.”
2017-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7958 (2017) · source
“The Security Council is sending a clear message to North Korea today - stop firing ballistic missiles or face the consequences. The members ofthe Council - including three of North Korea's closest neighbours - agree that North Korea's missiles are a threat to international peace and security and that the international community must respond to the threat. It is long past time for North Korea to see the writing on the wall. The international community is coming together to take action, and the pressure will not cease until North Korea complies fully with the Council's resolutions. North Korea's provocative and illegal missile launches are a direct threat to the security of numerous countries, including my own. Missiles have already fallen perilously close to South Korea, Japan and, most recently, Russia.”
2017-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7958 (2017) · source
“He said that Al-Assad is a brutal leader and that "we are happy when we listen to you and when you are talking about us. Please do not forget about the Syrian people." That must be our constant, overriding and unfaltering purpose.”
2017-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7955 (2017) · source
“No one is fooled by the games they are playing. They are making the choice to starve their own people for political gain and are being supported by Iran, as Russia looks the other way. The message I took to the refugees I visited last week was that the United States will never give up working to ease their suffering, but we have to be honest - what they want, what they need is to return home - but they will never have a home to return to until there is peace in Syria. In addition to the political solution, we must start to focus on the development needs of host countries, as well as the transition for Syrians to go home. I was at a Turkish camp and one of the refugees came up to me and asked that we remember that they need our support.”
2017-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7955 (2017) · source
“I applaud the United Nations for recognizing the challenges facing those children and recognize the United Nations-led No Lost Generation approach to provide counselling and education to school-age Syrians, other refugees and vulnerable Jordanians who cannot always access formal education. But the truth is no child should have to endure any of that. The Council is in a position to chart a different course for the children of Syria and give them the future they dream of and deserve. Ultimately, the best and only way to truly support those kids is by ending the conflict and getting them the assistance they need. Unfortunately, delivery of humanitarian aid continues to be blocked by the Government. The regime continues to put up bureaucratic roadblocks to the delivery of life-saving food and medicine.”
2017-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7955 (2017) · source
“We witnessed first-hand the effects on those children, with many refusing to leave the house or struggling with fear of loud noises. The United Nations, non-governmental organizations and assistance providers have done an admirable job trying to assist those children, but the systems and structures that exists to provide care and support for children are eroding around them. One in three schools in Syria have been destroyed, damaged, or are being used as a shelter for the displaced or for military purposes. More than half of Syria's public health facilities have closed and more than 75 per cent of Syrian households' children have to help support their families, with many of them as the sole breadwinners. The psychological and physical toll on Syrian children could cost us an entire generation if action is not taken.”
2017-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7955 (2017) · source
“I want to thank Under-Secretary-General O'Brien for calling our particular attention to the staggering and unacceptable impact of this war on children. Countless Syrian children have lost family, friends and other loved ones, and witnessed first-hand the unspeakable horrors of war. For the more than three million Syrian children under the age of six, many now orphaned, war is all they have ever known. As a recent report by Save The Children highlights, children wake up at night screaming from reliving those horrors as they fall asleep. They wet their beds; some have lost the ability to speak, while others tell their friends and families they would rather be dead than live another day hungry and afraid. Others turn to drugs as a way to cope with what they have endured.”
2017-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7955 (2017) · source
“It has led us to conclude that the Al-Assad regime has constructed a crematorium in the prison to dispose of victims' bodies. That is an appalling discovery. Even if Russia and Iran had no direct role in the construction of the crematorium, they have either aided in or passively looked away as the Al-Assad regime commits atrocities that are reminiscent of history's worst war crimes. It is hard to fathom yet another regime so soulless that it has to devise a more efficient method of disposing of all the dead bodies it generates, but that is where the evidence leads us. We need Russia to use its influence over the Al-Assad regime to bring an end to those atrocities. Even those inside Syria who managed to avoid Al-Assad's prisons do not avoid suffering. The bombings of hospitals and schools continue unabated.”
2017-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7955 (2017) · source
“It subjects them to such violence and inhumane conditions, including torture and sexual violence, that those who manage to survive suffer devastating and lasting damage. Their families suffer as well. But the most persuasive indicator of the continuing hell that is life in Syria is what we have learned this past month about what has been built inside Al-Assad's notorious Sednaya prison. Amnesty International calls the prison a "human slaughterhouse". Survivors report being approached by wardens inside with ropes and knives. They are then given a choice - kill friends and relatives, also in the prison, or be killed themselves. The evidence comes from a combination of photographs of structural changes in the prison and estimates of the horrifying rate of killings behind its walls.”
2017-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7955 (2017) · source
“Overwhelmingly, the displaced Syrian men, women and children with whom I spoke want to go home but, tragically, the violence and brutality that led them to flee their homeland has continued since we last met. There is no peace in Syria, only continuing, appalling suffering. There is no home to which those desperate people can return. According to one Syrian human rights group, in just the month of April, the Al-Assad regime killed nearly 500 civilians. That brings the total number of Syrians killed by the regime in just the past five months to more than 2,000. The same group reports that the total number of civilians killed by all parties during this period is more than 3,800. The Syrian Government continues to imprison tens of thousands of its people.”
2017-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7955 (2017) · source
“I thank Under- Secretary-General O'Brien for his briefing. Last week, I stood in the no-man's land between Syria and Turkey where trucks with life-saving humanitarian aid begin their perilous journey to reach desperate men, women and children in Syria. In the course of five days in Jordan and Turkey, I witnessed the generosity of those countries in providing Syrian refugees health and educational services. I met dedicated teachers and doctors who, with the help of the United States and the United Nations, are working to shape a better future for Syrians. I sat and spoke with refugee children and met the counsellors who are helping them deal with the trauma that has marked their young lives.”
2017-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7955 (2017) · source
“Resolution 2231 (2015) must be fully implemented, including provisions regarding the transfer of weapons and the launching of ballistic missiles. The European Union can, and should, do more to underscore to Iran that its destabilizing actions in the region, including support for extremists and terrorists groups, must cease. In conclusion, the United States shares deep bonds of history and principle with the European Union and its member countries. We reiterate our firm commitment to working closely with the High Representative in support of United Nations priorities. We look forward to continuing our valuable partnership and support for our shared values.”
2017-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7935 (2017) · source
“North Korea must abandon its reckless pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons. We call on the European Union and all countries to exert maximal pressure on North Korea to change course. We urge European Union member States to rigorously implement Security Council resolutions, impose tough, autonomous measures that go beyond the resolutions, and downgrade diplomatic and economic ties with North Korea. Stronger action on North Korea from the European Union and its member States will assist in securing peace in the region. With regard to Iran as well, we look forward to deepening cooperation with the European Union to counter Iran's destabilizing activities and to hold the Iranian Government accountable for its actions.”
2017-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7935 (2017) · source
“We also greatly appreciate its partnership with the United Nations and the United States in the nine United Nations missions in Africa, especially in Mali, Somalia and the Central African region. The European Union's financial contribution to the African Union forces in Somalia in particular has been central to the significant security and political progress there. Elsewhere in the world, we look forward to further support from European partners. In Asia, the European Union has played a key role in supporting United Nations efforts to establish the necessary incentives for North Korea to address urgent non-proliferation and humanitarian crises and human rights violations. The only path to a secure and prosperous future for North Korea is to comply fully with all ofits obligations under international law.”
2017-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7935 (2017) · source
“I am hopeful that we will begin to see greater support from European Union member States at the Human Rights Council as we work to prevent the ongoing anti-Israel bias in that forum. We remain deeply concerned about the migrant situation in Libya and the central Mediterranean region. We recognize the challenges that the European Union and its member States, especially Italy, face with the continuous flow of refugees. We commend them for their sustained efforts to counter migrant smuggling and human trafficking. Other bright spots in our partnership are in conflict prevention, security assistance, counter-terrorism and peacebuilding. In Africa, we commend the European Union's missions on the ground.”
2017-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7935 (2017) · source
“The European Union has played a critical role in holding Russia accountable for its actions in Ukraine. The United States and the European Union should remain united in their resolve to keep sanctions in place until Moscow fully honours its Minsk commitments. One of our most fruitful areas of cooperation has been in our effort to bring greater focus on the relationship between human rights and international peace and security. We commend and share the European Union's emphasis on accountability and its efforts to fight impunity for human rights abuses and violations. Together we are fighting not only to hold violators accountable, but also to ensure that victims receive the proper treatment, care and justice.”
2017-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7935 (2017) · source
“In the longer-term, the European Union's commitment to support serious reconstruction once a political settlement is reached will be invaluable not only to the Syrian people, but to the region and the world. But to get to that point, imposing sanctions on individuals and entities connected to Syria's chemical weapons programme is necessary. The United States has sought to expand United Nations sanctions on known suppliers and facilitators of the Syrian chemical weapons programme. We appreciate the European Union's cooperation in levying Syria-related sanctions, but we need to do more. We call on the European Union and the United Nations to apply more rigorous sanctions to deny Al-Assad and his regime the means to commit further war crimes. Ukraine is another area in which we have worked defectively together.”
2017-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7935 (2017) · source
“Today, as we take stock of our global priorities, I am struck by how often the United States and the European Union partner to amplify each of each other's important efforts. In Syria, the European Union is a close, reliable partner as we work together to end the conflict there and address the human rights and international humanitarian law violations of the Al-Assad regime. The humanitarian assistance provided by the European Union and its member States in that and other crises across the globe has been vital to relieving suffering. That support has complemented the United States humanitarian assistance to Syria, which has amounted to more than $6.5 billion since the start of the crisis.”
2017-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7935 (2017) · source
“Let me take this opportunity to congratulate you, Sir, on assuming the presidency of the Security Council. You wear it well, and we look forward to your leadership. I also thank the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for her comprehensive briefing. One of the great honours and pleasures ofbeing the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations is working with nations and organizations that share our commitment to freedom, prosperity and human dignity. We deeply appreciate the European Union and its member States' leadership and cooperation in promoting peace, security and human rights in Europe and around the world.”
2017-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7935 (2017) · source
“Do not listen to the fact that they claim the reports now are wrong. First it was the Security Council that was wrong; now it is Mr. O'Brien's report that is wrong. But the images do not lie. The humanitarian workers do not lie. The fact that they cannot get the assistance they need - that is not lying. What is is to continue to give Russia a pass for allowing this terrible situation to occur. I will continue to press the Security Council to act to do something, regardless of whether the Russians continue to veto it, because it is our voice that needs to be heard. The Syrian people do not care about diplomacy. They do not care about any sort of task force. They do not care about any of the things we said today. They are just trying to live their very last day. I now resume my functions as President of the Security Council.”
2017-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7931 (2017) · source
“Many members have said that we need to put pressure on the Syrian regime. That is actually not the case. We need to put pressure on Russia, because Russia continues to cover for the Syrian regime. Russia continues to allow them to keep humanitarian aid from the people that need it. Russia continues to cover for a leader who uses chemical weapons against his own people. Russia continues to veto. And Al-Assad continues to do those things because they know that Russia will continue to cover for them. Sitting in this Chamber, I appreciate all the comments that members have made. But all eyes and all pressure now need to go to Russia, because they are the ones that can stop this if they want to. Do not listen to the distractions of what they are trying to say while pointing to other conflicts.”
2017-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7931 (2017) · source
“Syrians in desperate need of humanitarian assistance must receive it. Bashar Al-Assad clearly believes it is necessary to starve hundreds of thousands of people in order to remain in power. When I asked the Council, as we talked about everything that is happening here, I heard from each and every member some word of desperation and of defeat because we talk about this so much, and every time we talk about it more people continue to die. I listened to my Russian colleague, and he talked about task forces and diplomacy and less criticism of the Syrian regime. Where has that gotten us? It has not gotten us anywhere. On the times where we could actually do something as a Security Council, who is the one Member State that continues to protect the regime that is keeping humanitarian assistance from going through?”
2017-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7931 (2017) · source
“But because the Syrian military has bombed all the hospitals in the area, they cannot receive professional treatment for their injuries. Those are the atrocities occurring in Syria every day that do not make the headlines. A resident doctor in one of the only cancer centres serving the besieged areas summed up the condition of her patients tragically well when she said, "death is coming at them from every direction". When death surrounds you, words mean very little. Al-Assad has proven he will act only to increase the suffering of his people, not ease it. And so it falls to others to do what basic human decency requires. Russia must live up to its promise to deliver real peace talks and a real political solution. The sieges of the Syrian people must be lifted. The war profiteering and the theft of medical supplies must be stopped.”
2017-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7931 (2017) · source
“According to the United Nations latest report, medical items that would have provided 36,000 lifesaving and life-sustaining treatment were removed from humanitarian convoys in March. As we speak, 450,000 people in the Damascus suburbs are being slowly squeezed by the Syrian regime. Those areas have been under siege since 2012, but recently Government forces closed the last routes for even black markets to get into the city. They have blocked all humanitarian aid deliveries since last October. The people in the Damascus, suburbs just like in other besieged areas of Syria, are slowly dying. Cancer patients are dying from lack of chemotherapy. Kidney patients are dying from lack of dialysis. And children are suffering most of all: nearly one third of all war- related injuries are two children under the age of 15.”
2017-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7931 (2017) · source
“What possible justification is there for preventing malnourished women and their children from receiving baby formula from the United Nations and its partners? Of course there is no justification, but there is a reason. With impunity, Syrian regime troops on the ground work to prevent United Nations aid from going to the men, women and children who need it. At the same time, they operate black markets and they sell many of the same products. Medical supplies that desperate people should be getting for free are instead sold at inflated prices or extorted through bribes at checkpoints. This is a major business in Syria, and yet another reason that the sieges have not been lifted. People are profiting off the suffering and dying of the Syrian people, and none of this is prevented or even opposed by Russia.”
2017-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7931 (2017) · source
“Even more bone-chilling is the fact that convoys that do get through are increasingly looted of medical supplies - items that have no military purpose but are essential to saving the lives of civilians who do not bow to the regime. Syrian Government forces and pro- Government militias remove baby formula, vaccines and forceps from midwifery kits. They raid paediatric kits of antibiotics, needles and gauze. They remove dialysis equipment, family hygiene kits and burn kits from trucks. There is no reason I can conceivably think of for that to happen. Maybe my colleagues from Russia and other allies of the Syrian regime can help me out. What possible definition of humanitarian relief does not include antibiotics and dialysis equipment?”
2017-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7931 (2017) · source
“The United Nations mission is a humanitarian one: they do not care who the people are or whether they are pro-Government or pro-opposition. They just want to save human lives. But the Syrian regime does not let them. They hide behind bureaucracy and deny requests for humanitarian access. That is permission the Government could easily give if it actually wanted to do so. The few convoys that manage to get approvals are often held up at checkpoints. They are stopped by Al-Assad's soldiers, or by rogue militias that the Al-Assad regime cannot, or will not, control. The aid they carry does not reach those who need it. And month after month we sit in the Security Council and talk about these very issues, and nothing changes.”
2017-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7931 (2017) · source
“That campaign of holding humanitarian relief hostage to Al-Assad's political goals is not new, but it is worsening. More humanitarian assistance is being denied to besieged areas today than at this time last year. More Syrian men, women and children are suffering and dying because aid is not being allowed through. That is what the Syrian dictator means when he says that "the only option is victory". Al-Assad will tighten the noose around the necks of his own people until they give in. The Syrian Government's slow strangulation of its people happens so frequently and so similarly that it has almost become textbook. First Government forces or their allies surround a city, town or village. They cut off all commercial routes in and out. Then the United Nations requests access to bring relief to the people as food and medical supplies vanish.”
2017-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7931 (2017) · source
“I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of the United States. It has been just three weeks since the world was horrified by pictures of poisoned children in Syria, the result of deadly nerve agents dropped from the sky. Those images of suffering and dying children will never be forgotten. But there is a quieter, slower kind of death occurring in Syria today. It is even more deliberate, more labour-intensive and more widespread then dropping chemical weapons from thousands of feet in the air. The Syrian regime is engaged in a purposeful strategy of siege and surrender. Civilians stranded inside are literally kept as prisoners until they die or kneel before the Government. They are denied food. They are also denied lifesaving medical supplies.”
2017-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7931 (2017) · source