YouSaid · the spoken record

Hamer

lines on the record: 120
first: 1999-07-26
most recent: 2000-12-19
sittings or episodes: 24
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

“Finally, we call on the Tajik authorities to ensure that the forthcoming elections to the National Assembly proceed in a free, fair and transparent manner.”
2000-03-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4115 (2000) · source
“The parliamentary elections on 27 February were the country's first multi-party elections, but serious shortcomings in those elections have led the Joint Electoral Observation Mission to express serious doubts concerning the integrity of the election results. Despite these undeniable shortcomings, the trend over the past few months has been encouraging. It is precisely because much remains to be done in the way of further democratization that the international community must remain engaged in that process. That is why the Netherlands fully endorses the Secretary-General's proposal concerning a further role for the United Nations in Tajikistan after the withdrawal of the United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT).”
2000-03-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4115 (2000) · source
“I too thank Assistant Secretary-General Annabi for his introduction of the Secretary-General's report and for the additional information he has provided. Although the overall progress in the peace process is encouraging, my delegation agrees with the Secretary- General's conclusion that the move towards a stable democracy has only just begun. While the holding of the presidential and parliamentary elections was a significant step in the development of democratic institutions, the elections themselves were marred by significant flaws. The presidential elections last November were not monitored by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), because they failed to meet the standards set by that organization.”
2000-03-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4115 (2000) · source
“Annabi can tell us a little more about the interlocutors of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) and about the leadership that East Timor must develop to guide it through the enormous challenges on its path. Finally, we are encouraged by the agreement between UNTAET and the Indonesian authorities on the exchange of information for the purposes of criminal investigation. The investigation into the murder of Dutch journalist Sander Thoenes has shown just how important such international cooperation is, in particular in the area of human rights abuses.”
2000-03-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4114 (2000) · source
“We hope that the community empowerment projects being developed by the World Bank and others will succeed in including the East Timorese and convincing them that the ownership is theirs. On this point, I have some further questions of Mr. Annabi. I was wondering if Mr. Annabi could tell us more about efforts to attract members of the East Timor diaspora to lend their skills and support to the reconstruction of their country, as referred to by the Secretary-General. What can be done to develop a private sector, alongside the setting up of a civil service to which Mr. Annabi referred? I would also be interested to know if Mr.”
2000-03-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4114 (2000) · source
“We expect from the Government of Indonesia more determined efforts to bring the militias operating from West Timor, often with the connivance of the Indonesian armed forces (TNI), under its control. With respect to the general issue of security, I was wondering if Mr. Annabi could tell us what has become of FALINTIL and what the current thinking is regarding the need, or the absence of the need, for future armed forces in East Timor. In his briefing on 29 February, the Secretary-General stressed the need for greater momentum in the reconstruction efforts by the international community to avoid dependency and social unrest. In a situation where all institutions need building or rebuilding, it will not be easy to instil in the East T imorese a sense of ownership.”
2000-03-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4114 (2000) · source
“The situation of the internally displaced persons in West Timor remains critical, and their safe and voluntary return is still insufficiently guaranteed. Intimidation and disinformation by militia members are still occurring. Under these circumstances, it is uncertain whether refugees will truly be in a position to decide, before the 10 April deadline, on whether and when to return to East Timor. It is clear that the Indonesian authorities' responsibility for their continued well-being and rights will not end as of that date. But in East Timor itself there are serious security concerns as well. In the absence of a legal system, there are reports of vigilante justice spreading. Particularly serious is the increasing number of border incidents.”
2000-03-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4114 (2000) · source
“I would like at the outset to thank Mr. Annabi for his very comprehensive briefing on the situation in East Timor. While the problems remain enormous, we welcome the positive development and join those who have paid tribute to Mr. Vieira de Mello for his contribution to that end. The visit of President Wahid to East Timor on 29 February was an important step towards normalization of the relations between Jakarta and Dili. Not only did the President's visit send an important political signal, it led also to concrete results such as the establishment of an Indonesian consulate and the opening of the air route to Kupang, as well as to measures to activate cross-border trade. At the same time, major worries remain.”
2000-03-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4114 (2000) · source
“Similarly, one could think of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), since some of its members are linked, in one way or another in this report, to illegal arms deliveries and ECOWAS, after all, has such a splendid record in dealing with issues like small arms at the regional level. Finally, as I said earlier, the most important thing now is to see to it that the Panel exercise gets the best possible follow-up to avoid a return to business as usual and to the culture of impunity which has so far prevailed. We would like to be actively involved in any future efforts to develop the monitoring mechanism proposed in the report. It also seems to us that many of the proposals and recommendations in this report contain important lessons for the improved effectiveness of other sanctions regimes.”
2000-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4113 (2000) · source
“The Panel's conclusions and recommendations merit study and wide distribution, so as to feed the discussions in other relevant forums. Exchange of information and transparency are key if we are going to be serious about combatting violations of sanctions. In this respect we should intensify our dialogue with exporters and potential exporters of arms and military equipment. More specifically, my delegation sees a role for regional organizations, such as the Southern African Development Community (SADC), in particular, but not exclusively, with regard to embargoes on arms and military equipment.”
2000-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4113 (2000) · source
“More generally, the Security Council needs to address in a systematic manner the problem of how conflicts are fuelled and prolonged by the access of the parties - legal or otherwise - to vast quantities of strategic resources. This issue goes beyond diamonds, and it goes beyond Angola. In fact, three of the bloodiest conflicts in Africa - in Angola, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo - are fuelled by the illegal export of resources. Secondly, on arms: the Netherlands welcomes the concrete and practical recommendations of the Panel in response to the violations of the arms embargo against UNITA. The Panel touches upon a number of very important issues that for very good reasons are high on the agenda of other forums as well. These issues include brokerage, arms registers and end-user certificates.”
2000-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4113 (2000) · source
“We will surely be revisiting the issue over the coming weeks and months, with more specific and detailed comments and suggestions. Allow me at this stage to limit myself to a few preliminary remarks on some elements of the report and its recommendations. First, on diamonds: in a sense UNITA's access to mineral wealth constitutes the core of the problem. If UNITA were unable to pay for its military and diplomatic efforts, it would never be able to continue its senseless war. Therefore it is essential that we devise ways and means to establish the origin of rough diamonds. Without documented evidence as regards the origin, it is impossible to distinguish legal trade from illegal trade, and this is obviously in the interest also of bona fide exporting countries such as Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.”
2000-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4113 (2000) · source
“The report itself concludes that its effects can already be seen and that it has become harder for UNITA to sell diamonds and to buy weapons because of increased risks to those involved now that their shady dealings stand in the international limelight. The Expert Panel and the sanctions Committee Chairman are to be congratulated for this. My delegation agrees that the effects of the report can be lasting only if there is a sustained follow-up. We have often spoken out in favour of the more effective monitoring of sanctions, and we have made some concrete proposals to that effect. The report's suggestion that the Panel should be succeeded by some monitoring mechanism, so as to avoid a return to business as usual, is important and deserves our full support. The recommendations in the report deserve careful study by the Council.”
2000-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4113 (2000) · source
“We are witnessing today quite an extraordinary event. An independent expert panel, established by this Council, has investigated the violations of sanctions against UNITA, lifting the edge of a veil that had for so long hung over the complex structures and networks that have allowed UNITA to maintain its stronghold over the years. This effort is without precedent, and it is an achievement in itself. Like others, we commend the expert panel and the sanctions Committee, under the chairmanship of Ambassador Robert Fowler, for their work. Their report will send a strong signal that this Council is serious about the sanctions it imposes. We expect that the report's publication, in and of itself, will make a difference in terms of the effectiveness of the United Nations sanctions against UNITA.”
2000-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4113 (2000) · source
“Annabi could shed some light on the projects that will be developed as part of the community rehabilitation and reintegration programme referred to in paragraph 26 of the Secretary-General's report.”
2000-03-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4111 (2000) · source
“A warm tribute is due also to President Konare, whose commitment to regional stability is well known from his leadership in fostering the ECOWAS small arms moratorium and whose energetic current leadership of ECOWAS is contributing greatly to the international community's peace efforts in Sierra Leone. Finally, I should like to ask two questions of Mr. Annabi. Paragraph 48 of the report states that viable mechanisms should be created to allow the Government and the people of Sierra Leone to reap the benefits of the exploitation of the country's strategic resources. Does this not imply that the Commission for the Management of Strategic Resources, National Reconstruction and Development, which is chaired by Mr. Sankoh, is not in itself such a viable mechanism as intended in paragraph 48? Finally, I would be grateful if Mr.”
2000-03-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4111 (2000) · source
“The Security Council has been unequivocal that it will not put up with Mr. Savimbi any longer. The time has come now to show that the Security Council's patience with Mr. Sankoh is running out. As part of our effort to ensure a strong and credible UNAMSIL presence, we should spare no effort to ensure the full deployment of UNAMSIL, with access to all parts of Sierra Leone, and firm UNAMSIL action in accordance with its robust rules of engagement. While UNAMSIL is not fully deployed, the continued presence of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) is needed to maintain the fragile stability and prevent a security vacuum. We applaud the Nigerian offer to suspend the withdrawal of Nigerian ECOMOG troops remaining in Sierra Leone.”
2000-03-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4111 (2000) · source
“He sits in the Government and has himself appointed head of the Commission that is supposed to curb the sale of illegally mined diamonds from Sierra Leone, all the while himself dragging his feet when it comes to fulfilling his part of the deal. And worse, Mr. Sankoh is not just trying to obstruct the Peace Agreement, he is in fact trying to intimidate the international community. While there is much that could and should be said regarding the steps ahead outlined by the Secretary- General at the end of his report, their success is predicated on the international community's success in forcing Mr. Sankoh and his supporters to abide by the Peace Agreement. Without the RUF's cooperation, there just will not be the measure of security and stability needed for faster and further progress.”
2000-03-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4111 (2000) · source
“Sankoh and the lack of commitment on the part of Mr. Sankoh and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). This is the theme, the red line running throughout the Secretary-General's report. The process of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration is proceeding slowly, and while any progress in this area is of course good news, here again the programme is in trouble because of a lack of commitment on the part of the RUF. While the international community is devising new ways of addressing the needs of a country emerging from conflict, Mr. Sankoh pockets what is offered him under the terms of the peace accord.”
2000-03-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4111 (2000) · source
“I would like to thank Mr. Annabi for his briefing and his introduction of the Secretary-General's report. Like Ambassadors Greenstock and Hasmy before me, let me say that my delegation would be happy to comply with Mr. Annabi's plea for an extension of the reporting period. The report before us points to some positive developments, but essentially the news is bad. As the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) is in the process of deploying - very courageously, I might add - its units have been the targets of rebel attacks and intimidation. There are widespread, major human rights violations, and they are so bad that these violations prompted a strongly worded statement to the press by the Council's President only last week. This situation is unacceptable, and the main responsibility for it lies quite clearly with Mr.”
2000-03-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4111 (2000) · source
“It is unacceptable that civilians should be denied protection or relief solely because of their status as internally displaced persons. People fleeing the horrors of armed conflicts and terror should not be treated differently according to whether or not they have managed to cross an international border. Although the responsibility for the appropriate assistance belongs primarily to the States concerned and to the United Nations and other humanitarian aid agencies, the Council has an important role in making sure that this assistance can be provided and that sufficient and secure access to the internally displaced is provided. Furthermore, where the State concerned cannot provide for adequate safety and security of internally displaced persons, the Security Council must address the question of how best to secure such conditions.”
2000-03-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4109 (2000) · source
“My second point concerns reconciliation, to which the Secretary-General again referred today in the context of humanitarian action. Reconciliation is an essential prerequisite for lasting peace; also, there can be no reconciliation without accountability - and without accountability peace is invariably compromised. The Council should therefore always stress the necessity of the full investigation of war crimes and atrocities, in intra-State as well as inter-State conflicts, as an indispensable means towards national reconciliation. My third and final point concerns the issue of internally displaced persons. We are grateful to Ambassador Holbrooke for drawing the Council's attention to this problem in such a forceful manner last month, and again in his statement today.”
2000-03-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4109 (2000) · source
“As the current holder of the presidency of the European Union, Portugal will participate in today's debate with a substantial statement on behalf of all members of the European Union, as well as 14 other like-minded European States. I will therefore limit myself to three brief comments that are to be seen in conjunction with the statement to be made by Ambassador Monteiro. My first comment concerns the need for an integrated approach to the various aspects of the Council's work in this field. Many of those aspects rely for their practical implementation on a variety of United Nations organs and agencies, any number of which may be involved alongside the Council. The Council should therefore encourage the use of instruments such as strategic frameworks to provide for the integration of all relevant elements and actors.”
2000-03-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4109 (2000) · source
“Thank you, Mr. President, for organizing today's meeting. I am grateful for the tremendous efforts of Ambassador Chowdhury and his delegation in sharpening the Council's focus on the humanitarian aspects of its work. I would also like to thank the Secretary-General for his introduction. As always, he has identified the key problems in this area. We encourage him to continue to include humanitarian issues in his briefings to the Council. The Secretary-General's exercise of his prerogative under Article 99 of the Charter is an indispensable means of ensuring that the Council can discharge its duties in cases where humanitarian crises endanger international peace and security.”
2000-03-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4109 (2000) · source
“President, for holding this meeting today, and commend Carl Bildt for his report. I encourage him to continue to be the eyes and ears of the Secretary- General and to keep us in the Security Council, and through us the international community, apprised of his views of what we can do in order to achieve our goal in Bosnia, which is to implement the Dayton Peace Agreement; and in Kosovo, where our goal is more elusive and more difficult to reach, but with his help and assistance I am confident we will be able to move in that direction.”
2000-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4105Resumption1 (2000) · source
“I believe that the war crimes tribunal and others should reinvigorate their efforts to bring indicted war criminals to justice. I am not going to talk at length about Kosovo today, because I know that we have a very important meeting scheduled for that subject next week, when General Reinhardt and Mr. Kouchner will address us, but I do want to welcome very strongly the announcement of the United Kingdom over the weekend that it will double its contribution to the civil police in Kosovo. This is an extremely important action and one that I think will help the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo and the Kosovo force achieve their goals. So while reserving further comments on Kosovo for next week's important meeting, I want to commend you, Mr.”
2000-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4105Resumption1 (2000) · source
“In regard to the region, I share entirely Carl Bildt's view that the newly elected Government of President Mesic' and Prime Minister Racan is a major step forward, and I believe that the number-one test of that Government in regard to the region will come in Mostar. I believe that what happens in Mostar will be determining for the future of Bosnia. It is the most broken city in Europe at this moment - Mitrovica is the most dangerous, Mostar is the most broken. In Mostar, I think Zagreb holds the key, and I call on our friends from Croatia to help fix the broken city of Mostar. As Carl has so accurately noted, we remain handicapped by the actions of the regime in Belgrade, and we also remain handicapped by the fact that a number of indicted war criminals are still at large.”
2000-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4105Resumption1 (2000) · source
“Some of this criticism is not surprising, and it does not trouble me very much, but I do think we have to remember that we are all on the same team, trying for the same objective, which in Bosnia is to make the Dayton Peace Agreement work. In regard to Bosnia, I am encouraged by some of what Carl Bildt has reported, and I think we should take very carefully his comments on refugee returns to minority areas and strengthening the joint institutions. The High Representative's office in Bosnia is critical to success. It has been filled now by three outstanding representatives of the European Union, Carl Bildt himself, Carlos Westendorp, and now Wolfgang Petritsch. We must support them.”
2000-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4105Resumption1 (2000) · source
“It is, in my view, a simple question of two things: leadership by the international community - and in Bosnia and Kosovo this is slightly different structurally, but the same nations are involved in both, although under different structures; and secondly, the underlying problem that plagues all of the Balkans to this day, and has since 1991, and that is the goals and designs of the leadership in Belgrade. In regard to the first, it is a question of resources, leadership and will, and all too often we have institutional rivalries and public criticism between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the United Nations, or between the United States and the European Union, or between individuals, when the fact is that we all have the same objective and we are all pulling for the same goal.”
2000-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4105Resumption1 (2000) · source
“I am delighted that the Secretary-General has given him this important assignment, and I want to state publicly that our Government listens to everything Carl Bildt says with the greatest attention, not simply because he represents the Secretary-General, but because of his extensive experience and authority in regard to these issues. I think that Carl Bildt's report to us today should encourage us somewhat in regard to Bosnia and focus us on where we need to go to move forward.”
2000-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4105Resumption1 (2000) · source
“My main purpose in joining the Council today is to speak personally about Carl Bildt for a moment, because according to his own book, I was the reason he ended up where he is today, by offering him the job to begin with, in a secret interview in Washington, which at the time he did not realize was a job interview. So I have come here today both to apologize to him and to praise him. We have been friends and very close colleagues since 1994, since that first meeting that he has described rather amusingly in his own memoirs, and as a co-Chairman of the Dayton peace conference, he was my closest colleague at moments of very high drama.”
2000-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4105Resumption1 (2000) · source
“We hope that this issue will be included in the quick-start package to be discussed at the regional funding conference next month. Mr. Holbrooke (United States of America) It is a great honour to be here again, and I apologize for having missed so much of today's meeting, but like you, Mr. President, I was equally preoccupied today with our concurrent meeting in the Economic and Social Council with Dr. Piot and the discussion on AIDS and Africa, which I think was a very important step forward in the close cooperation of all of us in dealing with the AIDS in Africa problem. I am particularly sorry I missed the comments of my good friend the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General, but since I spent a good deal of time with him this morning, I have a very good idea of his position, as well as through the report I got from my colleagues.”
2000-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4105Resumption1 (2000) · source
“The only way out of this conundrum is for the people of Serbia to put a stop to Mr. Milosevic and his fellow disintegrationists, to follow the example of the other republics of the former Yugoslavia in electing a democratic government, and to cast their lot with the other peoples of the Balkans in a new vision of regional cooperation and integration. The Stability Pact provides the most viable framework for a comprehensive approach to restructuring the region. An issue requiring priority attention of the parties to the Pact continues to be that of the voluntary return of refugees and internally displaced persons. Cooperation on the voluntary return of refugees and internally displaced persons is as essential to self-sustaining stability as the big infrastructural projects currently under discussion.”
2000-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4105Resumption1 (2000) · source
“I should like to thank Mr. Bildt for his briefing and for his thoughtful analysis of the problems of the Balkans. One of the conclusions to be drawn from his analysis is that the international community cannot hope to achieve its goal of self- sustaining stability for the Balkans while the Milosevic regime remains in power in Belgrade, not just because Mr. Milosevic and his clique are under indictment from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, but at least as much because they continue to be the principal representatives of the tendency towards violent disintegration to which Mr. Bildt referred. They have been the main protagonists of that tendency towards violent disintegration ever since 25 June 1991, and they remain so to this day in Kosovo and in Montenegro.”
2000-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4105Resumption1 (2000) · source
“Still, the Council should take the time to look at these issues again, for, while the Council has shown itself capable of dealing with complex matters such as East Timor, Sierra Leone and now even the Democratic Republic of the Congo, somehow the Council has not been capable of stopping the foot-dragging by parties on those other issues. Finally, Sir, like the Deputy Secretary-General, Ms. Frechette, you said earlier today that the key word at this stage is "follow-up". Maybe in your summing up as the final speaker you could formulate, or try to formulate, a number of key elements or benchmarks by which to measure the Council's follow-up at regular intervals in the near future.”
2000-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4096 (2000) · source
“Perhaps the Mozambican example - the combined legal and financial arrangements to induce soldiers to lay down their arms and return to their homes - can serve as a model in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. With regard, finally, to the Joint Military Commission (JMC), my Government has pledged $250,000, and has expressed a firm intention to assist financially the work of the facilitator, former President Masire. January's African agenda was inevitably a selection from among the African issues before the Council. Issues such as Ethiopia-Eritrea and Western Sahara did not make it this time.”
2000-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4096 (2000) · source
“Of paramount importance to any solution in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will be the way we deal with the very real life-and-death issues of the illegal flows of arms to and in Africa and the related problem of the illegal exploitation of the natural resources of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and, may I add, of other resource-rich areas of conflict in Africa, such as Angola, Sierra Leone and others. Practical approaches, including voluntary arms embargoes, to these challenges were outlined by my own and other delegations last week. Equally crucial to finding a solution is how we deal with the problem of Interahamwe, ex-Rwandan Armed Forces (FAR) and other groups. In our view, that solution cannot be achieved through military means.”
2000-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4096 (2000) · source
“I believe that it is important to remind the Council and others of the statement to the press made by the United Kingdom presidency of the Council on 22 December 1999. Through that statement, Council members reiterated the willingness of the United Nations to be seriously involved. But at the same time, Council members pointed out that, in order to play its role in a peacekeeping operation, the United Nations must be confident that the parties themselves are determined to refrain from all hostile acts and to respect the ceasefire. This remains for us the guideline for our future involvement.”
2000-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4096 (2000) · source
“Let me now try to draw some brief conclusions from last week's debate on the Democratic Republic of the Congo. To our mind, the debate confirmed that there is no alternative to the Lusaka Agreement, which shows that we are on the right road. But at the same time, we are in for a very bumpy ride on that road, as seen in the recent resumption of ceasefire violations. Most encouraging is that contacts among the protagonists are possible and useful. Encouraging also is that the debate gave the international community a renewed sense of urgency in making the Lusaka Agreement work. At last, the United Nations is about to embark upon a very substantive exercise of implementation of the Lusaka Agreement on the basis of the report of the Secretary-General (S/2000/30).”
2000-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4096 (2000) · source
“We must reserve these events for very special causes and leave ourselves sufficient time to concentrate on the less visible, but ultimately crucial, preparation of Security Council action. So where do we go next? Hopefully, by the time the next ministerial meeting takes place, in September of this year, the Council's relentless attention to African issues will actually begin to yield fruit. The particular relevance of that ministerial meeting to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for instance, is clear for all to see, with the attention it will be giving to the follow-up of Security Council resolutions 1196 (1998), 1197 (1998) and 1209 (1998), on arms embargoes, peacekeeping mechanisms and illicit arms flows to and in Africa respectively.”
2000-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4096 (2000) · source
“President, has done wonders in cutting away a lot of procedural dead wood, for which future generations of Security Council presidents will owe you gratitude. Through your efforts also, Sir, the Security Council has returned to the public spotlight, not only through its highly successful meeting on Burundi in the presence of former President Mandela, but also through its meetings on the AIDS tragedy with its particularly poignant consequences for Africa, on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and on other African issues. This public spotlight is important. A Security Council that does not have public support will lose in effectiveness, and you, Mr. President, have done a lot to hone our sensitivity on this point. But let us be cautious at the same time. The public appetite for Security Council debates is surely not insatiable.”
2000-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4096 (2000) · source
“I would like to join those speakers before me who expressed their feelings of distress and sorrow over the tragedy which has befallen Kenya and Cote d'Ivoire. I would like now to make some general remarks concerning our "month of Africa" and then to focus more specifically on some conclusions regarding the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The United States presidency has, if I may use an understatement, adopted a high-visibility approach to selected African topics. That high-visibility approach, to our eyes, had the additional virtue of fitting exceptionally well with the desire for improved transparency expressed by my own and by most other delegations of non-permanent members. It is worth noting in passing that our successful "month of Africa" was not exactly a month of legal advisers. Your refreshing approach, Mr.”
2000-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4096 (2000) · source
“The exploitation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's economic resources by several parties helps to continue the conflict, enabling them to finance military expenditures. We need to redress this situation quickly and prevent the illegal exploitation of these resources. Perhaps it would be feasible for the Secretary-General to report back to the Security Council on this aspect on the basis of findings of a panel of experts, similar to the approach that has been followed in the case of Angola. We support wholeheartedly the very sensible suggestions made to this effect by the ministers of France and, on an earlier occasion, the United Kingdom.”
2000-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092Resumption2 (2000) · source
“Finally, there are two important aspects that directly and indirectly fuel the conflict: the arms trade and the exploitation of natural resources. The Council, in September last year under the Netherlands presidency, devoted a special session to small arms and called for measures to discourage arms flows to countries in conflict. The Council, on that occasion, also referred to the possibility of voluntary and regional moratoriums to facilitate reconciliation. These recommendations apply very specifically to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in view of the large quantities of weapons on its soil. As a first step, we would call on United Nations Member States that have not done so yet to adopt the policy and the guiding principles of the European Union Code of Conduct and refrain from arms exports to the Great Lakes region.”
2000-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092Resumption2 (2000) · source
“Despite the obvious risks of deployment in an environment of instability, the Netherlands supports the dispatch of 500 observers, as proposed in the Secretary-General's report, if adequate protection can be ensured. We must get it right this time, and we must be willing to adopt the right mandate with matching resources. The success of your efforts, Mr. President, to bring the United States Congress on board will, of course, be crucial to our ability to find these resources. The conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has only aggravated the misery caused during a long history of human rights Violations. All over the country, the parties to the conflict have been involved in such Violations. We call on the parties to respect human rights and ensure the punishment of those who violate them.”
2000-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092Resumption2 (2000) · source
“Their disarmament, demobilization and reintegration into society, though a monumental task, will be a crucial step in the peace process. The restoration of the territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo will need to go hand in hand with the accommodation of the legitimate security needs of its neighbours. In fact, such is the involvement of regional Powers in this conflict that in due course, an international conference will need to address the question of peace, stability, democracy and development in the Great Lakes region as a whole. The purpose of our current debate is twofold: apart from reaffirming the parties' commitment to Lusaka, it will serve to inform the Council's response to the Secretary-General's recommendations for the second phase of the United Nations operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
2000-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092Resumption2 (2000) · source
“A new political arrangement is necessary inside the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including the development of democratic and accountable State structures which address the problems of multi-ethnicity and power sharing. While we regret that the national dialogue in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has taken so long to get off the ground, we look forward to early results from President Masire's endeavours as the facilitator of this process. I would second the United Kingdom Minister's view that a starting date for this dialogue should ideally be announced this week. The Netherlands firmly pledges its financial support to the process. A key threat to the Lusaka Agreement is constituted by the Interahamwe and former Rwandese Armed Forces, whose activities, past and present, are at the root of the conflict.”
2000-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092Resumption2 (2000) · source
“The Netherlands supports the JMC financially; in fact, international financial support for the JMC is such that lack of resources cannot credibly be said to be an obstacle to the JMC's taking the key role foreseen in the Agreement. The JMC needs to meet more frequently to monitor the numerous ceasefire violations. The opening of a permanent JMC secretariat should be considered in order to facilitate a more hands-on approach. We call on all -V "Mu-MMJ A-tuvv parties and the Organization of African Unity to renew their efforts to improve the JMC's effectiveness and credibility. Without a reinvigorated JMC, the efforts of the United Nations will fall on barren soil.”
2000-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092Resumption2 (2000) · source
“We have before us a very thoughtful and thought-provoking report of the Secretary-General (S/2000/30). It makes the point that the international community's intensified involvement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is predicated upon the renewed and strengthened commitment of the parties to the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement. It makes it just as clear that there is no realistic alternative to the Lusaka Agreement. It is therefore all the more distressing that the Agreement is being violated systematically. We urge the signatories to end all military action in violation of the Agreement. Priority attention needs to be accorded to improving the disappointing performance of the Joint Military Commission (JMC).”
2000-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092Resumption2 (2000) · source
“During its presidency of the Security Council in September of last year, the Netherlands organized a special meeting to help the Council focus more closely on the daunting issues facing Africa at the outset of what we hoped would be the "African century". Surely the current "month of Africa", so energetically sponsored by you, Mr. President, is an auspicious first step at the start of this new century. We were impressed by the attendance at this debate of so many heads of State from the countries most immediately involved in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Surely this bodes well for the future of that troubled region. In particular, we hope that further talks will produce a realistic timetable for the implementation of the Lusaka Agreement.”
2000-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092Resumption2 (2000) · source