YouSaid · the spoken record

Hammond

lines on the record: 38
first: 2015-09-30
most recent: 2015-12-18
sittings or episodes: 3
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

“But above all, we need Syrian leaders of all persuasions to take responsibility for the future of their country and to take the tough decisions needed to bring about a lasting political settlement and an end to the conflict. We can help, but only the Syrians themselves can bring an end to Syrian suffering.”
2015-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7588 (2015) · source
“I hope that in February we will see others committing to both the immediate challenge and the long-term challenge of reconstruction. In conclusion, the conflict in Syria is now almost five years old. During that time, more than 250,000 Syrians have been killed. We all have a duty to prevent further slaughter. Despite the important step that we have taken with today's resolution, despite the progress we have made in Vienna, despite the important steps forward at the meeting in Riyadh the week before last, there is still a very long way to go. In order to have a chance of success, the United Nations will need the clear and continued support of the International Syria Support Group, and I know that I can say that it will have the support of that group.”
2015-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7588 (2015) · source
“We must reaffirm our commitment to assist in the post-conflict reconstruction of the country. Next February, in close partnership with Germany, Norway, Kuwait and the United Nations, the United Kingdom will co-host a conference in London on humanitarian support for Syria, including a focus on civilian protection, as well as planning for stabilization. Of course, that conference will seek to raise the funding that is necessary to meet the United Nations appeal to support those displaced by the humanitarian crisis. The United Kingdom is also committed to supporting post-conflict reconstruction efforts in Syria, and has already committed to providing at least $1.5 billion to that work in the long term, in addition to the more than $1.64 billion we have so far given in humanitarian aid.”
2015-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7588 (2015) · source
“Following the appalling attacks in the Sinai, Beirut, Ankara and Paris, the Council unanimously decided to adopt resolution 2249 (2015), which calls on all countries to use all the necessary means to combat Daesh. The United Kingdom responded to that resolution by extending into Syria the air strikes that we were already carrying out in Iraq against Daesh. In that regard, it is vital that all countries that claim to be fighting Daesh do what they say rather than direct the bulk of their attacks against non-extremist opposition groups. There has been clear evidence over the past weeks that the weakening of such groups has created opportunities for the expansion of Daesh in certain areas, the very opposite of the stated objective. As well as focusing on the immediate threats, we must also prepare for the future in Syria.”
2015-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7588 (2015) · source
“While we must seek to end the conflict in Syria, especially the violence that is directed against civilians, we must also join in confronting the threat posed by Daesh and other extremist groups in the country. An end to the civil war in Syria is critical to tackling Daesh in the long term. We all agree that terrorist groups must not and will not benefit from the ceasefire that we are promoting. A key consideration for the Syrians in the establishment of the transitional governing body will be the fight against terrorism. In that fight, they will have the full support of the International Syria Support Group and the global coalition to counter the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.”
2015-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7588 (2015) · source
“That will involve the establishment of a transitional governing body with full executive powers and representative of all Syrians, all of which provides the framework for talks and an end to the conflict. That process necessarily involves the departure of Bashar Al-Assad, not only for moral reasons, given the destruction that he has unleashed upon his own people, but also for practical reasons, because it will never be possible to bring peace and unity to Syria as long as he remains in office. But we must and will protect the institutions that are necessary for the future governance of Syria. That will be possible with a representative transitional governing body and with the support of the International Syria Support Group.”
2015-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7588 (2015) · source
“They must allow humanitarian agencies rapid, safe and unhindered access throughout Syria by the most direct routes. There are 13.5 million Syrians in need of humanitarian assistance. Those people need to see a change in their lives, if they are to have confidence in this political process and to feel its benefits. The United Kingdom is the second-largest bilateral donor to the humanitarian effort in response to the Syrian conflict, after the United States. But let us all do more on that front. The resolution also reiterates a commitment to political transition in Syria, following the principles of the Geneva communique in full, and leading to free and fair elections under a new Syrian constitution within 18 months.”
2015-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7588 (2015) · source
“Therefore, all the parties must undertake confidence-building measures, some of which are identified in the resolution that we have adopted today. We welcome the work being undertaken by the United Nations to that end, with the aim of arriving at modalities for a ceasefire, as mandated by today's resolution. All parties have a duty to take care, in their military operations, not to cause the deaths of civilians, whether by deliberate or by reckless targeting. The indiscriminate use of weapons, especially the use of artillery and aerial bombardments, including barrel bombs, must stop. Medical facilities and schools have increasingly become targets for aerial bombardment, something that is abhorrent to all of us and must stop. All parties must adhere to their duties under international human rights and humanitarian law.”
2015-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7588 (2015) · source
“To have a realistic chance of success, a ceasefire must be closely aligned to making progress on a political transition and on talks between the Syrian parties under United Nations auspices. We have seen previous attempts to end the conflict in Syria undermined by a lack of determination on the part of the parties to contribute productively to talks. It is critical that the voices of all Syrian are heard in this process, including Syrian women and members of Syrian minorities. Secondly, there needs to be confidence among the parties that the political process will deliver real results, without which neither the talks nor the ceasefire will be successful. That will not be easy. Five years of conflict has eroded confidence.”
2015-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7588 (2015) · source
“I also welcome Jordan's efforts aimed at building consensus on identifying the terrorist groups operating in Syria. While it is for the Council ultimately to decide to designate any such groups, theInternational Syria Support Group is in a privileged position to provide information, analysis and advice to the Council to assist it. We believe that it will take time for that review to mature, enabling us to test which groups are willing to commit to a political process and a ceasefire. I would now like to turn to the content of the resolution just adopted and highlight the areas that will be critical to the progress of talks. First, all ofus, both in the Council and in the broader international community, want to see an national ceasefire established.”
2015-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7588 (2015) · source
“While Daesh poses a real threat to Syrians, as well as to the wider region, it is Al-Assad who bears the responsibility for the majority of the deaths in Syria. I commend Saudi Arabia for convening a broad cross-section of representatives of the Syrian opposition groups in Riyadh earlier this month. The agreement reached at that meeting in Riyadh and the formation of a high-level negotiating committee showed the determination of the Syrian opposition groups to come together, whatever their differences, to play a crucial and constructive role in the talks. They reaffirmed their commitment to the implementation of the Geneva communique (S/2012/522, annex), working towards a managed transition away from Al-Assad and a pluralistic future for Syria.”
2015-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7588 (2015) · source
“The participants in the International Syria Support Group came together behind a single aim: to support the Syrian parties in their efforts to find an end to the conflict and to tackle the terrorists currently operating in their country. We all share the sense of urgency that comes from witnessing the ongoing deterioration of the humanitarian and security situation in Syria. The Syrians - over 250,000 of whom have been killed and millions more forced from their homes - have borne the brunt of that conflict. It is not a humanitarian disaster. It is a humanitarian catastrophe. The ongoing and indiscriminate use of weapons on civilians, especially artillery and aerial bombardments, including barrel bombs, continues to cause terror, destruction and civilian deaths.”
2015-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7588 (2015) · source
“Frankly, on Syria, the Council has too seldom found the unity it needed to live up to its responsibility for delivering peace and security, despite some useful but only partially implemented resolutions. That has to change. No country, nor any person who has been involved in Syria's destruction over the past four years, can take any satisfaction from what has been happening there. On the Syrian dossier, we have to concede that we have all failed. We have all been losers, but by far the greatest losers are the people of Syria themselves. We have to do better, and we have to do better fast, if there is not to be still more suffering.”
2015-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7588 (2015) · source
“Let me begin by thanking the Secretary-General and his Special Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, for all that they are doing to bring the Syrian parties together. Allow me to also thank you, Mr. Secretary, for the characteristic drive and energy that you have brought for months to this process in establishing the International Syria Support Group. That has given new momentum to the resumption of Syrian-led talks and has brought us to this important occasion today. Resolution 2254 (2015), which we have adopted unanimously today, is a further step in that work. Sadly, it is far too soon for any of us to predict an end to the Syrian conflict, but I hope that we will look back on today as a significant step in that direction.”
2015-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7588 (2015) · source
“There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers. In conclusion, I again thank the Prime Minister of Somalia for his presence and his statement. I also thank the briefers. I welcome the unanimous adoption of resolution 2245 (2015) and commend Mr. Nicholas Kay for his outstanding service to the United Nations. The meeting rose at 11.35 am.”
2015-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7551 (2015) · source
“As the Council has set out in resolution 2232 (2015), all key actors and institutions in Somalia, including Parliament, should engage constructively to ensure progress. Only then can we truly say that Somalia has turned a corner. I now resume my functions as President of the Council. I now give the floor to other members of the Security Council.”
2015-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7551 (2015) · source
“Ensuring a credible electoral process will allow Somalia to show the world just how much progress has been made since 2012. It will quieten the remaining sceptical voices that say that political renewal cannot be achieved, and it will help in ensuring that the international community remains committed to supporting Somalia on the right path - a path towards a more secure, peaceful future. The United Kingdom remains committed to supporting progress in Somalia. I urge the Council and other international allies to continue their commitment to the country. Unity of purpose and effort will ensure success. Over the coming year, our commitment must be shared by all across the political spectrum in Somalia. Personal differences and vested interests must be set aside for the good of the nation as a whole.”
2015-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7551 (2015) · source
“As our Prime Minister announced here in September, we will deploy military, logistical, engineering and training expertise to reinforce the United Nations Support Office in Somalia in support of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia. Building security and stability are key, but the foundation on which they rest is political progress. In 2016 the eyes of the world will be on Somalia. Conducting a credible electoral process next year is critical. A failure to do so would risk undermining the collective effort to defeat Al-Shabaab, and all that has been achieved so far. It would risk undermining the international community's support for Somalia but, most important, it would undermine the right of the Somali people to hold its leaders to account.”
2015-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7551 (2015) · source
“It is clear that UNSOA has been under- resourced and that it has been operating at the very edge of its capabilities. I am therefore pleased that today we have all agreed to put that right, and I thank the Council for supporting resolution 2245 (2015). But the challenge for all of us - Somali and non-Somali alike - is to sustain effort and momentum, and to be fully coordinated as we do so. On security, that work has started. The President has committed to significant security sector reform, and I urge him and his Government to press forward with the implementation of those reforms. The United Kingdom will continue to play its part.”
2015-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7551 (2015) · source
“I also commend the vital role of the United Nations. Nick Kay has worked tirelessly since July 2013 as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to ensure that the United Nations is at the centre of international coordination and support for Somalia under difficult conditions, including the tragic loss of seven United Nations civilians. We are very grateful to him and his team for everything they have done. I am also grateful to the United Nations Support Office for AMISOM. (UNSOA), the most direct and tangible contribution of the United Nations to countering terrorism and extremism in the Horn of Africa. The successes of AMISOM. and the Somali National Army in combating Al-Shabaab would have been impossible without the essential logistical support the Mission provides.”
2015-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7551 (2015) · source
“I am pleased to describe that progress, because the United Kingdom has long recognized the need to build enduring peace and security in Somalia. Our commitment is clear and we have invested heavily. We are Somalia's second-biggest bilateral donor. We have opened an Embassy in Mogadishu, the only European Union member State to do so. And we have strong personal links with the thriving Somali diaspora in the United Kingdom. But we must today take time to recognize and pay tribute to the bravery and sacrifices made by the brave AMISOM. and Somali National Army troops on the front line of the fight. We should also pay tribute to the Federal Government of Somalia for the commitment it has demonstrated in helping to steer Somalia towards the completion of the federal map and a permanent sustainable political settlement.”
2015-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7551 (2015) · source
“The security environment made trying to run a business a high-risk venture, where owners risked their goods, their property and sometimes their lives. That affected all of us directly too. In 2010 alone, there were 174 pirate attacks, and Somali pirates held 404 hostages. Fortunately, there has been much progress. Al-Shabaab is on the back foot, with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the Somali National Army now controlling 80 per cent of Somali territory. Somalia's economy is reviving, with gross domestic product on the increase and shops and businesses opening at ever increasing rates. Offthe shores of Somalia, as the Prime Minister has said, there have been no successful pirate attacks for over two years.”
2015-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7551 (2015) · source
“I shall now make a statement in my national capacity as the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is an honour to follow the Prime Minister of Somalia, who is working so hard to rebuild his country. Let me also thank the Secretary-General and Ambassador Tete Antonio for all that the African Union has done to ensure that the United Nations and the African Union are working together to bring peace and prosperity to the people of Somalia. Our purpose today is to discuss what more we can do to defeat Al-Shabaab and deliver a better future for Somalia. But before we do so, I think it is helpful to remind ourselves of the past. Just four short years ago, Al-Shabaab controlled major cities inside Somalia, including Kismayo and the capital, Mogadishu.”
2015-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7551 (2015) · source
“I thank Mr. Antonio for his briefing. I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Somalia.”
2015-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7551 (2015) · source
“I thank Mr. Kay for his briefing. I now give the floor to Mr. Tete Antonio, Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United Nations.”
2015-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7551 (2015) · source
“I also wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/20lS/702, containing the report of the Secretary-General on Somalia, and to document S/2015/762, which contains a letter dated 7 October 2015 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council. The Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now. A vote was taken by show ofhands. In favour: Angola, Chad, Chile, China, France, Jordan, Lithuania, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Russian Federation, Spain, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) The President: The draft resolution received 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2245 (2015).”
2015-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7551 (2015) · source
“In accordance with rule 39 of the Council's provisional rules of procedure, I invite the following briefers to participate in this meeting: Ms. Susana Malcorra, Chef de Cabinet of the Secretary-General; Mr. Nicholas Kay, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia; and His Excellency Mr. Tete Antonio, Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United Nations. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Members of the Council have before them document S/2015/840, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by Angola, Chad, France, Lithuania, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Spain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America.”
2015-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7551 (2015) · source
“I wish to warmly welcome the Chef de Cabinet of the Secretary-General, Ministers and other representatives present in the Security Council Chamber. Their presence today underscores the importance of the subject matter under discussion. In accordance with rule 37 of the Council's provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representative of Somalia to participate in this meeting. On behalf ofthe Council, I welcome His Excellency Mr. Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Somalia, and request the Protocol Officer to escort him to his seat at the Council table. Mr. Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Somalia, was escorted to a seat at the Council table.”
2015-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7551 (2015) · source
“The question for the Council is whether those who have the influence to deliver this outcome are willing to use that influence to do so. I call upon all Security Council members to unite in order to deliver a future for Syria.”
2015-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7527 (2015) · source
“It denies the reality on the ground. How can there be fair elections in a country that has lost a quarter ofa million dead and has 12 million of its citizens displaced, many of them outside its borders? Healing those wounds can start only when Al-Assad leaves, whether that is at the start of a transition or later in the process. There is of course a way forward. If we can see an end to the barrel bombing and the indiscriminate attacks on civilians, if we can encourage de-escalation on the battlefield so as to reduce casualties, if we can at the same time embark upon a political process that leads to a new Syria with a new Government without Al-Assad, then we could focus opposition strength on fighting ISIL.”
2015-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7527 (2015) · source
“To say it clearly: actions in support of the regime are incompatible with the effective prosecution of the war against ISIL in Syria. This is not a moral judgment, it is a pragmatic judgment. We heard this morning ofthe first Russian air strikes in Syria. Russia will be well aware of the message that those strikes will deliver. The targets of those strikes will not have been selected carelessly or at random. It is very important that Russia be able to confirm to the international community that the military action it has undertaken in Syria this morning is directed at ISIL and Al-Qaida-affiliated targets only, and not at moderate opponents of the Al-Assad regime. I have also listened to those who say that the Syrian people should decide in elections whether Al-Assad stays or goes. I have to say that this is an illusion.”
2015-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7527 (2015) · source
“Russia has taken a major decision and assumed a heavy responsibility by this public propping up of Al-Assad while he continues to terrorize his own people. The international community will expect Russia to use the increased influence it has to stop the use of weapons like barrel bombs that have targeted and killed thousands of innocent civilians and prevent any use of chemicals as weapons by the regime. We have heard over the last few days about Russia's intention to use force against ISIL, and we welcome that focus. But for the reasons I have already outlined, it is not possible to be an effective part of the fight against ISIL and at the same time - with the same force - be attacking the moderate oppositionists resisting the oppression of the Al-Assad regime.”
2015-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7527 (2015) · source
“The best contribution Al-Assad and those around him can now make is to put their country's interests before their own and step aside to allow a political transition that will end the civil war and allow Syrians to unite in the struggle against Islamist extremism. What is needed is a transition that will provide representative and inclusive Government and enable the Syrian people to begin the task of rebuilding their nation. The best contribution we can make is to support the efforts of Special Envoy of the Secretary-General Staffan de Mistura in negotiating such a transition, while standing ready to work with all partners to make this happen. Over the last few weeks, the realities on the ground in Syria have changed. Russian intervention has strengthened regime morale and reinforced regime capability.”
2015-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7527 (2015) · source
“And it is Al-Assad's forces that are killing more civilians in Syria each month than any other actor. Al-Assad has been and remains one of ISIL's greatest recruiting sergeants, and his forces remain focused on the destruction of moderate opposition groups and civilian population centres. Any attempt to ally with Al-Assad against ISIL will only strengthen ISIL, making it de facto leaders ofthe Sunni resistance to the Al-Assad regime. We owe it to the Syrian people to secure a future free both of the terrorism of ISIL and the tyranny of Al-Assad, because Syria can be an effective partner in overcoming violent extremism only if it has a representative Government, a Government capable of working with the international community to confront ISIL militarily and counter its twisted narrative.”
2015-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7527 (2015) · source
“But to help Syria navigate its way out of this crisis, we must be clear about how it arrived there in the first place. It was the Al-Assad regime that led Syria into the crisis. Its brutal repression of peaceful protesters, which we just heard about from Secretary Kerry, followed by the years of indiscriminate attacks on civilians that ensued, especially through the indiscriminate use of barrel bombs, was the root cause. The Al-Assad regime created the environment in which extremism, and ISIL in particular, have flourished. We therefore reject the advice of those who say the poison of Al-Assad is the cure for the cancer of ISIL. It cannot be. It was Al-Assad who released jihadis in the early stages ofthe conflict. It is Al-Assad who continues to trade with ISIL even now.”
2015-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7527 (2015) · source
“There is also universal agreement that Syrians have suffered too much for far too long. We must come to their aid. I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the generosity of Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, in particular, in hosting millions of refugees fleeing the violence of the Syrian civil war over years. The United Kingdom has given over Â£16 billion in humanitarian assistance towards the Syrian crisis and neighbouring countries hosting refugees. The crisis in Syria is reverberating globally, both in the violent extremism that it has helped foster and the migration crisis that it has precipitated. There will be no lasting solutions to these challenges without lasting peace and stability in Syria. We have to do more than respond to the humanitarian consequences of the conflict if we are to achieve that stability.”
2015-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7527 (2015) · source
“The coalition to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) being led by the United States has brought together more than 60 countries, from the region and beyond, to take the fight to ISIL. The United Kingdom has played a major role in delivering coalition air strikes in Iraq and remains committed to the coalition as the best mechanism to mount a unified and comprehensive response. We have already met with some tangible success, helping to halt ISIL's precipitous advance across Iraq last year and over time removing its freedom to operate in more than 30 per cent of the Iraqi territory that it once held, as well as cutting financing sources and countering its social media propaganda. But there is much more to do, and we do not shrink from the reality that this will be a long haul.”
2015-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7527 (2015) · source
“I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this important debate. None of us doubts that violent extremist ideologies across North Africa and the Middle East constitute a grave threat to international peace and security, regional stability and peaceful civilian life across the world. In confronting them, we are waging a generational struggle in which we will prevail only if we speak with one voice and act with one will. At the same time, we have to give hope to those who despair of a better future and may be tempted to join the Violent extremists, whether they are frustrated Palestinians who see no hope of resuming the Middle East peace process, Iraqi Sunnis who await the genuine inclusiveness that Prime Minister Al Abadi has promised, or Syrian moderate oppositionists who see no other way to fight Al-Assad.”
2015-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7527 (2015) · source