YouSaid · the spoken record

Haroon

lines on the record: 396
first: 2008-11-19
most recent: 2012-09-20
sittings or episodes: 41
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

“If there was a Balfour Declaration that brought the State of Israel to where it is today, then let us have a Balfour Declaration for the Palestinians as well. In conclusion, in the context of world peace and the Middle East, I would like to stress that while we understand all sorts of needs arising on security, it would be better for that region and the whole world if 28 the situation of Iran could be stopped from moving towards conflict, because it will be the sort of conflict that might have a very unfortunate impact on the world and that might be the proverbial last straw that breaks the camel's back on world peace. I hope not. We understand the seriousness of it. We also hope that with the accumulated diplomacy here we can do better.”
2012-03-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6734 (2012) · source
“Women end up feeding, clothing and looking after children, not only doing all the work but having to do it; yet they do not get the benefit of their husbands' employment, especially not in the Third World. In addition, 25 per cent of all delegations visiting, calling on or meeting with the United Nations should be made up of women. We need to make it necessary that they be part. They have made more sacrifices than anyone in this Spring, as we call it, so then let them be able to be a part of that complete change. When we speak about the fourth pillar, opportunities for young people, there are 200 million more in Asia. I think that takes on an importance that cannot be denied. There must be regional peace for the Palestinians.”
2012-03-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6734 (2012) · source
“We have to understand that women have a crucial role to play, without which we will never get anywhere. I also take very strongly his third aspect, that women have stood in the squares and streets demanding change and now have the right to sit at the table with real influence in decision-making, and safe from violence, intimidation and abuse. That is happening even now in the Arab Spring. Last week, eight members of the Council met with women from Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, and we heard those women and were shocked. One of the things they said, which I think we should support very strongly here, is that 25 per cent of all financing through the United Nations must be earmarked for delivery into the hands of women. Do not forget, they constitute 75 per cent of the world.”
2012-03-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6734 (2012) · source
“I believe that there must be a basic intent on the part of the United Nations for fundamental legislative action by the General Assembly and the Security Council with respect to the basic democratic requirements of statehood in which those freedoms should be enshrined. Everyone who wishes to be a Member here must at some stage be able to resolve and come to this particular aspect. I believe that just naming them as a pillar would not be enough; it would be important to have a minimum legislated induction into all the documents in the world where such elements such as promoting pluralism and the rights of minorities would be the minimum requirement. We just celebrated International Women's Day. Women get that once a year and they happen to be a majority in the world. I feel that we have to rectify those matters first.”
2012-03-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6734 (2012) · source
“I feel that the Palestinians should also benefit, and not lose. I reiterate that without resolution of this core issue, as was said by the Foreign Minister of Jordan, we will not be able to see real peace in the region. I would also like to address five crucial points raised by the Secretary-General in his statement. I believe that those are crucial points, as he himself says. He first speaks of leaders choosing the path of meaningful reform and says that people do not want cosmetic changes that give only the merest taste of democracy. I believe that a great American president, many years ago, spoke of the four freedoms.”
2012-03-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6734 (2012) · source
“When he found that things were not good for Muslims in Mecca, where he started out, he told them to go to the brotherly king of Ethiopia, who happened to be a Christian, and said that he would look after them. That vast outreach shows the beauty of what is already available. We need not confer too much distinction on Huntington. I will conclude this segment by reiterating our support for the Palestinian people in their just struggle for peace and the right to self-determination and their membership, as was said by my Indian colleague, in the United Nations at the earliest. We feel that Palestine will remain the biggest challenge of the Middle East. That opportunity is being afforded by this wave of fulfilment of aspirations in the name of the people of the Middle East through the Arab Spring.”
2012-03-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6734 (2012) · source
“It is basically that, whenever anyone queries whether Islam and democracy are incompatible, the answer is that they are not incompatible. Only Huntington really believes that they are incompatible. I believe that it is a question of time even there. But I would like to say very emphatically that our prophet basically called all our brothers in Islam as brothers and asked them to share their surpluses as well as their shortcomings. In my opinion, there is no better manifestation of democracy. Furthermore, he asked Muslims to reach out to the world in peace. For reasons of learning, he told them to go to China, which was not a Muslim brother State. That does not matter. It shows the vastness of the vision of the person of the prophet.”
2012-03-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6734 (2012) · source
“Yet the Council continues to do nothing cogent for the Palestinians. Each time that Council members meet, we are told that the Quartet is now discussing the matter. I await the day that the Quartet will produce a result that will substantially change the plight of these people. One of the best things to do, and we have so moved, is that if it is agreed that Gaza should be given provisions, we should take a flotilla, land on the beaches and deliver to the inhabitants, through the United Nations, the security and the food that they require. We strongly feel that now is as appropriate a time as any to send a strong, unified signal to the occupying Power to stop its activities, specifically in land-grabbing. There continuously arises a matter here that I would like to dispel once and for all. I may or may not succeed.”
2012-03-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6734 (2012) · source
“We have had grim reminders of that delivered to the Council in the recent briefings by representatives of the Department of Political Affairs and a number of Member States. There is a general belief that the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory is becoming increasingly volatile. Given such factors as the ever-increasing settlement activity and settler violence, the continued blockade of the Gaza Strip, diminished economic prospects for the population, vandalization of the holy sites, the plight of Palestinian prisoners, and so on, it is understandable that the people should be on tenterhooks. A small spark could turn into a big fire. We also condemn any pipe bombs being fired from the Gaza Strip, but we believe that the biggest threat to international peace and security arises from one particular aspect.”
2012-03-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6734 (2012) · source
“This, then, is the context of my speech - the winter of Arab discontent. Can we usher in a vast spring with that winter consistently raising its head? I do not think so. The denial of the Palestinian right to self-determination is at the heart of unrest in the region. If peace in the Middle East is to be lasting, progress on the Syria-Israel and Lebanon-Israel conflicts is necessary as well. Israel must withdraw completely from the occupied Lebanese lands and the occupied Syrian Golan, in compliance with relevant General Assembly and Security Council resolutions. With the continuation of Israeli settlement activity, hope for the Palestinians to have a viable State of their own is fading fast.”
2012-03-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6734 (2012) · source
“This has to be understood. Winter evolves into spring and spring brings an end to winter's hardness. That natural process of evolution must therefore be allowed to take its course uninterrupted. So we welcome change when it is locally led, peaceful and an expression of the aspirations of the people. Solutions to problems have to be found by the people themselves and not, I repeat, not imposed from outside. The Foreign Minister of Jordan, Mr. Nasser Judeh, made a remarkable statement on 29 February to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament that I keep going back to time and time again. He told the Committee that there can be no complete Arab Spring or Arab awakening without peace in the Middle East. And there will never be peace in the Middle East without a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
2012-03-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6734 (2012) · source
“Anyone who seeks to rationalize a principled position by riding the high horse of morality very truly needs to narrow the distances by treading slowly on what might be referred to as lowly grounds. But the support that we extend to the legitimate wishes of people has to be within the confines of international law and the Charter of the United Nations. Interference in the internal affairs of sovereign States and supporting such concepts as regime change are alien to the ethos of international good-neighbourliness. The changes in the region under discussion today have often been referred to as the Arab Spring. The concept of spring evokes images of rebirth, change, renewal, warmth and beauty. It should have an air of tranquillity and harmony about it. More than anything else, it is a natural process than can neither be forced nor be abrupt.”
2012-03-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6734 (2012) · source
“We therefore strongly condemn the use of force against peaceful protestors, as well as violations of human rights wherever they occur and irrespective of who the perpetrators may be, as a matter of principle. As one of the bigger democratic countries, we are firmly committed to the ideals, values and principles of the United Nations and believe that the legitimate aspirations of people should be accommodated peacefully, without external interference and in a matter consistent with the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of States. Today, in support of those embattled societies, I again urge the Council to please remember that no movement in the world, including the great revolutions, has succeeded without external help. They cannot be stroked out with a pen.”
2012-03-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6734 (2012) · source
“Hawking has cautioned all of us that the dark spaces that constitute the vast majority of the universe are not dormant spaces. The majority of those vast spaces will one day unleash their silent fury, and he cautions us to be prepared. I believe that we should be so prepared with respect to so much that we do not say, or dare to say, in this house today. In North Africa and the Middle East, under discussion today, we have witnessed important developments. My country firmly believes in the fulfilment of the aspirations of the people and their rights to be masters of their own destiny, to speak and to be heard, and to pursue their legitimate aspirations. No effort should be spared in accommodating those efforts.”
2012-03-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6734 (2012) · source
“I would like to extend a very warm welcome to Mr. William Hague and the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom for convening today's high-level debate. I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome the Secretary- General and the honourable Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the United States, France, Russia, Germany, Guatemala and Portugal. Sitting in this Chamber today, Sir, I shall start off by referring to your distinguished compatriot in Cambridge, Mr. Stephen Hawking, and his fraternity who are with him in surveying the universe, and specifically in demarcating dark space/spaces. Those dark spaces constitute the vast majority of the universe today, and in this Chamber today I have witnessed those spaces in many long diatribes in which so much has been said and yet not said.”
2012-03-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6734 (2012) · source
“It will be important that a similar message of support be communicated to the brave and resilient people of Haiti from our collective deliberations in the Security Council today.”
2012-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6732 (2012) · source
“From a surge of strength in 2010, the military and police capabilities of MINUSTAH are set to be drawn down to the pre-earthquake phase by the middle of this year, and that is what I believe is also wanted by the people of Haiti. MINUSTAH's drawdown must be the result of tangible improvements in the ground situation, which I am sure will happen. We hope that the Secretariat, in conjunction with the Haitian authorities, has conducted a national assessment of the ground situation in the present and future scenarios. We hope that any achievements of MINUSTAH will also be duly acknowledged, here and by the Haitians. Pakistan supports the sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of Haiti.”
2012-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6732 (2012) · source
“Our delegation supports the call for a genuine and inclusive dialogue in order to achieve political agreement and reconciliation based on mutual tolerance, and we must allow Haitians to proceed on deciding their future by their own thinking and mechanisms. I would suggest that we listen more closely to them and to what they visualize, and help them in any way we can to proceed towards the future they envisage. Pakistan has been a participant in United Nations peacekeeping missions in Haiti since 1993. As a part of MINUSTAH, two formed police units from Pakistan have been deployed since 2010. Not just the Pakistani contingent but all components of MINUSTAH are implementing a challenging mandate under difficult circumstances.”
2012-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6732 (2012) · source
“That is why I do not hesitate to say that the cholera epidemic has severely tested Haiti and we must, in every way possible, not only apologize but try to help alleviate this problem with not only more materiel but with whatever we have available to set this situation right. We will urge greater coordination and cohesion among different actors engaged in humanitarian work. We will also caution against the donor fatigue that can result from such protracted crises. Political uncertainty and lack of national consensus can erode the nascent gains in the security and humanitarian sectors. Fissures and divisions among stakeholders are the usual ingredients of political discourse. A modicum of national consensus on the future course is essential. Such consensus has been eroded in Haiti following recent political events.”
2012-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6732 (2012) · source
“There will be no stepping down or away from it. The high operational standards of our peacekeepers must match a similar level of excellence conduct and discipline on the part of its administrators. The Secretary-General's report mentions slow progress in regard to the humanitarian and recovery situations. The ongoing cholera epidemic, food insecurity and extreme vulnerability to natural disasters augment the humanitarian challenge. To an extent, slow progress in the humanitarian and recovery situations is understandable given the natural trajectory of post-disaster recovery, where the initial period of high performance usually tapers off into a steady phase and a decline after some time. We are seeing this happen in Haiti. However, we must not be complacent and try to build further on positive achievements.”
2012-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6732 (2012) · source
“As an evolving institution of significant promise, the Haitian Police has also improved its work and capacity, and works alongside MINUSTAH contingents in the form of joint patrols and anti-crime operations. Our delegation has taken serious note of allegations of misconduct in MINUSTAH, as reported in the Secretary-General's report. Such allegations are taken with utmost seriousness. As a contributor to MINUSTAH and other United Nations missions, Pakistan is elaborate in its arrangements and legal provisions to investigate, prosecute and sentence anyone guilty of misconduct, with actions ranging from dismissal without benefits to imprisonment. These are serious matters that cannot be the subject of compromise. Let my voice ring out loud and clear in this Chamber. The zero tolerance policy for misconduct is also our policy.”
2012-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6732 (2012) · source
“It is satisfying to note that the report under consider lists important progress in the area of security. Improvement in the security situation, with a diminishing trend of politically motivated violence, is a propitious development that can lead to long-term stability and economic recovery. This can be attributed to the positive efforts of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), especially with regard to the protection of vulnerable groups, including women and children, through community-based policing strategies. The contribution of the Haitian National Police to improving the security situation can neither be denied nor denigrated, but Haiti will need a more robust judicial system in the future.”
2012-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6732 (2012) · source
“As noted by the representative of Haiti in the Security Council in 2011, the country had virtually collapsed after the earthquake. Rising from such devastation is no ordinary task. Most earthquake recovery is challenging in the best of circumstances, but becomes almost impossible in a post-conflict country. We therefore urge the Security Council and the international community to demonstrate patience towards, and solidarity with, the Government and the people of Haiti. Pakistan is proud to stand with the people of Haiti, not only before but also during and after the devastation of 2010. Our support has been in the form of men on the ground, materiel and our strong personal belief in and commitment to Haiti and its future. The biannual report of the Secretary-General is a useful tool for measuring progress and reversals in Haiti.”
2012-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6732 (2012) · source
“I would like to thank Special Representative of the Secretary-General Mariano Fernandez for his very insightful briefing. I would also like to thank the Secretary-General for his report (S/2012/l28). From the opinions we have heard around the table today, it is clear that there is a shared objective among the United Nations, the people of Haiti and the international community. Until 2010, Haiti had made important strides towards stability, development and a better future. The devastating earthquake of 2010 reversed those positive gains made incrementally over many years. Those gains area now lost to Haiti, and it will be difficult to move back to that period of recovery where the country was emerging from the shadows.”
2012-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6732 (2012) · source
“But the States of the region - and this must be reaffirmed here - must enjoy special privilege and status to deal with bringing it together; in other words, a stronger and larger presence on the stage that the United Nations sets for itself to be able to help this region.”
2012-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6717 (2012) · source
“Let us therefore do what the Europeans also say - let us build the capacity of the States of West Africa and the Sahel. This will help to combat transnational crime, because they know best how to handle it provided they have some resources to attend to It. I would say that, in the end, we in the United Nations need to act coherently in this region, addressing the diverse requirements of dealing with these challenges. All relevant United Nations entities have a presence on the ground in the region, but there is a need to achieve greater coordination and synergy between their respective and individual roles.”
2012-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6717 (2012) · source
“Unfortunately, we see that those who pillage these countries are very often in Government and otherwise in positions of power, but we have not understood that we can more easily tabulate the end-users of all these pillaged products because all of them sit among us here today - maybe including myself. We must look within ourselves and be able to say "This is where this goes", and then persuade our own membership to exercise moral restraint to be able to stop this pillaging. That has happened recently in the terrorist trade, where we have said that money cannot be sent through alternative sources; it must be sent through a banking process or it will be suspect. Surely, we can do something akin to that in helping Africa to retain for its own people the resources that are being taken away so mercilessly.”
2012-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6717 (2012) · source
“Today, we see a large number of people living in those regions falling victim to this consumption, and that is going to further exacerbate the situation. I believe that Europe, as the ultimate consumer, should invest a lot more and give a lot more attention to its own strategy document for security and development in the Sahel, with much larger commitments of financing and funding. I do not see that happening at the United Nations. I believe that another aspect that, as I said earlier, must be controlled is the illegal exploitation of natural resources. Africa remains a continent with rich resources, but they have been pillaged for years.”
2012-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6717 (2012) · source
“I think we ought to be a little more street smart about this. I also believe there are aspects that we tend to overlook. While I praise the African Union's Plan of Action on Drug Control and Crime Prevention, the Economic Community of West African States Regional Action Plan against organized crime and illicit drug trafficking and the West Africa Coast Initiative, their impact cannot be optimal, due to various constraints, not the least of which is that most of those countries are handling the problems individually. They are not being assisted to do this in a systematic fashion. So while we talk about all sorts of situations, I believe that there has been a further deterioration. Interdiction efforts alone will only increase the price of drugs; it will not eliminate the problem.”
2012-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6717 (2012) · source
“According to my friends in UNODC, approximately 13 or 14 per cent of all European illicit trade from South America enters through the region we are discussing here today. We are talking about approximately $4.25 billion dollars. In a region where total economies are $7 billion or $8 billion, that amount of money traversing the countries cannot be met by just looking at it in a situation here and saying "Oh, you have not got the institutions; yet, with what you have, you need to empower them." Let us take UNODC, with a budget of $460 million - 50 per cent of which is raised voluntarily. They give 10 per cent of that to this region. That means $4 million to fight an ingress of $4 billion. I do not think it is going to be handled very easily. We have not equipped ourselves in a genuine and honest way in trying to resolve this problem.”
2012-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6717 (2012) · source
“We have recently done so between Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan; already, a cache of three tons has been stopped within the last few days. The question really is, are we interested in doing something on a piecemeal basis, or are we going to try to help this region substantially. Why do I say this? I think we have not really considered what is happening. As of today, with regard to the financing of this region, unfortunately, the Council would be surprised to know that whereas drug trafficking in the United States is $37 billion a year, in Europe - if we do not count the recent adjustments of the euro against the dollar - it is about $33 billion a year. They are practically at par, if you consider the value change of the euro.”
2012-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6717 (2012) · source
“The proliferation of weapons from Libya has been a catastrophe. Mali already faces very significant undermining of its hard efforts to try to rebuild, as I have said, according to the European Strategy, its political-economic framework. I would like to suggest that we have been a little lax in allowing the situation to get so far out of control. Are we really in control of the situation? The answer is "Maybe, but more likely, maybe not". The reason is that most of the institutions that are considering this region, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), are, unfortunately, understaffed, underfinanced and overlapping on many issues. Yet nobody is in control. We have heard several members here speak of how we can bring together this sort of situation through institutionalization.”
2012-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6717 (2012) · source
“It faces simultaneously the challenges of extreme poverty, the effects of climate change, frequent food crises, rapid population growth, fragile governance, corruption, unresolved internal tensions, the risk of violent extremism and radicalization, illicit trafficking and terrorist- linked security threats." This, I think, is a far more comprehensive review of this region by the European Union. We should take from it. It names the three core Sahelian States as Mauritania, Mali and Niger, though the geographical conditions, and therefore challenges, also affect parts of Burking Faso and Chad. Why I read from this Strategy is to review the relevance of what our friends feel so strongly about in Europe, and rightly so. I believe that being among the poorest countries in the world, the Sahelian States are facing enormous stress.”
2012-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6717 (2012) · source
“But when I am in doubt, I look upon the European Union as an important source of information. I am looking at their paper and reading from it the Strategy for Security and Development in the Sahel. The Strategy has four key issues, and I will read the first, which is the most important: "that security and development in the Sahel" - this is very important - "cannot be separated, and that helping these countries achieve security is integral to enabling their economies to grow and poverty to be reduced." I read further: "The Sahel is one of the poorest regions of the world.”
2012-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6717 (2012) · source
“Several recent United Nations reports have highlighted the worsening security, economic and humanitarian situation in West Africa and the Sahel region as a result of those threats. According to the report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Office for West Africa (S/2011/811), criminal organizations continue to use West Africa as a transit point for trafficking cocaine and heroin. Also, the report of the assessment mission (S/2012/42) highlighted the impact that the Libyan crisis has had on the already precarious security situation in the Sahel. For the Sahel region, the Libyan crisis has been like a genie in a bottle. The bottle has been uncorked, and the genie is out. Many of us here are not yet even aware of the mischief that this genie continues to play in that region.”
2012-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6717 (2012) · source
“Pakistan also has close relations with all countries of the Sahel region and supports the efforts of their Governments towards peace, stability and socio-economic development. The significant challenges faced by countries of West Africa and the Sahel have serious implications for their stability and development. There are complex causes underlying the challenges, and I enumerate them here: the illegal exploitation of natural resources, foreign interference and intervention, and proliferation of small arms and light weapons. In recent times these difficulties have been exacerbated by transnational organized crime, including narcotics and weapons trafficking, piracy and terrorism, which, by undermining Governments and social and economic stability, are reversing gains that have been made, especially in post-conflict situations.”
2012-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6717 (2012) · source
“May I congratulate Togo and the President for being with us today, which is testimony to the importance of the issue that the Security Council faces today. I believe that, by and large, all those who have spoken so far have been fully supportive of this timely initiative. I would like to thank Mr. Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General, for his briefing and for his consistent efforts to monitor the situation in the region. We thank Mr. Alexander Zmeevskiy for giving us his considered opinion in this matter. Pakistan has a long-term and deep-rooted commitment to the security and stability of West Africa. Over the years our peacekeepers in that region have been deployed in Sierra Leone, C6te d'Ivoire and Liberia. We therefore have an abiding interest in the continued well-being of the region.”
2012-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6717 (2012) · source
“I believe consensus was achieved, though there were some drop-outs from it, and I believe we can still work towards that consensus. There is a visit to Syria scheduled in the next few days. I am sure that some more points may arise. This matter should not be allowed to die. The draft resolution should remain an active matter before this Council, and we should address it again as soon as possible, with the help even of those that decided today not to vote for it. By keeping the matter active, we would give hope to those who are expecting action from us. Having made these few remarks, I urge the Council to keep its engagement on this matter alive.”
2012-02-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6711 (2012) · source
“Either everyone should have the veto, and then see how the world gets on, or perhaps we should all consider not using it whatsoever. I also think we have arrived at a situation that demands we persevere in our efforts to strengthen the relationships among us. Today our decision mattered a great deal to our Arab brethren, who have been so important to us. We had to stand with them on principle because they wanted our support pretty unanimously. I raised a question a couple of days earlier, noting that I did not then see present either Tunisia, Egypt or others that are such strong proponents on this issue; and I am glad to see their presence today. That is a great plus, in my mind. I would like to close with a few words of reminder that all this was done with good intentions on all sides. I am not going to beat anyone with a stick.”
2012-02-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6711 (2012) · source
“It is easy for those of us who today voted in the majority to sit back and say, "Well, we have done our bit." No, we have not. We cannot wash our hands of this. We must continue and seek - as the Russians and the Chinese have stated that they will continue to seek - the way forward. I believe that the best vehicle is the Arab League plan and the very substantial moves that have been accepted over the last few days. I believe that the offer of no regime change, of plurality, and the promotion of democracy are important aspects of this situation. We have stood by that. I believe that even today our system has indeed let us down. We have been very clear, without taking political benefit out of it, that this aspect of the veto is always a heart-wrencher. It cuts both ways, benefitting one side at one moment and the other at another moment.”
2012-02-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6711 (2012) · source
“But also, on a point of principle of the Charter, we were not happy about any infringement on the sovereignty or integrity of Syria. There was a very spirited attempt, as related by Sir Mark just now as well, to take care of issues and concerns, and we are thankful for that. I believe that it became important to be able to end killings by asking both sides - in fact, forcing both sides - to acknowledge that it is unacceptable, and based on the strong moral point that the Arab League draft introduced into this. There was a question of amnesty. I also believe it was an accepted fact that everyone has to get involved to stop it. Do not forget that nothing succeeds anywhere in the world against a government without external help. That is a point of history that cannot be ignored.”
2012-02-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6711 (2012) · source
“Many congratulations, Mr. President, on assuming the post of Council President, and with such an important world issue at the very start of your tenure. The problem in Syria has assumed dimensions that are not only regrettable but condemnable. We have to understand that while we have made civilization, we have also condoned expressions like "collateral damage", and so many others, which it is not my intention to name here today. But I believe that we accept too much too easily. It reminds me of when, two thousand years ago, Pontius Pilate washed his hands and said, "I have nothing to do with this." Two thousand years later, we still see that humanity suffers from that particular viewpoint. Pakistan had some serious concerns, mainly against killings, the massacre of innocents.”
2012-02-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6711 (2012) · source
“All that, in reaffirmation of the sovereignty and integrity of Syria, was also voiced by Secretary-General Elaraby and reiterated by the French and British representatives. I am hopeful that that will be explicitly and adequately reflected in the draft resolution being brought before the Council. We hope that other members of the Council will join us in commending the Arab League. We also hope that the mission will continue its work. Let me be absolutely clear. All the grief vented in the Council might result in fruition only if we swiftly, with cohesion and consideration, replace mere rhetoric. Therefore I conclude by saying that, in terms of the Council's action, we should strive to achieve consensus, for a unanimous message will always be better and essential to promote our objectives and peace in Syria.”
2012-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6710 (2012) · source
“It also should remain within the framework of Chapter VI of the Charter and the principles of the pacific settlement of disputes. We support the Arab League's efforts, including the deployment of observers. We also commend and support the services rendered by members of the observer mission, who are performing their duties to the best of their abilities despite working in difficult and sometimes dangerous circumstances. We take hope for peace from the words of the Prime Minister of Qatar in his capacity as Chairman of the Arab Ministerial Committee on Syria when he says that we are not calling for a military intervention and that we are not for a regime change either, for that is a matter that is up to the Syrian people to decide.”
2012-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6710 (2012) · source
“We call on both sides to shun violence, pursue the path of dialogue and reconciliation, and engage in a results- oriented and inclusive political process leading to the peaceful resolution of the problem. We must be mindful of the fact that whatever we decide in this Chamber in the coming days will have long-term implications not only in Syria, but in the Middle East as a whole. That region can ill afford further instability. The situation therefore requires a collective analysis towards obtaining a solution. We also want to emphasize that while we in the Security Council are and should remain the upholders of the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter, the discussion must remain in full cognizance of and respect for the independence, unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria.”
2012-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6710 (2012) · source
“We therefore highly appreciate the efforts of the Qatari Prime Minister and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States. By seizing the moment and by deploying the observer mission, the League of Arab States has indeed proved that great strides can be made in the resolution of regional issues through regional mechanisms. We hope that the efforts of the League will bear fruit through the return of peace and normalcy to Syria through a process of dialogue and negotiation and without any resort to force and coercion. The security situation in Syria continues to be a source of serious concern to us all. The reports of continuing violence and bloodshed cannot and should not be taken lightly by anyone. We strongly condemn the use of force against any peaceful protesters. The killing and injuring of innocent people must stop.”
2012-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6710 (2012) · source
“At the outset, let me extend a very warm welcome to His Excellency Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al-Thani, Prime Minister of Qatar, and His Excellency Mr. Nabil Elaraby, Secretary- General of the League of Arab States, and thank them for sparing their valuable time to brief the Council. Pakistan enjoys long-standing and close brotherly relations with all members of the League of Arab States. That relationship is underpinned by a common heritage and shared values. We greatly value the role of regional organizations such as the League of Arab States in promoting the cause of peace and development. We also support regional processes leading to the peaceful resolution of disputes. That is a good example for the United Nations.”
2012-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6710 (2012) · source
“Therefore, Pakistan supports lasting peace for all the inhabitants of the Middle East, irrespective of religion, ethnicity or nationality. That is important. The framework for peace in the Middle East is laid down elaborately in resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), 1397 (2002), 1515 (2003) and 1860 (2009), as well as in the Madrid terms of reference, the Arab Peace Initiative and the Quartet road map. Mustering and sustaining the political will to implement the framework is imperative. We hope that the international community will lend its rightfully so moral and political weight to nudge the process towards our common objective of an independent, sovereign and viable State of Palestine, as has been decided by the international comity many times for years, living side by side and in peace with all its neighbours, including Israel.”
2012-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6706 (2012) · source
“Having said that, let me also say that I am confident that that sort of scare will not be encouraged by the Council and that, as was mentioned by various people in various aspects, we will be referring to other important aspects of the world under discussion here today, in a fashion that promotes democracy, representative Government, et cetera. But, as they say, why does this get mentioned as regime change? Should not regime change be an outward feeling of everyone within their own countries to motivate change? What happens if that change takes on some other aspect that is not acceptable to those surveying the scene from far- off shores? I believe that this may not sound too reasonable, but I do wish we would be reasonable and not allow something like this to emanate from the sacred halls of the Chamber.”
2012-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6706 (2012) · source
“A lot of people say that the way things are going, we are going to be the next 70 per cent of Council work; should we not get a permanent seat as well? I wonder if we are doing right in frightening the world into religious ethnicities. I do not think it is beneficial to the Council or this institution. While I say that with just a passing reference, I do wish to say it because people are talking about it. I think that when talk starts, it is a matter of time before people get worried about things. That is a sort of worriment that I would respect many of my colleagues here in addressing in a fashion that says it is not so. I hope it is not so.”
2012-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6706 (2012) · source