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

“Mr. President, I wish to express strong appreciation for your interest in this frank discussion on children and armed conflict. I wish also to convey my very strong support for the diligence of the Secretary-General in presenting the report (S/2011/250) on time, for the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the work she has put in and for the Executive Director of UNICEF as well. I need not go in detail about love for children and how it transcends social, cultural and all developmental factors. The United Nations Charter itself speaks of the noble objective of saving succeeding generations. The international community has conceived the Convention on the Rights of the Child; Pakistan was one of the six co-initiators of that summit in 1990 which provided the due fillip for the ratification of the Convention.”
2011-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6581Resumption1 (2011) · source
“I would like to conclude by reiterating our support for the objectives and efforts of UNAMA, especially those of Special Representative of the Secretary-General De Mistura. We are confident that the redoubtable people of Afghanistan will overcome all pressing challenges and seize new opportunities for a brighter and prosperous future. Pakistan shall remain their committed and steadfast partner.”
2011-07-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6574 (2011) · source
“The Islamabad declaration signed during the visit of President Karzai to Pakistan last month documents the contours of this partnership in the areas of trade and the economy, transport connectivity, and project cooperation in infrastructure, energy and minerals, as well as in enhancing parliamentary exchange and people-to-people contact. International assistance in these areas, especially corporate-sector engagement, can catalyse rich dividends for peace and prosperity in the region. The Secretary-General's report has noted that just over 19,000 refugees returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan in the past three months. This figure can hardly be called encouraging. We need greater attention on this issue. But of course, no matter what happens, we are hosts to the largest refugee population in the world.”
2011-07-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6574 (2011) · source
“Today's Washington Post headlines of hundreds of militants crossing over from Afghanistan to attack a Pakistani border village, with some killed, will not deter us from this process. My advice to my friend is that all peace processes normally come to the point where this sort of activity takes place through militants who would like to prove the peace process to be otherwise. We will not succumb to it. Despite the utmost efforts of those militants crossing over to create havoc and derail the process, let me reaffirm that we will not let that happen.”
2011-07-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6574 (2011) · source
“Pakistan will continue to assist the Afghan-led reconciliation process, including through the Afghanistan-Pakistan Joint Commission for Reconciliation and Peace in Afghanistan. The first meeting of the Joint Commission was held in Islamabad last month, on the eve of the visit of President Hamid Karzai. Both our countries have affirmed the resolve to work closely for lasting reconciliation and peace in Afghanistan. As a follow- up to the Islamabad meeting, the first working-level meeting of the Joint Commission was held last week in Kabul. It has been decided to set up specialized working groups to move forward in a responsible and sure-footed manner. Make no mistake, this process is very active and shall produce beneficial results. Our quest for peace and stability in Afghanistan is dovetailing into a long-term cooperative partnership.”
2011-07-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6574 (2011) · source
“Pakistan supports an Afghan-led and inclusive reconciliation process, with a view to bringing the opposition groups into the political mainstream. We believe that the engagement of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and UNAMA with the reconciliation process is going to be helpful. We emphasize the need to ensure that the newly created Afghanistan-specific Sanctions Committee contributes effectively to curbing the insurgency and promoting reconciliation in Afghanistan. This must be seen to happen. We hope that UNAMA's cooperation with the Security Council Sanctions Committee on Afghanistan will go a long way towards adding professional and political input for listing and de-listing.”
2011-07-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6574 (2011) · source
“The number of our military and paramilitary personnel deployed along the border with Afghanistan is greater than that of all international troops present inside the whole of Afghanistan. Pakistan's commitment to peace in Afghanistan is unwavering. The cause of regional and international peace will not be served if Afghanistan becomes a theatre of proxy wars or if its land is used for extraterritorial subversive activity. A long-term solution to security challenges in Afghanistan lies in workable reconciliation and reintegration processes. An Afghanistan at peace with itself can best ensure its own security. The Secretary- General's reports and the briefings by his Special Representative have rightly pointed out the linkages between reconciliation and security.”
2011-07-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6574 (2011) · source
“Allow me to concede that the security challenges in Afghanistan are complicated by three decades of war, the capacity of Afghan security forces, the presence of foreign forces and the exploitation of socio-political complexity by criminals and drug traffickers. The problem of security in Afghanistan does not lend itself to near-facile explanations exemplified by externalization and a self-defeating blame game. Violence and instability in both Afghanistan and Pakistan are a threat. We are therefore extending all possible cooperation to Afghanistan in the areas of security and intelligence. A viable mechanism for such cooperation is the Tripartite Commission, which meets regularly and includes the United States and the International Security Assistance Force.”
2011-07-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6574 (2011) · source
“With regard to the ongoing comprehensive review of the UNAMA mandate, which is to be completed in 2011, I must emphasize that Afghan ownership and respect for the sovereignty of Afghanistan in all areas must be ensured. Greater harmonization of UNAMA's work with the goals of transition as well as coordination within United Nations bodies have to be essential ingredients of the new mandate. Is Afghanistan heating up as we come closer to hypothetical withdrawal dates? Well, I would like to reiterate that the Secretary-General's report has documented a 51 per cent increase in security-related incidents in Afghanistan during the reporting period. The report rightly expresses concern at the human cost of the conflict, characterized by a steady rise in civilian casualties resulting not only from the insurgency but also from military operations.”
2011-07-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6574 (2011) · source
“First, the period under review marks the beginning of implementation of the transition towards greater Afghan leadership and ownership, as envisaged in the Kabul Process. This is a point that Pakistan drives home in every meeting held in the Security Council. Secondly, it coincides with the start of the comprehensive review of UNAMA's mandate as set out in resolution 1974 (2011). We believe that UNAMA's priorities in this period should continue to be defined along the lines of facilitating national reconciliation, supporting governance and promoting socio-economic development in Afghanistan, which is perhaps the least so far to show an upward incline in its graph.”
2011-07-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6574 (2011) · source
“We would like to congratulate you, Mr. President, on your assumption of the Council's presidency for the month of July, as well as to thank you for convening today's debate. I would like to especially mention with appreciation the briefing by Special Representative of the Secretary-General Staffan de Mistura. Pakistan always values the work of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), which is ably led by Special Representative De Mistura. I hope that the rumours of his not continuing in his post are not true. The Secretary-General's quarterly reports are an important barometer of political and security developments in Afghanistan. I would like to emphasize that they provide useful indicators to gauge the progress and setbacks in our collective efforts for peace in Afghanistan.”
2011-07-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6574 (2011) · source
“I hope that the draft resolution to extend its mandate for another 12 months will be adopted by consensus and implemented with the complete support of the international community, to the satisfaction of Afghanistan.”
2011-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6497 (2011) · source
“I would take this opportunity to highlight that the safe return of over 1.5 million registered Afghan refugees, the smooth implementation of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit and Trade Agreement and the completion of transregional economic projects are conceivable only in a secure and stable Afghanistan. The quest for peace and stability in Afghanistan dovetails with a long-term Pakistan-Afghanistan cooperative partnership. Despite our own woes, we are continuing our assistance, the largest that we have in any country. I will conclude by reiterating our support for the objectives and efforts of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.”
2011-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6497 (2011) · source
“The London and Kabul processes emphasize the Afghan Reintegration Programme, which needs international support for the Government's efforts. We support an Afghan-led inclusive reconciliation process. The visit of Burhanuddin Rabbani, Chair of the High Peace Council, to my country in January and the International Contact Group meeting in Jeddah were landmark events. We are supportive of such engagements, including the High Peace Council's interaction with the United Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Pakistan wants durable peace in Afghanistan.”
2011-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6497 (2011) · source
“We have no hesitation in extending the fullest security and intelligence cooperation to Afghanistan, including through the Tripartite Commission, which includes the United States and the International Security Assistance Force. The number of our military and paramilitary personnel deployed along the border is more than all international troops present in the whole of Afghanistan. Our efforts and financial costs should not be downplayed or denigrated. Pakistan's commitment to peace in the region is unwavering. We do not want Afghanistan to remain a theatre of proxy wars. We must understand that there is a specific area from west of the Indus roughly to the Oxus, even beyond in places, that the British accepted as part of their imperial design and commitment. Today, that is where the theatre of war is most evident.”
2011-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6497 (2011) · source
“The report documents the challenges ahead for the international community in Afghanistan. It envisages the transfer of full responsibilities to Afghan institutions, specifically through the Kabul process, and the aspect of commitment to economic development, good governance and a comprehensive vision of security. I feel that that might occasionally be at odds with what is being advocated here. While security has an important contribution to make, we must realize that the challenges are myriad and very extensive. I feel that incidents that have taken place within Afghanistan are reprehensible and that we should understand what is happening from the Afghan perspective and point of view.”
2011-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6497 (2011) · source
“Regarding some aspects of the latest report (S/2011/120), I think that the personnel enhancement of the Afghan National Army and it 11-2662] reaching the targeted figure by 2012 are issues that most people readily support. I think that the question of governance and institution-building is a very important aspect, but I believe that we must recognize that there will often be changes in the noble designs suggested in the very Council itself. It is a great pleasure to note that the Afghan National Development Strategy is supported by both sides in most areas. That is an important aspect because aid must be disbursed with the cohesion, connivance and interest of the national Government. As raised in the report, Afghan ownership is important for all these points to succeed. That is only possible when there is such cohesion.”
2011-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6497 (2011) · source
“However, that country has its own beliefs and traditions, which may indeed have led to war, not so much of its own doing, but through the expansion of empires. It is like the continental plates under the oceans that, as they rub against each other and want to move from one point to another, create an earthquake, a tsunami. That country has been caught is such a tsunami, such an earthquake. It is not of its doing, or that it wants that. I think that we also have to respect that. If we really wish to have a comprehensive and cohesive policy, we must understand the requirements of both sides, some of which may at times seem at cross purposes with the very noble design of the Council. The Secretary-General's quarterly reports are an important yardstick.”
2011-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6497 (2011) · source
“I am not terribly sure that this is something that is necessarily beneficial. When we start reinventing the wheel, I believe that we should recognize the fact that we have a diplomat who implements the work of the Council and the Secretary-General. However, at the same time, it must be realized that with a State that is as old as, if not beyond the age of, known history, there is a certain requirement for it to fulfil its sovereignty. The fact that it has survived so long and that it wants to have some say in its destiny creates some distance between what is happening here and what is felt necessary and beneficial there. That, my friends, creates some sort of a divide of which, unfortunately, we are not aware when we sit here and talk about such issues, inasmuch as we have the noblest intentions, beliefs, concepts, paradigms and ideology.”
2011-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6497 (2011) · source
“Before I proceed, the recent events in Japan must find a place in my speech. We not only commiserate with the people of that noble country, but recognize their great contributions to the 1 1-26621 United Nations. We would like to express solidarity with them at this stage. I would also like to recognize the briefing by Special Representative of the Secretary-General Staffan de Mistura. We greatly value the work of the United Nations in all areas of the world, and specifically Afghanistan. The problem we seem to face here on a fairly regular basis, without denigrating the great work being done by this Council or its members - all honourable members, who I find are absolutely on the dot f is that, nevertheless, very often, sitting here, we somehow, without quite realizing it, start reinventing the wheel.”
2011-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6497 (2011) · source
“I believe that I must stress to the Chairman of the Peacebuilding Commission how important the Commission's role is in putting together, jointly with all those organs, a cohesive programme and in refining the nexus between all these bodies. I believe that international financial institutions tied to the United Nations must be brought into more significant play and urged to make more significant contributions. I believe that all this is within the purview of the Secretariat and the immense efforts of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. And, finally, I reiterate that a comprehensive solution and approach, which must be coordinated to the maximum possible, is the only way to move forward.”
2011-02-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6479Resumption1 (2011) · source
“I believe that national ownership and local actors must be involved to ensure smooth implementation. The impression that the two disciplines are competing for resources and attention must be dispelled. We can minimize the chances of relapse through that alone. The Security Council can discharge its Charter responsibilities only by adopting a judicious and not merely political approach. Finally, as I have stated, we must ensure coordination within and without the United Nations. First of all, when we speak of coordination, our principal organs - the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council and the Secretariat - and the regional organizations must choose to address any issue in one chosen form. The issue must be vetted, discussed and put together in a way that can produce cohesion.”
2011-02-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6479Resumption1 (2011) · source
“We have not ensured overall coordination among all stakeholders, especially here, to forge synergies. Those are the four pillars of a comprehensive approach which need to be re-examined. I speak of four possible ways of going forward. Conflict analysis cannot be rationalized without addressing the underlying causes. A dispassionate analysis is needed for effective intervention. The Council's presidential statement of 23 September 2010 (S/PRST/2010/ 18) underlined that fact. We must also understand, within and outside the United Nations, that peacekeeping and peacebuilding are disciplines with cross-cutting themes. They have the common objective of preventing a relapse into conflict. Ten United Nations missions are performing that task at the moment, but neither process is explicitly defined, and they must be.”
2011-02-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6479Resumption1 (2011) · source
“The sum of $350 million on peacekeeping and peacebuilding is a very small percentage contribution by the United Nations to this awesome - really awesome - task before us. It is not enough. Having stressed the imperative of talking about finances, I now move to today's theme. I would like to speak about a comprehensive approach. While we might envisage that comprehensive approach as already happening, it is not. We have not been addressing the root causes of conflict through such means as the peaceful settlement of disputes - the preventive factor. We have not been disengaging conflicting parties and reducing violence by deploying initial peacekeeping. We have not been creating conditions conducive to socio-political stability through innovative peacebuilding.”
2011-02-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6479Resumption1 (2011) · source
“I wish to congratulate you, Madame President, on the attendance and your presidency today. I would like to thank you for convening this debate. At the outset, I wish to say that I find something terribly short, or missing, in this house today, an imperative that should not have been overlooked. While I appreciate the fact that our document today (S/2011/50) is a concept paper arising from last month's discussions on institution-building and post- conflict peacebuilding, there must be more emphasis on financial availability. Much of what we are saying here today - and what I am hearing here today - would have been better put had more stress been placed on making finances available.”
2011-02-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6479Resumption1 (2011) · source
“The framework for such a peace has been elaborately laid down in resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), 1397 (2002), 1515 (2003) and 1850 (2008); the Madrid terms of reference; the Arab Peace Initiative; and the several Quartet Road Maps. We share the collective objective of the international community for an independent, sovereign and viable State of Palestine, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, living side by side and in peace with its Israeli neighbours. Our prayer is that today's open debate in the Council will serve to bring us nearer to that objective.”
2011-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6470Resumption1 (2011) · source
“Failure to meet the Oslo Accord deadlines of 1999 triggered the second intifada. Missing the 2005 deadline for Palestine statehood set in the Quartet Road Map of 2003 precipitated violence and bloodshed. Do we want such calamities to revisit the region? The Security Council must therefore fulfil its Charter responsibility and the Quartet Road Map, and ensure that the historic opportunity to create a viable Palestinian State by August 2011 is not lost. The Council can do so by calling upon Israel to unconditionally cease all settlement activity and resume direct negotiations at the earliest with the Palestinian Authority on all outstanding issues. Pakistan is supportive of lasting peace for all the inhabitants of the Middle East, irrespective of their religion, ethnicity or nationality. That is where we stand.”
2011-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6470Resumption1 (2011) · source
“He has done it; I extend my congratulations to Ambassador Mansour, Many independent studies, including the Economic Monitoring Report of the World Bank, have praised this performance and, in my mind, this delivery of public services by the Palestinian Authority shows that the corner has been turned. The Middle East Quartet, despite its own banes, acknowledged these developments in its statement of 21 September 2010. The policies of self-reliance and empowerment and the creation of economic opportunities pursued by the Palestinian Authority have established a solid edifice for Palestinian statehood and removed all pretexts for the occupation. The goal of establishing a Palestinian State by August 2011 is well within our grasp. We must not let it slip away; we must not allow peace and stability to fall by the wayside.”
2011-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6470Resumption1 (2011) · source
“Elsewhere in the West Bank, the altering of the status of centuries-old prayer places, mosques, churches and cemeteries of the Palestinian people goes on unabated in the name of history, excavation and creating - truthfully - new housing space. Each block of those settlements constitutes a major roadblock towards what we can consider to be a final peaceful settlement - if ever. It complicates the peace process and vitiates the atmosphere for talks. Israel must stop building new settlements or using settlement activity as a political tool in the peace process. I am surprised that, despite the odds, the Palestinians have done well. We hear the name of Salam Fayyad, who has taken important strides towards implementing the plan announced in August 2009 for the building of State institutions within two years.”
2011-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6470Resumption1 (2011) · source
“Three months later, we regret to note that all efforts to ensure continuity have failed. The quest for sustainable peace in the Middle East and a permanent political settlement to the Israel-Palestinian question based on the two-State solution appears as elusive as ever. In that context, I share the assessment of many Member States that this impasse is due to Israeli expansionist thoughts, vision and policy, which manifest themselves in the form of the ongoing settlement activities. This is a clear violation of international law, and should be taken as a major provocation. This month, the very old Shepherd Hotel in Jerusalem was demolished to build 20 new housing units. Was that really necessary?”
2011-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6470Resumption1 (2011) · source
“It is indeed a great privilege to participate in today's meeting with you in the Chair, Madam President. You have a very onerous task, which you are carrying out magnificently. I would like to congratulate our friends that have just joined the Council, namely, India, Colombia, Germany, Portugal and South Africa, but Portugal specifically. We wish them success in their work in the Council. I align myself with my Egyptian colleague's statement as head of the Non Aligned Movement. A lot has not changed since we were last here, but there is always hope. During the last open debate on the Middle East in the Chamber (see S/PV.6404), many of us urged the Security Council, the Quartet and the international community to act in tandem and prevent the collapse of Israel-Palestine dialogue and direct negotiations.”
2011-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6470Resumption1 (2011) · source
“We align ourselves with the objectives of UNAMA and call upon the Security Council to provide it with the necessary resources to meet the challenges if faces. I avail myself of this opportunity to thank Ambassador Apakan of Turkey and his delegation for his able guidance of the Council's work on Afghanistan this year. I also wish to compliment all the outgoing members of the Council for their important work during the past two years and congratulate all the incoming members on the assumption of their membership next month.”
2010-12-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6464 (2010) · source
“Pakistan is also ready to assist in the capacity- building of the Afghan National Security Forces. We are also engaged in security and intelligence cooperation with Afghanistan, including through the Tripartite Commission, which includes the United States and the International Security Assistance Force. We do not want Afghanistan to become a theatre for proxy wars. Pakistan greatly values the positive contributions of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), under the dynamic leadership of Special Representative of the Secretary-General Staffan de Mistura. We cannot praise that leadership enough. It is just the right sort of leadership. In March 2011, the Council will consider the Mission's mandate.”
2010-12-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6464 (2010) · source
“Those trans- regional economic projects are conceivable only in a secure and stable Afghanistan, which explains our position on the matter. The quest for peace and stability in Afghanistan is driving our bilateral relations into a long-term cooperative partnership, which is highly desired. We are committed to strengthening ties in all areas. The recent visit of our Prime Minister to Afghanistan and the visit of President Karzai to Pakistan in September have reaffirmed and cemented our commitments. We have pledged to continue with the ongoing assistance programmes in Afghanistan, and, in the framework of those projects, Pakistan will construct another 50 schools and basic health units across Afghanistan, despite the fact that, as the Council well knows, we need them desperately ourselves.”
2010-12-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6464 (2010) · source
“Secondly, the stability and security of Afghanistan is indispensable for us after the recently concluded Afghanistan-Pakistan transit and trade agreement. Our commercial and industrial sectors suffered previously, owing to the smuggling of goods from Afghanistan into Pakistan and vice versa, despite the transit trade agreement of 1963. As state institutions in Afghanistan regressed in the 1980s and 1990s, smuggling increased greatly. We therefore need a peaceful Afghanistan, with a strong customs and border security apparatus, to partner with us in ensuring smooth implementation. Thirdly, a stable Afghanistan can guarantee the successful completion of important energy projects that benefit not just Pakistan but the entire region. Preliminary work on some of those projects has already started. We greatly value such progress.”
2010-12-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6464 (2010) · source
“We support that engagement. The Security Council should also be a willing partner of the Afghan people in that important and delicate process. Pakistan wants durable peace and stability in Afghanistan. Stability and development in Afghanistan is in our national interest. In that regard, I would like to highlight three areas of vital significance that we feel must be pointed out. First, the safe return of over 1.5 million registered Afghan refugees living in Pakistan is possible, I believe, only in a peaceful and stable Afghanistan. We have paid an enormous economic, social and security cost in housing refugees for three decades. The prospect of housing them indefinitely owing to a prolonged conflict in Afghanistan creates a severe burden upon us, and no amount of international help really takes the burden off our back.”
2010-12-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6464 (2010) · source
“The founding of democracy in Athens was based upon the military needs of that society. That is something that cannot be overlooked in Afghanistan. If the democracy is correct, it will bring people forward who will take their sovereignty and defence into their own hands. That is what needs to happen in Afghanistan. Pakistan supports an Afghan-led and inclusive reconciliation process, with a view to bringing the opposition groups into the political mainstream. We have welcomed the establishment of the High Peace Council in Afghanistan, as well as the initial reaching out of important regional countries, such as Saudi Arabia, towards that process. The sustained engagement of the Peace Council with the United Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Conference for support to and facilitation of the reconciliation process will be important.”
2010-12-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6464 (2010) · source
“But in the process, I fear, it has tended to overlook the important aspect of democracy. Elections to the Wolesi Jirga were recently held, with some strange results. In the completely Pashtun province of Ghazni, 11 members elected were Hazara tribesmen. Let me tell the Council, that is a very rare occurrence for Afghanistan. If any members of the Council have read The Kite Runner, they will know that is an impossibility in terms of racial pride. I think we will have to rise above this and be a little more integrated. I say this because it reflects upon the capacity of the Afghan nation to rule and defend itself and its sovereignty. We must not forget that democracy is an essential aspect. When it all began in Athens, the democrats were those who fought voluntarily without pay for the defence of their nation.”
2010-12-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6464 (2010) · source
“That cannot be overlooked. It is a matter of grave import, as it threatens Afghanistan's stability, and requires dispassionate political analysis. The security problem in Afghanistan has vexed us during three decades of war. The capacity of Afghan security agencies, political dispensation, issues of governance and the exploitation of all those factors by criminals and drug traffickers have been part of a continuing refrain. The problem of security cannot be simplified by just externalizing it. The Secretary-General had rightly noted the importance of the Afghan Government's peace and reintegration programme in the context of security. The London and Kabul Conferences also emphasized that point. A reconciled Afghanistan at peace with itself is the best guarantor of its own security.”
2010-12-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6464 (2010) · source
“The report rightly underscores the importance of the need for effective follow-up to the Kabul Conference in terms of transition to full Afghan leadership. Before I continue, I should like to recognize that two important regional players - India and Iran - have made much the same point. I also believe that the report has emphasized that strong partnership between the Afghan Government and the international community is the keystone to a successful transition, which must have tangible benefits for the Afghan people. Accordingly, no matter what else we say, our collective support to the Afghan Government should be unwavering and tailored to its indigenous needs. The Secretary General's report has documented a 66 per cent increase in security-related incidents in Afghanistan during reporting period, as compared to the same period in 2009.”
2010-12-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6464 (2010) · source
“Thank you, Madam President, for convening today's meeting. As I begin my speech, on behalf of my country, I should like to recall the tremendous contributions of Ambassador Holbrooke. We offer our condolences to his family and to the people and Government of the United States. I would like to thank Staffan de Mistura for his immense work and contributions to the Secretary- General's quarterly report (S/ 20 l O/ 63 0) on Afghanistan, which is a credible compendium of political and security developments in that country. There were some important milestones in December in Afghanistan's march on the road towards peace and security. The report also provides useful insights into the international community's efforts. I believe that the report is factual and substantive.”
2010-12-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6464 (2010) · source
“The freedom flotilla had embarked on a noble mission, and those killed aboard certainly deserve our attention. The Panel must diligently pursue the matter and bring it before this Chamber in a timely fashion, within the year. Justice must prevail and those affected must be compensated. We share the common goal of the international community to achieve an independent, sovereign and viable State of Palestine, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, living side by side and in peace with its neighbours. Our prayer today is that this open debate of the Council will bring us nearer to this peaceful objective.”
2010-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6404Resumption1 (2010) · source
“A strong and confident Palestine can better deliver peace, both at the negotiating table and in the streets of the region. For lasting peace in the wider Middle East, we would also urge parallel progress on the Israel- Lebanon and Israel-Syria tracks, in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions. We must encourage those negotiations to systematically move forward, along with all that we are doing here. Pakistan has always been supportive of lasting peace for all inhabitants of the Middle East - I repeat, for all of the inhabitants of the Middle East - irrespective of religion, ethnicity and nationality. We continue to look forward to substantive and objective investigations by the Secretary-General's Panel of Inquiry on the freedom flotilla incident of 31 May 2010. We await a date for its publication.”
2010-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6404Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Many independent studies, including the Economic Monitoring Report prepared by the World Bank, have praised the performance of the Palestinian Authority in institution-building and delivery of public services. This has not found much voice in this particular forum and it needs to be said. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have projected an 8 per cent growth rate in the West Bank and Gaza. This is very creditable. This economic boom and entrepreneurship can be a solid edifice for the Palestinian statehood and for its people. And in fact, it can rebut violence. This holds immense promise for a lasting peace in the region and beyond. The economic and political momentum behind this significant change must not be lost.”
2010-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6404Resumption1 (2010) · source
“We acknowledge a set of measures taken by the Israeli authorities - and this is important - to ease restrictions on movement in the West Bank and to improve Gaza access. Such measures must be sustained by a deeper political commitment to improve livelihoods in Palestine through respect of human rights, freedom of movement and unrestricted flow of commerce. It cannot simply be a tap that can be turned on or off. Thirdly, in order to believe that efforts are on the right track, there must be upgraded assistance to the Palestinian Authority. We must recognize this, especially regarding the plans announced in August 2009 for building the institutions of a Palestine State within two years. But we have continued to allow the denigration of the Palestinian Administration and economy.”
2010-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6404Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Israel must stop this illegal activity. It must also end its calculated ambiguity on settlements in the West Bank, with a categorical renunciation of any new project. At the moment, we are allowing settlement activity to derail the negotiations or cast its threatening challenge as a shadow upon the peace process of the world. Secondly, improvement in the lives of the Palestinian people is very important. This will indicate whether we are proceeding towards peace. The negotiation process must run in parallel with this. A myriad of checkpoints, roadblocks, military siege and separation walls cannot indicate peace and progress. This has infested the land of the prophets and the holy books and it must end. This must stop.”
2010-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6404Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Settlement activity violates international law, vitiates the atmosphere of the talks and mutes the voice of peace and compassion. It amounts to a colonization procedure of the Palestinian territory. Settlement activity in recent times has shown numerous patterns. The more worrying trend is in and around East Jerusalem, where the status of the centuries-old prayer places, mosques, churches and cemeteries of the Palestinian people are being altered in the name of excavation and the creation of new housing space. Violence by settlers against their Palestinian neighbours has become a routine, albeit regrettable corollary of that activity. We note with particular concern the announcement made this past Friday by the Israeli authorities of their intent to build 238 housing units in East Jerusalem's neighbourhoods of Ramot and Pisgat Ze'ev.”
2010-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6404Resumption1 (2010) · source
“But I fear that our hopes and optimism appear to be short-lived, as the window of opportunity for meaningful and sustained negotiation is once again closing. We need to extend our hands and grasp this fleeting moment of history, because we believe that the Security Council, the Middle East Quartet and the international community must act together in tandem to prevent the collapse of the talks. Today's open debate can effectively communicate a collective message, if we focus ourselves on three key areas so that the talks will now move in the right direction. The first one is the unconditional cessation of all settlement activity by Israel. The international community must play a role in this. They must sensitize Israel to get it to announce its unconditional cessation of all settlement activity.”
2010-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6404Resumption1 (2010) · source
“May I extend to you, Sir, my congratulations to Uganda for the successful handling of the work of the Security Council this month. We would also like to associate ourselves with statements made by the representatives of Egypt on behalf of the Non-Alignment Movement and Tajikistan on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. May I also associate myself with the statements made by my colleagues, the representatives of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and with statement to be made by the representative of Tunisia. I am sure we speak with one voice. The resumption of the Israel-Palestine direct negotiations last month had rekindled hope for all of us for sustainable peace in the Middle East and a permanent political settlement of the Israel-Palestinian question.”
2010-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6404Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Meanwhile, the Afghan Government will also be following up on the Kabul Conference and the reconciliation process. These are important landmarks in our journey to rebuild Afghanistan. Let the history of Afghanistan be our guiding star on this challenging journey. I conclude with one aspect of that history. The Durand Line was created under the Government of the Amir Abdur Rahman. While today the area is considered a sanctuary, at the time his people asked, "Why have you given away half our country"? He answered, "I put the people I did not want on the other side of that line".”
2010-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6394 (2010) · source