YouSaid · the spoken record

Holbrooke

lines on the record: 676
first: 1999-09-11
most recent: 2001-01-19
sittings or episodes: 43
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

“Allow me to apologize for my tardiness; as I was arriving here, the Secretary-General contacted me regarding the fast-moving developments in Sierra Leone concerning Mr. Foday Sankoh, who as we all know is at the airport area in Freetown. He is wounded; I believe he is receiving medical treatment from British doctors. The circumstances are still very murky, and the Secretary-General has been seized of the issue. I profusely apologize for holding up the convening of this meeting, particularly since, as head of the Security Council delegation, I recognize my obligation to begin this discussion. I congratulate you, Mr. President, on the extraordinary way in which you have handled a month in which nothing has gone according to plan.”
2000-05-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4143 (2000) · source
“It is for that reason that I think we should look at it as a model and not allow it to become an indefinite and prolonged mission, but one which we can look to the phasing out of so that we can address our resources and efforts to the other problems as soon as it is practical. So, Mr. Annabi, I wish you would convey to Mr. Vieira de Mello our Government's very high respect and admiration for what he is doing. I wish that you and your colleagues would make absolutely clear to the Government of Indonesia how critically important it is to resolve the problem on which I have focused my remarks on today.”
2000-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4133 (2000) · source
“Of the big five - and we must not forget that there are over a dozen smaller operations, such as the Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, which plays an indispensable role in preventing Cyprus from returning to this Chamber as another huge problem - in undertaking these operations we must be mindful that the very future of the United Nations is at stake in one of its core functions - indeed, the very function that President Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and other great leaders in 1945 put at the centre of the United Nations responsibilities. Despite my earlier comments about the refugees in West Timor, I consider the situation in East Timor one of the encouraging parts of the United Nations system.”
2000-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4133 (2000) · source
“As we look around the table today, we see clearly that half of our colleagues are not here because they are on the Kosovo mission. The other half of us, with the exception of President Fowler, who is going to stay here and man the fort and Ambassador Wang, who is going to stay here and get ready for his presidency - everyone else in the chamber is on a trip, either to Kosovo or the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I doubt that has ever happened before in a two-week period, and it costs a great deal of money. That is why in the Fifth Committee we have urgently requested that the discussion of how to revise the peacekeeping scale of assessments be undertaken so that we can pay for these operations and we can make them succeed.”
2000-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4133 (2000) · source
“In regard to the relationship of East Timor to the other efforts, I would draw the Council's attention to an obvious but central fact, which is that in the last 12 months, the Security Council has authorized the undertaking of, or the substantial expansion of, five major peacekeeping operations on three continents: in East Timor, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and now, the impending and virtually inevitable increase in Lebanon. This is a very costly operation for the United Nations and for those countries that pay the bulk of the costs associated with this burden. It stretches the bureaucratic, administrative, managerial and political resources of the United Nations system, and particularly DPKO, to the limits. It stretches the Security Council in a way that is probably without precedent.”
2000-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4133 (2000) · source
“If we push independence too rapidly, we might have an unfortunate outcome, and if we delay it too long we might have an unfortunate outcome, so this decision is of the utmost importance. We need to discuss it continually and encourage it to take place as rapidly as possible, consistent with the overall situation. We are launching here what may well be the first new country of the twenty-first century, and the launch should be an excellent one.”
2000-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4133 (2000) · source
“This will help achieve UNHCR's goal of phasing out the current refugee camps in West Timor by 30 June in favour of return and resettlement elsewhere of those who elect not to return. I want to address, in conclusion, two aspects of the issue: first, benchmarks towards independence referred to by Mr. Annabi and, secondly, the relationship of the East Timor problem to the other peacekeeping efforts of the United Nations at this time. In regard to the first issue, I know of no more difficult issue for the United Nations and the people of East Timor than deciding when they will take full sovereignty and independence. There is a tide in the affairs of men, as Shakespeare said, which must be taken at the right moment.”
2000-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4133 (2000) · source
“The problems encountered during UNTAET' s stand-up illustrate perfectly the need for DPKO flexibility and reform. In conclusion, and speaking on behalf of my Government, I congratulate President Wahid on travelling to East Timor to extend the hand of friendship, on ordering his generals to resolve the militia problem and facilitate the repatriation or resettlement of refugees and on promoting cooperation with UNTAET on accountability and border management. But let us not forget that good intentions are not sufficient. We must continue to ask the Government of Indonesia to do everything in its power to break any remaining Indonesian military ties to the hardcore militia and resolve the militia problem.”
2000-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4133 (2000) · source
“I know that they are working vigorously and against all odds, and they are making progress. But progress is still slow six months into UNTAET's mandate. For example, UNTAET signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indonesians concerning judicial cooperation, but the East Timorese prisons are in such disrepair and wardens so few that, as Mr. Annabi has alluded to, implementing the Memorandum of Understanding will be difficult. The Council, therefore, must stay involved to monitor and guide UNTAET and to remind the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) that funds must be disbursed in a timely manner, expert staff must be deployed to the field and priorities must be agreed with the East Timorese and implemented quickly.”
2000-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4133 (2000) · source
“Many of them are still not going home because of disinformation, lies and fear; and those who do not want to go home should be encouraged to resettle outside of West Timor. When I visited the area in November, I said publicly that if these camps still existed in large numbers within three or four months, it would be an international disgrace. It is now five months since that trip, and the numbers are still very high, although somewhat diminished. Therefore, I can only conclude that it is a disgrace and needs to be dealt with. In saying this, I want to stress that I have the highest regard for President Wahid and for Special Representative Sergio Vieira de Mello and his team, one of whom, my old friend and colleague from the Balkans, Peter Galbraith, is sitting in the Chamber today as part of the United Nations team.”
2000-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4133 (2000) · source
“I visited some of these refugee camps in West Timor, and I can say, as I have many times before in this Council, that these are really miserable and depressing places. They threaten the health of every man, woman and child in them and the well-being of any person unfortunate enough to be in one of them. I have spoken before about the great need to avoid creating another situation such as that which exists in the Gaza, where refugees have become a permanent feature of the landscape. Recent reports of returnees are encouraging, but I am pretty puzzled - indeed, very unhappy - when the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports, and the United Nations reports, and the Government of Indonesia reports that 80,000 to 100,000 refugees still remain in these camps.”
2000-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4133 (2000) · source
“When I was there in November I heard first-hand eyewitness accounts of these camps, training in full view in the market places of towns near the border. It also includes disarming the militias, arresting those responsible for infiltrations and discipline in rotating Indonesian armed forces (TNI) troops who are tolerating and promoting these infiltrations. The United States and other members of this Council again urge the Indonesian Government to fulfil its responsibility to disarm and disband the hardcore militia and to prevent those who would persist in breaking the law, especially the leaders, from doing so by simply moving them elsewhere. The Government must also end, once and for all, any TNI collaboration that still exists with the militia.”
2000-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4133 (2000) · source
“Even recognizing that progress has been made, including four weeks without a cross-border incident, I think we must point out to the world and to the Government of Indonesia that the international community is not satisfied yet and that it expects the Government of Indonesia to take additional actions on its own to ensure that this border remains peaceful and to deal with the underlying problems that still threaten stability in both halves of the island of Timor. Let me be specific. First, while the border agreement signed with the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) was a positive step, the Indonesian military must take the crucial next step and stop all militia activity in areas under their control. This includes closing down militia training camps.”
2000-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4133 (2000) · source
“In regard to East Timor, I want to state again that my Government remains deeply disturbed by Assistant Secretary-General Annabi's reports concerning the relationship between elements of the Indonesian military and the militia operating in the refugee camps in West Timor. We welcome the news that the border is more peaceful than it was when Mr. Annabi reported to us a month ago, and we acknowledge specifically President Wahid's repeated commitments to solving this problem. My Government strongly supports President Wahid in this effort.”
2000-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4133 (2000) · source
“He said that the Joint Military Commission would receive the Security Council mission in Lusaka; that there have to be some slight adjustments in logistics and timing on the internal part of the trip, but no change in the arrival time in Kinshasa; and that there may be - in fact, I think, will be - a need for us to visit capitals other than Kinshasa and Lusaka. We are now in touch with the United Nations Secretariat to arrange logistics. The United Nations Secretariat will be providing an airplane and I will be consulting each member of the mission on the details. This should not extend the length of the trip, but change some of the interior details. I will keep the Council informed. President Chiluba asked me to express to you, Mr. President, his appreciation for your leadership in getting this project under way.”
2000-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4133 (2000) · source
“I thank Assistant Secretary-General Annabi for his second valuable and comprehensive report in the past month on this issue. We are very grateful to him and to you, Mr. President, for your efforts and for your leadership, Sir, in calling for this meeting today. Before I comment on East Timor, with your permission, Sir, I should like to report to the Council on a conversation I had about 30 minutes ago with President Chiluba concerning the mission of the Security Council to Africa that you have asked me to head. I want to report to you and to your colleagues, including those here who will be on that mission, that President Chiluba reaffirmed his high degree of enthusiasm for the trip. He asked me to report to you that he considered it a benchmark, important event.”
2000-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4133 (2000) · source
“Of course, unless he sees the handwriting on the wall and ends his performance - his behaviour - it will not happen overnight. But I think the evidence is already showing that the dedication that your country, Mr. President, has brought to this task has made a major contribution. The additional efforts that have been announced recently, plus this very important and excellently drafted Security Council draft resolution, have all made a major contribution. We continue to support your efforts, Sir, and we look forward to working together with you over the next six months, and beyond, in pursuit of the goals the Security Council, speaking on behalf of the international community, has articulated here today.”
2000-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4129 (2000) · source
“We note the Government of Angola's call for new elections and the wide support this proposal has received. This shows that the Government understands that all mandates must be periodically reviewed by the people and that the opposition itself is eager to launch into a new campaign. As long as the elections are carried out in an environment of open democratic processes and with appropriate monitoring, we will support them. If all of Angola's parties are given the political space to operate freely, if the mass media and civil society movements can speak without fear of reprisal, then Angola will be ready for new elections, regardless of what Mr. Savimbi believes or attempts to do. Keeping sanctions pressure on UNITA will continue to erode Mr. Savimbi's military options.”
2000-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4129 (2000) · source
“He should take action on his own to stop the pain and suffering he is causing to the people of Angola. If he does not, he will lose anyway, but at much greater cost to the people of Angola and to himself. Since his refusal to accept the results of the 1992 election, he has waged a war against the people of Angola. He has exercised veto rights over the political, economic and social life of the country, not because he possesses a superior ideological vision or an electoral majority, but because he has fielded a military force. Security Council sanctions are designed to erode UNITA's ability to export diamonds and import military supplies, and I note the high importance we attach to the new undertakings by the Government of Belgium in regard to the diamond issue.”
2000-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4129 (2000) · source
“This includes, importantly, the rights of a free press, which are, unfortunately, under threat in Angola today. The issue of a free press is of grave concern to my Government and, despite our support of the sanctions and our efforts to work closely with the Government of Angola, we do not believe we can or should ignore this problem. Our vote today in support of the draft resolution will underscore the strong Council View that UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi is in defiance of the will of the people he claims to help and represent. The primary cause of the present crisis is Savimbi's unwillingness to comply with his obligations under the Lusaka Protocol. Mr. Savimbi should read the writing on the wall here in this meeting today. The noose - as one of the previous speakers said - is closing.”
2000-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4129 (2000) · source
“The fundamental expectation of the international community remains the full demilitarization of UNITA, the full extension of state administration to all areas of the national territory and the full demobilization of all armed UNIT A personnel. The people of Angola waited four years for UNITA to accomplish these tasks, only to be deceived once again. However, the four years of the Lusaka Protocol produced a Government of National Unity, integrated armed forces and a multi-party National Assembly. These gains should be safeguarded and developed. The United States is committed to the Lusaka Protocol and its institutions, including the role of the troika of observer States, and to the freedoms guaranteed under the Angolan Constitution.”
2000-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4129 (2000) · source
“I hope that he will report to President Dos Santos that the Security Council is continuing its vigorous efforts to honour its commitments to Angola. In the past, UNITA's ability to evade the three sanctions packages allowed it to defy the will of the majority of the Angolan people and of the international community. UNITA's sanctions-busting activities, aided and abetted by the parties identified in the report of the Panel of Experts, allowed it to pursue a military option that brought death and destruction to a long-suffering nation. The people of Angola have waited too long for UNITA's military leadership to forsake armed resistance and enter into the peaceful democratic life of the country. The road is littered with UNITA's broken promises.”
2000-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4129 (2000) · source
“Bob Fowler has proved that one can be extremely methodical and very careful, and still accomplish something in the United Nations. I congratulate him for his diligence, his perseverance and his persistence. The Canadian delegation and Ambassador Fowler have set a standard by which other sanctions regimes against non-state actors will be judged. Our Government has worked closely with the sanctions team under Ambassador Fowler. He has briefed our Government at high levels on this issue in order to explain to us how we might better assist the sanctions regime. I can report today that his efforts with the United States Government directly have been very fruitful. We also welcome the Foreign Minister of Angola, Mr. Miranda, back to the Council and we look forward to hearing his report.”
2000-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4129 (2000) · source
“I thank you once again, Mr. President, for coming from far-away Canada to chair this important meeting. I am delighted to see that you have some members of the Canadian legislature here with you today. We have been lucky enough to have had many members of the United States Congress here with us in the past six months. I am delighted whenever I see members of any national assembly or legislature here. I think it is the essence of the strengthening of the United Nations to do this and I welcome your colleagues from the legislative branch. The United States will be very pleased to vote in favour of the important draft resolution before us today. We commend Ambassador Fowler, his delegation and the entire Government of Canada for their sustained dedication to this task.”
2000-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4129 (2000) · source
“I wish also to thank the President for coming back to New York to chair this important and, I hope, potentially historic meeting.”
2000-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4127 (2000) · source
“We share the previously expressed view of the representative of the Netherlands that the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations is inadequately staffed and inadequately structured to deal with the massive challenges that are posed by the African crises as well as by East Timor, Somalia and their other missions. However, we emphatically support the Secretary-General's peacekeeping commission. We look forward to its results and urge that it be ambitious in its goals. Meanwhile, we must deal with ongoing crises. In the mission to Kinshasa that will begin on 2 May, the Security Council will assess the status of the progress being made, and we will urge the parties to do more. In the days ahead, how we act to help bring peace to the Congo will be the best tribute to the important report we are discussing today.”
2000-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4127 (2000) · source
“The full implementation of the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement and a rededication to the institutions of justice offer the best hope for an end to the present crisis. We cannot say that the solution to Rwanda's problems lies exclusively in actions within the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Neither can we say that Rwanda's problems should be solved without addressing the presence of the genocidal militia in a neighbouring State. Lusaka's full implementation, local and international justice, and democratization and institution- building in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are the keys to preventing further conflict and genocide.”
2000-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4127 (2000) · source
“The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is unable to prevent the use of its territory by these armed groups. It is simply outside their physical, logistical and political capability. It is therefore time for all the States of the region to come together and find a common solution for the insurgencies of the groups that are not fully covered inside the Lusaka Cease Fire Agreement. Angolan, Rwandan, Burundian and Sudanese groups operate with impunity in the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The solution Iies both within the countries of origin of these groups and within the country that is the often unwilling host. We all know that something must be done.”
2000-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4127 (2000) · source
“Our discussion today should galvanize support for United Nations sanctions against the Rwandan armed forces and the Interahamwe. We must also begin to plan and prepare for demobilization and reintegration of other armed groups in the Great Lakes region. The United States supports the International war crimes Tribunal in Rwanda. We continue to press for reforms to make it more effective. We support Rwanda's own domestic justice system, which is sometimes misunderstood by other people. We have allocated $25 million for the Great Lakes Justice Initiative to help re- establish and strengthen the rule of law in that area. It is undeniable that many of the Rwandan murderers remain at large within the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and many of those wish to renew the genocide.”
2000-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4127 (2000) · source
“The legacy of genocide and ethnic cleansing in Rwanda, Burundi and the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a tragic reality that must be addressed and which will, Mr. President, be the focus of the mission you have announced today. We undertake your mandate with humility and hope, and I am delighted that so many members of the Security Council here represented will join in that mission. I know that you have decided that every country here should either go to Kosovo or the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the divisions are still being finalized, but I congratulate you on an excellent solution to that aspect of the problem, because Kosovo equally demands our attention. In regard to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we must end the cycle of impunity.”
2000-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4127 (2000) · source
“The atrocities in Rwanda were carried out by a small group of murderers intent on promoting hate to preserve power - just as was true in Bosnia. These were political acts, plain and simple. Those perpetrating them must be held responsible. For not acting against such violence when there were clear indications it would take place, so must we, the international community. Again, we are grateful to Prime Minister Carlsson and his colleagues for their unsparing report. It is a historical document and, we hope, a blueprint for the future. That future must now be our highest priority. The prevention of another round of violence, genocidal or otherwise, in Central Africa is a core element of the United States policy in the Great Lakes. It is one of the United Nations greatest current challenges.”
2000-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4127 (2000) · source
“They told me that they estimated the cost would be $300,000. I hope that some way can be found to accommodate this request so that we can recognize in a physical way on that hillside in Kigali the two fundamental imperatives we must focus on here in this Chamber: never forget, and never again. What happened in Rwanda and Bosnia was not the spontaneous result of some sort of genetic predisposition for genocide or that dreadful phrase of journalists, "ancient ethnic hatreds". Such judgements are an excuse for inaction. I repeat, such judgements are an excuse for inaction. I have written in my own book on Bosnia how appalled I was to hear these phrases coming from American officials in regard to Bosnia, and I commend you, Mr. Prime Minister, for being so direct and open about them in regard to this tragedy.”
2000-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4127 (2000) · source
“Like the Carlsson report and the Secretary General's report on Srebrenica, his words stand as an indictment of both the perpetrators and the bystanders. They are a call to action to prevent the recurrence of genocidal violence. In the trip that my colleagues and I made in our national capacity to Africa and to Rwanda in December of last year, I visited a memorial, on a hillside outside of Kigali, to the victims of the genocide, accompanied by many of the survivors, still in a state of shock, five years later. Like the massacre sites of the Balkans or the factories of death of Nazi Germany or the killing fields of Cambodia, a visit to such a place of memory commands justice for the dead and hope for the living. The people stood in a field with wooden crosses and asked if the United Nations could help make it a permanent memorial.”
2000-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4127 (2000) · source
“For its part, our nation accepts its own shortcomings in this terrible period. This has been expressed with openness and candour by President Clinton himself during his historic 1998 visit to Africa. In his visit to Kigali he said, "The international community, together with the nations in Africa, must bear its share of responsibility for this tragedy as well. We did not act quickly enough after the killing began. We should not have allowed the refugee camps to become safe havens for the killers. We did not immediately call these crimes by their rightful name: genocide. We cannot change the past, but we can and must do everything in our power to help Rwanda build a future without fear and full of hope." There is little I can add to President Clinton's statement.”
2000-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4127 (2000) · source
“Fifty-five years ago the United Nations was created in the ashes of the Second World War to help prevent conflict and atrocities. It is the primary responsibility of this body, the Security Council, to stand against such horrible actions and take the lead in response. This is our core task. This is the one, ultimately, upon which the United Nations will be judged by the people of the world. The report makes clear that in Rwanda, as in Bosnia and Somalia, the international system failed and that these collective failures nearly brought the United Nations system down. It sparked an institutional and political crisis from which the United Nations system is trying to recover and which it will be severely tested in the "big four" of peacekeeping: East Timor, Kosovo, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
2000-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4127 (2000) · source
“President, and I believe that it is a mission that can be frankly said to give us the hope that we will avoid another meeting such as this one in the future, so it is very timely to announce it today. Mr. Prime Minister, I want to thank you and your colleagues for you efforts in producing this historic report. Along with the Secretary-General's report on Srebrenica, which Ambassador van Walsum has already discussed, it is a remarkable document, a remarkable self- criticism. We have much to learn from these documents. That these reports were sponsored and generated by the United Nations itself is a testament to our collective commitment to work with the Secretary-General to reform the United Nations, to overcome and avoid the failures of the past and to do better in the future.”
2000-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4127 (2000) · source
“I would like to thank you again, Mr. Minister, for coming back from Canada to chair this important meeting. I accept the mandate of the Security Council to lead this mission and am delighted that the membership of it is shaping up. I think it would be useful to note that a prior mission to Kosovo will be headed by Ambassador Chowdhury and that these two missions further the evolving role of the Security Council as an organization which, following on the historic work of Ambassador Andjaba's mission to East Timor last year, will take a more active role not only in adopting resolutions but in making sure they are implemented. So I welcome this assignment, Mr.”
2000-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4127 (2000) · source
“In this regard, we welcome the work of the Secretary-General and his Personal Representative. We appreciate the recent efforts to promote peace, including the Rome process and the Cyprus group. But more must be done. In conclusion, let me say that the United States remains committed to helping forge solutions to the many pressing problems of Afghanistan. We must work together to alleviate the suffering of innocents, particularly those, like women and girls, who are disproportionately harmed. Let us pledge to continue and strengthen our efforts to achieve positive results in these endeavours. I thank you, Mr. President, for your presence at this important meeting today.”
2000-04-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4124 (2000) · source
“This is almost entirely consumed outside Afghanistan's borders, making the threat from illicit narcotics an international issue of serious magnitude. We have noted recent reports that the Taliban have eradicated some poppy in Afghanistan and hope this means that such efforts will be undertaken on a larger scale. We encourage the efforts of the "six plus two" group of Afghanistan's neighbours plus Russia and the United States in working towards solutions to these problems. We also need donor cooperation and support. And we look forward to the upcoming Vienna meeting of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme. The United States continues to believe that the Afghanistan tragedy can be settled only through negotiations aimed at finding a solution accommodating the rights and interests of all Afghans.”
2000-04-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4124 (2000) · source
“We must remember that United Nations sanctions as set out in resolution 1267 (1999) were carefully crafted to target only the Taliban, not the innocent people and certainly not the women and girls of Afghanistan. The Taliban must comply with the demand of resolution 1267 (1999) that Usama bin Laden be turned over to authorities in a country where he will be brought to justice. So long as Usama bin Laden enjoys safe haven in Afghanistan, the international community is at risk, as illustrated by the recently disrupted terrorist plot in Jordan. I would like to highlight the obligation of all Member States under resolution 1267 (1999) to implement sanctions on Taliban assets and flights effectively and promptly. Narcotics is also a serious concern. Last year, Afghanistan became the world's largest producer of opium.”
2000-04-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4124 (2000) · source
“Afghan parties have an obligation to protect humanitarian and other international personnel. Violations of this obligation, such as the searches of United Nations offices in Kandahar by Taliban militia on 26, 27 and 29 March, are simply unacceptable. The responsibility for the subsequent withdrawal of United Nations international staff from Kandahar and the suspension of humanitarian assistance activities in southern Afghanistan rests solely with the Taliban. Terrorism, narcotics and Afghanistan's continuing civil war also demand attention. The efforts of the international community to persuade the Taliban to stop supporting international terrorism complement, rather than conflict with, our humanitarian interest in Afghanistan.”
2000-04-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4124 (2000) · source
“These cases are referred by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and administered by the United States Department of State. We expect to welcome about 1,500 Afghan women and their families this year. Nearly 300 were resettled here under this programme last year. We call on other nations to step forward to accept a share of the responsibility to provide refuge to Afghans, joining Pakistan, which hosts by far the largest number on its territory, and Iran, another major country of refuge. We are committed to supporting these efforts, and we insist that all Afghan factions, particularly the Taliban, support them as well. We want more than tacit, grudging acceptance of reforms. Humanitarian operations in Afghanistan must be allowed to proceed unhindered.”
2000-04-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4124 (2000) · source
“What can we do to encourage the Afghan regime to allow women to vote, to seek employment, to organize themselves and to work for better treatment, in order to gain their appropriate place in civil society? Last year, United States humanitarian aid to the Afghan people totaled over $70 million, making the United States the world's single largest aid provider to Afghanistan. Over half the United States contribution, $44 million, was in the form of wheat or flour distributed through the United Nations and the World Food Programme. Of the cash component, more than $3 million was for educational and other programmes specifically targeted to help women and girls, mainly refugees in Pakistan. This year's effort will be of comparable magnitude. We have expanded United States support for the resettlement programme for persecuted Afghans.”
2000-04-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4124 (2000) · source
“It is therefore primarily the United Nations and the international community of non-governmental organizations that can claim credit for what little progress has been made. This brings to mind the words and the work of Eleanor Roosevelt, one of the first leaders of the United Nations who, as chairwoman of the Human Rights Commission, helped draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. She reminded us that it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. In noting the work of the United Nations, I would like to ask Ms. King, the Special Advisor on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, about the restrictions on the public role of women in Afghanistan.”
2000-04-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4124 (2000) · source
“The human development index of the United Nations Development Programme ranks Afghanistan among the world's lowest, while the gender disparity index, based on female life expectancy, education and income, ranks Afghanistan dead last. But due to the efforts of the United Nations and the community of non-governmental organizations, the situation is not hopeless. There are signs of modest improvement, at least in informal opportunities for girls, even if our best information suggests that this remains spotty and fragile. Somewhat more encouraging is a trend towards improved access to medical treatment for women and girls, at least in Kabul. Regrettably, the Taliban's official policies remain unchanged.”
2000-04-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4124 (2000) · source
“As Hillary Rodham Clinton, one of my own country's greatest leaders in the effort to protect the rights of women and girls around the globe and to empower them, said last December at the White House, abuses of fundamental freedoms "are not customs. They are not religious practices. They are human rights violations". The United States continues to press all Afghan factions, especially the Taliban and their supporters, to protect and nurture the basic freedoms of all Afghans, particularly women and girls. When we talk to the Taliban - and we do - we stress our continued desire to see improvement in this area. Our human rights report, issued last month, paints a regrettably grim picture. In addition to the treatment of women and girls, there are unacceptable abuses of civilians in general.”
2000-04-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4124 (2000) · source
“It is a vexing and tragic mosaic of suffering, and its seemingly endless civil war exacerbates an already dire humanitarian situation, as we heard in the briefing this morning. It is draining resources that could be used to alleviate privation, and it is preventing the people of Afghanistan from reaching their full potential. Also, the conditions of lawlessness and disorder that now exist allow terrorism and the trade in illegal narcotics to flourish. The promotion of human rights, particularly the rights of women and girls, is among our highest priorities today. In his recent millennium report (A/54/2000), the Secretary-General reminded us that protecting the well- being of women and children, particularly in areas of conflict, will be one of the greatest challenges facing the United Nations in this century.”
2000-04-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4124 (2000) · source
“I remember very clearly, as early as the early 1960s, his enormous impact on public thinking in the United States. He was one of the very first leaders of both Africa and the Arab world to bring to the attention of the American people, and of the world, the emerging desires of the peoples of Africa and of the Maghreb - an area for which I have special affection - for justice, democracy and human rights. We will always remember him for his courageous stands in support of tolerance and understanding within the Arab world and between the Arabs and the rest of the world, and on behalf of North Africa, and all of Africa. I shall be at the Tunisian embassy at the earliest possible moment to join my colleagues in signing the condolence book. Afghanistan is obviously one of the great horror stories of the world today.”
2000-04-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4124 (2000) · source
“I would also like to thank John Renninger of the Department for Political Affairs and the Special Adviser on Gender Issues, Angela King, for drawing our attention to the plight of women and girls in Afghanistan, particularly in the 1997 report of the United Nations Inter-Agency Gender Mission to Afghanistan. I would also like to thank my friend Ambassador Arnoldo Listre for his superb work as Chairman of the Security Council's Taliban sanctions Committee and for his report today, and to thank Ambassador Chowdhury again for his presidency of the Security Council last month. I would like also to join other members in expressing our special sympathy to the people of Tunisia in connection with the passing of President Bourguiba. He was an immense figure in the world.”
2000-04-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4124 (2000) · source
“I am particularly honoured to be here today, under your presidency, Sir, at this important meeting, and I am delighted that you intend to spend so much of the month of Canada's presidency of the Security Council with us here in New York. We greatly look forward to working under your leadership. I also want to express my very high regard for Ambassador Fowler and the entire Canadian delegation for presiding over this "month of human security" and, in particular, for their immense efforts with regard to the Angola sanctions issue, which I know we will be discussing later in the month, and to which we in our Government are also devoting so much attention in support of their efforts.”
2000-04-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4124 (2000) · source