YouSaid · the spoken record

J Osselin

lines on the record
24
first
1999-09-24
most recent
2000-01-24
sittings or episodes
2
sources
un-security-council

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  1. “We are resolved to support all activities along the lines I have mentioned. We have only one desire: a peace in the region that is solid and lasting, which will require exemplary determination and solidarity. As I said, France stands at the ready.”

    2000-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092Resumption1 (2000) · source

  2. “The region awaits a manifestation of international solidarity in the struggle against poverty and, thus, for improved social well-being; in favour of trade and, for regional economic integration; and, let us not forget, for the restoration of the basic functions of States in administration, justice and security. The conference, organized by the OAU with the support of the United Nations, could lead to the adoption of a declaration of principles, to be followed by a series of bilateral and multilateral agreements and partnerships to define the modalities of its implementation. France is resolutely committed to the Lusaka Agreement, both through the liaison officers it has made available to the United Nations and through the assistance it provides to the Joint Military Commission.”

    2000-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092Resumption1 (2000) · source

  3. “These include the questions of peace and security, which necessarily and obviously touch upon the issue of border control and involve all the parties and the principle of territorial integrity. No less important would be the implementation of measures to restore democracy, the rule of law and respect for fundamental freedoms - first and foremost those of minorities and refugees - as well as doing away with any ideology of exclusion. Finally, the Great Lakes region of Africa needs to be supported in a major effort of reconstruction and development.”

    2000-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092Resumption1 (2000) · source

  4. “While we all want a return to peace, we must agree that such a peace will not be real or lasting unless there is a comprehensive study of the phenomena that have for so long hampered peace and have led to chain reactions in the region. It is quite clear to us that the peace processes under way - the Arusha process for Burundi and the Lusaka process for the Democratic Republic of the Congo - are fundamental prerequisites for the holding of such a conference. In other words, the conference cannot be held unless tangible progress is first made in those processes. Such a conference would be the basis for a new commitment by the international community to reconstruction, development and democracy in the countries of the region. There are three sets of issues that could be addressed.”

    2000-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092Resumption1 (2000) · source

  5. “Lastly, I would stress the prospects that would be opened up by an international conference on peace, security, democracy and development in the Great Lakes region. It is clearly up to the countries concerned whether or not to hold such a conference. However, we truly believe that if the Ceasefire Agreement were to open the way for such an initiative, such a conference would have a lasting impact. This is simply because such an approach would go to the root of the problems that underlie and have long fed the current conflict. As the Council knows, France has for a long time suggested the holding of such a conference. The United Nations often talks about it, and I myself have noted that our conviction is now shared by a growing number of leaders who not only want to end this crisis, but who above all want to tackle its root causes.”

    2000-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092Resumption1 (2000) · source

  6. “This is not a preliminary to deploying the peacekeeping operation, which clearly cannot wait; we feel, rather, that it is essential to achieving political agreement among the Congolese, re-establishing state authority throughout the territory and assembling the elements of genuine national consensus, without which the sovereignty, national integrity and democracy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo will remain fragile, if not hypothetical. To be credible, the dialogue must proceed along the lines set forth in the Lusaka Agreement and without foreign interference. France welcomes the appointment of President Masire as Facilitator of the national dialogue and assures him of our full support.”

    2000-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092Resumption1 (2000) · source

  7. “The deployment of the peacekeeping operation should enable the parties to abide by their commitments to demobilize and reintegrate the former combatants of armed groups. That will occur, however, only if the countries from which the groups originate came undertake to make the necessary reciprocal arrangements to ease their return. Measures must quickly be taken to end the illegal exploitation of the country's resources. To that end, a panel of experts could be established forthwith under the auspices of the Secretary-General to analyse the situation and propose solutions. Secondly, we will undertake to help organize the national dialogue.”

    2000-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092Resumption1 (2000) · source

  8. “In this respect, we welcome the recommendations made this morning by the Secretary-General, the security aspects of which remain to be fully determined but which will facilitate the actual and verified implementation of the Lusaka Agreement. They also open the door to subsequent United Nations involvement on a larger scale, which we ardently desire and which will help complete and consolidate the peace process once conditions permit, inter alia, in terms of security and the fidelity of the parties to their commitments. President Jacques Chirac has often said that we are ready to support deployment of the operation, be it by despatching Blue Helmets or by equipping certain African contingents participating in it.”

    2000-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092Resumption1 (2000) · source

  9. “France solemnly recalls that the international community can consider offering concrete support for the implementation of the Lusaka Agreement, particularly through a peacekeeping operation, only if its signatories clearly demonstrate their will to abide by their commitments and to reconcile their differences. That is what I heard from the African leaders this morning. But these leaders also expect the States members of the Security Council to commit ourselves to them, first and foremost, by sustained and credible action of the United Nations speedily to strengthen respect for the ceasefire. Without that, no progress can be made on the other aspects of the Agreement.”

    2000-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092Resumption1 (2000) · source

  10. “The national dialogue, which is to produce a new consensus essential to a lasting solution to the crisis, has yet to begin following the recent felicitous nomination of its Facilitator, former President of Botswana Masire. I would stress that the failure to respect the timetable attests to the distrust among the parties and compromises its implementation. But how are we to overcome this obstacle if we ourselves remain hesitant? France appeals yet again to the sense of responsibility and spirit of compromise of the parties to the conflict, many of whom I met during my recent travels in Central Africa.”

    2000-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092Resumption1 (2000) · source

  11. “The absence at this point of an international system to monitor implementation of the Agreement - due to a lack of resources for the Joint Military Commission and to the delay in deploying United Nations personnel - regrettably encourages further ceasefire violations that threaten at any moment to reignite the conflict. The host of unacceptable realities includes the significant ongoing presence of foreign troops on Congolese territory - in some cases against the will of that country's authorities - numerous human rights violations and the growing traffic in and illegal exploitation of the resources of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”

    2000-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092Resumption1 (2000) · source

  12. “The international community - particularly the United Nations, through the creation of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the announcement of an imminent peacekeeping operation - the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and the European Union have all rapidly committed themselves to supporting the process, thus lending it additional credibility and legitimacy. We must recognize that the implementation of this Agreement has been too slow - as many speakers this morning emphasized - due certainly to a lack of trust and cooperation among the signatories and because a certain number of elements remain to be clarified or investigated further before all the belligerents are fully convinced that this is the right approach, inter alia, to ensuring their own security.”

    2000-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092Resumption1 (2000) · source

  13. “Although it has encountered certain problems and is not running according to the very ambitious timetable set by the signatories, the implementation of the Agreement has begun. The Political Committee and the Joint Military Commission, the keystones of the Agreement, have been established. They are meeting regularly and have taken important decisions on both their own internal organization and on how to monitor the implementation of the Agreement. Although unacceptable ceasefire violations - particularly those occurring in recent weeks - are to be deplored, the overall military situation has stabilized.”

    2000-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092Resumption1 (2000) · source

  14. “Mr. Josselin (France) (spoke in French): At the outset, I wish to thank the presidency of the Security Council for having taken the initiative of convening this open meeting of the Council on the Democratic Republic of the Congo. While the international community is well aware of the gravity of the crisis and of its important implications for the peace, stability and development of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes region, it must now fully assume its responsibilities and strongly support the process begun with the signing of the Lusaka Agreement. For its part, France stands ready. The Lusaka Agreement, the basis of a negotiated solution agreed by all the parties, is today the sole complete consensual instrument that can lead to the restoration of peace.”

    2000-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092Resumption1 (2000) · source

  15. “In the Balkans, in South Asia and in South-East Asia we have again recently seen the ravages caused by the spread of small arms in zones of tension and conflict. It is therefore necessary and timely for the Security Council to deal with all aspects of the problem. That is the object of the presidential statement to be made today. My country hopes that this will be a new element to mobilize the international community to action to stem the effects of the accumulation of, and destabilizing traffic in, small arms.”

    1999-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4048 (1999) · source

  16. “In this respect, voluntary contributions, while they do make it possible to start up an operation quickly, cannot be the sole source of financing. They are, by definition, too uncertain. Furthermore, in many cases, disarmament and demobilization programmes are prepared but cannot be completely carried out because of lack of resources. In the same connection, we must give particular attention to the plight of child soldiers, who are often the last to lay down their arms and the first to take them up again. We must restore meaning to their lives. Last year the Security Council adopted resolution 1209 (1998) on illicit arms flows in Africa. Africa, while very vulnerable, is not the only continent concerned.”

    1999-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4048 (1999) · source

  17. “First, it means collecting weapons that are often kept by combatants and that are spread among a civilian population, neutralizing them and preferably destroying them to prevent them from falling back into the hands of warring factions, as, unfortunately, we have seen recently. Such programmes must be systematically reflected in peace agreements that put an end to internal conflict and be included in peacekeeping operations mandates. It means that arms collection activity must be accompanied by the demobilization of ex-combatants and their reintegration into civilian life. I might add that it is the responsibility of all concerned to ensure that these operations are given adequate human, technical and financial resources.”

    1999-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4048 (1999) · source

  18. “We are even now considering the drafting of an international convention with legally binding effect relating to one specific aspect of this question: the marking of small arms and light weapons. This type of provision would make us better able to monitor the production and circulation of small arms, to ensure better security conditions in the management of stockpiles and to trace the channels used in trafficking. Secondly, the management of post-conflict situations is another side of the struggle against the effects of the destabilizing accumulation and spread of small arms. This, specifically, means a number of things.”

    1999-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4048 (1999) · source

  19. “Lastly, the conclusion of the protocol on the manufacture of and illicit traffic in firearms, ammunition and other related material, in addition to the future United Nations convention on combating transnational organized crime, should provide us with an appropriate instrument with which to struggle against a particularly disquieting form of criminality. But we must do more. The holding by 2001, under the auspices of the United Nations, of an international conference on the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects, which Switzerland has proposed to organize in Geneva, will give us that opportunity. France hopes to make an important contribution to that work.”

    1999-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4048 (1999) · source

  20. “Then there is adoption of regional codes of conduct or voluntary moratoriums on these transfers - I have in mind the one recently decided upon by the members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) - which could induce States to display greater restraint in this field and make this activity somewhat more moral. For its part, in December 1998 the European Union adopted a joint action regarding its contribution to the fight against the destabilizing accumulation and spread of small arms and light weapons. Furthermore, the European Union has adopted a code of conduct on arms exports, which can make the issuance of export authorizations dependent on standards of respect for human rights.”

    1999-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4048 (1999) · source

  21. “First we must ensure strict respect for arms embargoes established by the Security Council, not only to bring pressure to bear on the warring parties, but also to try to stem the flow of weapons that fuels these conflicts. Secondly, the strengthening of national legislative and regulatory frameworks regarding transfers of small arms and light weapons must be given our full attention. If States assume their responsibilities and their duties in this field, it will be possible to achieve better control of all legal transfers and stricter enforcement of arms embargoes.”

    1999-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4048 (1999) · source

  22. “This new challenge requires an approach that is both multifaceted and integrated. There is no single comprehensive solution. We must act in many fields - disarmament, peacekeeping, peace-building, the struggle against large criminal organizations, holding producer and user States responsible - and all this must be done at all levels: global, regional and national. I would identify several types of action, ranging from the stage of prevention to that of post-conflict peace-building. The first concerns the search for better control of legal transfers of small arms and light weapons, which is linked to the development of international cooperation in the struggle against illicit traffic.”

    1999-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4048 (1999) · source

  23. “More than inter-State conflicts, in which regular armies fight each other, and which still exist today but now constitute only a small proportion of current conflicts, we are now witnessing the proliferation of internal conflicts in which more or less well-structured and well-commanded armed groups confront each other, in which the distinction between combatants and civilians is blurred and in which the actions of guerrillas replace frontal combat. This type of conflict lends itself best to small arms and light weapons, which are adaptable to the terrain and to the kind of action undertaken, and are easy to transport, distribute and conceal. We must note that, paradoxically, for several decades small arms, especially landmines, have taken many more victims, both civilian and military, than so-called arms of mass destruction.”

    1999-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4048 (1999) · source

  24. “Mr. Josselin (France) (spoke in French): Mr. President, I wish first of all to thank you for the opportunity that you are giving the Security Council to raise the delicate issue of the accumulation and spread of small arms and light weapons in the world. I also want to commend the Secretary-General for the very interesting statement he has just made. For some time, the Security Council, in the exercise of its responsibilities for international peace and security, has studied this phenomenon that is closely related to changes in the nature of the conflicts afflicting many countries.”

    1999-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4048 (1999) · source