YouSaid · the spoken record

Kafando

lines on the record: 833
first: 1999-02-22
most recent: 2019-10-30
sittings or episodes: 129
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. Kafando (Burkina Faso) (spoke in French): I should like at the outset to congratulate you, Ambassador Kishore Mahbubani, on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the first month of this year. We congratulate you also on the skill and wisdom that you are demonstrating and on the outstanding manner in which you are conducting our deliberations. I should like also to congratulate the new members of the Council - Colombia, Ireland, Mauritius, Norway and Singapore. We wish them every success in carrying out their new and heavy responsibilities. The Panel of Experts set up by Security Council resolution 1306 (2000) has submitted its final report, on which the Council will subsequently be delivering its conclusions.”
2001-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4264Resumption1 (2001) · source
“In conclusion, I should like to reaffirm my country's commitment to the relevant decisions of our shared Organization, the United Nations, and to state once again that Burkina Faso will join in any initiative aimed at achieving peace and that it will do its utmost to help to achieve that objective in Angola, in Africa and throughout the world.”
2000-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4113Resumption1 (2000) · source
“Perhaps my country's only fault - which has caused so much acrimony on the part of certain States - is that it is one of the few countries as yet to dare to think that any solution to bring peace to Angola cannot exclude negotiation. Nowhere in the report is there any mention of the Angolan people. However, in the end, it is their destiny that matters. On the other hand, there are numerous references to diamonds. We would therefore like to ask several questions. Who is benefiting from the embargo? Who is buying UNITA's diamonds? Who is manufacturing weapons and selling them to UNITA, which is buying them with diamond money? Such questions - and many more - should have been elucidated in the report. Many small countries, including mine, would like to have answers.”
2000-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4113Resumption1 (2000) · source
“Burkina Faso believes that the report of the Panel of Experts does not comply with the rigorous scientific requirements of that approach. Furthermore, given the sensitive nature and the gravity of the accusations made, we believe that the States concerned should have had the opportunity, even before the report was issued, to respond, and that such responses should have been included in the final report. That would at least have had the merit of transparency and, in particular, of fairness. We object to the conclusions of the report of the Panel of Experts, and especially to those which accuse our head of State by name. Before this Council, we reaffirm the denial issued by our Government on 12 March.”
2000-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4113Resumption1 (2000) · source
“The experts attest to having received first-hand testimony which makes it possible for them to name several heads of State. According to paragraph 12 of the report, one of the principles adopted by the Panel is that a fact can be validated only if it is corroborated by at least two sources of information. The accusation levelled at the President of Burkina Faso is based on the testimony of one individual alone, Mr. Bandua. Why, in that specific case, did the Panel not follow its own rationale, its own principle? Here it is practising double standards. Once again, we would like to welcome the initiative of the Security Council in setting up the Panel of Experts, because, ultimately, it is concerned with bringing out the truth. But in our opinion, any investigation must be based on a rigorous, fair and reliable foundation.”
2000-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4113Resumption1 (2000) · source
“Despite that, and although the Panel constantly received relevant information in this respect, the experts on the Panel say that they were not able to verify such information. Did they even bother to interview the representatives of the Executive Outcomes company, or even to question certain countries about this important issue? There seems to be a clear desire to obscure facts and to exculpate certain important actors. The report itself states, in paragraph 12, "Inevitably, a number of actors, including important ones, will have escaped direct mention." If they are important actors, why have they escaped mention? And why is that "inevitable"? Let us now consider what the report calls UNITA's use of diamonds to buy friends and supporters, as set out in paragraphs 99 to 104.”
2000-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4113Resumption1 (2000) · source
“We could expatiate at length on the partiality of the report, but we do not wish to tax the Council's patience, especially since it appears that we will have the opportunity to return to this matter. Nevertheless, we wish to raise three points. The members of the Committee carried out their enquiries in Europe, the United States, Israel and elsewhere. Why does the report remain silent in this regard? It seems strange that it is mainly African countries that are mentioned, given that the report refers to them only as relay points or intermediaries. What about those at the top? What about the main sources? What about the final destinations? What about those who benefit at the end of the chain of command? The Panel of Experts considered the question of mercenaries with UNITA as being very important.”
2000-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4113Resumption1 (2000) · source
“For instance, with respect to paragraph 10 of the report, General Bandua, the chief witness against Burkina Faso, was fully aware that the Angolan Government had been informed that he was to be questioned by the experts. What credence can we give to such testimony? Our reading of the report leaves us with the sense of a certain degree of partiality based on a presumption of the guilt of some countries and leaders and of the innocence of others. Otherwise, how can we explain this ill-considered focus primarily on three African countries thousands of kilometres from the theatre of operations? By apparent coincidence, these three incriminated countries are in the same geographical area and are, moreover, French-speaking. Let us call things by their proper names.”
2000-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4113Resumption1 (2000) · source
“On the basis of this consideration alone, how can we put stock in such allegations? For the sake of our Organization's credibility, an inquiry report of this importance - and, one might say, gravity, since it implicates countries and heads of State - must be based strictly on precise, tangible, verified and verifiable facts secured in an impartial and transparent process. However, with all due respect to the members of the Panel of Experts, this report seems to be built on allusions rather than on certainties. It will be noted, for example, that most facts lack dates and are often flawed by a lack of concordance and consistency.”
2000-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4113Resumption1 (2000) · source
“He saw no objection to this and even suggested to me that, should such a fresh visit prove impossible, Burkina Faso could provide by writing any information that the experts might request. I needed to recall all this to demonstrate the extent to which it is difficult to consider the work done by the Panel of Experts in Burkina Faso as particularly meticulous. And yet, for one thing, the accusations levelled at my country are founded on the results of that mission. For another, we note that the thrust of the report of the Panel of Experts is based on allegations made by UNITA defectors - in other words, by people who had become the enemies of their former leader, Jonas Savimbi, and whose judgment, necessarily coloured by rancour and perhaps by the spirit of vengeance, cannot help but be biased and partial.”
2000-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4113Resumption1 (2000) · source
“Thus, we are baffled by the report's assertion in paragraph 21 that the Burkinabe authorities turned down on the spot the request of the Panel to investigate the airport at Bobo-Dioulasso. These details, which are not unimportant, appear nowhere in the report, thus giving the impression of a deliberate desire on the part of the Burkinabe authorities not to cooperate. Is it possible that all this was done to embarrass and put them in a helpless position, so that they might be accused later of refusing to cooperate? Moreover, Ambassador Fowler will remember that, out of concern for the transparency of my country's position, I proposed in an interview with him that the Panel of Experts should return to Burkina Faso.”
2000-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4113Resumption1 (2000) · source
“This arrangement seemed to have been set, in particular following exchanges with the Chairman of the Sanctions Committee, when, on Friday, 3 December 1999, to our great astonishment, the Panel of Experts called from Abidjan to tell us that they were compelled to move on to Ouagadougou. Thus, as one might expect, the experts were received only by administrative officials who, quite naturally, were in no position to respond to their questions. Nevertheless, in Lome, where they subsequently travelled, the experts were received at great length by our Minister for Foreign Affairs. Clearly, however, from Togo he was in no position to accede to their request to visit certain supposedly suspicious locations that they wished to investigate.”
2000-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4113Resumption1 (2000) · source
“First of all, it should be noted that the mission of the Panel of Experts to my country, Burkina Faso, in pursuit of its investigations was quite clearly botched. Indeed, when the Chairman of that Panel, Ambassador Anders Mollander, wrote to me on 11 November 1999 to propose the date of 13 December 1999, my Government suggested instead the month of January for the simple reason that the appropriate political authorities capable of responding usefully to the Panel's expectations would be unavailable on the aforementioned date, as they would be in Lome for the summit of the Economic Community of West African States.”
2000-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4113Resumption1 (2000) · source
“Mr. Kafando (Burkina Faso) (spoke in French): It was only yesterday evening that we were able to acquaint ourselves with the report of the Panel of Experts to investigate violations of Security Council sanctions against UNITA. My delegation regrets the fact that it was not received early enough to allow us to study it in depth and thus make a significant contribution to the debate. We shall return to this aspect of the matter later. For the time being, I wish to thank you, Sir, for having given us the floor to express our view on the work of the Panel of Experts. The report submitted today for the consideration of the members of the Security Council - the broad coverage of which by the media before its official publication has already been the subject of a response by my Government - calls for the following preliminary comments from us.”
2000-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4113Resumption1 (2000) · source
“We wish, through this debate, to reach concrete proposals which, together with the efforts of the Organization of African Unity and of the Southern African Development Community, will bring the long-awaited peace to the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the greater well-being of the Congolese people, for it is clearly their destiny that is at stake.”
1999-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3987 (1999) · source
“From this standpoint, it should be noted that there is no antagonism between the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity on the Congolese question. To the contrary, their actions are complementary. How can it be otherwise, given their shared ideal of promoting the search for peace? On many occasions, the OAU has shown expertise in the area of conflict settlement. For proof we need look no farther than the platform it proposed for resolving the dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea, of which the Security Council has recognized the relevance in recent resolutions. The only obstacle thwarting its efforts is the critical lack of logistical means. We expect that the United Nations and the international community, will help reinforce those capacities.”
1999-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3987 (1999) · source
“We therefore appeal to the wisdom, patriotism and political will of all the actors to silence the weapons and to promote the establishment of real national accord. It is clear that in order to be viable, this sincere peace should be rooted in democratic values such as liberty, respect for human rights, tolerance and so on. These, we believe, are the basic considerations that can help define a platform of understanding to bring calm to the situation. It is also increasingly becoming a question of an interposition force - a peacekeeping force - and an international conference on the Great Lakes. Any peaceful solution to extricate ourselves from the quagmire must receive the support of the African countries.”
1999-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3987 (1999) · source
“However, the OAU takes into consideration another requirement of its charter: that all African disputes must be settled by peaceful means; in other words, negotiation should always prevail. Therefore, the various sides in the Democratic Republic of the Congo must concretely demonstrate political will. In this regard, we are pleased to see that there has been positive development. Long distrustful of considering such an eventuality, Congolese power seems to have yielded to the inevitable reality that only a discussion with the armed opposition can open the path of genuine national reconciliation. It seems therefore that henceforth neither the principle itself or the question of venue will be an obstacle to this dialogue among the Congolese.”
1999-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3987 (1999) · source
“In the case of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, this is all the more necessary because the country's size - 2,345,000 square kilometres - and the dissimilarity of its peoples could be the source of irredentist claims. The OAU therefore recalls that this is an essential point that cannot be called into question short of a tacit agreement to do so between the States themselves. Another fact of paramount importance is that the African heads of State reaffirm their support for the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo as the sole legitimate authority, representative of the entire Congolese people. Accordingly, they call on the rebels to lay down their weapons with a view to promoting the opening of talks with the Government. By this appeal, they are addressing all the parties to the conflict.”
1999-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3987 (1999) · source
“In particular, the most recent summit meeting of the Central Organ of its Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution, held on 17 December 1998, reaffirmed the guiding principles, contained in the OAU charter, which alone can guarantee a lasting settlement of the Congolese crisis. First, it enjoined the parties to the conflict to respect the sacrosanct principle of the inviolability of the frontiers inherited from colonialism, passed down to us by the founding father of the OAU in resolution AHG/Res. 16 (1) adopted in Cairo in 1964. Non-respect for borders in Africa would open a Pandora's box from which disputes without end would emerge.”
1999-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3987 (1999) · source
“This tireless quest for peace led the current Chairman of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) to envisage a special summit, to be held late this month, in order "to consider all the ongoing initiatives and mediation efforts and to find the deep-rooted causes of and reasons for the problem of conflicts in Africa, their persistence and the relative lack of success of attempts to find ways and means of bringing our actions to fruition." Unfortunately, this special summit was a still-born project, but nothing will stop the efforts being made, both in Africa and by the international community, to find a just solution to the conflict in the Congo. At the African level, the OAU has taken praiseworthy steps.”
1999-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3987 (1999) · source
“The futility of these efforts may have left the unfortunate impression that Africa is complacent to the tragedy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Such thinking would be meagre thanks to all the good will of all the apostles of peace who have devoted and continue to devote themselves to restoring peace to that country.”
1999-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3987 (1999) · source
“This is not to say that the situations between Ethiopia and Eritrea, in Angola, Sierra Leone, Somalia, the Comoros and elsewhere are not worrisome. Far from it. But the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo - because of its polymorphic nature, the overt and covert involvement of the countries of the region and its stakes for the belligerents - entails serious dangers whose ramifications can harm the entire African edifice. It will therefore be clear that our problem - how to find a solution to the conflict - is complex. Forgive me for saying, Sir, that it is a veritable Chinese puzzle. Since it is an inextricable situation, it is easy to understand why neither the OAU meetings nor the efforts of the countries of the subregion have led to a conclusive settlement.”
1999-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3987 (1999) · source
“Mr. Kafando (Burkina Faso) (interpretation from French): The African States on whose behalf I speak wish first to express their satisfaction at seeing you, Sir, preside over the Security Council and to congratulate you. Your country, the People's Republic of China, has always supported the African cause, through the dark times of the struggles for independence, in the various international bodies and even in the bipolar confrontation, where it was always at our side. It is hardly surprising, then, that, in the course of your presidency of the Security Council, faced with exasperation at the instability in Africa, you should have taken the initiative of convening this debate on one of the conflicts currently of concern to Africa and the entire world.”
1999-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3987 (1999) · source
“The protection of civilians in armed conflicts also requires that States rapidly accede to the Convention on the total prohibition of anti-personnel mines, given the devastation caused by this treacherous and insidious weapon. Let us also emphasize the urgent need to ensure security for actions by humanitarian non-governmental organizations and other bodies. These must always follow a code of conduct, as humanitarian assistance must remain neutral and impartial. In conclusion, I would like simply to emphasize that Africa is very aware of the actions carried out on the continent by humanitarian assistance organizations, including UNHCR, the ICRC and other non-governmental organizations. Africa pays tribute to them for their dedication to the service of victims of conflicts.”
1999-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3980 (1999) · source
“Olara Otunnu, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, more than 2 million children have been killed and more than 6 million have been wounded or maimed. Such a holocaust calls for appropriate measures to be taken at the international level. We therefore support and strongly encourage the efforts of the United Nations Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, as well as the actions of a good number of non-governmental organizations aimed at raising the recruitment age to 18. Even then, the matter would not be fully resolved, since it involves rebel groups, which, by definition, are not subject to international law and are not bound by any convention.”
1999-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3980 (1999) · source
“The following possible solutions, inter alia, have been formulated by the OAU: taking into account humanitarian aspects in drawing up policies for the settlement of conflicts through a clear definition of appropriate measures to ensure the security of humanitarian personnel and to allow them to carry out their mandate; the need to teach, publicize and implement international humanitarian law; the ratification of or accession by all States to the Geneva Convention of 12 August 1949 relating to the Protection of victims of international armed conflicts, their Additional Protocols of 8 June 1977 and the Geneva Convention of 1951 on refugees. More generally, better protection of civilian populations in armed conflicts hinges on a solution to the situation of child soldiers. During the last decade, according to Mr.”
1999-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3980 (1999) · source
“It brings into play humanitarian concerns and political considerations, and sometimes it even brings sovereignties and vulnerabilities into conflict. The protection of victims in most cases implies the duty of intervention, which many Governments often associate with interference in their internal affairs. Examples abound of cases in which humanitarian organizations have been turned back on grounds of their partiality or have even been victims of violence. In some cases they have even suffered losses of life. Hence, there is this other problem: how to protect humanitarian personnel in their mission of assistance. Or, in other words, what should be done to avoid the growing recurrence of violations of international humanitarian law?”
1999-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3980 (1999) · source
“The resulting report is alarming: there are approximately 6 million refugees and 20 million displaced persons, the majority of whom are women and children. At the same time, the OAU secretariat has organized regional meetings on this issue in order to make policies more sensitive to this matter and to raise awareness among African populations and the international community. It should also be noted that since 1992 a cooperation agreement has linked the ICRC and the OAU. Finally, it must be stated that in December 1998, the OAU Commission on Refugees met in Khartoum, in the Sudan, and recommended a number of appropriate measures and solutions. However, we are not dismissing the issue. The problem of the protection of civilians in armed conflicts remains complex.”
1999-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3980 (1999) · source
“Furthermore, their recruitment is directly proportional to the proliferation of light weapons. In this regard, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) - which, let us recall, has had a Convention on refugees since 1969 - has taken to heart the problem of the protection of civilian populations in armed conflicts by putting forward a series of initiatives. Thus, with the assistance of Member States, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and governmental and non-governmental organizations, it has sent missions to several African countries to investigate the overall situation of refugees and repatriated and displaced persons.”
1999-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3980 (1999) · source
“It is very distressing to say so, but in this gloomy picture it is Africa that is paying the highest price, in the first place because of the number of wars that are taking place there. From north to south and east to west, passing through Central Africa, the clash of arms and the sound of bombs effectively beat out the rhythm of daily life in that ailing continent. Furthermore, because of economic problems, the populations that have become victims - displaced persons, refugees, those who have been repatriated, etc. - experience the difficulties of reintegration, not to mention the torment of hunger, thirst, separation and unspeakable suffering. It also must not be forgotten that it is in Africa that the large-scale and alarmng development of the phenomenon of child soldiers is taking place.”
1999-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3980 (1999) · source
“Conflicts today are distinguished by the fact that they no longer take place, as they did in centuries past, on battlefields, where only the belligerents faced off. Because of their sophisticated, ultra-rapid and devastating nature, and also because of their sometimes anarchic or fragmented character, present-day conflicts are no longer confined to territory that is more or less delimited. War creeps into cities, into homes and even into families. Unfortunately, it therefore involves civilian populations, regardless of age and sex. If the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is to be believed, 90 per cent of the victims of such conflicts are civilians.”
1999-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3980 (1999) · source
“Mr. Kafando (Burkina Faso) (interpretation from French): I should like at the outset to state that I am speaking on behalf of the countries members of the Organization of African Unity. It is much to the credit of the Security Council that it has taken the initiative to hold this debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict. This step demonstrates the importance that the United Nations attaches to, and its clear awareness of, its mission, which unquestionably is to guarantee international peace and security, and also, in particular, to provide safe conduct and act as a shield for civilian populations that fall victim to war and violence. It also attests to the importance of the subject before us today, a subject that has been under discussion in recent days.”
1999-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3980 (1999) · source