YouSaid · the spoken record

Keçeli

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84

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2022-01-05

most recent

2022-12-05

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17

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un-security-council

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1. “Mr. Keçeli (Turkey): We too thank Special Envoy Pedersen and Under-Secretary-General Griffiths for their briefings. We also thank Hossam Zaki, Assistant Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, for his remarks. Last week was the eleventh anniversary of the beginning of the Syrian war — 11 years of war that inflicted irreparable damages throughout the country, a horrific war that the Al-Assad regime started against its own people, who wanted to live in a democratic and free society; 11 years of war that inflicted irreparable damage throughout the country; a man-made disaster which has left no single Syrian family untouched and which has taken a tremendous human toll and has caused immense suffering to this day, as civilians continue to be the daily victims of brutal violence and indiscriminate attacks by the regime and its backers.”

   2022-03-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9003 (2022) · source

2. “The reports of the United Nations-OPCW Joint Investigation Mechanism, as well as of the FFM and the IIT, all point in the same direction. Such violations have serious repercussions for international peace and security. It takes a war criminal to use chemical weapons once, but it takes the Al-Assad regime to use chemical weapons on at least eight separate occasions. We condemn in the strongest possible terms the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime. We once again underscore the special responsibility of those backing the regime on its current course. The Security Council must speak with a unified voice on this grave issue. The Syrian regime must be urged to fully cooperate with the OPCW. The perpetrators of those attacks must be identified and brought to justice without further delay.”

   2022-03-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8990 (2022) · source

3. “Furthermore, the regime continues to obstruct technical consultations with the OPCW Declaration Assessment Team by manipulating and abusing the visa issue. In addition, the regime refuses to cooperate with and grant access to the Investigation and Identification Team (IIT). We also take note of the two most recent reports of the Fact-Finding Mission in Syria (FFM), which have established the use of chemicals as weapons in Marea, on 1 September 2015, and Kafr Zeita, on 1 October 2016 (S/2022/85, annex and S/2022/116, annex, respectively). We await further investigation by the IIT into the identification of the perpetrators. There is now a growing body of scientific evidence behind the Syrian regime’s continued failure to comply with its international obligations.”

   2022-03-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8990 (2022) · source

4. “Mr. Keçeli (Turkey): We thank you, Mr. President, for keeping this topic on the agenda of the Security Council. We also thank High Representative Nakamitsu for her continued work on this important issue. The most recent report (S/2022/181, annex) of the Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) underscores one simple fact — the Syrian regime flouts its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention by failing to fully declare and destroy its chemical weapons. The outstanding issues we have discussed on numerous occasions persist, namely, identified gaps, inconsistencies and discrepancies in chemical weapons declaration. The information requests of the OPCW remain unanswered.”

   2022-03-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8990 (2022) · source

5. “That needs to happen in tandem with our efforts to achieve a political settlement in accordance with resolution 2254 (2015).”

   2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8958 (2022) · source

6. “We strongly encourage the international community to engage in legitimate partnerships to achieve justice. Our fight against Da’esh is resolute. Turkey is the only country that has fought face to face with Da’esh. We had been an active member of the Global Coalition against Da’esh since its inception, and we have eliminated more than 4,500 Da’esh members in Syria. Just last year, 236 Da’esh members were eliminated inside Syria as a result of operations conduct by Turkey. The Syrian National Army has also been fighting against Da’esh in areas controlled by the legitimate Syrian opposition. We believe that, through cooperation with the legitimate Syrian opposition and countries in the region, it is possible to completely defeat Da’esh, but to do that we need everyone to be on board with such a plan.”

   2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8958 (2022) · source

7. “We ask how Da’esh fighters managed to bypass checkpoints with car bombs in such a sensitive site. How did they gain such deep access inside that sensitive site? We have warned the international community that the red carpet that it rolls out to terrorists will very quickly become a veil of blood. The international community should not once again be blackmailed by the so-called SDF, led by the PKK/YPG. Repatriation is the only viable way to bring foreign terrorist fighters to justice. The so-called local judicial process by the SDF or attempts to create international mechanisms to put its suspects on trial is both a flagrant breach of international law and a futile exercise to create some kind of legal system that does not have precedents.”

   2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8958 (2022) · source

8. “As we mentioned here yesterday (see S/PV.8955), the PKK/YPG continues to target civilians, recruit children, target hospitals and kill humanitarian workers. Those are textbook examples of violating international humanitarian law. Yet some actors in the region continue to reach out to that terror organization to do their bidding. We wish to remind them: Make no mistake that there are no good terrorists. Our concerns have been proved by the latest development in Al-Hasakah. On numerous occasions, we have informed the international community that Da’esh members are being released in exchange for bribes and other objectives under unclear schemes. The recent prison break and subsequent incidents have yet again proved the unreliability of the PKK/YPG- dominated SDF.”

   2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8958 (2022) · source

9. “Da’esh and other terror organizations found fertile ground in Syria because the regime had begun attacking its own people. A democratic Constitution and the implementation of universal human rights and freedoms will go a long way towards preventing any resurgence of Da’esh. Since the outset of this fight, we have pointed to the persistent wrongdoings and ill-advised strategies. However, our warnings were not heeded. We have consistently highlighted the mistake of subcontracting a terrorist organization, namely, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party/People’s Protection Units (PKK/YPG)- dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to defeat Da’esh. It was clear from the beginning that its main objective was never to defeat Da’esh. Its aim was ethnic cleansing.”

   2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8958 (2022) · source

10. “Mr. Keçeli (Turkey): Although Da’esh has suffered major setbacks in Syria and Iraq, we have seen its capacity to stage attacks. We believe that a three-pronged approach is needed to effectively tackle the threat posed by Da’esh. First, genuine intelligence-sharing is essential. Da’esh remains a common threat to humankind and requires unified and coordinated strategies to eradicate it completely. Secondly, the repatriation of foreign terrorist fighters is a necessary step in the fight against Da’esh. Not only will it disempower Da’esh on the ground, but it will have a ripple effect around the world, as the repercussions for joining Da’esh will be made clear in in every country, and thereby impede future recruitment. Thirdly, we must address the root causes of the problem.”

    2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8958 (2022) · source

11. “The Council must act united in doing what is right for the people whom we have pledged to serve. We are not going to honour the lies and baseless allegations of the regime with an answer. Their presence here is an affront to the Syrian people who lost their lives at the hand of the regime.”

    2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8957 (2022) · source

12. “While the Al-Assad regime continues to attack its own people, terrorist organization PKK/YPG pursues the same evil agenda by committing war crimes in northern Syria. Humanitarian assistance is just a band-aid with which we are trying to treat the cancer. The United Nations has become the aftermath intervention service in Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen and South Sudan. The international community throws money to keep the problems at bay. We need to address the root causes of conflicts. In the case of Syria, the root cause of the conflict is clear — the restriction of fundamental rights and freedoms by the Al-Assad regime. The humanitarian crisis will continue unless we address the political problem and achieve a political settlement in accordance with resolution 2254 (2015).”

    2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8957 (2022) · source

13. “Last year, the United Nations appealed for $4 billion to aid the Syrian people. It received less than half of that. Humanitarian assistance is needed because the Syrian regime, Da’esh and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party/People’s Protection Units (PKK/YPG) continue to violate international humanitarian law. For over a decade, the Syrian people have demonstrated resilience, and we cannot abandon them now. The effectiveness of the humanitarian response is also undermined by the ongoing ceasefire violations and attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Idlib. Recent examples include the destruction of a United Nations supported farm and the attack against the Arshani water station, which interrupted access to water for almost a quarter million people in the region.”

    2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8957 (2022) · source

14. “Under-Secretary-General Griffiths alluded to the recent developments in cross-line deliveries and their distribution through the newly established distribution method. Turkey is fully committed to contributing to the implementation of resolution 2585 (2021) in all its aspects, including cross-line access. We interpret the current United Nations requests with that understanding. This also requires the effective engagement of the United Nations with local actors on the ground. As noted in resolution 2585 (2021), early recovery projects can broaden humanitarian activities. It is important that those projects are implemented without discrimination throughout Syria based on the needs assessment of the United Nations. Continued funding to the Organization’s humanitarian response activities is essential.”

    2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8957 (2022) · source

15. “There is simply no alternative available in scale or scope that could address the increasing needs in the north-west. The lives of millions of vulnerable people depend on the aid channelled through the single border crossing at Bab Al-Hawa, where the most scrutinized monitoring system in the world is in place. Last year alone, almost 10,000 trucks left Turkey to deliver life-saving assistance to 2.4 million people. More than 90 per cent of the trans-shipped cargo contained food items. The remaining materials were used to aid in providing shelter, sanitation, nutrition and education. In addition, over 1.9 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines were transported into Syria using this cross- border mechanism. Turkey is proud to cooperate with the United Nations and humanitarian partners so as to ensure that the cross-border remains operational.”

    2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8957 (2022) · source

16. “Mr. Keçeli (Turkey): The Syrian people are once again caught between violence, starvation, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and a harsh winter. This year, the number of people requiring humanitarian assistance has risen to 14 million people. Earlier this week, the United Nations Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis provided an insight into the current needs in north-west Syria. He made an appeal for safer, more dignified shelters as 150,000 Syrians contend with sub-zero temperatures. Turkey has our own national project to alleviate shelter needs in Idlib, but we continue to encourage other international stakeholders and donors to prioritize funding such projects. The United Nations cross-border mechanism is a lifeline to 3.4 million people in the north-west.”

    2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8957 (2022) · source

17. “The world entrusted the permanent members of the Council to maintain world peace, to uphold the Charter of the United Nations and to protect the people we have pledged to serve. We have elected the non-permanent members to do the same. Unfortunately, so far, the Security Council has failed the Syrian people. We implore all members of the Council to act now and save the people of Syria and their future. We will not honour the lies and baseless allegations of the Syrian regime with a response. Their presence here is an affront to the Syrians that lost their lives at the hands of the regime.”

    2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8955 (2022) · source

18. “Those acts and atrocities are well documented in the reports of international organizations and non-governmental agencies. Most recently, last Thursday, seven civilians, five of whom were children, were killed, and 30 civilians were injured by rocket fire from the terror group. We assure the Council that all terrorist organizations, be they PKK/YPG or Da’esh, will pay for the atrocities they commit. Turkey will never tolerate any terrorist organization. No terrorist organization will find safe haven along our borders. In order to establish a lasting political solution in Syria, there should be no support from the international community to the regime or to the terror organizations.”

    2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8955 (2022) · source

19. “On numerous occasions, we have expressed our concerns that members of Da’esh are being released in exchange for bribes, which will only aid in its resurgence. The recent prison break and subsequent clashes demonstrated once again the impotence and unreliability of the PKK/YPG- dominated Syrian Democratic Forces. Let us also briefly address the acts of aggression by the PKK/YPG for the sake of the Council. More than 350 civilians died last year during terror attacks by the PKK/YPG. They attacked Al-Shifa hospital in Afrin. They recruited child soldiers. They prevented civilians from returning to their homes, including Kurds and Yazidis. They violently suppressed peaceful civilian protests. They arrested Arabic teachers.”

    2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8955 (2022) · source

20. “It is clear that they intend to stall the process until they kill the opposition on the ground. The regime’s attacks in Idlib specifically target civilians and civilian infrastructure. Strikes destroyed the Al-Arshani pumping station, which serves as a water source for almost one quarter of a million people. A recent targeted attack on a farm is yet another example of violence perpetrated by the regime. Those attacks have become commonplace, but that does not make them any less heinous. They are grave violations of international humanitarian law. Some actors in the region have misguidedly tied their hopes of eradicating Da’esh to another terrorist organization — the Kurdistan Workers’ Party/ People’s Protection Units (PKK/YPG). We have consistently warned the international community about that terrorist organization.”

    2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8955 (2022) · source

21. “We therefore must remain accountable to the Syrian people. Yet there are some who wish to normalize relations with the regime, when instead we must normalize the implementation of the universal human rights afforded to the people of Syria. We know that the only way that that will happen is by advancing the political process through the Constitutional Committee, thereby achieving a political settlement in accordance with resolution 2254 (2015). In accordance with that approach, we held the seventeenth international meeting on Syria in the Astana format. We support and appreciate efforts by Special Envoy Pedersen, which we hope will lead to the success of the Constitutional Committee. Yet, so far, we have not seen any goodwill on the part of the regime.”

    2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8955 (2022) · source

22. “Mr. Keçeli (Turkey): We speak often in this Chamber of the need to tackle the root cause of a conflict. The fact is that the root cause of the crisis in Syria was political. The Syrian people have been deprived of their basic human rights and fundamental freedoms. They have known injustice for decades — the injustice of not having the protection of a proper constitution. The conflict emerged when the Syrian people overcame fear and sought democratic rights, freedoms and a democratic constitution. We cannot pretend that, were hostilities to cease, the Syrian people would be happy to return to the pre-conflict status quo. The root cause of the conflict remains, which is the restriction of fundamental rights and freedoms by the Al-Assad regime. We speak of accountability in this Chamber.”

    2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8955 (2022) · source

23. “The lack of accountability signifies our collective failure to prevent violations from occurring and, indeed, reoccurring. We must act now to establish and support the existing accountability mechanisms in order to end impunity. The Security Council formally recognized the protection of civilians in armed conflict as a matter of international peace and security in 1999. Since then, more than 20 years have passed, which has provided enough space to create the necessary tools to enhance that agenda. Yet the internal dynamics and decisions of the Council have reduced the role of the United Nations to aftermath intervention. We need a unified position from the Security Council. We expect the Council to uphold its responsibility in order to prevent and ease suffering around the world.”

    2022-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8953Resumption1 (2022) · source

24. “That deliberate attack impacted almost 250,000 Syrians. Such violations add to the gravity of the humanitarian situation on the ground. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party/People’s Protection Units (PKK/YPG) terrorist organization also targets civilians and civilian infrastructure in northern Syria, where only last year more than 350 civilians lost their lives in such attacks. It is now a matter of common knowledge that the PKK/YPG release Da’esh members from the camps in north-eastern Syria in exchange for financial gain or for committing terrorist acts. The terrorist organization also targets hospitals and medical centres, continues to recruit children and prevents the civilian population, including Syrian Kurds and Yazidis, from returning to their homes.”

    2022-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8953Resumption1 (2022) · source

25. “Mr. Keçeli (Turkey): We thank you, Madam President, for organizing this open debate and for bringing an international focus to war in cities. Urban warfare is not a new phenomenon. The United Nations itself was created following the destruction of cities around the world. Yet history repeats itself with devastating consequences. Parties to conflict continue to perpetrate attacks that target civilians and destroy civilian infrastructure. My country hosts approximately 4 million Syrian refugees, many of whom fled from cities that were targeted by the regime. When they return in the future, they will do so knowing that life will never be the same. The Syrian regime and its backers continue to target the civilian infrastructure in cities. Most recently, the Arşani water distribution and pumping station close to central Idlib was hit.”

    2022-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8953Resumption1 (2022) · source

26. “We hope that today’s open debate rouses those who have grown tired of the Palestinian question, because we can assure them that the people of Palestine are far more tired than any of us and deserve better than what we have done for them so far.”

    2022-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8950Resumption1 (2022) · source

27. “Turkey will continue to support UNRWA’s vital work both financially and politically. The lives of children on both sides of the border are equally important and the side they are born on should not matter. They should have an equal opportunity to fulfil their potential. No child’s future should be stolen because of an accident of birth. The Palestine-Israel conflict is not a frozen conflict, nor should it be treated as one. Turkey will continue to support a two-State solution leading to the establishment of an independent, sovereign and contiguous State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Returning to the path of peace negotiations is a priority. To that end, the work of the Quartet must be revitalized, and we must work for a two-State solution.”

    2022-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8950Resumption1 (2022) · source

28. “It constitutes yet another violation of the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people, and we expect it to be revoked immediately. We firmly believe that the intra-Palestinian reconciliation process is integral to seeding peace in the region. Turkey will continue to support unity among the Palestinian parties and urges other Member States to do the same. Furthermore, the international community should support the Palestinian economy. To that end, we thank Norway for hosting the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee meeting last November. However, that alone is not enough. Millions of Palestinian refugees rely on the life-saving assistance of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). It is essential to ensure that the Agency can continue to provide its services in a sustainable, uninterrupted manner.”

    2022-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8950Resumption1 (2022) · source

29. “That is not good enough. The normalization of the occupation is simply unacceptable. We condemn all unilateral steps, including arbitrary arrests, illegal settlements, forced evictions, the demolition of houses and attempts to change the status quo of Jerusalem and Haram Al-Sharif. Such actions are detrimental to the prospects for a two-State solution. We note the Israeli Government’s decision to halt the plans for illegal settlements in Atarot and postpone the construction of an illegal settlement in the West Bank’s Area E-1 to an unknown date. These are indeed steps in the right direction. Sadly, Israel’s decision to list six Palestinian civil-society organizations as terrorist entities is a prime example of taking one step forward and three steps back.”

    2022-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8950Resumption1 (2022) · source

30. “Mr. Keçeli (Turkey): We thank the President for convening this open debate and welcome the briefings by Special Coordinator Wennesland and the civil- society representatives. As we listened to the briefings, we reflected on the fact that 75 years have passed since the United Nations accepted the responsibility of finding a solution to the Palestine issue. After three quarters of a century, there is still no solution. For all intents and purposes, the only thing that has changed is our attitude to the Palestinian question. We no longer debate a political solution to this enduring conflict. We speak of peace only in theory. The Security Council has lost its ambition. As we saw last spring, the conflict comes to the fore only when there is an escalation. Messages urging restraint have replaced the calls for lasting peace.”

    2022-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8950Resumption1 (2022) · source

31. “Turkey will continue to support efforts to end impunity, as that is an essential prerequisite for justice and lasting peace in Syria. We repeat our support for the objective, impartial and professional investigations conducted by the OPCW Technical Secretariat. The meeting rose at 4.45 p.m.”

    2022-01-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8943 (2022) · source

32. “Therefore, we once again call on the Security Council to act in unity to achieve the full implementation of resolution 2118 (2013). Turkey strongly condemns the use of chemical weapons anywhere, by anyone and under any circumstances. Throughout the Syrian conflict, the Al-Assad regime has repeatedly used chemical weapons against its own people. The audacity of the Al-Assad regime demonstrates the grave consequences of impunity, yet its track record continues to grow to this day. We once again remind those who embolden the Al-Assad regime of their responsibility under the Charter of the United Nations. We cannot turn our backs on the innocent civilians in Syria, who have suffered unimaginable horrors, whose lungs have been ravaged by chemical weapons and whose children deserve a future free from fear.”

    2022-01-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8943 (2022) · source

33. “The declaration is full of inconsistencies, identified gaps and discrepancies. Indeed, there are at least 20 outstanding issues in the regime’s declaration. In that context, the discovery of a chemical-weapon production facility in Syria further deepens our concern. The regime’s refusal to provide information on that site is a flagrant violation of its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and resolution 2118 (2013). Moreover, the Al-Assad regime must still account for the unauthorized movement of two chlorine cylinders related to the Douma chemical attack. The non-issuance of visas for Technical Secretariat officials is yet another concrete example of the regime’s non-compliance. That pattern of behaviour is unacceptable and requires a strong message from the Council.”

    2022-01-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8943 (2022) · source

34. “Mr. Keçeli (Turkey): At the outset, we wish to congratulate you, Madam, on assuming the presidency of the Security Council. We also commend the new members of the Council and wish them success. We thank High Representative Nakamitsu for her briefing. There is one clear takeaway from the ninety-ninth monthly report (see S/2021/1103) of the Director- General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), namely, that the Al-Assad regime continues to violate its obligations. The OPCW cannot confirm that the chemical weapons declaration presented by the Syrian regime is accurate and complete. Despite repeated calls, the Al-Assad regime fails to provide information that would help to uncover the true nature and scope of its chemical weapons programme.”

    2022-01-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8943 (2022) · source