YouSaid · the spoken record

Kelly Craft

lines on the record: 426
first: 2020-03-31
most recent: 2021-01-20
sittings or episodes: 61
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

“History is replete with tragedies of appeasing regimes such as this one, which for decades has kept its own people under its thumb. However, there can be no mistaking where we are today. Put simply, it is Russia and China that revel in the Council’s dysfunction and failure. It is Iran that celebrates its newfound leverage over the free nations of the world. It is Hizbullah that welcomes the possibility of new, more powerful weapons to fuel its campaign of terror. It is the Maduro regime that has already expressed glee at the prospect of additional Iranian support. It is the Houthi rebels who see new life in their already brutal assaults on the Yemeni people. It is our European colleagues on the Council that have expressed privately their concerns about lifting sanctions on Iran but have taken no actions to address that concern.”
2020-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/837 (2020) · source
“We reminded members of our right under resolution 2231 (2015) to trigger snapback and our firm intent to do so in the absence of courage and moral clarity by the Council. It can be no surprise that we have arrived here today. As Secretary Pompeo stated from United Nations grounds last week with absolute clarity: “America will not join in this failure of leadership. America will not appease. America will lead. The leadership begins with recognizing the Islamic Republic of Iran for what it truly is: a theocratic, revolutionary, brutish regime that will not voluntarily seek peace or make life better for the Iranian people.” Iran has defied the Council’s arms embargo, fomenting conflict and murder throughout the world as it supplies weapons to proxy militias and terrorist groups.”
2020-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/837 (2020) · source
“I would be interested to know, and I am sure that those listening today would be interested as well. Second statement by the Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, Kelly Craft On 20 August, the United States took the only reasonable and responsible action left to us, after the majority of this body surrendered to unthinkable inaction, abandoned the people of Iran and the Middle East, and invited an arms race that regional nations have begged to avoid. For months and months, we told the Council that President Trump would never allow the world’s largest State sponsor of terrorism to freely buy and sell planes, tanks, missiles, and other kinds of conventional weapons. The countries of the Middle East most familiar with Iran’s terror pressed us to stay true to our commitment.”
2020-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/837 (2020) · source
“They should explain to their friends in the region why they are turning their backs on them and ignoring their well-founded concerns; explain to the Israelis and Palestinians, the Yemenis, the Lebanese, the Iraqis, the Syrians and all the citizens of the Middle East why they think it is a good idea to allow the world’s largest State sponsor of terrorism to gain access to modern weapons systems; explain why they want to empower Iran to strengthen Hizbullah, strengthen the Houthis, strengthen the Al-Assad regime; explain to their own citizens why they opposed Council action in the form of a straight-forward resolution to stop Iran from buying and selling weapons — an action that makes us all less safe; explain to the world why they are lending support to Tehran to continue to sow violence and chaos across continents when Iran is clearly in violation of its commitments.”
2020-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/837 (2020) · source
“I believe that the Palestinian leadership owes it to its people to look forward instead of looking back. Change is often difficult; however, things are only going to continue moving forward. And we hope that other Arabs States can build on this agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, and support the Palestinians to do the same. In conclusion, I understand that many of our colleagues in the Council plan to raise the issue of the arms embargo on the Islamic Republic of Iran in their remarks today. If they do, I would strongly encourage all of them to explain to the Iranian people why they are empowering a regime that brutalizes them, the Iranian people, and crushes their freedoms and their aspirations.”
2020-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/837 (2020) · source
“For too long, the approach towards Israeli-Palestinian peace has been to repeat tired talking points promoting unrealistic and outdated ideas about a solution to the crisis. And there is, of course, tangible outside interference, such as Iran, which supplies weapons and financial support to the terrorist organization Hamas that rules the Gaza Strip. Other nations also play a role in perpetuating the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. These activities sap the ability of the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank to properly care for the Palestinian people and damage the prospect of peace and future prosperity. The international community must use the recent positive events to break out of this cycle and demand actionable change in the region. The lives and futures of Israelis and Palestinians alike depend on it.”
2020-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/837 (2020) · source
“We hope that this courageous step by the Emiratis will give the Palestinian leadership positive momentum to re-engage in negotiations with Israel to end their conflict. So much progress on defining the parameters of a settlement has been achieved in years past, as Israeli and Palestinian negotiators compromised with one another in pursuit of peace. The sides must continue in a spirit of good will, which has already yielded peace for millions of people in the Middle East. Arab nations making peace with Israel does not diminish the need for peace with the Palestinians. America wants to see peace between the Israeli and the Palestinian people. The Trump Administration’s blueprint for peace is a testament of earnest concern.”
2020-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/837 (2020) · source
“While members of the Council are so far unwilling to confront this daily threat to peace and security, the United States stands by the Arab world and Israel as we work to maintain an arms embargo on the murderous Iranian regime. We believe that more Arab and Muslim countries will follow the United Arab Emirates’ lead and normalize relations with Israel. And as we convene here today, Secretary Pompeo is in the region to promote further efforts towards peace, including discussions with Israeli and the Emirati leadership about building on this historic breakthrough. I know the Palestinian leadership has been vocally opposed to this agreement, arguing that it neglects Palestinian rights.” But let me be clear that by no means is the intention of this agreement to ignore the Palestinian people; in fact, it is just the opposite.”
2020-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/837 (2020) · source
“The leadership and foresight of President Trump, as well as Prime Minister Netanyahu and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed made this momentous achievement possible. Opening direct ties between two of the Middle East’s most dynamic societies and advanced economies will transform the region by spurring economic growth, enhancing technological innovation and forging closer people-to- people relations. Direct military cooperation will benefit the entire region by countering the threat posed by Iran’s destabilizing activities in the Middle East and beyond. For years and up to today, Iran has defied international law by breaking the United Nations own weapons ban, providing militias and terror groups with the firepower to kill and maim men, women and children across the Middle East.”
2020-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/837 (2020) · source
“I thank Mr. Mladenov for his briefing. As always, we appreciate his and his team’s impartiality as they work to address this conflict. It is not often that I have the opportunity to discuss genuinely good news during these meetings, and I have the pleasure to do that today. As many Council members know, on 13 August President Trump announced the Abraham accords, the most significant step towards peace in the Middle East in over 25 years. This historic agreement to normalize relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates advances peace in the Middle East. It is a testament to bold diplomacy and the courage of the United Arab Emirates and Israel to chart a new path that will unlock the great potential of the region.”
2020-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/837 (2020) · source
“We can only hope our partners will rise to the occasion to join us — particularly when it comes to addressing threats emanating from Iran — the world’s number one State sponsor of terrorism.”
2020-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/836 (2020) · source
“We would also like to take this opportunity to challenge the Council to refuse to accept countries’ attempts to misuse counter-terrorism to pursue their own political ends. We are deeply concerned about the situation in Xinjiang, where more than a million Uyghurs and other Muslims have been detained under the false guise of counter-terrorism. Confinement that is imposed based on vague indicators and without fair trial guarantees is inconsistent with international law. Counter-terrorism S/2020/836 and countering violent extremism should never be used as a pretext to silence political dissent or freedom of expression or to violate religious freedom or repress minority groups. The United States stands ready to work with our partners to prevent and counter terrorism, while protecting and promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
2020-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/836 (2020) · source
“Countries must repatriate, prosecute, rehabilitate and reintegrate foreign terrorist fighters and their families, as appropriate. We are disappointed that Indonesia’s efforts to draft a meaningful resolution on the prosecution, rehabilitation and reintegration of terrorists were stymied by the refusal of Council members to include repatriation. The world is watching. Will the Security Council make efforts to address the situation of foreign terrorist fighters and their family members left in Syria and Iraq? Or — just as the Council did two weeks ago with our draft resolution on the Iran arms embargo (S/2020/797) — will members dismiss this grave threat to international peace and security and bury their heads in the sand?”
2020-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/836 (2020) · source
“Even though ISIS and its so-called caliphate have been defeated on the battlefield, we must work together to ensure that the population of detained foreign terrorist fighters as well as their family members displaced in Syria and Iraq do not become the nucleus of an ISIS 2.0. We share the Secretary-General’s deep concerns regarding the thousands of foreign terrorist fighters and their family members, most of whom are young children, who are still in camps and detention facilities. Foreign terrorist fighters must face prosecution and accountability for their crimes, and we need to rehabilitate and reintegrate family members, so a new generation of ISIS fighters does not emerge. The United States has led by example, bringing back our citizens and prosecuting them where appropriate.”
2020-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/836 (2020) · source
“The report of the Secretary-General (S/2020/774) has made it clear that ISIS affiliates continue to pose a serious threat, from West Africa to South-East Asia. The United States seeks to call attention to the vast scale of this threat by identifying, sanctioning and targeting each ISIS affiliate. Earlier this year, the United States worked with Council members to list five ISIS-affiliated terrorist organizations in the Security Council Committee established pursuant to Security Council resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015), concerning ISIL (Da’esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities. We thank the many countries that sponsored these listings and encourage States Members of the United Nations to join us in identifying, listing and countering similar affiliates around the world.”
2020-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/836 (2020) · source
“I thank Under-Secretary-General Voronkov for his informative assessment of the evolving threat posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and Sham (ISIS) and the ongoing United Nations efforts to counter it. Last year, we saw how our collective efforts resulted in ISIS’s loss of territorial control and the death of its leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi. These victories in the battle against ISIS are a testament to the ongoing work of the global coalition to defeat it. The coalition continues to pursue four main non-military lines of effort: counter-financing; counter-messaging; detention, repatriation and accountability for crimes and abuses by foreign terrorist fighters; and stabilization of areas liberated by ISIS. It is critical that the coalition continues each of these efforts.”
2020-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/836 (2020) · source
“The regime must heed the calls of Secretary-General Guterres and Special Envoy Pedersen to agree and adhere to a nationwide ceasefire, provide all Syrians with access to humanitarian aid, which has been generously provided by many of those on the Council, and engage meaningfully on the implementation of resolution 2254 (2015). A political solution is the only solution that can truly protect the Syrian people and chart a course for a better future. We ask each member of the Council to work with us in support of the political process so as to ensure that the legitimate aspirations of Syrians from all corners of the country and the diaspora are fulfilled.”
2020-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/823 (2020) · source
“The United States’ policy of maximum diplomatic and economic pressure on the Al-Assad regime and its backers is focused on using every tool in our toolbox to protect civilians from further violence and to bring the Al-Assad regime back to the negotiating table in order to fully implement resolution 2254 (2015). There is much work ahead to achieve the reforms necessary to facilitate Syria’s political transition from a Government at war with its own people to a Government that serves the Syrian people. A legitimate political process facilitated by the United Nations will form the backbone of a new, post-war Syria, together with a new constitution, a nationwide ceasefire and United Nations-monitored elections that represent the Syrian people. It is time for Al-Assad’s needless brutal war and rampant corruption to come to an end.”
2020-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/823 (2020) · source
“The risk of COVID-19 is especially great for the more than 100,000 Syrians who remain in arbitrary detention in putrid, overcrowded regime prisons. Those detainees must be released immediately and without preconditions, in line with resolution 2254 (2015), to ensure their safety and to lay the groundwork for progress towards a political solution. We reiterate our position that there will be no reconstruction, no diplomatic recognition and no sanctions relief until a political process in line with resolution 2254 (2015) is irreversibly under way.”
2020-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/823 (2020) · source
“The key to achieving a credible, long-lasting political solution to the Syrian conflict is a permanent, nationwide ceasefire. The Council must remain united in its shared commitment to there being only one way forward to bring about a just and lasting peace, namely, that the Al-Assad regime must pursue a direct, negotiated political solution with the Syrian opposition, facilitated by the United Nations. We call upon the Al-Assad regime and its Russian and Iranian enablers to commit to that political process by halting all further attacks, including the killing of civilians and the destruction of critical civilian infrastructure. We note the disturbing, yet unsurprising, trend of the increase in COVID-19 cases in Syria.”
2020-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/823 (2020) · source
“The Trump Administration extends its full support to Special Envoy Pedersen for his efforts to facilitate the Committee’s work towards the drafting of a new constitution in line with resolution 2254 (2015). Next week, the United States Special Envoy for Syria, Ambassador Jim Jeffrey, and Special Envoy Joel Rayburn will travel to Geneva to underline United States support for the United Nations- led political process and to ensure the success of the Constitutional Committee. It is absolutely critical that this next round of meetings be constructive. They must help to chart a path forward for future meetings and progress in creating a truly representative constitution in order to make up for time lost due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.”
2020-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/823 (2020) · source
“Thirdly, we encourage the parties to agree to a schedule of future rounds of Constitutional Committee meetings throughout the autumn to show that all parties are committed to advancing the political process. The 10-month gap between the second and third round of Constitutional Committee meetings sapped the hard-earned positive momentum that the Council had helped generate for the parties to successfully launch the Constitutional Committee in October 2019. A schedule for future meetings will advance trust among the parties and, most importantly, show the Syrian people that progress is being made with regard to building a new, inclusive Syrian constitution that will pave the way for new United Nations-monitored elections as soon as possible.”
2020-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/823 (2020) · source
“It is our hope that next week, the Committee, under Special Envoy Pedersen’s facilitation, can achieve the following goals. First, it is important that the parties move beyond previous discussions of first principles and instead directly address constitutional reforms. We encourage the United Nations facilitators to push back against attempts by any delegation to stall the substantive work of the Committee and, if necessary, publicly challenge any attempts to obstruct the proceedings. Secondly, we hope that the Committee members are willing to remain in Geneva for weeks, if possible, and engage in substantive discussions on future constitutional reforms for more than just a day or two.”
2020-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/823 (2020) · source
“How will giving Iran access to more weapons serve the interests of international peace and security? I hope that our colleagues who voted against or abstained in Friday’s vote will explain to the Syrian people today how their support for the Iranian regime is helping to improve the lives of Syrians. The Syrian people deserve that from them. On today’s topic, the political situation in Syria, the United States remains encouraged and hopeful that the third meeting of the Constitutional Committee in Geneva only five days from now will yield a clear path forward for the political process. The Syrian people are relying on every representative to the Constitutional Committee to make the 24 August meeting count. Now is the time for urgency, compromise and action.”
2020-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/823 (2020) · source
“I thank Special Envoy Pedersen for his briefing. Before I begin my remarks, I would like to express our gratitude to him and to his deputy, Ms. Khawla Matar, and I wish her a speedy recovery from her injuries suffered during the 4 August explosion in Beirut. Before I begin today, I want to take a moment to note the irony in discussing this issue after the results of last Friday’s vote on renewing an arms embargo on Iran (see S/2020/803). Iran continues to engage in activity in Syria that is counter to the interests of the Syrian people, and yet many members of the Council voted on Friday to enable Iran to buy and sell even more deadly weapons. Iran’s support for its proxies in Syria only helps to bolster the Al-Assad regime and undermine the United Nations process.”
2020-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/823 (2020) · source
“History will easily trace the path of leadership in this era, and unfortunately it will not go through the Security Council.”
2020-08-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/805 (2020) · source
“The United States has acted in good faith throughout this process and made clear to all parties that failure was simply not an option. Under resolution 2231 (2015), the United States has every right to initiate the snapback of provisions of previous Security Council resolutions. In the coming days, the United States will follow through on that promise to stop at nothing to extend the arms embargo. The Trump Administration’s vision for peace in the Middle East will endure the abject failures of the Security Council. Just yesterday that vision was again validated in the historic agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. The United States is a force for good in the world. And when multilateralism fails, we will not.”
2020-08-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/805 (2020) · source
“Has Iran done anything to warrant reconsideration of its status as the world’s number one State sponsor of terrorism? Should United Nations arms restrictions that have been in place for 13 years be lifted? Rather than acknowledge these questions, members of this body sought refuge in the remnants of the failed Iran nuclear deal. Preserving the last threads of that deal became the objective, not the interests of humankind or the pursuit of peace. And even in this context, I remind my colleagues from France, Germany and the United Kingdom that their Governments made clear just this June that “... we believe that the planned lifting of the United Nations conventional arms embargo established by resolution 2231 (2015) next October would have major implications for regional security and stability.” That belief appears to have been short-lived.”
2020-08-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/805 (2020) · source
“And finally, speak to the people of Iran, who have been living under this regime’s violent and unrelenting repression for more than 40 years. Tell them that the Security Council understands their plight and supports their desperate cries for freedom. S/2020/805 S/2020/805 I have yet to hear a single member of the Council make the national security argument that Iran should be able to freely buy and sell weapons — and do not think for one minute I have grown weary of trying to coax the Council to return to its original purpose, to focus on the human implications of its actions. The defeat of this draft resolution outlines perfectly the Council’s current condition of paralysis and inaction in the face of growing threats. The questions before us were simple today.”
2020-08-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/805 (2020) · source
“Speak to the countries in the region — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Israel — that have pleaded with the Council to do the right thing, the obvious thing, the moral thing, and extend the arms embargo on Iran. Tell them that the Security Council acknowledged the urgent threat posed by Iran and recalls that they have been the targets of Iranian missiles and other aggression, as confirmed by the Secretary-General in his recent report on resolution 2231 (2015) (S/2020/531). Tell them that the last thing the Security Council would ever do is to trigger a regional arms race by unlocking Iran’s ability to purchase sophisticated missile batteries, fighter jets, tanks and other modern weapons.”
2020-08-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/805 (2020) · source
“I have spoken to each member about American determination to contain the Iranian threat. Today I would prefer that those Security Council members who opposed or stood silently by on this draft resolution (S/2020/797) do the speaking. Speak to the mothers in Yemen watching their children wither and die as a direct result of Iran’s support for the Houthi rebels. Tell them how the Security Council works in their interests. Speak to the families in Syria that have been shattered as a direct result of Iran’s support for the Al-Assad regime. Tell them that the Security Council hears their pleas. Speak to the people of Lebanon, who are still reeling from the disaster in the Port of Beirut and know all too well the poisonous influence of Iran and Hizbullah on their nation.”
2020-08-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/805 (2020) · source
“And yet today the United States stands sickened — but not surprised — as the clear majority of Council members gave the green light to Iran to buy and sell all manner of conventional weapons. The Council’s failure today will serve neither peace nor security. Rather, it will fuel greater conflict and drive even more insecurity. Failing to step up to this moral challenge validates the world’s number one state sponsor of terror, just to save face and protect a failed political deal made outside the Council. A flawed deal, it is worth noting, under which Iran remains in significant non-performance of its commitments. I have spoken in the Council about Iran’s malign behaviour. I have spoken of the risks in allowing the Iranian regime to import and export new and more powerful weapons.”
2020-08-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/805 (2020) · source
“One of the enduring truths of the last 75 years is that the United Nations rarely lives up to its own ideals and far too often falls victim to the narrowest political interests of its membership. Today was one of those days, when the worst tendency of the United Nations was on display in the Security Council. When I assumed this position, almost exactly a year ago, I made a point to underscore to all Security Council members that this body’s credibility was in tatters. There was too much at stake, I said, to let the Security Council fade from relevance by getting lost in its own disfunction. This body was formed to advance global peace and security, and none of us should struggle to understand what that requires of us.”
2020-08-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/805 (2020) · source
“We will continue to work with the United Nations; organizations such as the Financial Action Task Force, the Group of Seven and the Global Counterterrorism Forum; and partner countries around the world to address both transnational organized crime and terrorism.”
2020-08-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/791 (2020) · source
“The United States applauds the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s capacity-building programming to address those linkages. The United States recommends that the United Nations strengthen its cooperation with regional and subregional organizations as well as international platforms such as the Global Counterterrorism Forum. The Forum has created good practices to assist Member States in addressing potential linkages and brings together traditional criminal investigators and those handling terrorism cases. The United States looks forward to hearing the experiences of our partner countries on how they are identifying and addressing those linkages.”
2020-08-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/791 (2020) · source
“The United States has used the that Convention as a legal basis more than 650 times since 2005 to provide or request mutual legal assistance, extradition and other forms of international legal cooperation with at least 99 countries. In addition to law-enforcement efforts to counter criminal and terrorist linkages, it is also important to engage local communities and civil society to address the underlying conditions conducive to the spread of violent extremism or transnational organized crime. Local civil society is often attuned to the complex issues in play on the ground and can assist Member States in finding practical solutions. Since the adoption of resolution 2482 (2019) last year, the United Nations has made great strides towards better understanding the linkages between terrorists and organized criminal groups.”
2020-08-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/791 (2020) · source
“In that regard, an important tool for Member States is resolution 2396 (2017), in which the Security Council obligated all Member States to collect and analyse advance passenger information and passenger name records and to develop watch lists. Such data can help investigators identify connections between individuals associated with terrorist and organized criminal groups. We urge Member States that need technical assistance or capacity-building in that area to please request it. Existing treaties, including the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, and international counterterrorism instruments and protocols also provide a useful framework for facilitating law-enforcement cooperation.”
2020-08-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/791 (2020) · source
“Based on trends we have seen, transnational criminal organizations are unlikely to risk attracting the attention of authorities through collaboration with high- profile terrorist organizations or involvement in terrorist activity. In the instances where we see a linkage between terrorists and organized criminal groups, whole- of-Government and whole-of-society approaches are vital to addressing the complex nature of the crimes. Strong border security, regional cooperation and intelligence- sharing between security agencies allows for effective responses to combat both and can prevent nefarious actors from taking advantage of trafficking routes and networks in regions with underpoliced or porous borders.”
2020-08-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/791 (2020) · source
“I wish first to thank the briefers. We applaud their teams’ efforts to strengthen the Council’s understanding of the linkages between terrorism and organized crime. It is clear that in some cases and some regions, terrorist and organized criminal groups exploit and benefit from weak democratic institutions and law enforcement and take advantage of porous borders and ungoverned or undergoverned territories. In some parts of the world, those conditions provide opportunities for terrorists and transnational criminal groups to coexist in the same territory, develop alliances based on common interests and even collaborate.”
2020-08-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/791 (2020) · source
“The Caesar Act and other United States Syria sanctions are not intended to harm the Syrian people and do not target humanitarian assistance or hinder our stabilization activities in north-eastern Syria. We will continue our humanitarian assistance through our international and Syrian partners, even in areas under the Al-Assad regime’s control. The United States will continue to act bilaterally and as a member of the Security Council to provide humanitarian support to the Syrian people. We must protect millions from the Al-Assad regime’s inhumane campaign against its own citizens. I am going to close with another one of Amany’s quotes: “Small wins bring perspective”. I know that, as a Council, we can all bring many small wins in order to help her achieve her goals in Syria.”
2020-07-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/758 (2020) · source
“Nine years ago, Bashar Al-Assad’s troops carried out a brutal siege of the city of Hamah, killing scores of peaceful protesters in a shocking sign of what was to come. One year ago, the Al-Assad regime and its allies bombed a busy marketplace in Maarat Al-Numan, killing 42 innocent Syrians. It is time for Al-Assad’s needless, brutal war to end. This, above all, is what our sanctions campaign is meant to bring about. A political solution under resolution 2254 (2015) is the only credible path to the peace the Syrian people deserve. We have heard Russia and China spin a false narrative that United States sanctions are to blame for the crisis in Syria. That is just outlandish propaganda, but also a sinister attempt to whitewash Assad’s brutality and crimes against humanity.”
2020-07-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/758 (2020) · source
“I will conclude my statement with a few comments on the Trump Administration’s decisive actions to hold the Al-Assad regime and its supporters accountable for two of the conflict’s most horrific humanitarian tragedies against the people of Hamah and Maarat Al-Numan. The Departments of State and Treasury continued the United States sanctions campaign against the Al-Assad regime by releasing 14 new designations under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act and other authorities. This campaign began last month with the first round of Caesar Act designations. We have named today’s tranche of designations the Hama and Maarat Al-Numan sanctions. These names are meant to memorialize the victims of two of the Al-Assad regime’s most notorious atrocities, both of which occurred during this week in 2011 and 2019.”
2020-07-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/758 (2020) · source
“In response to those needs, the Trump Administration has allocated more than $31 million to support mitigation and response activities throughout Syria, including among displaced populations living in crowded settings in opposition-held areas. Protecting and aiding the most vulnerable must be our highest priority. One example that we wish to applaud is the work of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). With financial support from the United S/2020/758 States, it has quadrupled its emergency response and support to the people in north- western Syria. Already this year, UNHCR has provided protection services to more than 66,000 people and offered shelter to more than half a million people and relief commodities to more than 1 million needy Syrians in the north-west.”
2020-07-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/758 (2020) · source
“The Commission’s latest report is further confirmation by the United Nations that the Al-Assad regime and its enablers are responsible for the vast majority of atrocities inflicted on the Syrian people, as well as the dire ongoing humanitarian conditions, made worse by decreasing humanitarian access. The COVID-19 virus is worsening the existing humanitarian crisis, which is already negatively affected by major displacement, high population density in the north-west and inadequate sanitation in many parts of Syria. We support the decisions of the local councils in Aleppo and Idlib governorates, which have taken precautionary measures such as suspending local markets, banning public gatherings and shifting schools to remote education in recent weeks.”
2020-07-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/758 (2020) · source
“The possibility of a Russian and regime resurgence can happen at any moment, as large numbers of reinforcements have arrived outside Jabal Al-Zawiya, Al-Arba’in, Saraqib and Kabinah. Over the past three weeks, the front line in southern Idlib has witnessed a major reconstitution of regime forces, together with artillery deployments along the full length of the line of control. The 7 July report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic (A/HRC/44/61) notes the devastating impacts of Syrian regime and Russian assaults in Idlib province on Syrian civilians, millions of whom were already displaced from their homes by the regime’s earlier reckless and destructive campaigns of violence.”
2020-07-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/758 (2020) · source
“The United States will not accept the Al-Assad regime’s policy of denying humanitarian aid to people living outside its military control. The routine denial of humanitarian aid by Damascus is sadly just one in a long list of the Al-Assad regime’s atrocities, along with torture, the forced disappearances of more than 100,000 people, the dropping of barrel bombs, the multiple confirmed cases of chemical-weapon attacks, the displacement of millions of Syrians and other despicable acts. Throughout all of this, Russia and Iran have acted as a shield for the regime rather than a protector of the Syrian people. Notably, regime forces and their affiliated mercenaries, including those supported by Iran, have yet to withdraw from the de-escalation zone, as required by the Astana agreement.”
2020-07-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/758 (2020) · source
“There is no doubt that Russia and China’s December 2019 vetoes of the Council’s reauthorization of Al-Yarubiyah (see S/PV.8697) and the Al-Assad regime’s callous unwillingness to increase cross-line access have disrupted the region’s response to COVID-19 and caused a significant gap in health assistance. Resolution 2533 (2020) must be a wake-up call for the international community. There is still no viable alternative to the United Nations cross-border operations; yet now there is only a single crossing point for aid to enter. Cross-line deliveries from Damascus are not working. Cross-line deliveries are insufficient in the face of the growing humanitarian needs of the Syrian people. Most troubling, Al-Assad is still unwilling to make the adjustments required to make cross-line assistance a viable alternative to cross-border.”
2020-07-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/758 (2020) · source
“Moscow and Beijing made a purely political and amoral choice to help the Al-Assad regime reassert more control over the lives of Syrians whom he has shown no interest in protecting. Humanitarian access to Syrians is now more difficult, costly and dangerous. This is aid that is paid for largely by the United States and our European, Canadian and Arab partners to support Syrian civilians.Unlike Russia and China, the United States refuses to play politics with the lives of innocent Syrians. We also have to remember the 1.3 million people who relied on the Al-Yarubiyah border crossing for life-saving assistance from Iraq.”
2020-07-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/758 (2020) · source
“It also makes the brave humanitarian workers charged with transporting aid inside Syria more vulnerable to hostile fire. These humanitarian heroes are now more dependent than ever on a comprehensive nationwide ceasefire that to this day remains elusive despite the relative calm in Idlib since the establishment of the Turkish-Russian de-escalation zone on 5 March. As the United States continues to be the largest single humanitarian donor to this operation — now totalling more than $11.3 billion in humanitarian assistance since the start of the conflict — it is our responsibility to ensure that every dollar given to the United Nations is used effectively to help as many Syrian civilians as possible. That is why the Trump Administration opposed Russia and China’s removal of Bab Al-Salam.”
2020-07-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/758 (2020) · source
“But, make no mistake, the continuation of the cross-border aid deliveries through a single crossing via Bab Al-Hawa is fragile. The United States and the majority of members of the Council have demanded more crossings because we know that they are necessary to address the needs of the Syrian people. Russia and China ruthlessly stand in the way. Moscow and Beijing’s decision to veto two separate draft resolutions to deny the United Nations use of Bab Al-Salam for cross-border aid deliveries has left millions of Syrians in north-western Syria vulnerable and in need at the height of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Resolution 2533 (2020) slows cross-border humanitarian aid deliveries and makes it more expensive for the United Nations and the major donors, such as the United States.”
2020-07-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/758 (2020) · source