YouSaid · the spoken record

Kumalo

lines on the record: 1,090
first: 1999-08-25
most recent: 2008-12-31
sittings or episodes: 160
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

“The African Union continues to play its role in the peacebuilding field, including through the African Post-Conflict Reconstruction Policy Framework which places emphasis on addressing the root causes of conflict. We are indeed pleased that, as reflected in the Peacebuilding Commission report, its Organizational Committee held interactive dialogue with the Chairperson of the African Union Peace and Security Council and received a briefing from former President of Mozambique, Joaquim Chissano during the reporting period. We look forward to further interactions of this nature, as they are crucial for strengthening and promoting cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union.”
2008-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5997 (2008) · source
“We believe a strong Peacebuilding Commission is crucial for addressing challenges associated with conflict, instability and underdevelopment. A successful Commission is important in preventing post- conflict countries from relapsing into conflict. Among the successes of the Peacebuilding Commission has been its continued efforts aimed at strengthening its relationship and cooperation with relevant organs and institutions, including the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council. At the same time, my delegation underlines the importance of strengthened cooperation between the Peacebuilding Commission and relevant regional and subregional organizations.”
2008-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5997 (2008) · source
“Allow me to express our gratitude to you, Mr. President, for convening this important debate on the report of the Peacebuilding Commission. We would also like to thank the Chairperson of the Peacebuilding Commission's Organizational Committee, His Excellency Ambassador Yukio Takasu, representative of Japan, for his sterling work. We would also like to commend the significant contribution made by the Chairs of the country-specific configurations on Burundi, Sierra Leone, Guinea- Bissau and the Central African Republic as well as the Chair of the Commission's Working Group on Lessons Learned. South Africa welcomes the second report of the Peacebuilding Commission and applauds the accomplishments of the Commission during its second session particularly, the important strides made towards implementing its mandate and core functions.”
2008-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5997 (2008) · source
“We agree with the need to strengthen UNAMA's coordination capacity, in order to enable the Mission to make a significant difference on the ground. South Africa reaffirms its support for the implementation of the Afghanistan Compact and the Afghanistan National Development Strategy under the ownership of the Afghan people. We also commend the central role played by the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board in facilitating and monitoring the implementation of the Afghanistan Compact. Finally, we commend the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan, Mr. Eide, and the personnel of UNAMA for their tireless efforts in Afghanistan.”
2008-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5994 (2008) · source
“We underscore the importance of regional cooperation as an effective means of promoting development and stability in Afghanistan. In that context, my delegation commends the improved relations between Afghanistan and its neighbours, in particular Pakistan. We appreciate the resolve already expressed by both countries to combat extremism and terrorism by further improving existing mechanisms for the exchange of information. In order to address the challenges facing Afghanistan, a holistic and comprehensive approach is essential. In that regard, improved coordination in the military, political, humanitarian and development areas is of vital importance. It is for that reason that South Africa continues to support the central and impartial role of UNAMA and its activities in leading the efforts of the international community.”
2008-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5994 (2008) · source
“My delegation condemns all attacks targeting innocent civilians. We also call upon the international forces in Afghanistan to minimize the risk of civilian casualties. Despite the aforementioned challenges in Afghanistan, the country is slowly making progress in some areas. One notable area is that of counter- narcotics efforts. South Africa is encouraged by the reported decrease in opium cultivation and the decline in opium production. We encourage the Government of Afghanistan and other stakeholders to continue their efforts to address the narcotics problem. We further encourage the Government to improve its institutional capacity for service-delivery and development in support of viable alternatives to poppy cultivation. We also welcome the notable progress in the fields of the rule of law, governance and regional cooperation.”
2008-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5994 (2008) · source
“The persistent threat to security posed by insurgent and terrorist activities is the main challenge to Afghanistan's nation-building efforts and stability. Paragraphs 16 to 22 of the Secretary-General's report clearly illustrate the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, especially in recent months. In that context, we deplore all attempts to destabilize the country, in particular terrorist attacks on innocent civilians, including children. It is also worrying that, as noted in the report, the deteriorating security situation has hampered the implementation of the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). Another area of concern is civilian casualties. As noted in the report of the Secretary-General, the country has experienced an increase in civilian casualties.”
2008-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5994 (2008) · source
“We, too, join in welcoming Mr. Kai Eide, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan, and thank him for presenting the report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Afghanistan (S/2008/617). We also welcome the Ambassador of Afghanistan, Mr. Zahir Tanin, and thank him for his statement earlier. The international community has a shared interest in a stable, peaceful and democratic Afghanistan. It is for that reason that my delegation believes that the challenges facing Afghanistan, which are detailed in the latest report of the Secretary-General, should not be underestimated. Key among those challenges are the deterioration of the security situation, the increase in civilian casualties, the continued human rights deficiencies and the worsening humanitarian situation.”
2008-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5994 (2008) · source
“In conclusion, my delegation wishes again to thank the staff of the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office, as well as the Peacebuilding Support Office and the Guinea-Bissau country-specific meeting of the Peacebuilding Commission for their hard work, dedication and commitment to achieving sustainable peace and development in Guinea-Bissau. All the people of Guinea-Bissau need is a hand from the international community to overcome the challenges they face.”
2008-10-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5988 (2008) · source
“South Africa will continue to work with its partners India and Brazil in assisting Guinea-Bissau in the area of agriculture through the India, Brazil and South Africa Trust Fund. South Africa, in addition to opening its embassy in Bissau in March 2008, also signed a framework cooperation agreement with Guinea-Bissau on 25 September 2008 that will lay the basis for bilateral cooperation between the two countries in a variety of areas, including agriculture, defence, trade, industry and mining, among others.”
2008-10-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5988 (2008) · source
“The issue of salary arrears presents a serious challenge indeed for political stability, and the budgetary support received from the World Bank, the West African Monetary Union and the Central Bank of West African States needs to be commended. My delegation wishes again to pay tribute to the Guinea-Bissau country-specific meeting of the Peacebuilding Commission, chaired by Ambassador Viotti, for the speedy and comprehensive manner in which the Strategic Framework for Peacebuilding was negotiated and adopted. That is important in View of the many but interrelated challenges facing Guinea- Bissau. The work of the Commission, the Peacebuilding Fund and the international community in addressing governance, security and economic challenges will, in our View, begin to lay the foundations for sustainable peace and prosperity in Guinea-Bissau.”
2008-10-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5988 (2008) · source
“A further challenge to the Government of Guinea- Bissau are the rising fuel and food prices that forced the Government to adopt such drastic fiscal measures as reducing tariffs. That led to a reduction in revenue, resulting in salary arrears in July and August 2008. Again, it is worth recalling that salaries used to be in arrears for many months. The current Government has tried to close that gap, and today we can sit here and talk about salaries being in arrears for just the two months of July and August. That is yet another reason why we need to strengthen the Government so that it can deal with the fundamental issues in Guinea-Bissau.”
2008-10-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5988 (2008) · source
“I do not know how an expert group would deal with that. What we need is to strengthen the institutions of Guinea-Bissau so that they themselves can deal with that issue. I would join in the call of the United States representative for the Government of Guinea-Bissau to account for and provide leadership on what has happened with respect to those issues, rather than subject a country that is still very fragile to an expert group, which we do not believe would really do anything more than divert the country's efforts to strengthen its own institutions of law and order. The support of the international community in building and strengthening the capacity of local law enforcement and judicial authorities in dealing with that challenge will remain critical.”
2008-10-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5988 (2008) · source
“Guinea-Bissau deserves our full respect as a sovereign country whose willingness and resolve to address its own problems with the support of international partners should not be called into question." In other words, what we need is to help strengthen the institutions of law and order in Guinea- Bissau, rather than minimize its sovereignty by creating an expert group at a time when we should be strengthening its Government. In fact, if we refer to the Secretary-General's report, paragraphs 21 to 23 point out that what we really need in Guinea-Bissau is a much stronger Government in terms of law and order, rather than an expert group. I do not know how one can deal with any of the problems that are mentioned in those paragraphs, including planes landing and people being given bail and then disappearing.”
2008-10-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5988 (2008) · source
“However, having said that, we do not believe that the suggestion to create an expert group is the answer to the illegal drug trafficking that is affecting Guinea- Bissau. In fact, I should like once again to quote the reason given, very diplomatically, by Ambassador Viotti in her statement today. Her response to that issue was that "Guinea-Bissau may still be a fragile State, but it is no longer in a war or a conflict situation, nor is there any evidence that a conflict is about to take place. On the contrary, there is a legitimate Government, which is currently in the process of consolidating its democracy and its institutions and is trying to pave the way towards stability and development.”
2008-10-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5988 (2008) · source
“My delegation is also pleased and encouraged by the report's descriptions of ongoing security sector reform, and we hold the View that addressing security sector reform in Guinea-Bissau is very important and will further enhance and consolidate peace and stability in that country. My delegation is also deeply concerned about the continued reports of drug trafficking and organized crime in Guinea-Bissau, and shares the assessment of the Secretary- General that those illegal activities can cast an "increasingly dark shadow over the country and threatens not only to erase the important progress in the area of governance, but also to undermine ongoing efforts for longer-term peacebuilding" (S/2008/628, para. 45).”
2008-10-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5988 (2008) · source
“The voter registration figure of 94 per cent is in itself a remarkable achievement and speaks to the confidence of the people of Guinea-Bissau in the electoral and political processes in that country. I should add here that Guinea-Bissau has always had free and fair elections in the past. For that reason, my delegation is very pleased by the report that the funding gap for the elections has been reduced significantly, and we thank the multilateral and bilateral donors for responding positively to the request by the Secretary-General and the Government for financial support for elections in Guinea-Bissau.”
2008-10-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5988 (2008) · source
“South Africa is pleased that, despite the recent political developments in Guinea-Bissau - that is, the tension among the members of the Political and Government Stability Pact and within the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), reports of an attempted coup d'etat, the dissolution of parliament and the setting up of a new caretaker Government - all those things have not upset the political situation in Guinea-Bissau, which in fact did not erupt into any political violence. That continuity, we believe, is a positive sign of trust in the institutions of governance and the consolidation of democracy, which bodes well for the legislative elections scheduled for 16 November 2008.”
2008-10-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5988 (2008) · source
“My delegation too wishes to thank Under-Secretary-General Lynn Pascoe for presenting the report of the Secretary-General (S/2008/628). We also thank the Permanent Representative of Brazil, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, for briefing the Council on recent developments as they relate to the activities of the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNOGBIS) and of the country-specific configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission.”
2008-10-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5988 (2008) · source
“We remain committed to doing whatever we can to make sure that the people of Somalia are not allowed to suffer any more than they have. We hope that the Council will also address the second request that the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia has placed before the Council in support the resolution.”
2008-10-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5987 (2008) · source
“The Council committed itself in resolution 1814 (2008), expressing its willingness to consider, at an appropriate time, a peacekeeping operation to take over from AMISOM, subject to progress in the political process and the improvement of the security situation on the ground. With the signing of the Djibouti agreement, it seems to us that, despite the scenario of 60 to 70 per cent of the armed opposition groups within the political process in Somalia having been achieved, we are still nowhere near discussing any concrete proposals on United Nations deployment. There is a real danger of the Council being perceived as selective when it acts only when the interests of certain member States are threatened, while ignoring those of the Somalis themselves and the region at large.”
2008-10-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5987 (2008) · source
“As long as there is violence and instability, piracy and other acts of violence will continue. We wish again to reiterate the call by the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU) for the deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping operation and that the United Nations also provide support to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). It is worrying that there has been very little concrete progress on the deployment of the United Nations force since the AU made that call, and yet the situation is not improving. We would not want the Council to be seen only to respond when it is an issue of piracy that threatens not only Somalia but the assistance from many other countries, but this Council is slow when it comes to the fundamental problems of Somalia.”
2008-10-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5987 (2008) · source
“Duale, wrote to the Security Council in support of the draft resolution, also asked: "Furthermore, and in this connection, the Transitional Federal Government strongly urges the Security Council seriously to consider the issue of the United Nations peacekeeping forces, in Somalia, to assist Somalia's transition to a permanent Government that will pave the way for democratic elections." 08-5384] So while we are responding to the request of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, we have only responded to one request, which has to do with piracy. It is South Africa's view that the conflict in Somalia cannot be countered solely through maritime security actions. Piracy is part of the larger problem of the lack of peace and stability within Somalia itself.”
2008-10-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5987 (2008) · source
“South Africa voted for the draft resolution because we also agree that the acts of piracy on the Somali coast have continued unabated, and the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia has also issued a call for the international community to help in countering the problem. Because the Transitional Federal Government has asked for help, we thought that it was good for the international community to respond, and we are pleased to have voted for the draft resolution. However, we would like to put it on record that the threat to international peace and security in Somalia originates in the conflict that has ravaged that country for nearly two decades. In fact , the letter that the Ambassador of Somalia, Mr.”
2008-10-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5987 (2008) · source
“My delegation will continue to follow developments and to contribute to the resolution of the problem by actively participating in the work of the Security Council in this regard. We stand ready to work with all concerned in order to achieve a lasting political solution.”
2008-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5969 (2008) · source
“We are indeed disappointed that the Security Council has not been able to agree to endorse the ceasefire agreement negotiated by President Sarkozy of France and President Medvedev of the Russian Federation, and signed by Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia. In our view, that agreement presented a good basis for further consultation. The failure to endorse that agreement, after it was signed and accepted by all the parties, has complicated all efforts to find a lasting solution. We would have also preferred the Council to engage, in any format, with both South Ossetia and Abkhazia in order to allow all parties to the conflict access to the Council, so as to enable it to take decisions based on that engagement.”
2008-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5969 (2008) · source
“South Africa has followed developments in Georgia over the past few months with concern, especially because of their implications for the stability of the Caucasus region as a whole and their impact on bilateral relations between Georgia and its neighbours, in particular the Russian Federation. On numerous occasions, my delegation has stressed the need for the resolution of conflicts and disputes through consultation and negotiation, based on the principles of the United Nations Charter and Security Council resolutions. That approach is important in securing a lasting and sustainable solution. Resort to the use of force diminishes the chances of a lasting solution and increases the suffering of those affected.”
2008-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5969 (2008) · source
“It also does not help that, when the Council was created, the membership of the United Nations as a whole constituted 51 countries - a number that has now almost quadrupled - and that since its creation the Council has been expanded only once - over 40 years ago. Again, until the Council is fully representative and can operate in a manner that is easily understood, its credibility, legitimacy and even its working methods will always be challenged.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968 (2008) · source
“On numerous occasions, the Council has been criticized for its tendency to encroach upon areas of responsibility assigned to other United Nations bodies, such as the General Assembly or the Human Rights Council, thus weakening the United Nations as a whole and opening the Council's agenda for manipulation and the promotion of bilateral agendas. The Council can stem the erosion of its credibility and transcend the divisions and the national interests of its members by uniformly discharging its Charter-based mandate to maintain international peace and security. The international community needs a Security Council that is representative and functions in an effective and predictable manner. The fact that the Council has always operated through provisional rules of procedure is central to this debate.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968 (2008) · source
“They usually operate in secrecy and seek to impose their views on the rest of the membership of the Security Council by drafting resolutions that the Council is then expected to endorse without any further discussion. For South Africa, given our desire for transparency and political inclusiveness, the small group phenomenon presents a significant problem. Yet, we indeed endorse innovations that involve the groups of friends and contact groups as useful tools for the Council to reach out to consult with the broader membership. However, these outreach innovations will only be beneficial if they complement the work of the Council in an open, accountable and transparent manner.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968 (2008) · source
“We have always had been troubled by the fact that issues such as Kosovo, Western Sahara, non-proliferation, and even Georgia, are regarded as of interest, at least to some members of the Council, to the exclusion of other issues. On the question of the Middle East, people around the world are well aware that the Council has remained paralysed in trying to address the plight of the Palestinian people 40 years after the illegal occupation of their land. This problem is further complicated when the Council deals with issues that involve groups of friends and contact groups that draw on States Members of the United Nations from outside the Council. Typically, these small groups are dominated by or entirely comprised of developed countries.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968 (2008) · source
“Its representativity has been challenged increasingly, as it addresses matters that have expanded beyond the vision that the founders of the United Nations foresaw in 1945. In our View, the Security Council must be reformed to address both enlargement in its categories of membership and improvement in its working methods. Anything less is papering over the cracks in the foundation on which this organ was built more than 60 years ago. In the past decades, permanent members of the Security Council have sought to utilize the Council to further issues in their own interest. There have also been occasions where resolutions of the Council have been brought up for decision with little or no opportunity for meaningful discussion by its entire membership.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968 (2008) · source
“While they are modest measures, they remain meaningful steps towards improving the work of the Council and are an effort to try to enhance the efficiency and transparency of the Council's work. The challenge is to ensure that these measures are fully implemented and made permanent, so that the Security Council can be predictable. In recent years, the Security Council has adopted various measures aimed at improving its working methods. However, as long as the rules of procedure of the Council remain provisional, those changes will always seem inadequate. Even if the working methods were dramatically improved in accordance with all the suggestions that have been made so far, the core problem would remain, namely, that over the past 60 years, the Security Council has witnessed the gradual erosion of its credibility and authority.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968 (2008) · source
“We too welcome the participation of the Secretary-General in our debate today. My delegation also wishes to associate itself with the statement that Cuba will make on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, a statement that goes to great lengths to point out some of the working methods that need to be considered during this debate. The Charter of the United Nations has endowed the Security Council with a mandate for the maintenance of international peace and security and the power to take decisions that bind sovereign States. By doing so, it gives the Council a far-reaching impact on the lives of many people in the world. For this reason, we welcome the improvements in the working methods of the Security Council as detailed in document S/2006/507.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968 (2008) · source
“Finally, we particularly welcome the fact that one of the functions foreseen for the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in UNMIK in its reconfigured form is to facilitate dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. We continue to encourage the parties to use this opportunity to resume dialogue in the spirit of reconciliation and with the intent of achieving an amicable long-term political solution.”
2008-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5944 (2008) · source
“We would like to emphasize the importance of the fact that the current reconfiguration of UNMIK must take place in a status-neutral manner and in line with resolution 1244 (1999), which remains in effect and valid for Kosovo. We are encouraged by the Secretary-General's commitment to executing the reconfiguration in line with that resolution. We have noted from the Secretary-General's report that UNMIK will cooperate with the European Union under the authority of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and ultimately the United Nations, as prescribed by resolution 1244 (1999). We look forward to future reports of the Secretary-General on developments in that regard.”
2008-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5944 (2008) · source
“Once again, we welcome the participation of Mr. Vuk J eremie, Foreign Minister of Serbia, to our Council deliberations. We also welcome Mr. Lamberto Zannier, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, and thank him for his briefing. In addition, we welcome the participation of Mr. Skender Hyseni in this meeting. South Africa has expressed its position on the developments in Kosovo on several occasions in this Chamber. It is not our intention to go over them again today. However, they do inform our position with regard to the Secretary-General's proposal on the reconfiguration of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and his report on the activities of the Mission from 1 March to 25 June 2008 (S/2008/458).”
2008-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5944 (2008) · source
“The unjustified and illegal acts by Israel, such as the siege of Gaza, as well the continued incursions into the West Bank, the expansion of illegal settlements, military posts and checkpoints, and the separation wall in the West Bank, are not contributing to any change in the situation. South Africa believes that the two-State solution, one that creates a State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital living side by side in peace and security with a State of Israel, is the only way to bring about long-term peace to Israel. I am very pleased that Ambassador Gillerman, in his final statement before the Council, reiterated that the vision of the two-State solution is the one that may finally bring peace to that area and, once again, we wish him well in his next venture.”
2008-07-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5940 (2008) · source
“The parties and the international community cannot sit back and allow the situation on the ground to continue to deteriorate, ending all hopes for a negotiated two-State solution. We reiterate that the responsibility for peace and security lies with the two sides. In that regard, it is crucial that their actions and pronouncements be calculated to advance the quest for peace. Finally, every briefing that we have received continues to indicate that the situation on the ground in the occupied Palestinian areas has not significantly improved. The innocent civilians on both sides, on the Israeli side and the Palestinian side, continue to suffer the consequences of an elusive peace.”
2008-07-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5940 (2008) · source
“We would like to recall the letter dated 25 June 2008 from the Permanent Observer of Palestine addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council, in which Ambassador Mansour stated: "we reaffirm the imperative of extending the ceasefire to the West Bank, as the Gaza Strip and the West Bank constitute one geographical unit - the occupied Palestinian territory - and, as such, Israeli military operations and attacks in either area have negative repercussions". (S/2008/421) South Africa continues to encourage both the Israeli and the Palestinian negotiating teams to continue their negotiations to achieve the goal of the establishment of a Palestinian State before the end of 2008, as declared at the Annapolis Middle East peace meeting.”
2008-07-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5940 (2008) · source
“We urge the Council to demand that Israel immediately and completely freeze all settlement activity, including dismantling outposts erected since March 2001, in order not to change facts on the ground and prejudice final status negotiations. My delegation welcomes the efforts of the Egyptian Government in brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and urges both Israel and Hamas to abide by their obligations in terms of their agreement to avoid a further deterioration in the cycle of violence in the region. We note that discussions are continuing on further outstanding issues, including easing border restrictions even further.”
2008-07-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5940 (2008) · source
“We support the view that the situation in Lebanon can only be resolved through peaceful dialogue, national reconciliation, bilateral cooperation with Lebanon's neighbours, the withdrawal of all Israeli forces and settlers from its territory, and a fair solution to the Palestinian refugee issue as part of a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace settlement. My delegation joins the global condemnation of Israeli settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory. We believe that the settlement activity in the occupied territory is illegal and changes the facts on the ground and that it is a key obstacle to the peace process. The Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, prohibits are occupying Power from transferring parts of its own civilian population to the territory it occupies.”
2008-07-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5940 (2008) · source
“Over the last few months, we have seen various positive initiatives aimed at finding a negotiated settlement to the myriad of disputes in the Middle East. Many of these initiatives are in their infancy. However, they have already led to a relative calming of the 08-4326] situation, and some have already produced positive results. As we consider these developments in the Middle East, it is important to note that it is the parties themselves, with the support of the countries in their own region, including mediation efforts by the League of Arab States, who are embarking on the initiative to resolve these conflicts. The Security Council should support and encourage these home-grown solutions and regional efforts. It is also for this reason that we welcome recent positive developments.”
2008-07-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5940 (2008) · source
“We too wish to thank Mr. Pascoe, the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, for his briefing on the developments in the region over the past month. My delegation also aligns itself with the statement to be delivered by the representative of Cuba on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. Let me also welcome the participation of the Observer Mission of Palestine and, of course, our friend Ambassador Gillerman, who will be leaving his post at the end of this month. Mr. Gillerman said in his statement that, being the ambassador for Israel was not always an easy task, and as someone who has been here for the six years that he has served, I agree. I wish him well in his new responsibilities as he leaves here to pursue other tasks.”
2008-07-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5940 (2008) · source
“We hope that this mandate extension will enable UNMIN to complete the remaining activities, in particular the ongoing work on monitoring the management of arms and army personnel. We also encourage the new Government of Nepal to utilize UNMIN's expertise as it carries out its own priorities aimed at benefiting all the Nepalese people.”
2008-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5938 (2008) · source
“In that regard, we call upon all parties in Nepal to uphold previous agreements and ensure that the country is restored to the path towards sustainable peace, stability and prosperity. With regard to the role of UNMIN, my delegation applauds the entire staff of the Mission for their dedication and invaluable role in support of the Government and the people of Nepal. We commend in particular UNMIN's work on arms monitoring, mine action, electoral support, gender and social inclusion, and child protection. Finally, with respect to the request of the Government of Nepal for the continuation of UNMIN, on a smaller scale, to engage in the remainder of its mandate tasks for a period of another six months, South Africa stands ready to support that request.”
2008-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5938 (2008) · source
“As noted in paragraph 4 of the report of the Secretary-General, the establishment of a republic in Nepal took place in a generally peaceful environment. Notwithstanding that progress, the report of the Secretary-General acknowledges that significant challenges remain in the country, including reaching an agreement on the basis for the formation of a new Government, the completion of the peace process and the country's long-term development. In that connection, we encourage all parties in Nepal to continue to work together in a spirit of cooperation and to pursue dialogue in order to address those challenges. My delegation underlines the importance of national ownership and the responsibility of Nepalese stakeholders in addressing the challenges facing their country.”
2008-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5938 (2008) · source
“The elections, which saw a large number of women elected, reflected the diversity of Nepal's population. Now that the electoral process has been successfully completed, the next step is the formation of the Government and the relevant institutions of that country. We have no doubt that the Nepalese people will also be successful in that venture. We are confident that the relevant parties in Nepal will, in due course, complete that process. We hope that the international community will support the new Government of Nepal in its efforts to address the challenges ahead. My delegation is encouraged by the progress made in the peace process in Nepal since the formation of the Constituent Assembly.”
2008-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5938 (2008) · source
“We, too, thank Mr. Ian Martin, Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Nepal and head of the United Nations Mission in that country, for his comprehensive briefing and for introducing the latest report (S/2008/454) on the request of Nepal for United Nations assistance in support of its peace process. We also welcome the Ambassador of Nepal to the meeting this morning. Since the adoption of resolution 1740 (2007) and the subsequent establishment of the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN), the Nepalese people have made significant strides towards restoring peace and democracy in their country. South Africa commends those efforts. We welcome in particular the successful holding and conclusion of the elections to the Constituent Assembly on 10 April.”
2008-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5938 (2008) · source
“United Nations agencies and civil society organizations on the ground should continue to make every effort to assist authorities to find and help such girls. Through such concerted efforts, we would ensure a better life for all children who have been affected by armed conflict.”
2008-07-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5936 (2008) · source