YouSaid · the spoken record

León González

lines on the record: 133
first: 2011-10-24
most recent: 2020-01-22
sittings or episodes: 17
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

“Otherwise, the vicious cycle of new conflicts and operations with high human and material costs can never be overcome. A significant number of peacekeeping operations 4 eight, to be exact 4 include civilian protection as part of their mandates. Cuba reiterates that the primary responsibility for protecting civilians rests with States. Civilian protection cannot be used, under any pretext, to promote regime change, military intervention or any other action contrary to the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations. Guidelines and doctrinal documents drafted by the Secretariat that may have an impact on the way Member States engage in peacekeeping operations must be agreed on beforehand through an intergovernmental negotiation process.”
2013-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6903 (2013) · source
“Peacebuilding activities begun during the early stages of peacekeeping operations are an important tool for helping countries emerging from conflict to develop and strengthen their national sustainable development strategies. Every peacebuilding strategy should be based on national experience and planned in a coherent and integrated manner to enable it to meet the needs of the country in question, in accordance with the principle of national ownership and the priorities established by its authorities. Establishing new and more complex peacekeeping operations cannot be a substitute for addressing the root causes of conflict. Such operations cannot be an end in themselves, but a temporary measure aimed at creating a security framework enabling the implementation of a long-term sustainable economic and social development strategy.”
2013-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6903 (2013) · source
“The Security Council should ensure that troop-contributing countries participate fully and effectively in devising, implementing and renewing mandates, since, for example, they may be able to provide objective assessments of the existing realities on the ground. Those countries should participate as key stakeholders in the policy- and decision-making processes and the deployment of operations. Cuba believes that a phased approach to establishing mandates would be more effective, and that they should not be adopted until Member States have made firm commitments on the contingents to be deployed and a clear idea of the resources necessary for their deployment exists. Before an operation is approved and deployed, it is essential that it have a clear exit strategy.”
2013-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6903 (2013) · source
“The current budget for peacekeeping operations has reached a record $8 billion. Extending the mandates of existing operations and establishing new ones should be done in strict conformity with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, particularly respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of States and non-interference in their internal affairs. Similarly, the basic principles adopted by the General Assembly regarding such operations, such as the consent of the parties, impartiality and the non-use of force except in self-defence, must also be respected. For more efficient deployment of peacekeeping operations, mandates should have concrete goals and be clearly defined and able to rely on the resources necessary for their implementation.”
2013-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6903 (2013) · source
“Mr. Leon Gonzalez (Cuba) (spoke in Spanish): We congratulate Pakistan on its initiative in holding this Security Council open debate on peacekeeping operations. Cuba supports the statement made by the representative of Egypt on behalf of the States members of the Non-Aligned Movement. Since the 1990s, multidimensional peacekeeping operations have been the rule rather than the exception. With the aim ofrestoring peace and stability, particularly in regions with internal conflicts, the nature of the mandates of such operations has evolved, as has the complexity of their implementation mechanisms, thus increasing the challenges the United Nations must face. Peacekeeping operations have also become the activities consuming the most resources within the Organization.”
2013-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6903 (2013) · source
“Let us dispense with the rhetoric and usual ritual in discussing this important item. We are not lacking ideas or proposals. What is needed is action. Let us eliminate once and for all the secrecy and lack of transparency in the work of the Council and the exclusion of the vast majority of members of the United Nations from its work and its decisions. Let us discuss proposals on reforming the working methods, such as those reiterated today by my delegation, and those of the Non-Aligned Movement, which Cuba fully supports. Let us not delay that exercise any further.”
2012-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6870Resumption1 (2012) · source
“The veto is an anachronistic and anti-democratic privilege that should be eliminated as soon as possible. Until it is, it will be important as a first step to consider various options for limiting the use of the veto, such as restricting it to measures adopted by the Council under Chapter VII of the Charter; establishing the option for the veto to be overriden by the affirmative votes of a certain number of members of the Council, depending on the number of members of an expanded Council; or establishing the option for a two-thirds majority in the General Assembly to override the veto. A more transparent Council would be a more legitimate Council. A more inclusive and accessible Council that truly takes the opinions of Member States into account would be a more effective Council.”
2012-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6870Resumption1 (2012) · source
“We again urge the members of the Council to review the agenda of this organ with a view to aligning it with the functions to be carried out by the Security Council under its mandate. The Council must strictly abide by the provisions of the Charter and all resolutions of the General Assembly as the principal deliberative and most representative policymaking body of the United Nations. The Council must give adequate account before the General Assembly, presenting annual reports that are truly analytical, as well as special reports, as called for in Articles 15 and 24 of the Charter. Unfortunately, such special reports have yet to be seen. The question of the veto is intrinsically linked to that of the working methods of the Council, in particular its decision-making mechanisms.”
2012-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6870Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Resolutions and presidential statements should reflect the views expressed by Member States in public debates. Non-Council members should have guaranteed access to subsidiary bodies, including the right to participate in their discussions. The rules of the Council, which are still provisional after almost 70 years, should be formalized in order to improve transparency and accountability. We are concerned by the growing trend on the part of the Security Council to consider topics and assume functions that are not within its mandate, thereby usurping the roles assigned in the Charter to other organs, in particular the General Assembly. Such violations of the mandate established by the Charter of the United Nations must end immediately.”
2012-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6870Resumption1 (2012) · source
“The Council must act on behalf of all Members of the Organization, in conformity with Article 24 of the Charter of the United Nations, which requires the guaranteed and genuine participation of the 193 present Members of the United Nations in its work and decisions. Cuba reiterates its view that the following urgent changes must be made to the working methods, as a minimum. The number of public meetings must be increased and become the norm, in keeping with Articles 31 and 32 of the Charter. Closed meetings and consultations should be held only in very exceptional cases. States concerned should be allowed to participate in the deliberations of the Council on questions directly affecting them, in keeping with Article 31 of the Charter.”
2012-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6870Resumption1 (2012) · source
“They do not guarantee the genuine participation of the membership in the work or meetings of the Council. Most changes have been formal. The most important decisions, especially regarding highly topical issues, remain the purview of the permanent members of the Council and, at times, not even all ofthem. Most members of the Security Council have little scope to influence important decisions. Those of us who are outside the Council have even less. The open debates that ocassionally accompany the adoption of presidential statements or resolutions are mere formalities, and we have repeatedly seen the Council adopt decisions before all speakers inscribed on the list have been heard.”
2012-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6870Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Mr. Leon Gonzalez (Cuba) (spoke in Spanish): Cuba aligns itself with the statement delivered by the representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. One of the principle problems and challenges facing the United Nations 67 years after its founding is that it has failed to profoundly reform the Security Council into a transparent, democratic and effective body. Cuba underscores once again that the Security Council requires comprehensive, urgent and far-reaching reform. There can be no true reform of the United Nations until the Security Council is reformed. Council reform must necessarily include the modification of its working methods. The changes introduced in recent years to the working methods of the Council have been modest and limited.”
2012-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6870Resumption1 (2012) · source
“An intervention by external forces in Syria would have grave consequences for international peace and security, especially in the Middle East. Taking into account the experience of and precedents set by recent cases, in which clear manipulation ofthe United Nations Charter, double standards and flagrant violations of international law have been in evidence, we reaffirm our rejection of any attempt to undermine Syria's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. The role of the international community, at this time of difficulty for one Member State, is to help safeguard peace and stability in that country. We reiterate our confidence in the ability of the Syrian people and Government to resolve their own internal problems without external interference.”
2012-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6816Resumption1 (2012) · source
“The Security Council was not conceived as and cannot act as an instrument for triggering regime change in any country. Its obligation is to promote peace, not violence; it is to avoid destabilization and protect the innocent, not to exploit and manipulate them for geopolitical ends. These are also the responsibilities of the United Nations as a whole. We support the endeavours under way to achieve a peaceful settlement of the situation in that country, in full respect for its sovereign rights. The Security Council should unanimously direct its efforts to that end. Cuba shares the concern over the loss of innocent life in Syria and elsewhere. At the same time, we reiterate our categorical rejection of any form of external interference, direct and indirect alike, including logistical support for irregular armed groups.”
2012-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6816Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Cuba reaffirms its position in support of a just and lasting peace for all the peoples of the Middle East that would end Israel's occupation of all Arab territories and guarantee the exercise of the self-determination of the Palestinian people through the establishment of an independent State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Cuba is closely monitoring the situation concerning Syria and its international repercussions, aware that the information available is disparate, imprecise and frequently manipulated. We are alarmed by the appeals of those who champion regime change in Syria and advocate the use of force and violence, rather than contributing to dialogue and negotiation among all the parties. Cuba reaffirms its rejection of policies of interference and destabilization in Syria aimed at imposing regime change.”
2012-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6816Resumption1 (2012) · source
“The Security Council must without further delay take a positive stand on this issue, in accordance with the manifest wish of the overwhelming majority of the States Members of the Organization. The complicit silence of some Powers on the Council perpetuates the current state of impunity enjoyed by the Israeli Government. Cuba reaffirms its rejection of the illegal construction and expansion of Israeli settlements in the Syrian Golan since 1967, which violate international law and the Charter and resolutions of the United Nations.”
2012-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6816Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Israel must immediately withdraw its illegal presence in the Palestinian territories it occupies, ignoring the demands of the international community. It must cease the construction of settlements in occupied Palestine. It should end its attacks and indiscriminate use of military force against Palestinian civilians, and unconditionally and fully lift its cruel and illegal blockade of Gaza. Cuba reiterates its support for Palestine's request for admission as a full State Member of the United Nations. That request has so far come to naught because of the threat of a veto from one permanent member of the Security Council, despite the fact that the State of Palestine already enjoys the recognition of more than 130 countries in all regions of the world.”
2012-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6816Resumption1 (2012) · source
“None of these facts generates headlines or campaigns in the major international press, nor are they presented to the Council by members that encourage wars and occupations against countries of the South, giving no thought to the consequences of their actions for the very civilians whom they claim to protect. The Security Council must play its due role in defence of international peace and security by adopting concrete, practical measures to ensure that Israel ends its abuses against the Palestinian people. Israel's conduct deliberately flouts the resolutions of the United Nations and international law. It poses a threat to regional and international peace and security, and violates the human rights of an entire people with flagrant, systematic and inhuman abuses that this organ should condemn.”
2012-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6816Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Recently, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories reported that, in the course of this year, the Israeli authorities have demolished more than 330 structures, and that half of the 536 Palestinians displaced in 2012 are children. This situation is unacceptable. Thousands of Palestinian political prisoners remain injail, victims of the arbitrary actions of the Israeli authorities. Several have gone on hunger strike in order to denounce the exactions and injustice inflicted upon them.”
2012-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6816Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Mr. Leon Gonzalez (Cuba) (spoke in Spanish): Cuba wholeheartedly endorses the statement made by the Ambassador of Egypt on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. At various times of the year, the Security Council resumes this cyclical debate on the Middle East, but the problems persist or, worse still, deteriorate. The situation in the Middle East remains deplorable. Israel's ongoing occupation of the Palestinian and other Arab territories is the main obstacle to achieving a just, lasting and comprehensive solution in the region. Palestinian families suffer the consequences of the Israeli occupation. Each year, the relevant agencies of the United Nations receive reports of flagrant violations of the human rights of the Palestinian people, including children, women and the elderly.”
2012-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6816Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Moreover, abundant information on these facts is available in the official archives of one of the permanent members of this Council, most of it accessible on the Internet. Cuba has provided the Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee with abundant information that is also available to the general public. If we truly seek to combat illicit international activities, hypocrisy and double standards must cease. Let all countries unite in genuine cooperation on the basis of the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations. Cuba will continue to adhere to those principles and to its obligations under the relevant international treaties and agreements. We are ready to cooperate in that spirit with all other Member States, without exception.”
2012-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6760 (2012) · source
“Thousands of weapons and explosives were illegally introduced in Cuba in order to overthrow the Government, and were used to murder innocent people. Cuba is subjected to an adjustment law that stimulates illegal emigration for political ends, with no regard for the means utilized by those involved, who have at times resorted to violence. Eleven million Cubans suffer from the economic and financial blockade that has for 20 consecutive years been rejected by the Member States of the General Assembly. In what constitutes an extreme expression of savagery and disrespect for the basic principles of civilized coexistence, the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, has been the object of more than 600 attempts against his life. In order to remain within the established time limit, I will not belabour the point with further examples.”
2012-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6760 (2012) · source
“Terrorism cannot be successfully addressed while it is promoted and utilized as a form of statecraft. The drug trade cannot be successfully combated without taking forceful and decisive action in the markets that consume them. The illicit arms trade cannot be eradicated so long as acts of imperialist aggression are being employed to topple Governments, or without prohibiting transfers to non-State actors. In order to strengthen border security against illicit actions, there undoubtedly needs to be decisive action on the part of States. Governments have the primary responsibility for that task. Cuba has been subjected to a war consisting of illicit acts for more than 50 years. As a result of terrorist actions, 3,478 people have died and 2,099 have been physically affected.”
2012-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6760 (2012) · source
“The so-called illicit movement described in the concept paper distributed by the rotating presidency of the Council (S/2012/ 195, annex) in the context of this meeting requires coordinated action by all Member States, including the possibility of participating in decision-making. If the goal is to maximize coordination among existing structures and to avoid embarking on duplicate actions, the General Assembly needs to be in charge. Neither nuclear proliferation nor the illicit trade in its component parts can be eradicated without the total elimination of nuclear weapons. Some permanent members of the Council are opposed to adopting immediate measures that would establish a time frame for the total elimination of the 23,000 nuclear weapons that still exist.”
2012-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6760 (2012) · source
“One of the common traits of all those efforts is the universal, or near majority, participation of Member States, which means that the issue before the Council today - securing borders against illicit flows - exceeds the functions and powers of the Security Council as set forth in Article 24 of the Charter. Yet again, the Council is encroaching upon the functions of other key organs of the Organization. The General Assembly is in the midst of a discussion on reforming the United Nations. It has adopted a number of resolutions and decisions in that regard, including agreements at the highest level. It is also involved in other conversations on the global struggle against terrorism and the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, combating the drug trade, and addressing human trafficking.”
2012-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6760 (2012) · source
“Mr. Leon Gonzalez (Cuba) (spoke in Spanish): Cuba endorses the letter (S/2012/257) addressed by the representative of Egypt to the President of the Security Council on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. Addressing organized crime and illicit acts is an important matter for the Organization. Member States coordinate actions in the General Assembly and in other organs and specialized agencies of the United Nations system, as well as through relevant international treaties to combat and eradicate scourges such as drug trafficking and the traffic in human beings, the illicit trade in nuclear material, terrorism and the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.”
2012-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6760 (2012) · source
“Cuba reaffirms once again that all such measures and actions, including the illegal construction and expansion of Israeli settlements in the Syrian Golan since 1967, represent violations of international law and agreements and of the Charter and resolutions of the United Nations. Cuba demands Israel's full withdrawal from the occupied Syrian Golan to the borders of4 June 1967. Cuba reiterates once again its position in favour of a just and lasting peace for all peoples of the region of the Middle East that will put an end to the occupation of all Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967 and guarantee the exercise of the self- determination of the Palestinian people by establishing an independent State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
2011-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6636Resumption1 (2011) · source
“In addition to such measures, in violation of the prisoners' basic human rights, the occupying Power continues to subject Palestinian prisoners and detainees to all forms of psychological and physical maltreatment, such as cuffing their feet and hands, measures of humiliation and intimidation, forced interrogations and, in many cases, torture." The international community, particularly the Security Council, cannot remain indifferent. The Council and the General Assembly must take practical measures to ensure that Israel puts an end to those policies, which are carried out deliberately, in violation of international humanitarian law and of human rights, including the Geneva Conventions.”
2011-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6636Resumption1 (2011) · source
“The letters dated 10 October 2011 from the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council (S/2011/629) state that: "Israel has continued its inhumane treatment of Palestinian prisoners and detainees via a series of illegal and harsh measures, such as collective punishment, which includes forcing them to live in unsanitary and unhygienic conditions; denial of health care; restrictions on family visits; solitary confinement for long periods of time, with some held in isolation for at least 10 years; deprivation of the prisoners' right to education; forced night-time searches of prisoners' cells; and denial of due process.”
2011-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6636Resumption1 (2011) · source
“As the Security Council continues its deliberations, the days go by and thousands of Palestinian political prisoners, including children, women and elected officials, suffer humiliations in Israeli prisons. Since 27 September last, thousands of Palestinian political prisoners have been on a hunger strike, protesting the deterioration of their conditions in detention and the actions of the occupying Power. Regrettably, the Israeli prison authorities have responded by taking additional punitive measures against the strikers.”
2011-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6636Resumption1 (2011) · source
“The ovation received by President Mahmoud Abbas's address to the General Assembly at its 16th plenary meeting, on 23 September (see A/66/PV.19), when he announced the presentation to the Secretary- General of a letter of request for Palestinian membership in the United Nations, is evidence of the support by the international community for the Palestinian cause and a recognition of its rights as a State. Cuba fully and strongly supports that request for full membership in the United Nations. The Security Council must rule on this matter without further delay, and it must do so positively, as is the manifest wish of the overwhelming majority of the States Members of the United Nations.”
2011-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6636Resumption1 (2011) · source
“The illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian and other Arab territories remains the main obstacle to reaching a just, lasting and comprehensive solution in the region. Cuba demands the immediate cessation of the illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories, the settlement activities in Palestinian territory, the indiscriminate and disproportionate use of military force against the defenceless civilian population, and the urgent, unconditional and full lifting of the cruel and illegal blockade of Gaza.”
2011-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6636Resumption1 (2011) · source
“Mr. Leon Gonzalez (Cuba) (spoke in Spanish): We would like to congratulate you, Madame President, on assuming the presidency of the Security Council for this month. We express our deep condolences to the people and Government of Turkey for their losses from the earthquake. We likewise express profound condolences to the people and Government of Saudi Arabia on the passing away of His Highness the Crown Prince. Cuba associates itself with the statement made by the representative of Egypt on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. It is regrettable that there continues to be no progress in the situation in the Middle East region, in particular with regard to the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem. The region is still marked by instability and insecurity.”
2011-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6636Resumption1 (2011) · source