YouSaid · the spoken record

Mahbubani

lines on the record: 1,011
first: 1999-09-11
most recent: 2004-05-10
sittings or episodes: 106
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

“But we were even more profoundly struck by what appeared to be the dissenting opinion of Ambassador Peter van Walsum of the Netherlands, and I would like to quote him. He said, "Five years after Dayton we can only conclude that despite generous foreign aid, to the tune of $5 billion, both the political and the economic situations of Bosnia and Herzegovina are disconcerting Bosnia is at peace. Well, there is no more fighting, and the security situation is generally good. But the animosity among the three population groups has hardly subsided since Dayton. People are daily reminded of the war in a country where the borders of the entities reflect the military frontlines of 1995." (S/PV4245, p.”
2001-03-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4303 (2001) · source
“I can say that I, personally, learned a lot from the briefing he gave us. We also want to join our colleagues in commending Mr. Petritsch and his colleagues for the progress that has been made in implementing the Peace Agreement. However, in our remarks today, we would like to step back a little and look at the issue from what is perhaps a slightly different perspective. As you know, Mr. President, it has been more than five years since the Dayton Accords. We re-read the records of the most recent meeting of the Security Council on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which took place on 12 December 2000, shortly before the fifth anniversary of the signing of the Dayton Accords. On reading the record, we were struck by the note of optimism- albeit cautious optimism- sounded by a majority of the members of the Security Council.”
2001-03-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4303 (2001) · source
“Please allow me to begin with some brief words of welcome. First, I would like to welcome Mr. Wolfgang Petritsch. Secondly, I would like to welcome Ambassador Noureddine Mejdoub of Tunisia, my neighbour on my left, and to congratulate him on his maiden appearance and speech. And finally, I would also like to welcome the new Permanent Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina; I am pleased to see him here, as I have not had the pleasure of meeting him before today. We also welcome this opportunity to examine progress made in efforts to rebuild Bosnia and Herzegovina, which remains a major challenge for the United Nations and for the international community - a challenge that is clearly far from over. In this regard, we would like to thank Mr. Wolfgang Petritsch for the candid and comprehensive briefing that he gave us this morning.”
2001-03-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4303 (2001) · source
“Every accord that we have reached on the Middle East - the Camp David accords, the Madrid Conference, the Oslo peace agreements - represents crucial a step forward. We have some strong foundations and we should build on them.”
2001-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4295Resumption1 (2001) · source
“One way of doing so is to task the Secretary-General with consulting with all the parties. Another possibility is for the Security Council to despatch its own mission to the region. Since the Security Council has hosted visits by both President Yasser Arafat and Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres in recent months, it should reciprocate these gestures by sending its own team to continue these useful and constructive dialogue. Now more than ever, we believe that all the parties involved and the international community should take bold steps towards putting the Middle East back on the road of peace. We should build on existing peace agreements and the truce framework, and not undermine them.”
2001-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4295Resumption1 (2001) · source
“As Ambassador Richard Ryan of Ireland noted earlier, we said yesterday that such a force can play a vital catalytic role by reducing the level of violence and by changing the chemistry of the troubled region. We note that the Ambassador of Colombia also referred to the possible catalytic role of such a force. We believe that such a force will complement the role that Secretary-General Kofl Annan and his representatives on the ground, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Mitchell fact-finding commission established by the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement can all play in trying to defuse the immediate crisis. Singapore would therefore like the Council to further explore how such a proposal for an observer force can be operationalized.”
2001-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4295Resumption1 (2001) · source
“The primary responsibility for stopping the violence and for creating conditions conducive to peace negotiations being resumed as soon as possible clearly falls on the parties involved. The Security Council can help them to fulfil this responsibility by introducing neutral and objective confidence-building measures. One of the proposals that the Security Council is actively discussing is the establishment of a United Nations observer force. We believe that an impartial and neutral international presence can serve as a confidence-building measure to change the psychological atmosphere in the occupied territories and help to neutralize the environment.”
2001-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4295Resumption1 (2001) · source
“It is therefore timely for the Security Council to now listen to the views of the other members of the international community. Over the long term, the protection of civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank can be granted only if peace negotiations are put back on track. We welcome the assurances of Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres and the Permanent Observer of Palestine, Ambassador Nasser Al-Kidwa, that peace remains their strategic objective. We hope that many of the elements of previous attempts at peace negotiations can be picked up from where they were left off. To make this possible, our immediate priority must be to stop the violence. Having chosen peace as their strategic objective, we call on all parties to renounce violence.”
2001-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4295Resumption1 (2001) · source
“Most importantly, resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), as well as the most recent resolution on this item, resolution 1322 (2000), must be implemented. Yesterday, the Security Council had the opportunity of meeting with the Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Mr. Shimon Peres, and the Permanent Observer of Palestine in separate private meetings. We welcome this acknowledgement of the Security Council's role. At these meetings, Council members sent a clear message about their concerns over the mounting and continuing violence, particularly Israel's widespread use of disproportionate force and the blockade of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, which, as several speakers have noted today, have had profound effects on the Palestinian people.”
2001-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4295Resumption1 (2001) · source
“The Charter gives the Security Council primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. By exercising this global role, the Security Council can promote the observance of international law, which guides the conduct of States. As a small State, Singapore has an interest in strengthening the role of international law and thus in a strong and effective Security Council. This includes the implementation of all - I repeat, all - Security Council resolutions, including those fulfilling the Council's obligation to protect civilians in armed conflict, as declared in several resolutions and presidential statements, including resolution 1314 (2000) of 11 August 2000. The Council should live up to the standards that it has set for itself.”
2001-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4295Resumption1 (2001) · source
“We urge the regional and international community to give full assistance to the Government of Guinea, and to the efforts of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to reduce the burden that Guinea has been carrying for so long. Finally, we remain concerned over the safety and security of United Nations and other humanitarian personnel working in Sierra Leone and in the refugee camps in Guinea. We call on all parties to allow UNHCR to proceed with its work unimpeded and in security.”
2001-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4291 (2001) · source
“ECOWAS being the regional organization of the area, its continued involvement is crucial for the success of any plan to bring about durable peace in the region. Here, again, I would like to agree with the point made by the Ambassador of Colombia - if I heard him correctly - that we should always work with regional stakeholders. We would also like to express our deep appreciation to the Government of Guinea for having hosted - I would not say a large number - an enormous number of refugees on its territory for so long. This is an unusually generous move on the part of the Government of Guinea.”
2001-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4291 (2001) · source
“By the way, in this respect we are intrigued by the signs of willingness on the part of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) to cooperate on the movement of refugees. We understand the reservations and concerns that some Council members have about working with the RUF; but we believe that, for humanitarian reasons, we should work with them if we are to achieve the goals. I believe it was the European philosopher Max Weber who once said that to achieve noble ends, one may sometimes have to use ignoble means. We certainly support the High Commissioner's call for the strengthening of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone. We also support his revised proposal regarding the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).”
2001-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4291 (2001) · source
“As I said, I was not present here when you gave your briefing, but my colleagues have told me that the briefing was impressive and that you have provided both a realistic and a hopeful plan of action to move the refugees out of the danger zones. Like our colleagues in the Council, we too are concerned about the deteriorating security situation and its impact on the situation of refugees. We have received reports of continued attacks, which only serve to exacerbate the already grave humanitarian situation of refugees and internally displaced persons. Moreover, we have been concerned that the continuing violence may have security consequences for the West African region as a whole. Given the situation, we agree with Ambassador Durrant of Jamaica that we should have both an immediate action plan and a long-term plan for the future.”
2001-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4291 (2001) · source
“We would also like to welcome Mr. Ruud Lubbers to the Council today, but I would like to begin with an apology. I am sorry, Mr. Lubbers, that I was not here personally to hear your briefing. One of the difficulties of being a representative of a small State is that we have many conflicting demands. I hope you will understand. One of the most pleasant duties I had as the President of the Council in the month of January was to welcome you for your maiden briefing to the Council. I must say that I am truly impressed at how, in the space of less than two months, you have brought such great attention to one of the biggest refugee problems that we face today. We are also very impressed by the letter you wrote to the Secretary-General on 21 February, to which we believe the Council should give serious attention.”
2001-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4291 (2001) · source
“The second point the Foreign Minister made was that it should not be forgotten that, this time, the international community is also being seriously tested. I believe that that is a very clear hint that the Council faces a serious test on this issue. Certainly, we will ultimately be judged not by the press statements we make, nor by the presidential statements we issue, nor by the resolutions we adopt, but by results on the ground. We hope that, as a result of the Council's actions, there will be results on the ground. If there are not, we hope that the Foreign Minister will keep us posted.”
2001-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4289 (2001) · source
“Minister, there seems to be a high degree of consensus in this room. All of us condemn the Albanian extremists, and this will be clearly stated in the presidential statement that we will be adopting immediately after this meeting. On our part, we would like to quickly agree with two points that the Foreign Minister made in his speech. The first point relates to his statement that the problem his country is facing requires political, diplomatic and security measures. The only point we would add is that it might also require economic measures as a long-term solution. We were pleased to note that the Foreign Minister said that the leaders of the countries of the region have committed themselves to a new era of development, cooperation and stability in their relations. We believe that this is the best long- term formula.”
2001-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4289 (2001) · source
“I would like to join you, Mr. President, and our colleagues in warmly welcoming the Foreign Minister. Given the lateness of the hour I will be brief, but I hope that our brevity will not be misunderstood as any lack of sympathy or lack of support for the concerns that are being expressed by the Foreign Minister. It is clear that the Council is seized of the difficult situation that you have described. This week the Council has met the Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization under the Arria formula. He met with the Prime Minister of Yugoslavia, and now we are meeting with you. I think we have had three high-level meetings in one week to discuss the Kosovo situation. It is, I believe, unprecedented and indicates how seized we are of the situation. As you have also heard, Mr.”
2001-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4289 (2001) · source
“President, in your paper. We also believe that for the Council to become strong and effective it needs to have a good strong relationship with the rest of the United Nations community. Indeed, one of the problems we have pointed to from time to time is that there is unfortunately a disconnect sometimes between the Security Council and the rest of the United Nations community. Our hope is that a debate like this, if conducted openly and honestly, will help reduce the disconnect, and if it helps reduce the disconnect, we will have a more effective Security Council. We therefore thank you, Mr. President, for organizing this debate.”
2001-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4288Resumption1 (2001) · source
“The Charter gives it sweeping powers and sweeping responsibilities, but the custodians of these powers and responsibilities perhaps have not done a good job in meeting their Charter responsibilities. The time has therefore come to work out our common vision. We hope that this debate will do it. In conclusion, let me be honest. In the interest of brevity, I have kept my answers short, but the result of keeping my answers short is that I have been very harsh in the assessment; perhaps excessively harsh. But I have been so with a clear reason, and the reason is that the many small States like Singapore have an interest in a stronger, rather than a weaker, Council. We believe that the only way we can create a stronger Council rather than a weaker Council is to have such honest, open discussions about the questions that you have raised, Mr.”
2001-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4288Resumption1 (2001) · source
“The challenge the Council faces today, which is a real challenge, is to rebuild that common will. The leadership for this, we believe, as a small State, must come from the major Powers. We must also demonstrate it, as I said earlier, on the ground. This common will has surfaced in places like East Timor, Kosovo and, possibly, Sierra Leone, but in other areas which were also mentioned this morning, the Council has not acted as effectively. The fourth and final question: is there any shared vision of a real way to ensure an effective role for the Security Council in the maintenance of international peace and security? Again, the answer, if we want to be completely honest with ourselves, is no. We do not have a shared vision yet. This is perhaps one of the tragedies about the Council today.”
2001-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4288Resumption1 (2001) · source
“To preserve its freedom of action, the Council has not worked out consistent criteria or principles for intervention, and this explains the inconsistent ad hoc responses. Our concern here is that the standing and the credibility of the Council will be diminished by signs of ad hoc responses, rather than consistent responses. Perhaps the Council has a strategy, but if it has, it is, unfortunately, not obvious to the larger public outside. The third question: is there a common will to face this challenge? We all know that for most of the cold war the Council was divided. Briefly, after the end of the cold war, especially during the Gulf War, the Council acted with a common will. This was followed in the early 1990s by problems and disasters, in Somalia, Bosnia and so forth, which unfortunately destroyed some of the common will.”
2001-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4288Resumption1 (2001) · source
“The biggest irony here is that after all the lofty pronouncements the Security Council has made, especially on the issue of protection of civilians in armed conflicts - and we have resolution 1318 (2000) to testify to that, which was adopted at the highest political level of the Council - unfortunately, from time to time, when civilians are in dangerous situations, the Council has not acted promptly or effectively. In this regard, I note the points made by the Ambassadors of Egypt and Namibia about the plight of civilians in the Middle East. The second question: is the Council ready to produce and implement a well-targeted strategy to fulfil its primary Charter task? Our answer flows from the first question, so you will not be surprised, Mr. President, ifI say that the Council's responses have often been ad hoc.”
2001-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4288Resumption1 (2001) · source
“Of course, the worst cases, which have been mentioned earlier, have been Rwanda and Srebrenica. But even while these examples are still fresh in our minds, some United Nations Members have found it difficult to understand the continued ambivalence of the Council towards live cases today, which include, for example, Guinea, which is the host of 500,000 refugees and whose borders with Sierra Leone and Liberia continue to be threatened by attacks. It is clear that perhaps more effective action is needed in such areas. For the same reason, we believe the Council needs to monitor the recent developments in Burundi very closely, for despite the fact that the peace process has been facilitated by no less a personality than Nelson Mandela, we continue to run into great difficulties.”
2001-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4288Resumption1 (2001) · source
“Millions still live in conflict situations, and as the representatives of Algeria, Egypt and Namibia, among others, have pointed out, the response of this Council to many of these conflict situations has remained inconsistent. I will mention some examples of inconsistencies. For example, while the Council authorized the deployment of a mission 45,000-strong in Kosovo, for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is the size of Western Europe, the Security Council has envisaged a mission of only 3,000 peacekeepers. We are aware that the reasons are complex, and it is not possible to go into the complex reasons here. At the end of the day, the international community will judge us by our results on the ground. Indeed, in some cases the Council has proved itself incapable of action when action was sorely needed.”
2001-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4288Resumption1 (2001) · source
“And is there any shared vision of a real way to ensure an effective role for the Security Council in the maintenance of international peace and security?" (S/2001/185, p- 2) I will try to answer each question very briefly. The first question: has the Council effectively discharged its primary responsibility in the area of maintenance of international peace and security? Our answer is that like any other human institution, the Security Council has its share of successes and failures, and indeed the speakers that we have heard this morning provided us illustrations of both. We can indeed be grateful that the world at large is at peace. This is a significant human achievement. But we are still a long way from seeing the end of the scourge of war.”
2001-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4288Resumption1 (2001) · source
“President, in your paper, which is very helpful, you posed six questions that we could touch upon in the course of this debate. But what we decided to do was in fact to go back to an earlier part of the paper, where, even before the six questions, you posed, in the fourth paragraph of the background paper, four questions which we will try to address. I will read out what the questions were. "Indeed, over the past years, the Security Council has been confronted with truly fundamental questions. Has it effectively discharged its primary responsibility in the area of the maintenance of international peace and security? Is the Council ready to produce and implement a well-targeted strategy to fulfil its primary task under the Charter of the United Nations? Is there a common will to face this challenge?”
2001-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4288Resumption1 (2001) · source
“We think the subject is an important one, because it advances a very key principle we believe in, which is the principle of accountability. In this regard, I must say that it is somewhat unusual for the Council to meet and review what heads of Government have decided six months ago, but your willingness to do this shows that we are prepared to discuss every subject if we have to. We are also pleased that the Secretary-General took time off of his busy schedule to open the debate. He made some very important remarks. From what I understood, I think he focused on one key word, which, if I heard correctly, was "action". In our remarks this afternoon - and I will try to be brief- we will focus on another key word, which is "results". That will be the theme of my remarks this afternoon. Mr.”
2001-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4288Resumption1 (2001) · source
“Please allow me to begin, Mr. President, by warmly welcoming you back to New York. I am pleased to see an old friend and colleague back in this important post, and we are very confident that you will lead us very well this month. I should also at the outset like to congratulate your predecessor, Ambassador said Ben Mustapha, for the tremendous work he did during the month of February. We are pleased that, even though the month of February was shorter than the month of January, there were more substantive outcomes in the month of February than in the month of January, and we congratulate you. Mr. President, we would also like to begin-I will limit my congratulatory remarks at this point, as this is the last congratulatory remark I will make - by thanking you for organizing this debate.”
2001-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4288Resumption1 (2001) · source
“The release of political detainees from Serbian prisons and the revelation of the whereabouts of missing persons in Kosovo, should also be resolved as a matter of priority. Here again, we support the call that Mr. Jean-Marie Guehenno made when he referred to this. We believe that these measures will contribute to the reconciliation that is essential for improving the security situation. Building public administration capacity and economic reconstruction are also important and necessary for bringing Kosovo back to normal. All these priorities require that the United Nations and the international community continue to be actively involved in Kosovo.”
2001-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4277 (2001) · source
“It is also imperative that UNMIK and KFOR take all necessary measures to prevent the movement of extremists and arms from Kosovo to the Presevo Valley. Finally, on my third point, turning to non-security issues, we certainly take note of and support the priorities that have been spelled out by Mr. Haekkerup and also by Mr. Jean-Marie Guehenno this morning. The legal framework for Kosovo-wide elections must be developed before they are held. The process should involve all the relevant parties, including the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In this regard, we believe that UNMIK's establishment of direct contacts with the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and an office in Belgrade is a move in the right direction.”
2001-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4277 (2001) · source
“We are glad that the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has formulated a peace plan for the Presevo Valley. We welcome its resolve to settle the problem peacefully and to integrate ethnic Albanians into the local structures. In the end, we believe that the solution must be a political one. This is why we are concerned to read press reports that the Liberation Army of Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac (UCPMB) has rejected the peace plan, including the political measures, and has said that it will settle for nothing less than the Presevo Valley becoming part of ethnic Albanian-dominated Kosovo. We hope that the ethnic Albanians will pursue peaceful negotiations and that the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia will continue to exercise restraint.”
2001-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4277 (2001) · source
“When the situation was heating up towards the end of last month, the Council made a statement to the press, and, unfortunately, all the elements of the press statement still remain valid today: violence in Presevo should cease, all ethnic Albanian extremists groups should be dissolved, all non-residents engaged in extremist activities should withdraw from their areas, and so forth. We want to impress on the parties involved that these calls should be heeded. Here - if we may make an additional suggestion - it may be useful for the Council, from time to time, to assess whether its calls, in press statements or presidential statements, have been heeded or ignored. This may show whether our press statements are actually heeded or not.”
2001-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4277 (2001) · source
“This is, incidentally, reminiscent of the events we witnessed in the refugee area in West Timor last year, when, we recall, the Council actually reacted strongly. Given this dangerous situation, we welcome, like France, the declaration made by the Kosovar-Albanian leaders, which condemned the violence in Mitrovica, and we call on all Kosovars to remain calm and to refrain from further acts of violence. We hope that UNMIK and KFOR can do what is appropriate and necessary to improve the security situation in Mitrovica, and, like others, we would also like to give our full support to the priority Mr. Hans Haekkerup has given to strengthening law and order in Kosovo. Let me now turn quickly to another hot spot: the Presevo Valley.”
2001-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4277 (2001) · source
“There were even grenade attacks on KFOR troops, UNMIK civilian police officers and civilian workers, resulting in scores of soldiers and policemen being injured. This cannot be condoned when the very people who are sent to provide security and enforce law and order become the objects of violence; then things have gone seriously wrong, as several speakers have noted. The practical effects of such developments are clear. United Nations humanitarian agencies and non- governmental organizations were forced to withdraw their staff from the effected area of Mitrovica and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) had to temporarily suspend freedom of movement past lines.”
2001-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4277 (2001) · source
“In our statement at the Council's open meeting on Kosovo last month, we emphasized the aim of returning Kosovo to normalcy. Unfortunately, the events since the meeting seem to serve as a warning that things could move in the opposite direction if the Council, the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the Kosovo Force (KFOR) do not prevent the security situation in Kosovo, especially in Mitrovica and the Presevo Valley, from deteriorating further. We therefore believe, as many other speakers have said, that all necessary steps must be taken to improve the security environment in both Kosovo and the Presevo Valley. What happened in Mitrovica especially was shocking.”
2001-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4277 (2001) · source
“I too would like to thank Under-Secretary-General Jean-Marie Guehenno for his comprehensive briefing. It is unfortunate that the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Kosovo, Mr. Hans Haekkerup, is not able to meet with the Council today. I think, as Ambassador Lavrov said, it would have been useful to meet him early in his term, and my delegation looks forward to his addressing the Council soon. At the same time, we extend our support to him as he carries out the difficult tasks ahead. In the interest of time, I will not read out my full statement, which we will post on our Web site. Today I shall try to summarize the statement, which touches on three key areas: the new violence in Kosovo, the situation in the Presevo Valley and the preparations for the elections.”
2001-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4277 (2001) · source
“In this regard, we hope that all the parties involved in the issue of the Democratic Republic of the Congo will realize that the fruits of long-term economic development are much richer than the fruits of such short-term economic agendas, and we hope that all the parties involved will realize that, if we can move towards an effective peace process, all the parties involved in the Democratic Republic ofthe Congo will benefit.”
2001-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4273 (2001) · source
“All the parties must adhere fully to the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement and to the Harare disengagement plan. We also urge immediate implementation of relevant Council resolutions, particularly resolutions 1304 (2000) and 1332 (2000). My third and final point is that we agree, of course, with all those who have said that there can be no peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo until all foreign forces are withdrawn. However, a durable peace - again, as many have said this morning - cannot be achieved until the valid security concerns of all the parties have been addressed. We are also aware, listening to the remarks made this morning, that there is another complication. The vast territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo offers the potential for plunder, exploitation and extractive economic agendas.”
2001-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4273 (2001) · source
“In the nature of these things, however, this window of opportunity can close very fast, so we hope that if, as a result of this meeting, there is some forward momentum, we will have made a useful contribution. We would therefore urge all the parties concerned to make a serious and concerted effort to meet the increased expectations that have been generated by these two meetings. The second point I wish to make is that we are pleased that plans are under way to consider the deployment of phase II of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC). We believe that MONUC can be a key catalyst in changing things on the ground in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but for its deployment to take place, we need an effective ceasefire and the disengagement of all foreign forces.”
2001-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4273 (2001) · source
“First, we would like to warmly welcome you, Mr. President, as you preside over our meeting this morning. We would also like to join our colleagues in welcoming warmly President Kagame to this meeting. Since you, Sir, have urged us to be brief in the interests of time, I will just mention three points this morning. The first point that is clear, especially after meeting President Kabila and now having met President Kagame, is that we have a unique window of opportunity to relaunch the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement. It is clear, judging from the atmosphere in this Chamber this morning and when we met President Kabila, that there is a certain expectation that we should take full advantage of this window of opportunity.”
2001-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4273 (2001) · source
“I call upon the Secretary-General to institute regular dialogues among the multilateral organizations to bring about such coordination." (A/55/PV5, 19.30) We hope that the high-level meeting that will take place tomorrow and in which the President of the Security Council will participate will address some of these points. We believe that if all these agencies can learn to cooperate in the difficult area of peace- building, this may lay the foundations for closer and broader cooperation in other areas, too.”
2001-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4272 (2001) · source
“The United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and several other international organizations were created in a different era to deal with different challenges. They need to be updated. Furthermore, these institutions work separately, and not as a team. Today, however, there is an imperative for them to coordinate their efforts. They need to get together to assess what competencies the poorer nations need to develop in this new era. They should then put in place coordinated programmes to build capacity for globalization and the knowledge revolution.”
2001-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4272 (2001) · source
“It is clear from all the remarks that we have cited that if the international community is to succeed in the major responsibilities of peace-building, all the major multilateral institutions must learn to work together as a team under the leadership of the United Nations. Here again I am glad that several speakers have already made the point; I am especially glad that Ambassador Greenstock emphasized this point in his remarks today. Indeed, we believe this requirement is also true when we go from peace-building to nation-building, which is the third stage. As my Prime Minister said at the Millennium Summit, "The United Nations should provide the leadership within the community of multilateral organizations to help the poorer nations develop the capacity to profit from globalization and the knowledge revolution.”
2001-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4272 (2001) · source
“Hence, when the co-chairpersons of the conference gave their conclusions, one of the key points that they stressed was the need to develop "an integrative approach to the design and architecture of the United Nations mission, including both peacekeeping and peace-building components; for all participating agencies to have a common Vision of the mission's objectives, so that unnecessary duplication of effort could be avoided; to ensure that there is a reconciliation component in the peace-building process, where peace can continuously be facilitated between belligerent parties; and for the Security Council, Bretton Woods institutions and the donor community to give the United Nations mission the necessary resources of money, skill and time for it to complete its mandate".”
2001-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4272 (2001) · source
“David Malone, the President of the International Peace Academy - Ambassador Greenstock also referred to him- echoed the same concerns and noted that the world of peace-building is increasingly characterized by "a multiplicity of actors with overlapping and sometimes contradictory mandates, all competing for scarce resources and each seeking a central role and profile". He added that: "The result is that it is increasingly difficult for the United Nations or other international actors to develop a coherent strategy, let alone implement it, for consolidating what has been achieved during negotiations." Other speakers stressed the need for the United Nations to work closely with the Bretton Woods institutions to ensure that peace-building remains sustainable over the long run.”
2001-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4272 (2001) · source
“Here again I am glad that other speakers have also made this point in their remarks earlier today. Several other speakers at the conference emphasized the need for all members of the United Nations family involved in peace-building to work together. For example, Professor Jonathan Moore from Harvard University warned that "the culture and climate of cooperation and collaboration, mutual respect and reinforcement, among the various parts of the United Nations family which converge in complex crises, is not yet" and I repeat, "is not yet sufficient to ensure a fruitful relationship between peacekeepers and peace-builders". Mr.”
2001-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4272 (2001) · source
“The main theme in all their remarks was that for the United Nations to be successful in its peace- building efforts, it has to put into place the conditions for both peace and development. Only then can it exit the scene knowing that the job was done and done well. It cannot be overemphasized that if a peacekeeping mission is pulled out too early, there is a real danger that the conflict it was deployed to resolve could flare up again and become worse than before the peacekeeping operation was established. This would not only put back any potential solution to the problem; it would also damage the credibility of the United Nations itself. It is therefore important that the Security Council, the United Nations, the international community and all other actors involved in peace- building stay the course.”
2001-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4272 (2001) · source
“To accomplish this, he said that we had to address the root causes of conflict to set in motion "a virtuous and eventually self-sustaining cycle of peace- building". The United Nations University Vice-Rector, Ramesh Thakur, warned against quick-fix solutions. He said that "the requirements for sustainable peace are different from those of band-aid or fire-fighting responses", and he stressed that "a peace agreement is no solution if it does not last the distance". Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi also attended the conference, and I am glad that he is here with us this morning. I believe that when he spoke in Singapore he emphasized the need for the international community to provide the considerable resources, human and material, that are essential for peace-building.”
2001-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4272 (2001) · source
“All the speeches and papers presented at the conference, a summary of the discussions and the conference co-chairpersons' recommendations have been compiled in a book. I am happy to demonstrate this here. Some of you may remember that we actually launched this book at the Singapore Mission last October. We commend this book to those researching and working on peace-building, as it contains many interesting historical descriptions and reflections that could guide us. Indeed, in the rest of my remarks this morning, I plan to cite a few from this book. For example, when the Vice-President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mr. Jacques Forster, spoke, he stressed that the aim of peace- building was to bring about a sustainable long-term peace.”
2001-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4272 (2001) · source