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

“There is no doubt that a significant United Nations security presence is essential in post- independence East Timor. While the security environment continues to improve, internal and external threats to East Timor still exist. Come independence, East Timor will be - and this is natural - a fledgling democracy. There is every potential for domestic law and order as well as external security problems to arise. The East Timor Defence Force and the East Timor Police Service are still in their infancy and will, quite naturally, take some time to become fully operational. This process will be even lengthier if international material and financial support for their full establishment is not forthcoming.”
2002-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4522 (2002) · source
“In a nutshell, it is a Mission with a civilian component that includes a Civilian Support Group of 100 core functions and a Serious Crimes Unit; a military component of 5,000 troops; and a civilian police component of 1,250 officers at the very start, which will be gradually downsized over a two-year period, according to a milestone-based approach. But there is one other important point that we would like to stress this morning. The drawdown of UNMISET should be based on the realities of the situation on the ground, and not carried out mechanically according to some abstract timetable. We cannot tell the future as we sit here. We cannot tell what the situation will be like in East Timor or in its vicinity a year from now. We should be sensitive and flexible as we work on the continued commitment of the United Nations to East Timor.”
2002-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4522 (2002) · source
“It is noteworthy that the Secretary-General has not only maintained the proposals that had been gathered in support by the Security Council in its presidential statement of October 2001, but he has also added important flesh to the bones. The details contained in his report show the amount of meticulous effort that has gone into the planning of UNMISET, and all those involved should be commended and congratulated. To the Secretary-General's credit, it is hard to see how his proposals can be faulted for the lack of any necessary details. Each of his proposals has been more than adequately justified. What remains is for the Security Council to give its unanimous endorsement of UNMISET, as proposed by the Secretary-General, to fulfil the mandate and key programmes required.”
2002-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4522 (2002) · source
“Peace and stability in East Timor is also crucial for the peace and stability of the entire region; they are closely intertwined. How the United Nations and the international community handle East Timor will have repercussions for the region as a whole. A viable and secure East Timor will contribute to the stability of the region and help it in its efforts to consolidate its new- found independence. Clearly the whole region has a stake in East Timor's success. The Secretary-General has also made a very strong case in his report, in great detail, for the proposed mandate, structure, size and planned reconfiguration of the United Nations successor peacekeeping mission in East Timor after independence. The mission is appropriately called United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET).”
2002-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4522 (2002) · source
“This will, of course, include the maintenance by the United Nations of a strong peacekeeping presence to consolidate and strengthen stability in post-independence East Timor, as well as the presence of United Nations agencies, funds and programmes and bilateral and other donors to provide assistance for further building up East Timor's economic and social structures. The dangers of premature withdrawal and disengagement from East Timor are too serious for such a move even to be contemplated. East Timor could unravel, and all its achievements and the investments made by the international community would go to waste. The fragility of East Timor should not be underestimated. As the saying goes, "Prevention is better than cure" - and it is certainly much less costly.”
2002-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4522 (2002) · source
“While East Timor has made significant progress, we cannot, as of now, say that it will be a viable nation State immediately on independence. The lesson of the history of the past few decades is relatively clear: independence, even if it comes after a hard-fought struggle, may still be a relatively easy victory. Success after independence, unfortunately, has been relatively rare. There is therefore a great deal more for the United Nations and the international community to do to help East Timor to fully get on its feet. The actors who have brought East Timor to where it is today should not shy away from the responsibility of continuing their support for the leaders and people of East Timor as they work to build a viable and sustainable State.”
2002-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4522 (2002) · source
“These range from border demarcation, return of refugees and regulation of commercial activity in the border area, to strengthening of nascent governmental structures, including law enforcement and the judicial system, as well as the consolidation of the framework for economic and social development." The Secretary-General concludes that "It is therefore essential for the international community to remain engaged in East Timor for some time beyond independence, to ensure stability and to build upon the achievements of UNTAET." We are pleased that a strong consensus is developing within the Council that we, the Council members, should support the recommendations of the Secretary-General; that has clearly been demonstrated in all the statements that we have heard so far. The picture is plain for all of us to see.”
2002-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4522 (2002) · source
“In paragraph 2 of his report in document S/2002/432, the Secretary-General described it as moving "from widespread devastation to the establishment of the foundations for the administration of a new country and to the rehabilitation of a basic infrastructure that can support economic and social activity." At the same time, the Secretary-General is also spot-on in highlighting, in paragraph 3 of the report, that "a number of issues that present challenges to the short- and longer-term security and stability of the new State have not yet and could not have been fully resolved.”
2002-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4522 (2002) · source
“We also want to join our colleagues in congratulating Ambassador Kamalesh Sharma on his appointment. We note that he is a very tall man, with a very distinguished record in public service; but I think he should know that he will have some big shoes to fill when he goes to East Timor. We also want to thank Assistant Secretary- General Hedi Annabi for introducing the Secretary- General's report and for his comprehensive briefing. Once again, the Secretary-General has produced another excellent report on East Timor; it provides an insightful analysis of the situation of East Timor just before its independence on 20 May. We are all well aware of the progress that East Timor has made in the past two and a half years.”
2002-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4522 (2002) · source
“One clear demonstration of this is the letter that Mr. Gusmao and Mr. Alkatiri sent to the President of the Security Council requesting the Council to authorize a continued peacekeeping presence in East Timor. The Security Council should respond positively to that letter, for, as Mr. Gusmao said earlier, "Our success is your success". By helping East Timor, the United Nations is, indeed, helping itself, because it is consolidating a major success story. It is unfortunate that the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello, is not here to receive the well- deserved tributes that have been paid to him this morning. Success was not guaranteed when Mr. Vieira de Mello arrived in East Timor; indeed, the odds were stacked against him. This makes his success even more remarkable.”
2002-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4522 (2002) · source
“It is not customary for the Secretary-General to appear at regular reviews of the East Timor issue; I think his presence here earlier this morning was a very powerful demonstration of the strong support that he and the United Nations have given East Timor - support which has, frankly, brought us to the relatively happy situation that we have today. Perhaps nothing illustrates this better than the presence in the Council today of Mr. Xanana Gusmao and Mr. Mari Alkatiri, and we welcome them here. We also thank them for their candid and enlightening statements. We would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Mr. Gusmao personally for his overwhelming victory in the elections for the first President of independent East Timor, and we welcome the commitment of the East Timorese leaders to work together.”
2002-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4522 (2002) · source
“In conclusion, we would like to stress that clear pronouncements made by the Security Council are being ignored and that basic principles of international law, including international humanitarian law, are being flouted. This will, in the long run, only damage the credibility of the Security Council and the security of all States. If the Security Council does not take immediate steps to ensure full compliance with resolutions 1402 (2002) and 1403 (2002), we risk eroding the Council's authority to ensure the full implementation of its other resolutions. I believe that the Permanent Representative of Mexico, speaking earlier, also made the point about the credibility of the Council. We should therefore find effective ways of collaborating closely with all relevant partners to ensure compliance with Security Council decisions.”
2002-04-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515Resumption1 (2002) · source
“Clearly, the Secretary-General has fulfilled his Charter obligation under Article 99 to bring to the Council's attention "any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security". It is now up to the Security Council to decide whether it can live up to its own Charter responsibility under Article 24 as the principal organ of the United Nations conferred with the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. Indeed, as we all know, this is a question that has been widely asked around this debate: Can the Security Council seriously meet the responsibilities that it has on the Middle East issue?”
2002-04-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515Resumption1 (2002) · source
“The international community must also address the long-term economic situation. We hope that the donor community will respond generously to help rebuild the destroyed Palestinian infrastructure and economy. As we have learned in so many other conflict situations, progress on the security, political, humanitarian and reconstruction tracks, within the framework of a comprehensive strategy, are mutually reinforcing. Yesterday, the Secretary-General also provided convincing reasons why the deployment of an impartial, robust and credible multinational force could create a secure environment and political space that will allow the comprehensive strategic framework to take root. The Secretary-General's proposal for an international presence merits serious consideration.”
2002-04-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515Resumption1 (2002) · source
“This includes ending the violence and starting the withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied territories under Palestinian control, accompanied at the same time by genuine efforts by the Palestinian Authority to take steps against suicide bombers and other acts of terror. An equally important component of this comprehensive approach is to provide the political horizon and the hopes for peace. Long-term progress depends on the political will of both sides to move beyond short-term security measures to the broad vision set out in resolution 1397 (2002), in which two States, Israel and Palestine, live side by side within secure and recognized borders. The Arab peace initiative adopted at the Beirut summit is a historic opportunity that should not be squandered. We look forward to further initiatives to bring the process forward.”
2002-04-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515Resumption1 (2002) · source
“We believe that the only way objectively to assess the situation and to dispel any unfounded rumours is for an independent and impartial body to establish the facts. Again, we note that several speakers have called for such an independent inquiry. Like many who have spoken before us, we are gratified that Secretary Powell's visit has produced some results. One of the key achievements is a strong convergence of views, including in the joint statement by the "quartet" and supported by the Security Council, that a coherent and comprehensive long-term strategy is needed to help the parties break the cycle of violence.”
2002-04-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515Resumption1 (2002) · source
“This is one clear theme that has emerged from the debate and we hope that concrete results will also emerge from this debate on the situation in Jenin. In this regard, we also fully support the three immediate requirements set out by the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Mr. Terje Roed-Larsen, namely, the lifting of the curfew and allowing freedom of movement for civilian and humanitarian workers alike; expanded assistance from the Israel Defence Forces to humanitarian workers, in terms of both the provision of equipment and security liaison; and the facilitation of the delivery of large-scale water and food supplies to the population in need. There have been claims and counter-claims on the nature and extent of the humanitarian crisis.”
2002-04-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515Resumption1 (2002) · source
“We should also, of course, consider how best the Council can work further to ensure full compliance with its resolutions. Singapore finds it highly regrettable that the clear demands made by the Security Council for an immediate cessation of violence and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Palestinian cities have not been fulfilled. Instead, we find a grim humanitarian crisis in the occupied territories, which must be reversed straight away. In particular, we have heard alarming reports about the horrific devastation, both human and material, in the Jenin refugee camp. Immediate efforts to address the humanitarian situation must be undertaken. We note that several speakers have highlighted the importance of addressing the situation in Jenin.”
2002-04-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515Resumption1 (2002) · source
“We listened carefully to the debate yesterday and this morning, which was convened soon after United States Secretary of State Colin Powell returned from his important mission to the Middle East. Here, we are pleased to note that the Council decided to wait for his return before resuming its discussion on the Middle East. One of the key tasks of Secretary Powell's visit was to work towards the implementation of Security Council 1402 (2002). The international community, including this Council, had given its full backing to Secretary Powell's mission. This meeting is therefore an opportune moment to consider how far we have progressed towards ensuring observance of the decisions we have adopted, including resolutions 1402 (2002) and 1403 (2002), as well as our presidential statement of 10 April 2002.”
2002-04-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515Resumption1 (2002) · source
“As I said earlier, we are pleased that the Permanent Representative of Cambodia will be describing ASEAN's efforts in the battle against terrorism. Finally, I would like to end by touching upon the last point mentioned by Ambassador Greenstock: his appeal for more translation services to ensure that the reports of the CTC are translated in good time. I support that request and want to enhance it by saying that the time has come for the United Nations to ask whether it needs to provide more resources so that such translation work can be done in good time. If we consider the battle against terrorism to be important and if we believe that more resources are needed from the Organization, then it is incumbent upon Member States to agree to provide more resources to the Organization in this battle. I hope that we will agree to do that today.”
2002-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4512 (2002) · source
“We hope that the work of the CTC will close these loopholes and have a direct impact on the activities of the terrorists. Ambassador Greenstock has also pointed out the need to consolidate cooperation at the regional level and to work closely with other intergovernmental bodies such as the Financial Action Task Force. Here, we are pleased to note that within the ASEAN region, we understand this need and are trying to step up our efforts. I believe that last month Ambassador Greenstock made a lightning visit to Hawaii to participate in an ASEAN Regional Forum meeting, which was specifically dedicated to the question of terrorism. It is meetings such as that, which expand the impact of the CTC in various parts of the world.”
2002-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4512 (2002) · source
“Thirdly, the CTC has directly - or perhaps even indirectly - deepened the mechanisms for information and intelligence exchange through the creation of a directory of Member States and related United Nations and international bodies and through the hiring of counter-terrorism experts to assist the CTC. All this flow of information that has come from the CTC is also very important. Fourthly, the CTC has pushed for an increase in the assistance available to Member States in the fight against terrorism. We hope that the end result of all these efforts will be to close the various loopholes that exist in the international system, through which the terrorists are able to operate, either in terms of their financial systems or their movements.”
2002-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4512 (2002) · source
“The first way in which the CTC does this is by forcing Member States to look carefully at their national legislation and to assess its adequacy in addressing the demands of resolution 1373 (2001). If, in the process, more and more countries review their legislation, we suggest that this is one direct, practical benefit that comes out of the work of the CTC. Secondly, we hope that with the work of the CTC, the momentum towards the ratification of conventions and instruments related to counter-terrorism will also increase in pace. This is something we can measure and see: since the adoption of resolution 1373 (2001) and the creation of the CTC, more and more countries are ratifying the key conventions in the battle against terrorism.”
2002-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4512 (2002) · source
“To obtain such a commitment, it may be useful for us to reflect and to ask ourselves a fairly simple yet fundamental question: How exactly does the work of the CTC help to eliminate terrorists? We ask this question because we thought that if the other Members of the United Nations and the public at large can see a direct connection between the work of the CTC and the battle against terrorism, I think that support for the CTC and for this battle will become even stronger. In an effort to try to get the discussion going, we have suggested at least four clear areas in which the CTC does not merely produce reports and engage in discussions such as this one but actually has an impact in the real battle against terrorism.”
2002-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4512 (2002) · source
“I think it is also important to bear in mind that we should compare our battle against terrorism to a marathon rather than to a sprint. It is clearly a long- term task that we in the United Nations have taken upon ourselves. Incidentally, in trying to find some ideas for this speech this morning, we looked in history books and discovered that terrorism is as old as human history and has, indeed, been practised worldwide since time immemorial. One of the earliest references we found was a remark made by the ancient Greek historian, Xenophon, who, 2,400 years ago, noted the effectiveness of terrorizing the population of enemy cities in bringing victory. We make this comment in the hope that in today's discussion we will reinforce the need for a long-term commitment in the struggle against terrorism.”
2002-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4512 (2002) · source
“Allow me at the outset to say that my delegation would like to associate itself fully with the statement that will be made later by the Permanent Representative of Cambodia on behalf of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN). I am also very pleased to be the first of many, hopefully, to commend Ambassador Greenstock, the three excellent Vice-Chairmen and the Counter- Terrorism Committee (CTC) as a whole for the remarkable work that the Committee has done. The CTC is clearly at the tail end of phase I of its work. It has gone through more than half of the paragraph - 6reports submitted by Members and is on target to complete the task by the end of May. By all measures, the CTC has done extremely well. This is a point that I hope the Council will take note of this morning.”
2002-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4512 (2002) · source
“At this stage, what we need to do is to consolidate these various initiatives and go back to familiar ground, such as the Oslo peace agreement, the more recent negotiations at Camp David in 2000 and the subsequent discussions in Taba, as well as the Tenet work plan and the Mitchell report. In each of those agreements, Yasser Arafat, a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize together with the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and the elected leader of the Palestinian people, has been a pivotal player. Steps should be taken to allow him to take the measures requested of him by the Security Council. Clearly, leadership is required on both sides. In order to bring the Middle East back to the path of peace, one side should not be prevented from exercising its leadership.”
2002-04-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4506Resumption1 (2002) · source
“We hope that these cumulative steps will make it clear that the Council expects full and immediate compliance with the resolutions by the parties. If the parties need external help, members of the "quartet" and other international mediators, and certainly the good offices of the Secretary-General, stand ready, either individually or collectively, to facilitate the implementation. Indeed, as we know, there is no lack of mediators or of political initiatives, the most significant of which is the Arab peace initiative adopted recently at the Summit meeting of the League of Arab States in Beirut.”
2002-04-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4506Resumption1 (2002) · source
“Indeed, I might add that in some ways it may have been unfortunate that non-members were not present to listen to the discussions that we had yesterday in this Chamber, because, truly, we had remarkably frank and candid discussions. It is our hope that both parties listened carefully to what was said to them in the private meetings here, barely 24 hours ago. All of us stressed that the actions required by paragraph 1 of resolution 1402 (2002) are not sequential, and have to be implemented immediately. With that in mind, we would like to remind the parties that, under Article 25 of the United Nations Charter, Members of the United Nations agreed to accept and carry out decisions of the Security Council. That Article makes no distinction between decisions adopted under Chapter VI and Chapter VII of the Charter.”
2002-04-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4506Resumption1 (2002) · source
“As for the Security Council, as a first step, the Council presidency issued two press statements - one of them on Monday, 1 April 2002 - demanding the immediate implementation of those resolutions. As it is ultimately the responsibility of the parties to implement Security Council resolutions, the Council presidency was tasked to meet with the parties to convey the demand directly. That task was promptly carried out by you, Mr. President. In addition, the Security Council met separately with the Permanent Representative of Israel and with the Permanent Observer of Palestine in private meetings yesterday, during which Council members made it abundantly clear that resolutions 1397 (2002) and 1402 (2002) offer the best instrument for the parties to get out of the rut that they are in today.”
2002-04-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4506Resumption1 (2002) · source
“They should be read together; resolution 1397 (2002) provides the long-term vision - indeed, a clear long- term vision - while resolution 1402 (2002) lays down the immediate steps required. However, at the end of the day, it will be up to the parties to decide whether they will reach out for the lifelines to pull themselves out of the abyss, and find a win-win solution. But that can be done only on the basis of a negotiated political settlement. The focus of today's meeting is therefore to see how those two resolutions - 1397 (2002) and 1402 (2002) - can be implemented. We listened carefully to the views expressed earlier by non-members of the Council.”
2002-04-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4506Resumption1 (2002) · source
“The consequences of being locked into that logic of war is that the region, which is already poised at the edge of an abyss, might tip over into it - although some, of course, say that we have already fallen into it. We might find the parties free-falling in that abyss, the depth of which is not yet known. The international community, including the Security Council, has been toiling for months to find ways and means of preventing the parties from tumbling into the abyss. Resolutions 1397 (2002) and 1402 (2002) are two lifelines that have been extended in good faith to both parties for them to use to extract themselves from the lose-lose situation in which they find themselves today.”
2002-04-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4506Resumption1 (2002) · source
“Israeli troops have not been withdrawn from Palestinian cities, including Ramallah. While the United States Special Envoy, Anthony Zinni, and others, including members of the "quartet", continue to be engaged on the ground, acts of violence continue, including acts of terror, provocation and incitement. There have also been worrying developments along the Blue Line - a situation which bears careful watching. The parties are, to quote the Secretary-General, who briefed the Council members on Monday, "locked into the logic of war". In mentioning the Secretary- General, I think that it is important for us to recognize that he has shown unusual leadership in telling the Security Council that it cannot ignore the situation there.”
2002-04-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4506Resumption1 (2002) · source
“I have not been present in this Chamber throughout the debate that began this morning, but I have been watching and listening to all the speeches on television in my office. Having listened to the speeches all day long, I believe that a very strong message has clearly come through the debate and the discussion today. The strong message is that the international community is deeply concerned about the situation in the region, and that we, the members of the Security Council, cannot and should not underestimate the gravity of the situation that we are facing. Since the adoption of resolution 1402 (2002) in the early hours of 30 March - it is barely five days old now - the situation on the ground in the Middle East has not improved. The parties have not moved anywhere near to a meaningful ceasefire.”
2002-04-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4506Resumption1 (2002) · source
“But the Secretary- General's careful and well-balanced statements demonstrate that we can develop such middle ground, and we hope that the Security Council will build on the Secretary-General's statements.”
2002-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4503 (2002) · source
“We should build on resolution 1397 (2002), and we should build on the positive outcome of the recent Beirut Summit. We should ensure that these positive developments are not lost. The fourth point is that the Security Council must react and react- we would like to stress- in a unified fashion to the latest developments. We realize that sometimes it is difficult to get the Council to take unified positions on the Middle East question. But one way out that we have is to build on the careful statements made by the Secretary-General in previous weeks, this morning and in his latest statement. Sometimes it appears that there is no viable middle ground on the Middle East question.”
2002-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4503 (2002) · source
“But we would like to add our small voice to the voices of reason in the hope that they will have an accumulated effect on our deliberations. In this spirit, we would like to suggest four points for the Council when it reacts to the latest developments. The first is that we must condemn all of the violence and make the point loudly and clearly that violence is not the solution. Our second point is that, in order to ensure our sending a clear signal that violence is not the solution, we must not allow the extreme measures being taken by both sides - extreme measures which clearly, as everyone has said here, exacerbate the situation and damage and derail the peace process - to dictate how we go from here. The third point is that we should build on the positive developments we have seen in recent weeks.”
2002-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4503 (2002) · source
“Again, listening to statements made so far, we are struck by how much more unified the Council has become on the issue of the Middle East in recent months. This has been demonstrated most clearly by the adoption of resolution 1397 (2002). A more unified Council should have brought us closer to, rather than further away from, peace. But the mere fact that we are holding this extraordinary meeting on this weekend demonstrates how small an impact the Council has on the real situation on the ground. We believe that the time has come for the Council to assume its responsibilities. Today, despite the grave tragedies and the great dangers facing us, we have heard many voices of reason here. Singapore is a small - not a big - voice in the Council.”
2002-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4503 (2002) · source
“As several speakers have said today, resolution 1397 (2002) was clearly a landmark decision. We have also recently seen the endorsement of the Saudi peace plan by the Arab Summit in Beirut. There are many conversations about the Middle East peace process taking place within the United Nations community - conversations in this public room and those in the corridors. From the conversations in the corridors it is very clear that when we talk about what a comprehensive peace settlement will look like, we all refer to these developments- that is, resolution 1397 (2002) and the Saudi peace plan. Yet, having come so far in terms of generating this international consensus, we once again seem to be moving further away from real peace. There is a third paradox.”
2002-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4503 (2002) · source
“We have listened carefully to the debate so far. Having done so, we are struck by three paradoxes, the first of which is that this weekend, as several speakers have commented, is one of the world's holiest weekends: Passover, Good Friday, Easter. This holy weekend is being celebrated at one of the world's holiest sites. At this moment, we should be seeing celebrations or reflections of peace. Instead, we see an extremely high level of violence. This is not a normal situation. We suggest that perhaps the time has come for both the Council and the international community to reflect - and to reflect in a very profound fashion - on how we have reached this incredible point this weekend. The second paradox is that in real terms we have probably never been closer to achieving a comprehensive peace in the Middle East.”
2002-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4503 (2002) · source
“The three-year time frame expired on 18 March 2002, nine days ago. Perhaps when we meet in April to undertake a comprehensive survey we should ask ourselves what happened to that time frame that was set three years ago.”
2002-03-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4498 (2002) · source
“We hope that during that comprehensive survey we will be able to welcome Mr. Steiner to the Council. As our colleague from Mauritius said earlier, we would be very happy to welcome Mr. Steiner here to join in that review. At the same time, we hope that, during the comprehensive survey, we will also address a point that has been left hanging on Kosovo: the final resolution of Kosovo's future status. I think that we are all aware that, in paragraph 11 (e), resolution 1244 (1999) calls on UNMIK to facilitate "a political process designed to determine Kosovo's future status, taking into account the Rambouillet accords". The Rambouillet accords were signed on 18 March 1999. Under those accords, three years after entry into force we were supposed to have formulated a mechanism for a final settlement for Kosovo.”
2002-03-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4498 (2002) · source
“First, we said that we need to have a regular review of the activities of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), because UNMIK is unusual in the sense that it has a mandate in perpetuity, when every other peacekeeping operation has very specific time frames. In the second point that we made, we emphasized that that we also need very carefully to work out, over time, an exit strategy for Kosovo, because, bearing in mind the comments of the Deputy Prime Minister, if we want to ensure that we leave it in a good fashion, we must ensure that we build up to doing so. In this regard, I was very encouraged by the concluding remarks of Ambassador Lavrov. IfI got the translation right, he said that time had perhaps come to do a comprehensive survey of this issue, and that it could be undertaken in the month of April.”
2002-03-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4498 (2002) · source
“Afghanistan, which is 60 times larger than Kosovo, has 13 times its population and suffers from far greater impoverishment and war damage, has received nothing close to an equivalent commitment. Only $4.5 billion in reconstruction aid has been pledged so far, and the mandate of the small international peacekeeping force expires in few months." Clearly, if we do not make our own assessments of what we have achieved or failed to achieve in Kosovo, we will be faced with assessments made by other parties. That is why we believe that it would be useful, in these monthly discussions, to step back and take a long view of what we are achieving in Kosovo. Here, we would like to reiterate two points that we made during the previous debate, in January.”
2002-03-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4498 (2002) · source
“So it is worth taking the measure of what reconstruction there has so far required - and what is still needed. NATO began with a peacekeeping force of 60,000 troops and today still has 36,000 troops deployed" - I note that Deutsche Welle says that there are 46,000 troops. The editorial report continues, "Sixty nations have sent military or civilian personnel to the Balkan province, and $2 billion has been spent just on civilian programmes since 1999." The Washington Post goes on to compare the situation with Afghanistan, stating: "All this has been necessary for a province that is about the size of Connecticut, contains about 2 million people and is at least close to the rich nations of Europe.”
2002-03-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4498 (2002) · source
“It is still a broken place, despite the NATO intervention - or partly because of it, depending on how you look at it. Kosovo, the southernmost province of Serbia, is home to a mostly ethnic Albanian population and a thinning minority population of Serbs, and it is the temporary home to some 46,000 NATO troops. Their presence, a remnant of the military alliance's 78-day bombing campaign that began three years ago on Sunday, has brought the region some stability but no miracles." I quote from an editorial in The Washington Post, entitled "The Kosovo Measure" and dated Saturday, 16 March. It states: "Like Afghanistan, Kosovo is a deeply impoverished land with extensive war damage and deep residual tensions among its different ethnic groups.”
2002-03-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4498 (2002) · source
“But what we have had so far are 15 snapshots of the situation, with no clear indication of a trend line showing which way things are going in Kosovo. I think it is important for us actually to work out the trend line, especially in view of what Mr. Covic' said. I would like to add that if we do not do so, the media will do the job for us and come up with their own assessment of how we are doing in Kosovo. I would like to quote from two recent assessments. One was made yesterday in a broadcast by the German radio station Deutsche Welle. It said: "Three years after NATO joined up with Albanian rebels to expel Yugoslavian forces from the breakaway southern Serbian province, Kosovo is a weird western protectorate with half- fulfilled dreams and tough times ahead.”
2002-03-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4498 (2002) · source
“I personally think that, unless we make major progress on key issues this very year, we will face immense problems." I think that that was a very strong statement on the part of the Deputy Prime Minister. I believe that it behoves us as members of the Council to discuss whether or not we share that evaluation. If we share it, why do we do so? And if not, why not? That brings me to a point that I was planning to make in today's discussion. I find that when we discuss the Kosovo issue we face a real paradox. We probably discuss it more regularly than any other issue - we have regular meetings once a month to discuss the Kosovo situation. Indeed, I think that this is our fifteenth discussion of the subject.”
2002-03-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4498 (2002) · source
“Two different forces are going to be pushing harder and harder to come to a final solution for Kosovo and Metohija: the ethnic Albanians from Kosovo and Metohija and, for separate reasons, the international community, which is growing tired of investing resources and energy in the Balkans. If this last statement should be doubted, one need only consider the sharp reduction in refugee funding for the Balkans for next year or the statements made by various troop contributors about withdrawing all or part of their forces. "I firmly believe that we have less time than most of us think or want to prepare for this final solution, so every day counts.”
2002-03-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4498 (2002) · source
“I would like to begin by thanking Mr. Hedi Annabi for the very valuable comprehensive briefing that he gave us, and I certainly want to join our colleagues in welcoming the two positive developments relating to self-government and the transfer ofthe prisoners back to Kosovo. We would also like to thank Deputy Prime Minister Covic' for his statement. In our view, he made some important points. I would like to use the bulk of my statement today to respond to some of the points that Mr. Covic' made this morning. I would like to quote a few paragraphs of his statement. He said: "Turning to Kosovo and Metohija, the most important point that I wish to make is that we are currently in a race against time.”
2002-03-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4498 (2002) · source