YouSaid · the spoken record

Martens

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16
first
1992-01-31
most recent
1992-01-31
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1
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un-security-council

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  1. “Respect for the dignity and worth of every human being is a universal aspiration, one we should uphold not only in principle but one we should also try to translate into facts. Peace is a necessary step ~ but only a step ~ towards man's self-liberation, which requires the joint efforts of all Member States and of the whole of the United Nations.”

    1992-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3046 (1992) · source

  2. “In that respect, all other objectives pursued by the United Nations continue to be of crucial importance, in particular, the need to pursue, together, sustainable economic development for all, fruitful dialogue between richest and poorest nations and the common fight against such scourges as hunger, disease, illiteracy and pollution. Belgium will continue to cooperate actively in the implementation of the decisions of the Security Council and, as it has in the past, it will continue to support the actions of the Secretary-General. If the better-organized and more unified world I have just outlined is to live in peace, it should also pay due regard to the problems of the less-well-off and poor in a more effective way.”

    1992-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3046 (1992) · source

  3. “In addition to international peace and security, we should also make an effort to pursue justice in other fields in order, in the words of the preamble to the Charter, "to promote better standards of life in larger freedom" for the largest possible number of people. The Security Council and the Secretary-General are facing difficult tasks in the field of international peace and security. For the sake of efficiency, a thorough symbiosis with other United Nations bodies is required, taking into account their respective fields of competence.”

    1992-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3046 (1992) · source

  4. “The Commission on Human Rights already provides mechanisms for denouncing serious violations of human rights. In this connection, Belgium would suggest that the Security Council deal with such cases at an early stage and support any action taken elsewhere to put an end to unacceptable situations that could pose a direct threat to international peace and security. Recently, the United Nations has participated in the organization and supervision of free elections. Such assistance could also be provided in situations where administrative structures have collapsed as a result of natural disaster or conflict. The United Nations might decide on procedures to be implemented on short notice. Member States could thus draw up lists of national civil servants available for rapid deployment on certain missions.”

    1992-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3046 (1992) · source

  5. “49-50) Every State here today will agree that the fate of civil populations that fall victim to internal repressions fully justifies the compassion and concern of the United Nations. Indeed, all States Members of the Organization concur in their determination to defend human rights. They have committed themselves to acting to that end, in keeping with the Charter of the United Nations. My country believes that the raison d'etre of the principle of non-interference is to allow States to foster in freedom the well-being of their peoples. However, no Government should use that principle as a legal argument to condone abuses of human rights. State rights are subservient to human rights. The Security Council and the Secretary-General should focus especial attention on these matters.”

    1992-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3046 (1992) · source

  6. “In addition to the procedures and means of action at the Organization's disposal, the time has now come to place our actions once more in the perspective envisaged by the authors of the Charter, to which all peoples aspire. In this endeavour to allow the fundamental principles of the Charter to prevail, it is essential that the Security Council and the Secretary-General show courage and initiative. The new solidarity has permitted the collective defence of international law; it should now serve the collective defence of human rights. Last October in the General Assembly Belgium stated that: "States are liable internationally for their national policies in the field of human rights." (A/46/PV.27, p.”

    1992-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3046 (1992) · source

  7. “In this regard Belgium proposes the creation of budgetary reserves. The size of those reserves would be agreed on annually according to the operations planned. The Council could allocate a portion of them to the provisional financing of the preliminary stages of peace-keeping operations. Within the framework of peace-keeping operations set up by the Security Council, my country will give favourable consideration to the secondment of troops and observers to the United Nations for possible deployment. Through specific training programmes, Belgium will ensure rapid deployment of Belgian contingents in United Nations peace-keeping forces.”

    1992-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3046 (1992) · source

  8. “Accordingly, the Secretary-General might be invited by the Security Council to formulate concrete proposals aimed at preventing a deterioration of the situation. The third issue I should like to take up is that of peace-keeping operations, which are one of the most efficient means of action available to the Security Council in coordination with the Secretary-General. The Secretariat should now reorganize and streamline their management and administration, given the success of such operations and their increase in number over the past few years, and given also the new scope of those operations that will be initiated in the near future in our often very delicate political environment. We must first of all ensure the immediate availability of funds from the moment the Security Council decides on the launching of a peace-keeping operation.”

    1992-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3046 (1992) · source

  9. “Belgium and the aforementioned States, together with Czechoslovakia, then went on to examine the issue of fact-finding, which resulted in the adoption of a resolution a few weeks ago during the forty-sixth session of the General Assembly. The central theme of both of those documents is the role of the Secretary-General and the Security Council in the early stages of conflict situations. The Secretary-General should enjoy the full support of the Security Council whenever he considers taking early initiatives to deal with delicate situations. If need be, the Security Council could enhance that political support by requesting the Secretary~General to prepare a report on a specific issue. Moreover, he could be requested to contact the various parties as soon as it became clear that the conflict might reach alarming proportions.”

    1992-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3046 (1992) · source

  10. “The power of the Security Council and the Secretary-General to take initiatives is a second means of action at our disposal, That role would become more efficient if we could facilitate a swift United Nations response whenever conflicts or pre-conflict situations arise. My country has been defending the principle of an extension of the Secretary-General's preventive-diplomacy powers since 1983. Belgiun's diplomatic efforts, which Germany, Spain, Italy, Japan and New Zealand have joined, resulted in the adoption of a resolution at the forty-third session of the General Assembly exclusively addressing the prevention of conflicts.”

    1992-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3046 (1992) · source

  11. “The Treaty invites the Twelve to broaden their cooperation to Security Council matters in order to defend their common positions. As far as Belgium is concerned, the framework of common foreign policy and security policy should enable the Twelve to speak with a single voice in due time. A particularly positive example of this increasing coordination of the Twelve is their common diplomatic initiative which led to the adoption by the General Assembly of the idea of an arms transfer register. In the same spirit, the Iwelve will shortly be considering what action they can take to support the recent proposal of the German Government aiming at preventing proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.”

    1992-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3046 (1992) · source

  12. “First of all, I should like to address the issue of international regional organizations, which should be involved systematically in the Security Council's actions. Very recently, in its resolutions concerning the Yugoslav crisis, the Security Council constantly referred to the intervention of the European Community as well as to the efforts made within the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) framework. Belgium considers this road to be very promising, inasmuch as regional structures genuinely carry out their actions within the United Nations framework of values. In this context, some aspects of the Treaty on Political Union, which the 12 States members of the European Community have just concluded in Maastricht, should be highlighted.”

    1992-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3046 (1992) · source

  13. “Among the most important tasks before us, I see three which may be implemented through the means of action at our disposal: cooperation and coordination between the United Nations and international regional organizations; extension of the powers of initiative and inquiry of the Secretary-General and the Security Council; and the greatest possible efficiency of the United Nations peace-keeping operations. Furthermore, for Belgium, it is essential that the Security Council and the Secretary-General take full account of the importance of universal observance of human rights in international peace-keeping and security issues; they should act accordingly, with the full weight of their authority.”

    1992-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3046 (1992) · source

  14. “Secretary-General, had the very difficult task of carrying out his important responsibilities at a time which was extremely important for the United Nations and for the world. Mr. Perez de Cuellar succeeded in becoming a true incarnation of the hopes of our Organization and "its Member States. The success of his efforts bear witness to his tenacity and his skill. Recently, thanks to his diplomatic talent, we saw a solution to the painful problem of the hostages in the Middle East. We fervently hope this process will be brought to fruition.”

    1992-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3046 (1992) · source

  15. “In the course of this process, the Secretary-General will have to exercise fully his right to take initiatives. In our changing world, the Secretary~General must invent new kinds of diplomacy; he must take new risks and meet many kinds of challenges, such as terrorism, the recurrence of civil wars and the emergence of international conflicts linked to the violation of human rights. His function will take on a more vital importance, and the international community will have ever higher expectations of him, When in 1978 Egypt took the "peace risk" and embarked on extremely difficult negotiations, our new Secretary-General seized the opportunity to show his courage and his talents as a diplomat. Needless to say, Belgium is extremely satisfied at seeing Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali occupying that seat within the Council. Your predecessor, Mr.”

    1992-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3046 (1992) · source

  16. “Mr, MARTENS (Belgium) (interpretation from French): The framework of international relations has gone through profound changes during the past few years. The balance of power that emerged after the end of the Second World War has now dramatically shifted. As history is unfolding at such great speed, it is undoubtedly appropriate to call for an exceptional meeting to discuss some of the consequences of these changes for our Organization. That is why Belgium immediately welcomed your initiative, Mr. President, of convening a meeting of the Security Council at the level of Heads of State or Government. . The radical turn in the balance of international relations indeed requires an updating of the role of the Security Council. It also requires a rethinking of the interplay between the various bodies of the United Nations.”

    1992-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3046 (1992) · source