YouSaid · the spoken record

Miliband

lines on the record

86

first

2008-05-20

most recent

2023-08-03

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9

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un-security-council

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1. “We welcome the recent reiteration by the Arab League on behalf of its member States that the Arab world wants formally to end the conflict and establish normal relations with Israel. We believe that the outlines of that peace are clear and can command consensus: recognition and respect from Arab States for Israel and a Palestinian State based on 1967 borders with a just settlement for refugees and Jerusalem the capital of both States, Israel and Palestine. There will need to be brave decisions on all sides, above all by the bilateral partners in the negotiations. For Israel, this means fulfilling its Road Map commitments, notably on illegal settlement, and improving conditions for Palestinians on the West Bank and in Gaza. For Palestinians, this means finding a way to reunite around negotiations and non-violence.”

   2008-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6045 (2008) · source

2. “Secretary Rice has spoken plainly and powerfully of the stakes, the vision and the necessary steps. Now we have to follow her and help the parties to take these steps. The draft resolution before us is significant for its espousal of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace. It emphasizes the importance of the Arab Peace Initiative. The United Kingdom welcomes this emphasis. The responsibility for a resolution of the Middle East conflict does not fall just to Israel and the Palestinians, though they must lead the process. It falls to every State in the region, for the only sustainable peace must be a 23-State solution, not just a two-State solution: 22 Arab States and Israel living side by side in security.”

   2008-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6045 (2008) · source

3. “The starting point for the United Kingdom is the concerns of the people of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. They are tired and fearful - tired of conflict but also of false promises; fearful of each other but more fearful of the future. One year after Annapolis, the bilateral discussions have been detailed and serious, and the Syrian track has been launched. But cynicism and pessimism have grown. Rockets from Gaza land further into Israel. The Israeli restrictions, in particular on food and medicine, cause acute suffering in Gaza. There are plenty of people ready to say that there can be no two-State solution. I applaud the determination of Secretary Rice not to join them. The Annapolis process has not delivered a Palestinian State but the absence of an Annapolis process would have left us much worse off.”

   2008-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6045 (2008) · source

4. “The United Kingdom welcomes this debate and the prospect of a new Security Council resolution on this matter, the first since 2004. The violence, intensity and grievances of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have global ramifications. Their resolution is the proper business of the Council. The Security Council does not lack consistent policy on the Middle East. Although our resolutions have been sporadic, they have gained significance and status from their scarcity. Resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), 1397 (2002) and 1515 (2003) ring out as the rallying points for peace. It is right that, after a year of intensive activity, we take stock, add a new number to the line of previous resolutions and, most important, resolve to use 2009 with determination to make progress within the framework of the draft resolution now before the Council.”

   2008-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6045 (2008) · source

5. “Annapolis has begun that process and needs to be taken further. That means recognizing the historic opportunity afforded by the Arab Peace Initiative and building on the Israeli-Syrian opening. We should forge a new momentum, a genuinely comprehensive approach, building on those elements. The peoples of the region cannot afford another 50 years of conflict. But we have a choice: now is the time to look forward, not to look at the past and point fingers. The people of the Middle East need strong and determined leadership focused on the common elements of their future, not the failings of the past. That is the sort of leadership we are determined to support.”

   2008-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5983 (2008) · source

6. “The armament and rearmament of Hizbullah represent a grievous threat to peace in the region. In addition, we will all have seen and must deplore the egregiously offensive comments made by President Ahmadinejad in the General Assembly on Tuesday. I am truly sorry that the Council could not find unity in a denunciation of those remarks today. The remarks refer to "a cesspool created by itself and its supporters". That is no way to talk about another State Member of the United Nations, but it is a quotation from the President of Iran on Tuesday this week. There is a real risk that, if we do not capture the progress achieved by Annapolis, we will slip backwards. It is vital that we sustain the process into and through 2009 - a process built on democratic consent, international legitimacy and the trust of the parties.”

   2008-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5983 (2008) · source

7. “We are working closely with the Authority in support of its economic development plan, including through a $500 million support package. Those responsibilities in the areas of security and the economy need to be fulfilled right across the region as well as in the European Union. Thirdly, all parties must support the prospects for peace. The United Kingdom has repeatedly made it clear that settlement-building, contrary to Road Map commitments and the aim of the two-State solution, is wrong and should stop. Israel's need for security is best served by a strong Palestinian security force and a functioning Palestinian economy free of restrictions on movement and access. At the same time, however, the brutal actions of Hamas and its supporters only make that harder.”

   2008-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5983 (2008) · source

8. “The critical issue in the coming weeks and months will be to ensure that those processes are durable and that we do not fall back into a vicious circle of violence. In our view, that means three responsibilities for all of us. First, the responsibility of the international community to reiterate its unanimous support for the process launched at Annapolis. We look forward to strong messages from the Quartet meeting this afternoon and from regional partners. The parties need to stick with what will be a difficult process involving compromises on both sides. Secondly, we must continue to support those working for peace with practical measures. The United Kingdom is helping to support the Palestinian Authority in the development of its security structures.”

   2008-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5983 (2008) · source

9. “We do not agree that the current process is worse than useless or worse than the alternative. During the course of the last nine months, the Palestinian Authority has been addressing the challenges of economic and security sector reform. The ceasefire in Gaza has been established. It is fragile but holding. Turkey has helped bring together Israel and Syria for talks. There is progress on reforms inside the Palestinian Authority and as I saw for myself, cooperation around Jenin shows that when we have local engagement we can make local progress. I also believe that the process has helped to restate the fundamentals of peace: two States based on 1967 borders, secure, at peace and democratic, with Jerusalem as the capital for both and a just and agreed settlement for refugees.”

   2008-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5983 (2008) · source

10. “The peace process is a process that commands legitimacy and consent from all parties. At the moment, in the peace process, the international community needs more than ever to demonstrate in word and indeed the ability to make a practical contribution to progress and to avoid the posturing that undermines those seeking a durable settlement. If we fail to show faith in that process and fail to show the courage to pursue it, then the great prize of peace, justice and security for Israelis and Palestinians side by side will become remote. In the view of the United Kingdom, the Annapolis process has again shown the necessity of strong United States leadership. An agreement has not yet been reached under the Annapolis process, but the two parties are talking again - seriously and in detail - about a final settlement.”

    2008-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5983 (2008) · source

11. “I think that is a very good note on which to conclude the morning session. I am extremely grateful to all those who have contributed so far, many of whom have come from a very long distance. There are 30 speakers this afternoon to take the debate forward. 08-34704 I am reminded of the quotation from our Spanish colleague: If the first condition of peace is the will to achieve it, then I think that this morning's debate has helped to show genuine will, and I look forward to it being taken forward. The meeting was suspended at 1.05 pm. 35”

    2008-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5895 (2008) · source

12. “We now have time, assuming they stick to the five minute limit, for two final European speakers. First of all, I give the floor to my good friend, Mr. Miguel Angel Moratinos, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain.”

    2008-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5895 (2008) · source

13. “It is my great honour to welcome Mr. Nikola Spirie, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to invite him to take the floor.”

    2008-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5895 (2008) · source

14. “I am sure we all hope that the Secretary-General will be able to bring about that level of effort through his good offices and his meetings in Rangoon this week. Let me end where I began by saying that resolving conflict is at the heart of the Security Council's agenda. One of the lessons of the past 20 years is that there is a need for civilian expertise to be deployed rapidly to support Governments. We need their people, their funding and their leadership. Like many others who have spoken today, we too look to the Secretary-General to offer, on the basis of this discussion, advice that helps to develop an international capacity sufficient to the task. That concludes my national statement, which I hope respected the time limit that I set for others. I now resume my functions as President of the Council.”

    2008-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5895 (2008) · source

15. “In the United Kingdom we have taken enormous heart from the fact that in the midst of terrible tragedy in China we have seen Japanese rescue teams working alongside Chinese colleagues to help save lives. I believe is an important example. Sadly, we have not yet the same level of international cooperation with the Burmese authorities. Our interest in the situation in Burma is humanitarian. From a briefing this morning, I understand that the people of Burma desperately need boats, helicopters and logistics experts, as well as medical supplies and food, to ensure the massive step-up in the delivery effort that is needed. The challenge is to put in place an emergency response of the scale that we saw for the Asian tsunami and the Pakistan earthquake.”

    2008-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5895 (2008) · source

16. “Here I do want to highlight the option of a United Nations recovery fund, to which donors commit funds in advance so that resources are there to kick- start recovery efforts, rather than having to spend time raising the money once the crisis has emerged. We have national arrangements for funding stabilization and recovery, but at the moment there is not a central international source of funding, and I think we could benefit from having one. I want to conclude by returning to the theme that we started our discussion with today. We began with a minute's silence for the victims in China and Myanmar. The issues of leadership, expertise and funding that we highlight in our paper on post-conflict stabilization are also important in responding to humanitarian disasters.”

    2008-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5895 (2008) · source

17. “The second priority that we highlighted in our paper concerned civilian expertise, and some very good points have been made about that today. At the moment, over 130 British civilian experts are working in international missions, but our Prime Minister has committed us to developing a pool of about 1,000 such experts, from customs officials to judges and police officers, able to work on a standby basis and therefore to deploy at speed in areas where needed. I am very conscious of what the South African Defence Minister said about the need for the international community to be able to respond in real time, not in bureaucratic time. I think the development of a standby capacity is important in that respect. The third challenge in the paper concerns funding.”

    2008-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5895 (2008) · source

18. “I would like to reflect briefly on the difference between success and failure in the number of examples that have been given today in each of the three areas. The first concerns effective leadership. A fragmented international response is unable to be the right sort of responsible partner for any country trying to seek stability after conflict. That is a major issue in the case of Afghanistan, where the recent appointment of Mr. Kai Eide is very important for that country. But the United Kingdom also believes it is important to bring together the civil and military functions that too often have been separate. It is not just a matter of coordinating institutions; it is also a matter of integrating functions, and that is what we will be doing through our combined civil/military mission in Helmand province.”

    2008-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5895 (2008) · source

19. “The statistic that I have is that 30 per cent of conflicts break out again within five years of a peace settlement. I think that speaks to the challenge that he laid out for us. It is obviously a challenge for the parties to a peace settlement, but it is also a challenge to the international community for the way it delivers support. I would like to highlight what the Foreign Minister of Sierra Leone said about local ownership and local responsibility. Her story, I think, is obviously one in which the international community has played a role by helping to end the fighting. But the real success is the work that has been led by the Government and people of Sierra Leone. That is the lesson we need to take forward as we address the three questions that were posed in the concept paper that we circulated (S/2005/291).”

    2008-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5895 (2008) · source

20. “I shall now make a statement in my national capacity. Can I first of all thank all the speakers so far who have engaged in such a disciplined way, and also a constructive and honest way, with the difficult issues that we are confronting. I will abbreviate the speech that is being circulated, in the interests of time. I think it is worth remembering that the founding objective of the United Nations was to secure peace after the ravages of Second World War. On one indicator, since the end of the cold war there has been a welcome decline in the number of armed conflicts, a decline of about 40 per cent. But there is another statistic, which I do not think has been cited today, that is nonetheless significant and speaks directly to the point that Ambassador Khalilzad has just made. He referred to a golden hour.”

    2008-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5895 (2008) · source

21. “I now give the floor to the representative of the Russian Federation, who, I am sure, will give us a good example of brevity.”

    2008-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5895 (2008) · source

22. “I now give the floor to Her Excellency Mrs. Rama Yade, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Human Rights of France.”

    2008-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5895 (2008) · source

23. “I am now delighted to invite His Excellency Mr. Imron Cotan, Secretary-General of the Department of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia, to take the floor.”

    2008-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5895 (2008) · source

24. “I thank the representative of South Africa for his very focused and helpful contribution. I am now happy to invite His Excellency Mr. Olivier Chastel, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Belgium, to take the floor.”

    2008-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5895 (2008) · source

25. “I am now delighted to give the floor to His Excellency Mosiuoa Gerard Patrick Lekota, Minister of Defence of South Africa.”

    2008-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5895 (2008) · source

26. “Gordan Jandrokovic', Minister for Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Croatia, who has just arrived from his country, to take the floor.”

    2008-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5895 (2008) · source

27. “I very much thank Mr. Brahimi for having drawn on his experience so frankly to challenge the Council to take seriously its words about national ownership and local solutions. Speakers have referred to the succinctness and shortness of the United Kingdom's concept paper, and it falls to me to ask that speakers be equally short and succinct in their contributions to this debate. In accordance with the understanding reached among Council members, I must remind speakers that their contributions to the debate should be no longer than five minutes. Delegations with longer statements are kindly requested to distribute the texts in writing and to limit their spoken remarks to five minutes only. We have 20 speakers to hear before lunch and an additional 35 speakers after lunch, so we need to make progress. I now invite His Excellency Mr.”

    2008-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5895 (2008) · source

28. “I thank the Minister for that very interesting contribution. I look forward to the debate taking forward some of the questions that she has raised and the lessons that she has tried to teach us from the Sierra Leone experience. I am now very happy to welcome the Senior Vice-President of the World Bank, Mr. Marwan Muasher, who is going to share his views with us.”

    2008-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5895 (2008) · source

29. “I thank the Secretary-General for his statement. I am sure that the whole Council wishes him safety and success in his extremely important mission in Myanmar. We wish him good luck and thank him for his contribution this morning. I am now very happy to invite the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Sierra Leone, Her Excellency Mrs. Zainab Hawa Bangura, to take the floor.”

    2008-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5895 (2008) · source

30. “I look forward to Foreign Minister Bangura's contribution. We also look forward to the contribution of the Senior Vice President of the World Bank. And we look forward to the contribution of Mr. Brahimi, with his experience in Afghanistan, Iraq and other areas, as well as with his being the author of the landmark report on peacekeeping (8/2000/809). But first, I would, of course, like to welcome the presence of the Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, at this meeting. He is on his way within the next hour and a half to Bangkok and then to Rangoon on very important business. We are very privileged to have him here. I know he has to leave immediately after his speech, but we are all very much looking forward to hearing what he has to say. I give him the floor.”

    2008-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5895 (2008) · source

31. “There is a huge challenge before us, namely, to remove millions of people from the prolonged effects of conflict, to take away the fear that they will suffer the same horror again and to give them the hope of sustained peace, security and prosperity. There are some admirable examples of the United Nations and the international community tackling conflict and saving lives, with bravery, intelligence, dedication and skill. But those examples are not the rule; in fact, sometimes they are the exception. We are not doing enough, and we are not doing well enough. Our concept paper offers our thoughts on the critical gaps that hamper international efforts and I look forward to hearing participants' perspectives in the course of this debate. To start, it is important that we hear the testimony of people with direct experience of these challenges.”

    2008-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5895 (2008) · source

32. “The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations. I should like to draw the attention of the members of the Council to document S/2008/291, which contains a letter from the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland transmitting a concept paper on the item under consideration. Our intention in calling for this debate is to put the international spotlight on what can be done to ensure that stabilization and recovery efforts are more effective, in particular in the period immediately following a ceasefire or peace agreement.”

    2008-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5895 (2008) · source

33. “On behalf of the Council, I also extend a warm welcome to Her Excellency Mrs. Zainab Hawa Bangura, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Sierra Leone. At the invitation of the President, the representatives of the other aforementioned countries took the seats reserved for them at the side ofthe Council Chamber. The President: In accordance with the understanding reached in the Council's prior consultations, I shall take it that the Security Council agrees to extend an invitation under rule 39 of its provisional rules of procedure to Mr. Marwan Muasher, Senior Vice-President of the World Bank; to Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, who is well known to us; and to His Excellency Mr. Yukio Takasu, Chairman of the Peacebuilding Commission and Permanent Representative of Japan. There being no objection, it is so decided.”

    2008-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5895 (2008) · source

34. “In conformity with the usual practice, I propose, with the consent of the Council, to invite those representatives to participate in the consideration of the item, without the right to vote, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter and rule 37 of the Council's provisional rules of procedure. There being no objection, it is so decided. I request the Protocol Officer to escort His Excellency Mr. Nikola Spirie, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to a seat at the Council table. Mr. Nikola Spirie, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, was escorted to a seat at the Council table. The President: On behalf of the Council, I extend a warm welcome to His Excellency Mr. Nikola Spirie, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

    2008-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5895 (2008) · source

35. “I should like to inform the Council that I have received letters from the representatives of a large number of countries, namely, Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, El Salvador, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Liechtenstein, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Qatar, the Republic of Korea, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand and Turkey, in which they request to be invited to participate in the consideration of the item on the Council's agenda. I am obviously delighted that there is such a large number of countries that want to contribute to this debate.”

    2008-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5895 (2008) · source

36. “At the outset of the meeting, I should like, on behalf of the entire Security Council, to extend our heartfelt sympathy to the Government and people of China in connection with the earthquake that occurred in Sichuan and resulted in immense devastation and heavy loss of life. I request the representative of China to convey to his Government and the families of the victims our sincere condolences for the tragedy that they have suffered. In a similar vein, I would like, on behalf of the Security Council, to extend our sympathy to Myanmar and its people following the devastation caused by cyclone Nargis. May I invite all present in the Chamber to stand and observe a minute of silence in tribute to the memory of the Victims of those disasters. The members ofthe Council observed a minute of silence.”

    2008-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5895 (2008) · source