YouSaid · the spoken record

Mills

lines on the record: 739
first: 2018-05-17
most recent: 2023-05-03
sittings or episodes: 121
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

“They are preventing the international community from seeing the full scope of human rights violations and abuses reportedly being perpetrated by violent extremist groups and by Malian armed forces in partnership with the Kremlin-backed Wagner Group forces. We strongly urge the transition Government to cooperate with all MINUSMA’s human rights activities, particularly requests for access to sites of alleged human rights abuses and violations, and for the United Nations to report with full transparency on alleged abuses and violations. The promotion and protection of human rights is not a political agenda possessed by one or a few Member States, but a priority task that the Council has authorized MINUSMA to carry out since the Mission’s inception.”
2023-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9251 (2023) · source
“It is not an exaggeration to say that those continued obstructions have become an existential issue for the Mission and a bit of a crisis for the Council. Once again, we demand that the transition Government lift all restrictions on MINUSMA and allow all the Mission personnel to operate freely and safely in service of its mandate. As the internal review states, MINUSMA’s success will hinge on the support and cooperation it receives from the transition Government. The continued obstructions of MINUSMA’s mandate, in addition to the blatant violations of the status-of-forces agreement, should force the Council to seriously reconsider its support for MINUSMA in its current form.”
2023-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9251 (2023) · source
“Unfortunately, its extremely volatile operating environment is made more dangerous by the restrictions that the transition Government continues to impose on the Mission and which needlessly put peacekeepers — and the civilians they seek to protect — in harm’s way. The fact that in his most recent report (S/2023/21) the Secretary- General indicates that the Malian authorities denied or gave no response to 237 MINUSMA flight requests is completely unacceptable. It means that on 237 separate occasions the transition Government blocked the Mission from deterring or responding to attacks, investigating alleged human rights abuses and violations and ensuring safety for travelling convoys. To make matters worse, those restrictions typically occur where protection is most needed.”
2023-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9251 (2023) · source
“We are particularly alarmed by the grave impact of the conflict on the safety and livelihoods of Mali’s women and girls. While we are encouraged to hear about the many ways in which MINUSMA continues to deliver on its mandate, we are extremely concerned about the significant political, operational and capacity constraints limiting the Mission’s success. It is clear both from Special Representative Wane’s briefing and the report of the Secretary-General on the internal review of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (S/2023/36) that MINUSMA is at a critical juncture.”
2023-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9251 (2023) · source
“I would like to thank Special Representative Wane and Ms. Dicko for their informative briefings. I want to start by expressing my deepest condolences to Nigeria and Chad, which together have lost six peacekeepers serving in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) since the last time the Security Council convened to discuss the Mission (see S/PV.9200). We honour the sacrifices made by the brave men and women who risk their lives for the people of Mali and the prospect of peace. We echo the Secretary-General’s deep concern about the exceptionally high level and frequency of violence in Mal and condemn the horrific attacks by terrorist groups on civilians, Malian security forces and MINUSMA personnel.”
2023-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9251 (2023) · source
“For all those who remain in detention, the regime should inform family members of their condition and location and the reason for their detention, and should conduct fair and transparent trials for those accused of crimes. The regime should allow immediate, unhindered access to third-party prison monitors and medical services for all detainees.”
2023-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9248 (2023) · source
“The Al-Assad regime can begin to demonstrate its commitment to good-faith discussions by confirming the fate and whereabouts of the 132,000 missing or arbitrarily detained persons. While we acknowledge that last year’s so-called amnesty decree appears to have resulted in the release of approximately 500 people, we call on the regime to release everyone that it has arbitrarily detained. Furthermore, we call on the Al-Assad regime to conduct all detainee releases in an organized and humane manner, including by releasing the list of individuals and the locations where they will be released and providing proper services to support detainees during their transition from detention.”
2023-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9248 (2023) · source
“States contemplating rapprochement should carefully consider what the Al-Assad regime has done to earn such an opportunity. Indeed, the regime continues to behave as it long has — behaviour that rightly caused the international community to recoil in horror and reject any dealings with Al-Assad. We share the concerns raised by many about the situation in the displacement camps and detention facilities in north-eastern Syria. We call on States to repatriate their nationals from north-eastern Syria, reintegrate them and, where appropriate, prosecute them for any atrocities they may have committed. The continued presence of thousands of third-country nationals further complicates the humanitarian, human rights and security situation in Syria and must be addressed.”
2023-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9248 (2023) · source
“It is incumbent upon the Al-Assad regime to stop stalling and cooperate with Special Envoy Pedersen’s efforts to convene good-faith discussions towards a political solution to the conflict, in line with resolution 2254 (2015). That resolution remains the only viable solution to the conflict, and we encourage all parties to engage fully under that framework and coordinate all efforts through the United Nations Special Envoy. After 12 years of brutal war on the Syrian people, we have yet to see the Al-Assad regime take any meaningful steps towards a political solution. In fact, we continue to hear the regime casting blame on others for the war that it started and has maintained. We will hear more of that today, I am sure, in the Chamber. Given that obstinance, the United States opposes any measure of normalization with the Al-Assad regime.”
2023-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9248 (2023) · source
“The United States supports cross- line aid to all areas of Syria, including the north-west, the north-east and Rukban.Several Council members that profess support for cross-line aid refuse to acknowledge that the primary impediment to increased cross-line deliveries is the insecurity created by the Al-Assad regime’s relentless conflict. In that context, we call on the Al-Assad regime to cease its assault on the Syrian people. It is imperative that all sides agree to a comprehensive nationwide ceasefire. We are eager to see results from the resumed meetings of the ceasefire task force in Geneva. We are also eager to see the resumption of Constitutional Committee meetings in Geneva, provided that Russia abandons its arbitrary demands on unrelated issues.”
2023-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9248 (2023) · source
“We encourage the United Nations to continue strengthening its oversight of and due diligence with respect to procurement in Syria, even as it expands cross-line aid deliveries. Given the alarming record of human rights violations and abuses in Syria and the well-documented cases of corruption, vigilance is important. We remain deeply concerned by the dire need for assistance in Rukban, and we call on the Al-Assad regime, which has at times refused outright to approve cross-line deliveries, to allow United Nations agencies and the Red Crescent to help the people who are suffering there. The fact that no aid has reached Rukban from Damascus since 2019 is unconscionable, and it puts the lie to regime rhetoric that cross-line aid can be relied upon.”
2023-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9248 (2023) · source
“I thank Special Envoy Pedersen and Ms. Mudawi for their briefings. The unanimous adoption of resolution 2672 (2023) confirming the continued authorization of the cross- border humanitarian assistance delivery mechanism was, as we have just heard from Ms. Mudawi, a necessary step to aid the Syrian people and reduce suffering. We now join Ms. Mudawi in calling on States to contribute generously to the United Nations-Syrian humanitarian response plan so that humanitarian actors can continue to provide life-saving food, water, medicine, shelter and early-recovery programmes, among other aid, across all of Syria. We similarly urge donors to increase support for Syrian refugees and their host communities. We particularly thank Türkiye, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt for continuing to welcome these Syrians in need.”
2023-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9248 (2023) · source
“We urge those here and those watching to reject Russia’s attempts to create false equivalencies, and we once again, as others have done, call on Russia to end its brutal, unprovoked war against Ukraine and cease its violations of international law, including the Charter of the United Nations.”
2023-01-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9245 (2023) · source
“In conclusion, the Kremlin’s objective — the violent conquest and subjugation of a sovereign country — has not deviated since Putin began his war against Ukraine. Russia now hopes to force Ukraine into a frozen conflict, lock in its gains, rest and refit its forces and then attack again until Putin’s revanchist goals are met. We have all witnessed Russia’s playbook: to wreak death and destruction in Ukraine; freeze and starve its people; force them from their homes; drive them across Europe and around the world; then drive up energy, food, and other household costs; and then distract the international community with disinformation, such as today’s wasteful briefing.”
2023-01-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9245 (2023) · source
“Since 2014, Russian authorities have prosecuted dozens of Crimean Tatars on charges that independent observers characterize as baseless. We urge the Kremlin to respect the human rights of all and the safety of the civilian population of Ukraine, including of members of all religious communities. We must also note Russia’s flagrant violations and abuses of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of religion or belief, in Russia and in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine. There are numerous reports — we have all seen them — of Russia’s authorities detaining, physically abusing, torturing and imprisoning individuals on the basis of their religious beliefs or affiliations, and then wrongfully labelling them as “extremist,” “terrorists,” or “undesirable”.”
2023-01-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9245 (2023) · source
“In areas of Ukraine under Russia’s control or occupation, there is pervasive and continuous evidence of abuses by Russia against peaceful members of religious groups that Russia considers undesirable or has summarily deemed extremist. We are concerned about the safety of members of all religious communities in Ukraine, particularly the safety of those living in areas under Russia’s control or occupation, including members of the independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Crimean Tatar Muslims, Jehovah’s Witnesses, evangelicals and Baptists. Last week, Russia sentenced five Crimean Tatars to 13 years, and one Crimean Tatar religious leader to a heartbreaking 17 years in prison for participating in a religious group outlawed by Moscow.”
2023-01-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9245 (2023) · source
“As we meet, we are seeing the price Moscow is inflicting on innocent civilians in Ukraine. Emergency personnel are still digging through the debris of an apartment building in Dnipro that Russia attacked, killing dozens, including children. And today we have heard another phony justification for the war in Ukraine: Russia’s concern about religious freedom in Ukraine. Let us consider, as others have noted, Russia’s appalling damage to religious sites and places of worship in Ukraine, despite its concern about religious freedom. UNESCO has verified the damage of 104 religious sites since Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine last year.”
2023-01-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9245 (2023) · source
“Over the past several months, Russia has thrown a variety of flimsy excuses at the wall in an attempt to justify the unjustifiable. We have heard that Russia seeks to de-nazify and demilitarize Ukraine. We have heard that it seeks to protect Russian speakers, that it is fighting drug traffickers and addicts, that it is fighting Satanists. Russia has also sought to justify its war through cynical attempts to distort the history of the Holocaust. That disinformation detracts from serious, critically important worldwide efforts to combat anti-Semitism, including Holocaust distortion. The Security Council has heard no shortage of excuses from the Russian delegation on why its brutal invasion is supposedly righteous, and why its attacks that have killed and injured civilians are a necessary price.”
2023-01-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9245 (2023) · source
“I thank Assistant Secretary-General Brands Kehris and Metropolitan Anthony for their briefings today. Let me start by being clear. The United States takes seriously any allegations of violations of human rights, including the freedom of religion or belief. We expect all countries to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, and we call out those — friend or foe — who fail to meet them, including ourselves when that happens. But really, can any informed person take seriously Russia’s purported commitment to religious freedom in Ukraine? Let me echo the comments of our French and Albanian counterparts. The subject of this meeting is another cynical attempt by the Russian Federation to invent justifications — justifications for a senseless, unholy war.”
2023-01-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9245 (2023) · source
“The longer we wait, the greater the risk of a catastrophic oil spill. We remain committed to helping to address the situation and underline our expectation that the United Nations will expedite the implementation of the project. In conclusion, 2023 provides a unique opportunity for peace. The United States and the international community stand ready to support a peace and recovery process. However, it is the Yemenis themselves who must choose peace. We call on the Houthis to engage in good faith, seize this unique moment of relative calm and choose peace and a brighter future over more war and suffering.”
2023-01-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9244 (2023) · source
“We also call for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained United Nations and United States local staff, many of whom have been detained for more than one year and deserve to be reunited with their families. We remain concerned about the alleged abuses against migrants on the border with Saudi Arabia. We urge all parties to allow United Nations investigators to access both sides of the border in order to thoroughly investigate those allegations. Finally, the United States notes the important work being undertaken to address the critical situation posed by the FSO SAFER oil tanker. Donors have come together to avert ecological and economic disaster. As others have done, we urge the United Nations to take a forward-leaning approach and consider the creative options available in implementing that project.”
2023-01-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9244 (2023) · source
“The Government’s ongoing support for elements of the truce, including the facilitation of fuel imports and continued commercial flights from Sana’a, demonstrate the Government’s efforts to ease the suffering of Yemenis. We also commend its establishment of a political negotiating team, which is a clear signal that the Government is prepared to resolve the conflict, and we hope that team can intensify its engagements with the Special Envoy. On the humanitarian front, the United States remains concerned about the reports of significant access constraints on the aid operation, on which we were just briefed. We support United Nations efforts to address those challenges and urge the parties, particularly the Houthis, to enable the provision of aid, in line with humanitarian principles.”
2023-01-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9244 (2023) · source
“Such lethal external interference can only fuel war and suffering in Yemen, at a time when Yemenis are calling for the Houthis to negotiate to end the war. The best way for the Houthis to achieve their stated goals of paying public sector salaries, harnessing Yemen’s resources to benefit its people and improving the humanitarian situation is for them to sit with the representatives of the Government of the Republic of Yemen, under the auspices of the United Nations, and reach a political agreement. Only Yemeni-Yemeni talks can address the fundamental question of how Yemen’s resources are used, and only a Yemeni-Yemeni political agreement can reverse Yemen’s dire humanitarian crisis. We welcome the restraint of the Government of the Republic of Yemen and its continued commitment to peace.”
2023-01-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9244 (2023) · source
“Instead, Houthi strikes have deprived Yemen of the tens of millions of dollars of hard currency it needs every month to import food and fuel to feed the population and transport essential goods. Those attacks and the harm that they cause to the Yemeni people must stop. The United States hopes that the international community will continue to take a strong stance against Houthi terrorist attacks on Yemen’s economic infrastructure, especially at this critical moment. Despite the ongoing period of calm, Iran continues to send a steady flow of weapons to the Houthis. Just 10 days ago, the United States intercepted a dhow carrying thousands of AK-47s from Iran to the Houthis, which was the third interdiction in recent months.”
2023-01-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9244 (2023) · source
“To do so, the Houthis must urgently change course and choose negotiations over attacks on Yemen’s economic infrastructure. We are seeing significant repercussions from the repeated Houthi terrorist attacks on Yemeni ports and international shipping. Those attacks threaten to plunge Yemen back into conflict, to deprive Yemenis of desperately needed resources and to worsen the humanitarian crisis. The Houthi attacks have placed extraordinary pressure on Yemen’s economy and have derailed hard-won Government progress on balancing its budget. The attacks are driving up the cost of shipping to and from Yemen, raising the prices of goods for families already struggling to get by. The attacks stand in stark contrast to Houthi statements that Yemen’s resources should benefit its people.”
2023-01-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9244 (2023) · source
“I thank Special Envoy Grundberg and Under-Secretary-General Griffiths for their briefings and their continued efforts to lay the foundation for a comprehensive peace process that will improve the lives of the Yemeni people. While the United States remains concerned about the situation in Yemen, it is important to take stock of the progress that has been made. A year ago, fighting was raging inside of Yemen, and Houthi attacks were threatening civilians in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Today a period of relative calm prevails, civilian casualties have decreased dramatically, and key elements of the truce continue. While we are concerned about the lapse of the truce agreement, the United States remains hopeful that the parties can reach a new, expanded agreement that paves the way for an inclusive, durable peace.”
2023-01-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9244 (2023) · source
“In Mali, the Government must eliminate all the restrictions on the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali so that it can effectively carry out the mandate authorized by the Council, which includes protecting civilians, promoting human rights and advancing peace and stability in Mali. We must reinvigorate our collective action and support our African partners in addressing the problems that cross borders. We applaud the efforts of the United Nations, the African Union, the Group of Five for the Sahel and the Economic Community of West African States to support the region and hope to soon see a joint strategic assessment in accordance with their timeline.”
2023-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9238 (2023) · source
“We are also gravely concerned about democratic backsliding across the region and urge the return of democratically elected, civilian-led Governments. We applaud the continued efforts of UNOWAS to support democratic processes and advise transitional Governments on how to return to full civilian-led democracy. We strongly condemn the killing of 28 people in northern Burkina Faso in late December. We will continue to engage with the transitional Government to strengthen protection for human rights and civil liberties, and we will support accountability for human rights violations and abuses. We share the concerns expressed by the United Nations on the departure of the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Burkina Faso and are concerned about reports that the French Ambassador to Burkina Faso has been asked to leave the country.”
2023-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9238 (2023) · source
“Violent extremism thrives when State authorities are absent, the delivery of services is weak, democracy is fragile or fleeting, justice is inaccessible and economic and political exclusion prevail. For the United States, instability in the Sahel is clearly a security problem with a democratic- governance solution. We also cannot ignore the fact that the Kremlin-backed Wagner Group is interfering in African countries’ internal affairs, robbing them of their resources, committing human rights abuses and endangering the safety and security of peacekeepers and United Nations personnel. Its presence and operations are not only failing to address the immediate violent extremist threat but are actually increasing the likelihood that violent extremism will grow.”
2023-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9238 (2023) · source
“I thank Deputy Special Representative Biha and Mr. Touray for their briefings. Their work and insights are particularly valuable and important to us during this perilous time for the region. Let me begin, as others have, by noting that we are approaching the expiration of the mandate of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS). We strongly support its renewal before the end of this month and look forward to working with the co-penholders. Like our briefers, the United States is deeply concerned about the security, humanitarian and political crises in the Sahel, which are causing a dramatic increase in the strength and influence of the violent extremism that is spreading into parts of coastal West Africa, as we have heard.”
2023-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9238 (2023) · source
“In conclusion, the United States once again calls on the regime to comply with its obligations and immediately cease its obstruction of the OPCW expert teams so that we can resolve the issue of Syria’s chemical weapons use once and for all.”
2023-01-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9235 (2023) · source
“But what else should we expect from Russia, a country which itself has barely attempted to mask its own pattern of chemical weapons use and disinformation? It is hardly intrusive to demand the regime to comply with its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention, which it willingly joined in 2013 only to violate one of its core prohibitions shortly thereafter. The OPCW and the United Nations have concluded independently that the regime has used chemical weapons on eight occasions, and the tireless efforts of the Declaration Assessment Team have caused the regime to amend its declaration 17 times. That is hardly a pattern of behaviour that engenders trust in the Al-Assad regime.”
2023-01-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9235 (2023) · source
“The Al-Assad regime has also yet to provide a credible explanation for the destruction of two chlorine cylinders implicated in the chemical weapons attack on Douma. And it has yet to provide documents repeatedly requested by the Declaration Assessment Team since 2019, which would shed light on the regime’s chemical weapons programme overall. Despite the Russian Federation’s repeated assertions in the Council that the OPCW Director-General has not met with the Al-Assad regime, we note that in fact the regime has stalled the scheduling of such a meeting since June 2021. The Al-Assad regime and its Russian enablers have complained that the OPCW experts have exceeded their mandate, which is patently false.”
2023-01-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9235 (2023) · source
“My Russian colleague said it is a shame to start our new year with this discussion. I disagree. Tragically, it is sadly fitting that we are yet again starting a new year in the Security Council by addressing the Al-Assad regime’s repeated use of chemical weapons and failure to comply with its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and resolution 2118 (2013). It was positive news to hear that the Declaration Assessment Team will be in Syria soon. We appreciate that news. It is essential that the OPCW Declaration Assessment Team be allowed to meaningfully resume its work, and that is because many questions regarding Syria’s declaration remain unanswered. Notably, the regime has yet to provide a credible explanation for the detection in 2018 of a scheduled chemical at the Scientific Studies and Research Centre in Barzah.”
2023-01-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9235 (2023) · source
“I would like to join others in welcoming the new members of the Security Council. We look forward to working with them. My delegation is glad to see them aboard. And we congratulate you, Mr. President. We cannot think of a better, more experienced hand at the helm than that of the Japanese delegation to lead us as we start our new year. I would also like to thank Mr. Ebo for his useful and informative briefing. I would like to begin by saying that we also appreciate the efforts of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to provide credible and detailed information about Syria’s progress, or lack thereof, towards the complete and verifiable elimination of its chemical-weapons programme.”
2023-01-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9235 (2023) · source
“In conclusion, we welcome the Mechanism’s ongoing engagement with the affected countries to strengthen national judicial systems, as well as its efforts to promote public awareness and engagement in ongoing court proceedings, preserving and sharing court records and other initiatives designed to inform and educate the public. That work is vital for ensuring that the Mechanism’s work will continue to have an impact long after the work in the courtroom is complete.”
2022-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9217 (2022) · source
“It is striking that the Prosecutor stated in his briefing that in the western Balkans, the denial of crimes, the non-acceptance of judicial facts and the glorification of war criminals are “not the words and acts of people on the margins, but of those at the political and cultural centres of the region’s societies”. Some people also continue to deny the genocide crimes perpetrated against Tutsis in Rwanda. We know what the consequences of the normalization of hatred are and what the persecution of certain groups can lead to. We must unequivocally denounce those who seek to deny the clear historical record and nurture old grievances rather than move towards a future in which the rule of law will govern.”
2022-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9217 (2022) · source
“Finally, we are grateful to the 13 countries serving as enforcement States. Holding persons who have been convicted and ensuring that their sentences are carried out is indispensable to the operation of an international tribunal. While the Mechanism and its predecessors have done much to lay the groundwork for a new era of accountability, national authorities must now carry on with the important work of ensuring domestic prosecutions and promoting truth-telling, reconciliation and healing. We strongly urge States to promptly and fully respond to all requests for cooperation. Regrettably, as we have just heard from the Chief Prosecutor, we continue to confront the dangerous example of non-acceptance of historical facts.”
2022-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9217 (2022) · source
“The Mechanism has also moved swiftly to address the last remaining fugitives from the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. With the termination of the proceedings against Protais Mpiranya and Phénéas Munyarugarama, only four fugitives remain. We are pleased by South Africa’s increased cooperation with the Mechanism and call on Member States that may be harbouring any of those remaining fugitives to cooperate with the investigation. We also commend the Mechanism for finalizing the contempt verdict in the Fatuma et al. case. We do, however, note the outstanding contempt case and the lack of action with respect to defendants Jojić and Radeta, and we urge Serbia to respond to the outstanding arrest warrants. Ensuring the integrity of court proceedings is essential to the administration of justice.”
2022-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9217 (2022) · source
“Almost 30 years since the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia was established, only the appeal in Stanišić and Simatović remains to be decided. After years of proceedings, we hope that a decision in that case will finally clarify the role of those officials in Belgrade for the crimes committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. The remaining proceedings with respect to the Rwandan genocide are also drawing to a close. We commend the Mechanism on the opening of the trial of Félicien Kabuga, who is accused of acting as the primary financier of the militia and political groups that perpetrated the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. We appreciate the efforts of the Mechanism to move as expeditiously as possible — given Mr. Kabuga’s age and health — as the victims have been waiting decades for justice.”
2022-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9217 (2022) · source
“We also acknowledge that even as the work of the Mechanism comes to a close, President Gatti Santana has made it a priority to meet victims and stakeholders where they live, travelling to Bosnia and Herzegovina for the commemoration of the Srebrenica genocide and to Rwanda for meetings and visits to memorial sites. We must continue to place victims at the centre of our efforts to promote justice for the crimes committed in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, even as the Mechanism moves away from trials and appeals. At the close of the year, we can reflect on the remarkable successes of the Mechanism in moving forward on active trials and appeals, closing the book on outstanding fugitives and assisting national jurisdictions in prosecuting international crimes.”
2022-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9217 (2022) · source
“I would like to thank President Gatti Santana and Prosecutor Brammertz very much for their briefings on the ongoing work of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals to bring perpetrators to justice for the atrocities committed in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. First, my delegation wants to thank President Gatti Santana for her leadership in her first six months as President of the Mechanism. We appreciate her commitment to ensuring that the remaining trial and appeal proceedings are concluded efficiently and fairly, and that the Mechanism is able to transition into a fully residual institution.”
2022-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9217 (2022) · source
“The most effective path towards reducing conflict and any risk of illicit diversion of arms would be for Russia to end the war that it started and withdraw its forces from all of Ukraine’s sovereign territory. That may begin to relieve Russia of its dependence on its many corrosive fictions.”
2022-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9216 (2022) · source
“The plan has three main lines of effort: first, working with Ukraine’s authorities to monitor and control sensitive and dangerous arms; secondly, strengthening border controls inside and around Ukraine; and thirdly, enhancing law enforcement capability in neighbouring countries. While the Russian Government is heavily invested in spreading disinformation to justify and distract the international community from Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine, we and our allies remain firmly committed to supporting Ukraine as it defends its territorial integrity and civilian population against Russia’s aggression. We therefore take those allegations of diversion of United States-origin weapons from Russia’s officials or pro-Kremlin sources with a healthy dose of scepticism. I will conclude on the subject of diversion with a statement of fact.”
2022-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9216 (2022) · source
“Helping Ukraine to keep and regain control of its sovereign territory is an important factor in limiting potential illicit diversion by Russia’s forces, Russia’s proxies, criminal groups, terrorist organizations or other non-State actors. Consistent with its commitment to the serious responsibility of safeguarding against diversion, in October, the United States Government published the United States Plan to Counter Illicit Diversion of Certain Advanced Conventional Weapons in Eastern Europe. This is a comprehensive whole-of-Government approach that also engages our allies and partners. While it is a recent publication, it is not a new plan. We have been working to address the risk of diversion since well before last February, including in close cooperation with our allies and key partners.”
2022-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9216 (2022) · source
“The Ukrainian Government has committed to appropriately safeguarding and accounting for transferred defence equipment. It is important that we remind ourselves that that equipment is vital to Ukraine’s defence, and so Ukraine has a strong incentive to protect it. We welcome the Ukrainian Government’s formation, just this summer, of a commission to strengthen the monitoring of donated military equipment. We continue to work closely with our Ukrainian Government partners to ensure that all assistance continues to be properly used and safeguarded, as Ukraine defends its sovereignty and territorial integrity against Russia’s ongoing aggression.”
2022-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9216 (2022) · source
“Although we have seen no credible evidence of Ukraine diverting United States-origin arms and munitions, we must all recognize the inherent risk of weapons’ capture and diversion on the battlefield in any armed conflict. We have always taken, and the United States continues to take, proactive steps to mitigate that risk. What we have seen are Western-origin systems captured by Russia in Ukraine. Indeed, Russia is the only known vector of diversion. Russia has an incentive to spread disinformation about diversion and indeed to actually divert United States weapons in order to create a false narrative about United States assistance that spuriously discredits Ukraine and seeks to weaken international support for Ukraine’s self-defence.”
2022-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9216 (2022) · source
“We have seen no credible evidence of the diversion of United States-provided equipment. We have heard no credible evidence of diversion today in the Council. We would certainly review evidence to support those claims, whether it came from a Head of State or international law enforcement official, if it were produced. We would do that because the United States takes very seriously its responsibility to protect its defence and dual-use technologies and prevent their diversion. At the same time, the United States is committed to continuing to support the people of Ukraine as they defend their country and their freedom. We are not hiding that support. As others have said, Ukraine has every right to defend itself, and we have every right to continue our long-standing support to its defence.”
2022-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9216 (2022) · source
“That is the one attribute common to all of Russia’s fictions and words: to find any distraction, no matter how odious or transparently false, to try to shift our focus from the immense and needless suffering Russia has caused, and continues to cause, to the people of Ukraine. It is Russia that cynically called for today’s meeting, alleging an illicit conspiracy of weapons transfers from Ukraine when, in fact, as others around the table have noted, it is Russia that is complicit in Iran’s illegal transfer of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Russia, in violation of Annex B of resolution 2231 (2015). Russia continues to use Iranian UAVs in its war against Ukraine and attacks against civilian infrastructure and cities, which have led to the deaths of civilians. Let me be clear.”
2022-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9216 (2022) · source
“What we are seeing is, frustrated on the battlefield, Russia has resorted to destroying Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure from afar, causing immense suffering to civilians, as we heard just three days ago, and defying the international community’s call to end its aggression. Despite all of this, Russia has the gall to demand today in the Council that the international community watch from the sidelines as Moscow seeks the destruction of another State Member of the United Nations. Western assistance to Ukraine, in the face of Russia’s illegal, brutal invasion, is not the problem here. It is Russia’s invasion itself.”
2022-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9216 (2022) · source