YouSaid · the spoken record

Nishimura

lines on the record: 30
first: 2003-02-24
most recent: 2008-12-16
sittings or episodes: 2
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

“The African Union Mission in Somalia has been making tireless efforts towards that goal and we would like to express our respect for its admirable endeavours under difficult circumstances. We, for our part, will extend our support to the fullest extent possible for the Somali peace process initiated by the Djibouti Agreement. Japan, which will become a non-permanent member of the Council in January, is determined to contribute in a proactive way to peace and stability in Somalia.”
2008-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6046 (2008) · source
“In this connection, I wish to note that Japan has gained practical experience in this area through its initiative to realize the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP). It is our belief that, with this background, we can provide useful expertise with regard to the possible creation of a cooperative framework similar to ReCAAP in the region neighbouring Somalia. Finally, allow me to reiterate that efforts to suppress acts of piracy are urgently needed from the point of View of the safety of maritime navigation and the protection of human lives and assets. At the same time, I must stress that the genuine resolution of the issue of piracy off the coast of Somalia requires peace and stability in the country.”
2008-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6046 (2008) · source
“In this context, the Government of Japan has been seriously studying the issue of piracy among its relevant ministries and agencies with respect to what new laws we should develop and what actions we can take under the existing legal frameworks. These are some of the questions that we have been addressing. It is our intention to take measures in a prompt and effective manner, beginning with what we can do now. We also plan to provide capacity-building assistance for the countries neighbouring Somalia. With this resolve in mind, it is our intention, once an appropriate international cooperation mechanism on the issue of piracy off the coast of Somalia has been established, to join at its inception and actively participate in the discussions within the framework.”
2008-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6046 (2008) · source
“In addition, we cannot overemphasize the importance of coordination in combating piracy and thus we strongly hope that the countries and organizations concerned will take unified and collaborative action to that end. As a maritime State and a trading nation, Japan attaches great importance to ensuring the safety of marine navigation and security at sea, including through anti-piracy measures. Clearly, these matters are directly linked to the survival and prosperity of our country. The issue of piracy is both a challenge for the international community and a matter related to the protection of the lives and assets of our own citizens. We are therefore gravely concerned about the dramatic increase in acts of piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia and recognize that measures to tackle this problem are urgently required.”
2008-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6046 (2008) · source
“Given this fact, those carrying out the incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea in this region, which are unique in their gravity, frequency, number of affected countries and negative effect on the situation in Somalia and the peace and security of the region, are quite literally common enemies of the human race - hostes humani generis - in today's world. It is therefore essential that the international community address this issue in a determined and concerted manner. In this connection, we welcome the recent initiatives of the Security Council to suppress acts of piracy in the region, as demonstrated by the adoption of a series of resolutions this year. We also wish to pay tribute to the efforts of those countries that have been deploying naval vessels in the region.”
2008-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6046 (2008) · source
“At the outset, I would like to express my appreciation to His Excellency Mr. Ivo Sanader, Prime Minister of Croatia, for his initiative to convene this timely and very important meeting of the Council. We welcome the adoption of resolution 1851 (2008) by the Council today and its call for further international collaboration in addressing the issue of piracy off the coast of Somalia. In this connection, we are grateful to the delegation of the United States for its strong leadership on this particular subject. The area off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden is a critically important sea lane connecting Europe, the Middle East and East Asia.”
2008-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6046 (2008) · source
“But at the same time, we must take care of soldiers, even though they are fewer in number, because to induce those soldiers to reintegrate into civilian life is clearly an important ingredient for the formation of the new Afghanistan as a country developing in peace. Therefore, we must indeed deal with many aspects of the development process in Afghanistan, including taking care of refugees, building infrastructure and rehabilitating schools and hospitals, among many other things. We are doing - and we must do - all those things. But, at the same time, we must take care of all these soldiers and officers, because their returning to civilian life means that the country itself will change its basic profile.”
2003-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4711 (2003) · source
“It depends upon whom we talk to, but as for the number of soldiers to be released from the army formations, people have been talking about 100,000, 200,000 or 300,000 soldiers being released eventually under the DDR programme. I should also mention the 2 million refugees who have returned to the country since the cessation of conflict. So, on the one hand, we talk about soldiers to be released from the army structure, but on the other hand, we have a huge number of refugees - almost 10 times as many refugees as soldiers. To attend to refugees and to internally displaced persons is a serious task in itself; we must take care of them.”
2003-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4711 (2003) · source
“It is therefore only natural for donor countries to contribute out of that total pledge amount as concrete programmes are developed. As far as Japan is concerned, the $35 million that we have pledged to the programme is part of $500 million that the Government of Japan pledged for overall reconstruction activities in Afghanistan. The representative of Chile asked about other types of DDR that have been developed in other countries. I am not very familiar with others exercises in this area; Mr. Guehenno may be able to draw some parallels between those past experiences and the experiences we are having in Afghanistan. The Syrian representative asked about bridging the gap between DDR and the development projects. I am not sure whether I can answer that question properly. Let me talk about the parallels that I am drawing all the time.”
2003-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4711 (2003) · source
“There are lots of public- works-type aid projects being offered to Afghanistan by many donor nations, and that is going to be a great help in providing job opportunities for those ex- combatants. The representative of Cameroon questioned whether the pledges were additional or were part of earlier pledges. I really cannot speak on behalf of other countries, but my impression is that the contributions offered by donor nations are part of their earlier pledges, first made at the International Conference for Afghanistan held in Tokyo one year ago. As a matter of fact, one year ago the Tokyo Conference amassed $4.5 billion of contribution pledges from the international community. At the time the Tokyo Conference was held, no concrete projects were in place.”
2003-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4711 (2003) · source
“According to a United Nations Development Programme estimate, there will be a total requirement for three or four years amounting to $130 million to $150 million. So, as I said in my statement, we have to work together to ensure that the financial resources can be collected from the international community to fill those gaps. It is going to be a difficult task but, nonetheless, I think we have to proceed with it. One thing which I think I have to mention in this respect is the fact that all donor nations can contribute to the United Nations Development Programme fund- which has been set up for the purpose of DDR - not just in financial terms, but by helping to meet the requirements of ex-combatants who have left the army and army formations.”
2003-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4711 (2003) · source
“This is, I think, the practice that has been adopted by other DDR exercises in other countries. There is nothing wrong with Afghanistan seeing small weapons remain in the hands of people. That is a question in its own right. But that question must be dealt with at a later stage. If you go there, I think the DDR process itself is going to be a huge exercise which the present mechanism and current financial resources cannot cope with. The financial aspect has been of great interest in all of today's questions. I also appreciate the interest expressed and understand the anxieties members may have had about the financial prospects for the programme. As a matter of fact, $50 million is the amount for the kick-off of this programme. That is not going to be enough for the entire programme, which may take at least two, three or four years.”
2003-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4711 (2003) · source
“So yes, there will, of course, be lots of resisters, but there are provinces, cities and small villages that wish to go forward. In our view, that might create a new wind - a new tendency, a new current - which might be emulated and copied in other areas. That is our strategy. The Russian representative asked whether they may wish to keep their weapons. Of course they may wish to do so. As a matter of fact, all weapons of all kinds will not be collected under the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) programme. As far as I understand it, there will be a category of weapons that must be collected and that there will be other sorts of weapons - light weapons - that will not be collected. There should be a clear distinction between those weapons that are to be collected and those that are not to be collected.”
2003-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4711 (2003) · source
“Our intention - and it is the intention of all parties concerned, including the Government of Afghanistan - is to start some kind of new wind in Afghanistan. There are communities and provinces which really wish to start those activities in their territories. Of course, this whole DDR programme entails economic packages and rewards. Communities are now seeing that those rewards can come their way. That is one positive element and we can therefore start in those areas. They are expressing their wish that this programme be started in their communities. Other communities are expressing the desire to see the programme start, because the soldiers themselves wish to leave their military formations. That readiness and disposition has been expressed in other cases.”
2003-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4711 (2003) · source
“First and foremost, all the decisions which have been made so far by the Government in Kabul have been discussed and debated through the National Defence Council, which comprises all regional political leaders. Therefore, theoretically speaking, there is a general consensus amongst all those leaders to go ahead with the process of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of the soldiers and officers. Our problem, and the problem of Afghanistan, is to test in practice that agreement made in principle by all those political leaders. Therefore, that is the test of DDR programme as well. I talked about a pragmatic attitude whereby we should start our work where it is most likely to succeed. Indeed, that practicality has something to do with this process.”
2003-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4711 (2003) · source
“Mr. Nishimura: I really appreciate the great interest the Council has shown in what we have been doing. There were several questions directed to me. I will group those questions into three or four broad categories. First, Council members have expressed their doubts or uncertainties as to how we are going to proceed with the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) programme despite possible resistance on the part of various regional leaders. They may have thought that it is going to be a very difficult process. Indeed, I agree. We all know that we have a very difficult exercise ahead of us, but there are a couple of things to which I think I must draw the Council's attention.”
2003-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4711 (2003) · source
“The international community must stay engaged and give every support to our Afghan friends as they begin a courageous struggle, this time in order to achieve genuine peace and reconciliation.”
2003-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4711 (2003) · source
“If the Government in Kabul and all regional leaders are to achieve and maintain this commitment, it is absolutely essential that the international community as a whole remain committed to Afghanistan and provide it with all possible support and encouragement. In fact, the principal motivation which compelled the Government of Japan to organize the Tokyo International Conference on DDR in Afghanistan just three days ago was to reinforce this solidarity and support. As the Chair of the Conference, I urged all participating countries and agencies to join hands and embrace the Afghan people as they strive to rebuild their nation by restoring the peace and achieving genuine reconciliation. In the view of Japan and UNAMA, DDR is absolutely crucial to the rebuilding of the nation of Afghanistan.”
2003-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4711 (2003) · source
“This total of more than $50 million for the kick-off is a good record, yet future prospects are not necessarily encouraging and we must keep working on securing financing throughout the process. Finally, the success of DDR will ultimately depend upon the economic capacity of the country itself. How the Afghan economy and the international community will be able to generate enough job opportunities to absorb everyone is a very serious problem. All these and other problems are sensitive ones which will ultimately require political decisions. Without broad political agreement, DDR will most likely not succeed. The single most important factor for the success of DDR is the steadfast commitment of all political and regional leaders.”
2003-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4711 (2003) · source
“President Karzai said in Tokyo last week that, once it begins, the disarmament process would take one year. The idea behind this timetable is to have DDR play a role - of course, a positive one - in the context of the upcoming general election scheduled for June next year There is another thorny technical problem - how to treat commanders who still hold sway over large numbers of people and communities - and, of course, as always, there are problems of a financial nature. The donor contributions that have been committed will not be sufficient for the immense task ahead of us. At the recent Tokyo Conference on DDR, as I said earlier, Japan pledged $35 million. The United States pledged $10 million; the United Kingdom, $3.5 million; and Canada, $2.2 million.”
2003-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4711 (2003) · source
“Developing a mechanism for the collection of light and heavy weapons and maintaining transparency in the process of weapons collection will also be a difficult issue. Very careful consideration will have to be paid, in all phases of the programme, to ensuring a strong sense of fairness and impartiality. In the country, where there is a strong legacy of strife and competition amongst various groups, any attempt which benefits one to the detriment of another is bound to fail. Confidence-building among all parties concerned will be the key to the success of DDR. Therefore, a sensitive approach is absolutely necessary, but at the same time, a practical attitude is also important. The task of disarmament must start where it is most likely to succeed so that it can build momentum for further successes. The time line is another important factor.”
2003-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4711 (2003) · source
“Moreover, we are looking at as many job-creation aid projects as possible in order to meet the requirements of DDR. It is our hope to employ as many ex-combatants as possible in such public-works-type projects. The task ahead of us is truly daunting. We can expect to be met with numerous challenges and setbacks. But I am confident that the Afghan Government, the Afghan people as a whole and the international community will remain united and rise to the challenges. Nonetheless, today, realist that I am, I can anticipate some of these challenges. First, we will have to deal with the problem of how to reach agreement on the number of soldiers and officers to be released from the armed formations. The number of soldiers under arms is difficult to estimate. The definition of a combatant is itself problematic.”
2003-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4711 (2003) · source
“We will continue to play a cooperative role throughout the entire process, in cooperation with another lead agency, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). On the financial side, the Government of Japan has pledged a contribution of $35 million to jump-start the Partnership for Peace Programme, which is the basic component of the DDR process. In addition to its financial contribution, Japan will consider extending assistance for the establishment of a large database, which will be indispensable for the implementation of DDR. Another major area in which Japan is cooperating is vocational training. We will provide an extensive training programme, again in addition to the financial contributions mentioned earlier.”
2003-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4711 (2003) · source
“Additionally, demobilized soldiers will be able to take advantage of a wide referral network which will allow them to seek job opportunities around the country. In terms of the administrative mechanism, the Afghan New Beginnings Programme (ANBP) will be created as the main executing body. With offices established in nine cities across the country, the ANBP will register individuals, assist them in choosing the most appropriate job training options and opportunities, and provide the necessary follow-up over a period of three years. Let me briefly explain what the Government of Japan, as the lead nation, intends to contribute to this programme. First of all, Japan is totally committed to the success of the DDR process.”
2003-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4711 (2003) · source
“The fact that a new national army must be built in parallel with DDR adds to the complexity of the undertaking. Here is the basic process: all soldiers to be disarmed must first pass through the Disarmament Commission and will have to decide to either join the new national army or to demobilize. Those wishing to join the new national army must then pass a number of tough recruitment tests. Those who fail the tests, as well as those who choose to get out of their armed formations, will be registered. They will be offered a variety of reintegration packages, including vocational training, credit schemes, employment through public works, land grants, cash compensation, community- based development projects and so on.”
2003-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4711 (2003) · source
“As recently as last Saturday, on 22 February, President Karzai announced in Tokyo his intention to disarm his country within one year of the commencement of the process. He said that he would announce a detailed DDR programme on 21 March of this year. With all of these recent and remarkable developments in place, today I can report to the Council that in Afghanistan a solid foundation for DDR is being laid; that DDR will soon commence, promising to change the profile of Afghanistan from that of a nation in conflict to one that is developing peacefully; and that the entire international community is committed to supporting the programme. The DDR process in Afghanistan is not different from DDR in other countries. Yet it is anticipated that DDR in Afghanistan will be difficult in view of the heavy legacy of factional rivalries.”
2003-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4711 (2003) · source
“The decree specifically states that a new Afghanistan National Army (ANA) will be created of not more than 70,000 soldiers. It will be an ethnically balanced organization. More importantly, the decree also stipulates that military formations, armed groups and any other military or para-military units that are not a part of the ANA shall be prohibited. This will be a defining moment in the Government's efforts to assert control nation-wide. A new national army will be built, and all regional military formations must disappear. It will be a remarkable development indeed. On 11 January of this year, President Karzai took further steps to move ahead with DDR by issuing decrees establishing four Government commissions.”
2003-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4711 (2003) · source
“Fewer soldiers mean greater security. More ex-soldiers in workplaces mean more peaceful development. Nevertheless, DDR alone is not enough to provide security. Security in Afghanistan can be ensured only when the State exercises the sole enforcement capacity. This, of course, means the creation of a new national army and national police force. Counter-narcotics actions are also critical in ensuring security. An independent judiciary is likewise necessary. All these elements must be in place in order for the nation to be able to exist under the rule of law rather than the rule of the gun. Mindful of these considerations, on 1 December last President Karzai issued an important decree broadly outlining principles and conditions with respect to security, the military, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration.”
2003-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4711 (2003) · source
“The restoration of peace and of the rule of law in their country is their greatest aspiration. Indeed, soldiers and officers also share that aspiration. They are tired of life in the army. They yearn to go home and to resume their normal lives. The international community is also deeply concerned with the lack of security as it mobilizes resources, not just in Kabul but in the remote regions of the country, in order to help all Afghans in their reconstruction efforts. Lack of security prevents donors' resources from reaching remote areas. Lack of security is therefore the most serious challenge confronting Afghanistan today. It is no wonder, then, that there is unanimous agreement among all parties concerned that the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) of soldiers and officers is of the highest priority.”
2003-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4711 (2003) · source
“Mr. Nishimura: Mr. President, thank you very much indeed for this occasion. I deeply appreciate this great occasion to brief the Security Council on disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR). Following 23 years of war and devastation and one year after the cessation of the latest hostilities, Afghanistan is still replete with weapons and armaments. Despite some notable progress, there is a high level of tension between the armed formations. Nation-building cannot succeed under these conditions. Nor is national reconciliation achievable. Most crucially, the people who have suffered so much for so long cannot enjoy genuine security. That lack of security is a source of great concern to the Afghan people as they toil so hard to reconstruct their country.”
2003-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4711 (2003) · source