YouSaid · the spoken record

Olhaye

lines on the record: 631
first: 1993-01-29
most recent: 2013-10-22
sittings or episodes: 73
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

“Any gathering of so many people for such an extended period of time obviously entails strenuous financial and logistical effort. Djibouti is now in the third month of catering to the needs of some 2,000 Somali delegates, elders and observers. Many were transported by air to Djibouti from locations around Somalia at Djibouti's expense. To facilitate the focus and concentration of participants and to isolate them from the diversions and pressures of the capital city, the Conference is being held 40 kilometres away at Arta, a resort town on a hill with a spectacular view of the Red Sea. All private homes have been claimed by the Government to house delegates. In fact, local residents are now a minority. All the requirements of this large contingent of people for food, transport, accommodation and amenities are being met by Djibouti.”
2000-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4166 (2000) · source
“The efforts of the Secretary-General in this process have been exemplary. His constant encouragement and support for the Conference and its goals have been pivotal. His call for a unified Somalia in which there exist peace, democracy and development has instilled a realization among the participants that high-level international support and awareness of their efforts are there. We must also mention the tireless work of the Secretary-General's Representative for Somalia, Mr. David Stephen, who has been in Djibouti since February, continuously interacting with delegates, elders and Djibouti officials to realize the Conference and its successful conclusion. It may be instructive for me to provide some description to the Council of the actual Conference settings.”
2000-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4166 (2000) · source
“I wish to congratulate you most warmly, Mr. President, on your assumption of the presidency of the Council for this month, during which you have already displayed your diplomatic and political acumen. May I also extend our gratitude to your predecessor, Ambassador Wang Yingfan. Let me, at the outset, state how deeply grateful the Somali people - and, indeed, the Government of Djibouti - are for your praiseworthy initiative to schedule a public debate on Somalia during France's presidency. Such a rare debate on Somalia is taking place at the most opportune moment, when a crucial Conference to restore lasting peace and government is now under way in my country. No doubt, such a mark of goodwill towards the people of Somalia will immeasurably boost the morale of the Conference participants and help them to reach a settlement quickly.”
2000-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4166 (2000) · source
“In the absence of Africa's imposing overwhelming strength on its rebel forces that oppose democratic governance, it must rely upon collective security, as enshrined in the Charter, to bring about lasting peace.”
2000-05-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4139 (2000) · source
“As is the case throughout the continent, the eagerness to monopolize the diamond trade stands in stark contrast to the pervasive poverty in the country and its lack of development. Africa is prepared to undertake a regional response to this crisis in Sierra Leone, but, as all Council members know, it lacks the resources to complete the task. At the same time, as all members know, rebel units there have the advantage of controlling the lucrative diamond mines through which they are able to finance their hostilities. As I said earlier, Sierra Leone is not alone in its difficulties with hostile rebel groups, which require an effective response to end the nightmare of suffering that the common people of that hapless country have endured. Finally, we must try to make the arms embargo more effective and also promote regional peacemaking.”
2000-05-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4139 (2000) · source
“As in Somalia, Angola, the Congo and elsewhere in Africa, we are thus at a crossroad in terms of how we, as an international community, are to respond in Sierra Leone. To his credit, the Secretary-General has waged a long campaign to re-engage the international community in Africa's conflicts in the Central African Republic, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau and the Democratic Republic of Congo. We all know how agonizing this setback in Sierra Leone is to him. He is right: Africa must not be marginalized and left on its own to solve its problems without outside assistance. Sierra Leone is therefore a signal of the level of international concern for peace and security, including disarmament, in Africa.”
2000-05-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4139 (2000) · source
“There is now a promising peace conference on Somalia under way in Djibouti, yet somehow the warlords are tolerated while they continue making noises against this clear progress and are being supported in their endeavours by a nefarious few. The international community must warn these warlords that they must accept the peace which Somali civil society clearly desires, or else face the consequences, and it must take to task those who continue to assist them in their unending adventures. Here again, their ill- gotten economic gain in a lawless environment no doubt exceeds what they perceive as being possible in a stable situation. That is why, for them, the lawless environment has to be made much worse than the prospects of a peaceful one.”
2000-05-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4139 (2000) · source
“In hindsight, it was clearly a mistake to agree to such an accord and to attempt to appease the rebels at such a cost. But what, it must be asked, was the alternative? Sadly, it was not the first capitulation to warlords in Africa. This is, in many respects, the situation we have seen in Somalia. With its own decade of destruction at the hands of its warlords, Somalia has not had a Government for a long time. Yet now, when an overwhelming national consensus is emerging, and when the vast majority of Somalis have united for peace, the warlords continue to obstruct peace and deny the country the peace and development it so obviously craves and needs.”
2000-05-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4139 (2000) · source
“Despite years of crimes against humanity, a legacy of atrocities that will characterize Sierra Leone in the minds of the rest of the world for ages, and the virtual destruction of the country's youth, the rebels were absolved of punishment, given key ministerial posts in the Government and a lifestyle which they could never before have imagined. The only trade-off expected of the rebels was that they would abide by the terms of the peace accord and disarm, under the supervision of United Nations peacekeepers. Unfortunately, these peacekeepers lack the right mandate and are lightly armed, ill-equipped, poorly coordinated and outmanned - a reflection of an attempt at peacekeeping on the cheap that is tragically laughable when set against the mammoth efforts in power, arms and resources seen in Kosovo, East Timor or Bosnia.”
2000-05-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4139 (2000) · source
“In many respects, we might almost set our computers to substitute, in each sentence, the word "Africa" for "Sierra Leone", for it is unlikely that we will be prepared to do much more anywhere on the continent than in that country. For a myriad of reasons, Africa is currently plagued by an infestation of criminal-minded warlords, rogues for whom peace, human rights and lawful government are viewed as illogical obstructions to their self-interest. This is clearly the case in Sierra Leone, Angola and Somalia - and the list goes on. For nearly a decade, the rebels have adopted a strategy of cruelty to frighten the country into submission. With its limited resources, the Government of Sierra Leone, at the behest of other influential parties, has had little choice but to agree to a peace accord.”
2000-05-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4139 (2000) · source
“We cannot abandon Sierra Leone; to do so would not only send the wrong signal to Africa but would be untenable and, indeed, unacceptable to the international community. Later this year, the world will observe a Millennium Summit held here at the United Nations, where we will explore the themes of peace and security, including disarmament, development, poverty eradication, human rights and the strengthening of the United Nations. In Sierra Leone, elements of each of these issues are in play and, to an enormous extent, the manner in which we as an international community resolve these immediate issues in that wretched and frightening place will define the relevance of these issues for a large segment of humanity.”
2000-05-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4139 (2000) · source
“The standoff in Sierra Leone represents an all too familiar test of wills between the United Nations and yet another warlord. It remains to be seen whether the United Nations will be able to contain the actions of rebels who seem determined to unravel any peace agreement that they have accepted. Given the recent increase in peacekeeping commitments to Africa by the United Nations, the outcome will have significant meaning for Africa. The peace pact in Sierra Leone must rest not only on good intentions and trust but also on force. Sierra Leone is in serious danger of being mired in violence again, with the looming possibility that it will turn into another Somalia, a State that for a decade now has been run by bands of warlords.”
2000-05-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4139 (2000) · source
“I thank you, Mr. President, for convening this open meeting on the crisis in Sierra Leone. I am taking the floor in my capacity as Coordinator of the Eastern Africa subregion. Ostensibly, we are here today to urgently consider the abrupt and shocking deterioration of the peacekeeping effort in Sierra Leone. It is stunning to witness the blatant attacks on peacekeepers and the capture of hundreds of them and even to hear about the unconfirmed deaths of a few. We express our deep sympathies to those families and countries that have lost peacekeepers and to those who are still looking for certain of their loved ones, whether they are detained or cannot be accounted for. We are, indeed, at the juncture of what I believe will be one of the most important decisions of our age for the international community.”
2000-05-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4139 (2000) · source
“For them we must do a much better job of increasing access to health care and support, including inexpensive antibiotics that can add many months to the lives of people already sick with AIDS, to palliative therapies that can help increase comfort and reduce suffering and to psychological and social support for patients and their families." In conclusion, let me say AIDS in Africa is not all poverty, but at current levels, it is very close.”
2000-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4087Resumption1 (2000) · source
“We must improve societies, institutions and economies to eliminate poverty, the source of most of Africa's ills. In particular, the elimination or containment of AIDS will require concrete steps to prevent, to cure and to treat. Dr. Bruntland, Director-General of the World Health Organization, wisely notes that "while prevention is the most promising strategy for managing AIDS epidemic in the long term, we cannot lose sight of the fact that millions of people are affected today.”
2000-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4087Resumption1 (2000) · source
“Out of the world's current 6 billion people, 1.3 billion, or about 20 per cent, live below the absolute poverty line, on less than $1 a day; and 2.8 billion, or about 50 per cent, eke out survival on less than $2 a day. Obviously, inequality has multiplied enormously. The majority of Africans lack a minimally decent life, as expressed in such things as clean water, sanitation, health services and education - hence, the excessive prevalence of AIDS in Africa. In truth, the peril of HIV and AIDS in Africa lies in the continent's poverty. So, in an era of declining international resource flows for Africa's development needs, the worry is that the AIDS peril may continue to ravage the continent's vital asset: its scarce human capital. Fighting AIDS requires a more holistic approach.”
2000-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4087Resumption1 (2000) · source
“Africa, ironically, cannot rely on the wonder drugs that have cut mortality in rich countries, because those drugs cost over $20,000 per person per year, whereas poor countries, which bear the brunt of AIDS, cannot afford more than $20 per person per year. The answer does not lie only in reducing the cost of treatment, but in providing the necessary health infrastructure, as well as in investing in the development of a cheap, easily delivered vaccine. But this remains a long-term proposition. We enter the new millennium with more poor people than the world has ever known, and we are in the midst of plenty, awash with resources.”
2000-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4087Resumption1 (2000) · source
“Rather, it is a global human problem, or, more correctly, a global human tragedy, one which concerns every one of us, wherever we may be. Hence, Mr. President, your ingenious idea of convening this meeting on a health issue, the first in the history of the Security Council. Since AIDS is killing far more people than war, it certainly deserves the Council's attention. Hopefully, this laudable effort will nudge the global conscience towards action, more specifically to leverage the resources of our planet to defeat this plague of our era. Many countries in Africa, as has been noted at this meeting, are responsibly tackling this problem. They need, however, recognition, more meaningful assistance and long-term support.”
2000-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4087Resumption1 (2000) · source
“In the 1950s, sub-Saharan Africans had an average lifespan of 44 years, a figure which, with improved living standards, had risen to 59. Today that figure is rapidly declining, and could, before the end of the decade, reach 45 years, wiping out the gains of half a century. Yet all the sub-Saharan countries combined have a mere $160 million to spend confronting AIDS, and the challenge they face is simply enormous. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) literature states that Africa remains the global epicentre of the epidemic. However, certain other regions, it seems, are catching up with Africa, in particular the newly independent States of the former Soviet Union and the Eastern and Central European countries. What this shows is that AIDS cannot be dismissed as an African problem.”
2000-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4087Resumption1 (2000) · source
“Obviously, AIDS has had a catastrophic impact on peace and security in Africa. Since the beginning of the epidemic, 50 million individuals worldwide have been infected with HIV, 16 million of whom have died. Of those who died, 12 million, or nearly 75 per cent, were in Africa. Two million died there last year alone, which corresponds to five times the number of deaths due to AIDS in the United States in the entire last two decades. Most stunning of all, of the 34 million people currently affected and still alive, roughly 23 million, or 68 per cent, are in sub-Saharan Africa. A syndicated columnist in Newsweek wrote last week that "every minute 11 people worldwide are infected with HIV, 10 of them in sub-Saharan Africa".”
2000-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4087Resumption1 (2000) · source
“At the outset, Mr. President, I wish to express the deep appreciation of my delegation for your innovative and highly imaginative interpretation of international security as including human security as well in this post-cold-war era. I commend you for your exemplary courage and foresight in making the long- neglected problems of Africa the theme of your presidency. This morning the presence of the Vice-President of the United States at this inaugural meeting highlighted very specific suggestions, measures and commitments. In this respect, I would like to highly laud his efforts and those of his Government in this direction. In many ways, it is fitting to begin this focus on Africa with an examination of the economic and social devastation wrought by the AIDS epidemic, which is now the number-one killer in Africa.”
2000-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4087Resumption1 (2000) · source
“But as long as there are many who tenaciously believe that peace is possible in the Middle East if we only give it a chance, there is hope. Let us give peace a chance.”
1996-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3698Resumption1 (1996) · source
“This unprecedented indecisiveness on the part of the international community has been an embarrassment to the Council, creating a situation of unrelieved tribulation and humiliation. Yet outside the Council, the combined efforts of many appeared to have finally broken the chains of futility. With the negotiations in Oslo and in Madrid, and with the momentous signing in Washington in 1993, a framework for resolution, peace and progress was developed. Unfortunately, the promise and hope raised by those valiant efforts seem to be slowly receding from our grasp, and the questions now validly posed by all are, "What peace? What process?". We are witnessing a dangerous fall into past patterns of confrontation and hopelessness, of old attitudes.”
1996-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3698Resumption1 (1996) · source
“We believe that construction work in old Jerusalem must cease forthwith, that Israeli troops must withdraw from Hebron as stipulated in the peace accords, and that plans to expand Jewish settlements in the West Bank must be terminated. Border closures must be reversed as well, and there must be an unambiguous reaffirmation of the principle of land for peace as envisioned in resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973). It may be well to recall that the issue of Palestine has been before the Council virtually since the inception of the United Nations, and that of the occupied territories for nearly 30 years. While in that time other seemingly intractable issues around the world have received full consideration and achieved finality, the Palestinian issues continue to languish in the archives of the Council.”
1996-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3698Resumption1 (1996) · source
“We are all aware of the hardships inflicted upon the Palestinian people by the border closures, which have led to deteriorating living conditions, unprecedented levels of unemployment and an economy which may technically, if not in fact, be in bankruptcy. It is against this overall tapestry, woven to create a reversal of commitments already undertaken and leading to a state of hopelessness and despair, that the opening of the tunnel provided the straw that broke the camel's back. The reaction by the Palestinian people appears to have been one that crossed all lines of class, age and gender: to confront an army with a bold disregard of loss and sacrifice. What can be done to bring calm and a return to the peace process?”
1996-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3698Resumption1 (1996) · source
“So Likud's first 100 days have seen a litany of dithering, vagueness and ambiguity regarding agreements already reached and signed, and a reneging on the final status negotiations embracing critical issues such as Jerusalem, an independent Palestinian State, borders, and full and total Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Arab lands. Further, confusion and distress have been sown by the decision of the Likud Government to approve the construction of new settlements and highways on confiscated Arab land, all in total defiance of commitments and agreements made, and in contravention of resolutions and conventions. Without question, these moves violate the spirit that prevailed only recently.”
1996-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3698Resumption1 (1996) · source
“The obvious and precipitous decline in trust and in mood throughout the region has been recognized by all, to the extent that it was no surprise that the act by the Israeli authorities of opening a tunnel under one of Islam's holiest shrines, the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem, provoked a fierce and justified reaction by the people of Palestine. The resulting shooting of civilian demonstrators, which has left hundreds dead and wounded, justly deserves a unanimous universal outcry of condemnation. One is hard put to argue with those who say the Israeli rule is that "Arabs only know the language of force".”
1996-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3698Resumption1 (1996) · source
“At the outset, Sir, I wish to congratulate you most warmly on your assumption of the presidency of the Council for this month. We are confident of your skills and experience; there is no doubt that the Council is in good hands. We also wish to express our deep gratitude to Ambassador Tono Eitel of Germany for having successfully and capably guided the work of the Council last month. We are witnessing the calculated implementation of a deliberately provocative policy by the new Israeli Government, a policy designed to reverse the fruits of years of hard work, sacrifice and good faith on the part of the previous Government, the Palestinians, the Arabs and the international community.”
1996-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3698Resumption1 (1996) · source
“In conclusion, we wish to say to Israel "The Arab commitment to the peace process is irreversible; don't give up the ship!"”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“Surely the manner in which widespread efforts were made to meet with Israel and to settle divisive issues of long standing was a clear indication of the Arab world's desire to seek peace. But now there is much to question regarding Israel's good faith in desiring genuine accord with the Palestinians and, by extension, the rest of the Arab world. The choice for Israel is to take those genuine measures which will move the peace process with all deliberate speed. As Palestinians see their leaders unable to meet Israel's ever growing unreasonable requirements and at the same time incapable of doing much, under the circumstances, to improve their lives, their frustration and level of desperation will surely rise. In the final analysis, sound judgment will prevail.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“The policy of continuing to construct and sell housing units, establishing new settlements and confiscating and expropriating Arab land in Jerusalem and its environs, while planning still further construction, is sure to bring the peace process to a halt at some point. That such a policy and such activities are contrary to international law, General Assembly and Security Council resolutions and the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 is well documented. For the Arab world the key to negotiations and agreements with Israel begins with Palestine. The crisis with Israel began with Palestine, and before there can be sustained peace elsewhere in the Middle East the issue of self-rule in Palestine needs to be resolved.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“Of particular concern is the huge acreage seized for highway construction to ease access for settlers, the real effect of which is to carve the occupied territories into ghetto enclaves, which prevents the creation of a cohesive nation. It will also present the Palestinians with a "geographic fact", effectively predetermining negotiations in the future. Such acts obviously pre-empt the negotiations and deliberately complicate issues dealing with settlers, settlements, the status of Jerusalem, Israeli intentions and good faith, the wider overall Middle East peace process and the prospects for near-term peace and regional economic development. Israel cannot have it both ways: peace and settlement.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“To do otherwise exacerbates the security situation, continues the unlawful application of the law to Palestinians, fans the flames of resentment and offers another pretext for the continued presence of Israeli forces. This simply delays withdrawal, elections and progress in the peace process. Should extremist elements gain control of the Israeli Government, one could expect not simply the halt of progress towards peace and resolution, but also retrogression to conditions which spawned the outbreak of the intifadah. Contrary to the expectations implicit in the Declaration of Principles of 1993, that Israeli settlements would cease during the interim period of negotiations, a mounting area of Palestinian territory is being confiscated each month.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“Few impediments to progress are more implacable and emotional than that of Israeli settlers who both remain in and continue to settle the occupied territories, and that this could be supported by the Israeli Government in full knowledge of the ultimate and unavoidable consequences is difficult to believe when there is plainly a direct correlation between the violence in the occupied territories and the continued expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. It is virtually axiomatic that for the peace process to resume in a meaningful manner, settlements in the West Bank must be immediately frozen and those in Gaza dismantled.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“To saddle Chairman Arafat and the Palestinian Authority now with the task of stamping out terrorism and, until this is achieved, maintaining the border closure, defeats the basic objectives of the peace process and makes a mockery of the honest efforts exerted by the Arabs. If the issue of terrorism is to be employed as a device to halt progress, then surely those factors contributing to it must be emphasized.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“We cannot accept the Israeli position that, failing a demonstration by the Palestinian Authority of its ability to control all acts of terrorism, implementation of the terms of the agreement cannot continue. In fact, in 27 years of stifling occupation, Israel has failed to halt the Violence. Besides, the evidence appears to show that the Palestinian Authority has maintained the called-for control over all PLO elements and personnel to ensure their compliance with the agreement and prevent violations and discipline Violators. If anything, the bulk of any terrorist acts must be laid at the door of non-PLO elements in Palestine.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“Certainly, it was implicit in the negotiations that Palestinian autonomy and self-rule over the West Bank and Gaza were the immediate goals, and that the Palestinian Authority was but an interim step in the preparation of the elections designed to give voice to Palestinian political preferences and to give them full control over those areas. But while the Palestinian leaders were negotiating with a view to ending the Israeli occupation, the Israeli Government, by its actions, seemed intent upon making that occupation endure. The agreement's stipulations for Palestinian elections in July of 1994, for the withdrawal or redeployment of Israeli forces from Arab towns and cities for a safe travel corridor for Palestinians between the West Bank and Gaza and for the release of Arab prisoners were all quick to disappear.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“A widespread and pervasive mood of mounting disenchantment has began to permeate the Arab world, and it is the direct consequence of the near-total lack of progress in the negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israeli authorities following the historic handshake between Chairman Arafat and Prime Minister Rabin during the signing of the Declaration of Principles at the White House in September 1993. Those Principles made no attempt to explore or to resolve the critical differences and issues standing between the Palestinians and Israel, nor were they intended to. Rather, they sought to set a tone, to create a momentum and direction toward the resolution of all substantive matters separating the two parties.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“As Chairman of the Arab Group for the month of February, and on behalf of the members of the Group, I have the honour to raise for consideration the question of the establishment of Israeli settlements in the territories it has occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem, and the dangerous consequences of those activities for the Palestinian people and the Middle East peace process as a whole. We believe that the draft resolution before the Council is moderate and balanced, and is a positive reflection of the desire of the Arab Group to restart the negotiations in good faith. We ask the Council to conclude its present deliberations on this matter by adopting the draft resolution.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“Mr. President, we recognize the gravity of the issue that the Arab Group is bringing before the Council at this time, and we are confident that under your experienced, wise and balanced direction, the deliberations of the Council are in steady hands. We wish to express our deep appreciation for the very capable and skilful manner in which Ambassador Emilio J. Cardenas helped to guide the Council to an auspicious beginning this year. We also wish to extend our best wishes to the new members of the Council, whose participation bodes well for what may again be a year of drama for the international community.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“With further exploration and examination by the Council's Working Group on documentation and procedure, we can expect the issue to be given much needed clarification, refinement and momentum, taking into consideration the views of the total membership of the Council. In this way we should arrive at a clearer and more comprehensive understanding of transparency and determine what it will mean in practice. The Council has come a long way in penetrating the maze which has surrounded transparency in concept and in practice, and my delegation feels that, if it continues its efforts in a purposeful and organized manner, many benefits will accrue to all.”
1994-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3483 (1994) · source
“We believe wider and more effective use of this device would contribute considerably to the achievement of transparency, particularly should the Council decide to hold regular "proximity talks" with countries of a specific region on matters before the Council that are of particular interest to them. Overall, we must reach the wider membership and provide it with the access, input and transparency it requires. The task is to define the exact nature of that transparency, one which is adequate for the needs of the general, regional or designated membership, including troop-contributing countries, while preserving the efficiency, effectiveness, openness and prestige of the Council. 14 These are weighty matters, and my delegation feels they deserve a concerted and serious effort by the Council to resolve them.”
1994-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3483 (1994) · source
“In the effort to achieve transparency, will the Council's independence and privacy be violated or compromised, its "mystique" or "magic" reduced? Significant progress has already been made in opening up procedures and deliberations to non-members - a fact which cannot be overlooked. Some members have been quite effective in expanding the two- way flow of information from the Council to States in their region, and in fact to the wider membership of the United Nations, while also strengthening the consideration by the Council of the feelings, concerns and suggestions of the States in their region and of this wider membership. In this regard, my delegation has worked diligently to maintain this flow and dialogue with a great number of countries.”
1994-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3483 (1994) · source
“Unfortunately, other Council members will no doubt come forward with additional proposals of their own, which may in the end inadvertently contribute to the erection of an edifice unrecognizable to anyone or that is not at all what we wanted - that is, transparent. We may discover we are merely taking symbolic steps toward an undefined goal - in fact, improvising and innovating in a piecemeal, ad hoc fashion. The concern of my delegation, therefore, is whether this 'building block' approach to constructing or reaching transparency will be sufficient or effective. Will the end product merely constrain us further? Are there unforeseen limitations to transparency we would be well advised to recognize? It is important as well not to overlook the presumed stature, privacy and uniqueness of the Council.”
1994-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3483 (1994) · source
“There may be as many definitions of transparency as there are Members of the United Nations, and we must begin to narrow the concept down sufficiently if we are to give it 13 relevance and usefulness. Recently, for example, the Council received a joint letter from the delegations of New Zealand and Argentina on ways to increase the transparency of peace-keeping operations, particularly for troop- contributing countries. This is certainly a vital area of transparency, as is the suggestion contained in the French initiative for a better balance of public and private meetings and greater participation by other members.”
1994-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3483 (1994) · source
“For the Council is correctly perceived as the locus of international efforts not only to forge collective action and restrain hostilities between States, as in the past, but in large measure, as well, to concern itself with the international humanitarian rights of communities and individuals within States. This expanded role of the United Nations system and the Council has become the key to a rational world order, raising concerns among smaller States and regions and about international priorities other than just the self-interest of a few. Clearly, the issue of transparency is complex. In one sense, perhaps, that which is least transparent is the meaning to be attached to transparency itself.”
1994-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3483 (1994) · source
“And it is in the light of the timely and crucial relevance of this matter that members of the Security Council deemed it proper to solicit the views of the wider membership of the United Nations on what must transpire in the functions of a "transparent Council". Today it is the "consumers" who must voice his concerns with the "product" - either with its content or its delivery, or both. And there can be little doubt that the consumer - that is, the general membership of the United Nations - has invariably voiced concern over transparency in the Security Council.”
1994-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3483 (1994) · source
“My delegation is very appreciative of the thoughtful initiative taken by the French delegation on the important issue of transparency in the work of the Security Council. In fact, it was during his statement before the General Assembly in September this year that the Foreign Minister of France, Mr. Alain Juppe, put forward constructive ideas, subsequently introduced in the Security Council by Ambassador Merimee of France. The focus of this initiative, which we fully welcome, is the feeling among many delegations that the working methods of the Council should allow for greater transparency.”
1994-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3483 (1994) · source
“Angola, together with the rest of southern Africa, has the potential for a good future, for it is a wealthy country in a promising area. Another false alarm would be dangerous at this time - a fact of which everyone is, no doubt, aware. My delegation therefore fully supports the draft resolution before us. It has as its major objective the restoration of UNAVEM II to its original strength and the extension of its mandate for a further two-month period to provide the Secretary-General sufficient time both to determine the viability of the cease-fire and to put in place contingency planning for potential peace-keeping operations. We hope all will go well, and we wish the people of Angola a durable peace, stability and prosperity.”
1994-12-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3477 (1994) · source
“My delegation is relieved to note that humanitarian aid, though affected in some locations by heavy fighting, appears in general to be getting through. We can, we hope, avoid any major catastrophe of suffering until measures are taken by the Angolan Government to address the many problems and the destruction caused by the long civil war. Fortunately, the comprehensive de- mining programme for the country has become operational, and the information required is being collected. As the Secretary-General notes, both sides must continue meticulously to implement the cease-fire on the ground, or the whole process could unravel again. Concrete confidence-building measures must be undertaken by both sides and by their leaders personally.”
1994-12-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3477 (1994) · source