YouSaid · the spoken record

Omar Sacirbey

lines on the record
8
first
1994-12-16
most recent
1994-12-16
sittings or episodes
1
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

  1. “In the meantime, we realize that we have only the Security Council upon which to rely, and we will continue to work with present and incoming members in this regard. We will continue to provide the Council and non-Council States with the benefit of our experience, particularly in reference to transparency and provision of information. We look forward to these issues and shortcomings of the Council being addressed, and we would like to extend our most sincere appreciation to the Government and the delegation of France for taking upon themselves this very great responsibility which, we believe, has the potential to be implemented and can only improve the Security Council.”

    1994-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3483 (1994) · source

  2. “If the Council decides to continue to rely on information solely from the Secretariat, than the Secretariat must be held to the highest standards of truth, and appropriate action should be taken in response to those who deprive the Security Council, and, in effect, the entire membership of the United Nations, of the truth. Anything less is an affront to all Member States, which depend upon the integrity of the Organization for their well-being and protection. In our case, this suppression has been the vehicle for our pursuit of even-handedness. While many can debate on whether or not the concept of even-handedness should be practised on absolute terms, I believe that we can all agree that even-handedness should not be pursued at the expense of the truth.”

    1994-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3483 (1994) · source

  3. “We believe that the absurdity in this is self-evident. Another case in point is Bihac. I should like to briefly quote from an Associated Press wire report dated 25 November: "A United Nations spokesman ... repeated assurances that rebel Serbs were respecting the Bihac zone, which is roughly six miles by five miles. He mentioned in passing, however, that a United Nations observation post had to be abandoned due to shell fire. Afterward, reporters with access to United Nations maps discovered the post was inside the safe zone." This is clearly a case of suppression of information and tends to reek of independent agendas, apart from the interests that are to be pursued in accordance with the Charter. We do not know yet where this decision was made.”

    1994-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3483 (1994) · source

  4. “Therefore, we would most enthusiastically welcome initiatives providing for open debates for all Members of this Organization, but it is important that interested Member States be allowed to make their input available, not as an afterthought to deliberations, but as a valuable resource to be utilized at the beginning of deliberations. The Security Council has based its decisions solely on the information given to it by the Secretariat. This information has at times arrived too late, and at times has been either inconsistent or even suppressed. The case of Bosnia and Herzegovina again provides an example. The presidential statement adopted this past Tuesday was able to determine that an attack on Bangladeshi peace keepers was deliberate, yet was not able to specify who was responsible for the attack.”

    1994-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3483 (1994) · source

  5. “Delegates following the situation in the former Yugoslavia had been reduced to gossip columnists watching the latest movements of their favorite celebrity. It was many weeks before initial drafts were circulated, and it is still doubtful whether resolution 943 (1994) reflects the views of the general membership. And how is the Member State most directly affected by these deliberations supposed to react? Time and time again, my delegation and others must wait to see how the hundreds of thousands of civilians of our countries will be dealt with by the Security Council. It is not unlike the situation of the wife whose husband has been reported taken hostage by criminals, and is not informed on how the police intends to rescue her husband.”

    1994-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3483 (1994) · source

  6. “The Council cannot afford to leave this impression if it is to meet the objective of "harmonizing actions of nations" as well as to fulfil the fundamental principle of equality among nations. A case in point is the recent Security Council resolution 943 (1994), easing sanctions on Serbia and Montenegro. Late this summer, rumours were circulating among some Member States outside of the Council that such a resolution had been drafted. Later, rumour had it that just the opposite of that resolution had been drafted. The rumours continued and grew, with various spins on what type of resolution was, in fact, being drafted. This situation lasted for several weeks without any non-Council States having any idea of what was really taking place.”

    1994-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3483 (1994) · source

  7. “Transparency is the attribute whereby the Security Council is to keep the general membership informed, and whereby the Council is to meet one of the objectives of the Charter: "harmonizing the actions of nations". The absence of formal mechanisms to facilitate transparency means that transparency must be undertaken at an informal and practically voluntary level. This transparency has not been forthcoming enough, and resolutions of the Council have not had the full benefit of the opinions and expertise of the interested Member States outside of the Council. This absence of non-Council input only compromises the work of the Council and leaves the impression that the Council is no longer a vehicle by which the general membership can express itself, but instead has become a vehicle driven by an elite few.”

    1994-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3483 (1994) · source

  8. “I should like to begin by associating my delegation with the congratulations that have been extended to you, Mr. President. We are certainly of the view that they are more than deserved. The question of the working methods and procedures of the Security Council has affected, and still does directly affect, the situation in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Security Council has spent much time and energy, for which my delegation is thankful, on the situation in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Consequently, my delegation has had a firsthand view of the shortcomings of the Council with respect to its working methods. From our perspective, the most notable of the shortcomings have been in the transparency, or lack thereof, of the deliberations, and the manner in which the Security Council keeps itself informed.”

    1994-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3483 (1994) · source