YouSaid · the spoken record

Palacio Vallelersundi

lines on the record: 32
first: 2003-01-20
most recent: 2003-03-07
sittings or episodes: 4
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

“No, it is others such as Saddam Hussain who are responsible for the deaths of millions through their wars, invasions, actions and decisions. It is others such as Saddam Hussain who use chemical weapons. It is others such as Saddam Hussain who destroy entire families, peoples, nations. It is not the Security Council that is responsible. We are seeking international peace and security, because we all want peace. But we want a peace that is safe and that ensures that those weapons will not be used by Iraq and that they will not fall into the hands of terrorist groups, which could use them to achieve their own ends. To act otherwise is to harbour false hopes and to look for arrangements that could only seriously undermine the credibility and effectiveness of the Council and even the international peace and stability that we all seek.”
2003-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4714 (2003) · source
“But that is not true for chemical and bacteriological weapons. We all know that. It is particularly in the area of the disarmament of chemical and bacteriological weapons that disarmament can be achieved only if there is political will on the part of the Iraqi regime. Inspectors will naturally have to continue for the time that is necessary and with the means that are necessary. But it must be done on the basis of a radical change in the willingness of Saddam Hussain's regime to disarm. So far, Iraq has given no credible signs of possessing the will to disarm. I have listened to those who consider that decisions the Council may adopt will provoke a great loss of human lives and great damage in Iraq. They criticize that and hold us responsible for it.”
2003-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4714 (2003) · source
“The Council must make it clear that it has always advocated not Iraq's containment or its partial disarmament but its complete disarmament of weapons of mass destruction, in particular chemical and bacteriological weapons, and that this should be done peacefully, which requires full Iraqi cooperation. And if such cooperation is lacking, Iraq alone will be responsible for the consequences. Finally, it must be made very clear that the Council must assume its responsibility before the entire world to respond to this situation. Disarming Iraq is not a question of more inspectors or more time. That, to paraphrase a French thinker, is merely the strategy of impotence. With respect to nuclear material and missiles, we can envisage the possibility of achieving results without the regime's willingness to disarm or even its proactive collaboration.”
2003-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4714 (2003) · source
“The Council should send the clear message that it is very aware that the threat looming over us is more serious than ever and that it concerns the confluence of the existence of weapons of mass destruction, their possible use by terrorist groups and the criminality of political leaders who make use of both those weapons and terrorists. The Security Council has to send a clear message that it considers that the time has come to stop being a hostage to those, who in seeking their own objectives, mistakenly interpret our aspiration to peace as a sign of weakness.”
2003-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4714 (2003) · source
“Given those questions, what message should the Council send? First, we will not tolerate any more of Saddam Hussain's games. He did not comply in 1991. He deceived the United Nations Special Commission in 1995. He remained free of inspections for almost four years. And now, even when resolution 1441 (2002) indicates that it represents the final opportunity, he is once again trying to prevent its implementation. The Council has to state also that we cannot encourage, through action or failure to act, those possessing weapons of mass destruction who feel that they can systematically violate international law with impunity.”
2003-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4714 (2003) · source
“I welcome and appreciate the progress that has been achieved by the inspectors, in particular the destruction of the Al Samoud missiles. But all of a sudden proof of the existence of programmes of weapons of mass destruction, whose existence was denied until now, appears as if by magic - because of the 300,000 soldiers deployed in the region. Or we suddenly hear of the existence of missiles and motors that are banned under international law. That conduct confirms our fears. Those weapons exist. They have not been destroyed. They can be used again. As Secretary of State Powell said, if Saddam Hussain was lying before when he was hiding those weapons, why should we believe him now when, after revealing their presence, he claims that he has destroyed all remaining weapons, without our being able to detect a genuine will to disarm.”
2003-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4714 (2003) · source
“He has also managed to reverse the burden of proof, shifting onto us a responsibility that is his alone. How could we have come to a situation where a dictator that has provoked wars, invaded countries, gassed his own population, trampled all existing human rights and flouted the law for 12 years is now putting the credibility of the Council in jeopardy? My second question is, what message are we sending? It is impossible not to realize that only maximum pressure and the credible threat of force make an impression on the Iraqi regime. Let me recall that this is the underlying logic of resolution 1441 (2002) and of the draft resolution sponsored by the United States, the United Kingdom and Spain, which will soon be submitted to the Council.”
2003-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4714 (2003) · source
“How much time is needed to take the strategic decision to collaborate fully, actively and unconditionally? I am afraid that we are facing a question whose answer everyone knows but which many prefer to ignore. Instead of sending a solid and cohesive message, the Council runs the risk of becoming a media platform showcasing our differences and making our work even harder. Through continuous and systematic misrepresentation of the facts, Saddam is achieving something extraordinarily dangerous. He has managed to get many to identify the Security Council- the guarantor of international legitimacy - as the aggressor, while he identifies himself as the victim. He has managed to divide the international community, as the Foreign Minister of Mexico said so well a moment ago.”
2003-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4714 (2003) · source
“I can only say that the threat remains and that Saddam Hussain has yet to comply with the resolutions of this Council. This is happening 12 years after the adoption of resolution 687 (1991) and four months after the adoption of resolution 1441 (2002), which, as the Council will remember, constituted the final opportunity. So, 12 years later, we still find ourselves in the same situation as in 1991. Twelve years later, the principal actor is the same: Saddam Hussain. Twelve years later, the threat is the same: his weapons of mass destruction. Twelve years later, his attitude is identical: a profound contempt for international law and the clear intention to divide us. Twelve years later, his strategy remains the same: to deceive us. How much longer?”
2003-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4714 (2003) · source
“I also have the feeling today that we run the risk of not seeing the forest for the trees. The concrete progress achieved by the inspectors in their commendable work, to which I pay tribute on behalf of Spain, and the gestures made by Saddam Hussain are distracting us from the objective defined by the international community 12 years ago: the complete disarmament of the Iraqi regime. We have been marking time for 12 years. I have two questions to raise that I believe are fundamental for us all: Are we discharging our obligations as members of the Security Council? What message are we sending to the world? According to the United Nations Charter, the mission of the Security Council is to maintain international peace and security, to identify threats thereto and to define action to be taken.”
2003-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4714 (2003) · source
“Ms. Palacio (Spain) (spoke in Spanish): Allow me to begin by joining those who have expressed their gratification, Sir, at seeing your country, Guinea - and with Guinea, Africa - presiding over the Council at this crucial time for peace and security in the world. On behalf of Spain, I wish you a successful and effective conduct of our activities. I also wish to highlight the excellent work accomplished by Germany at a very complex moment. On 14 February, I opened my statement by pointing out that, along with millions of citizens of the world, I was hoping to hear just one sentence from the inspectors: that Saddam Hussain was fully, unconditionally and actively complying with resolution 1441 (2002). I did not hear it on that day, nor have I heard it today.”
2003-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4714 (2003) · source
“I wish once again to express my Government's support for their work. Spain has continued to work for peace and security. It is in this way that the concerns that I have voiced should be understood. Spain is resolutely in favour of a solution to this crisis being found within the United Nations and within the Security Council. It is for this that we have been working and are continuing to work. But Spain is aware that peace and security are ensured through respect for and compliance with Security Council resolutions and that the time will come, if that change in political attitude - that change of will to cooperate on the part of Saddam Hussain's regime - does not take place, when the Council will be obliged to assume its responsibilities in the interest of the peace and security of the world.”
2003-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4707 (2003) · source
“It is not a question of a change in composition or in structure, because the message that would easily be seen is that the Security Council has changed the terms of reference. The message would be: the more non- compliance there is from Saddam Hussain, the more radical changes the international community needs to make. That is not the spirit or the goal of resolution 1441 (2002), which, as has been recalled here, was unanimously adopted by the Security Council. We would be sending a message of weakness on the part of the Council. We would send the message that we are prepared to rework the terms of reference of resolution 1441 (2002), and the Council would thus lose credibility. On behalf of my Government, I wish first of all sincerely to express our deepest gratitude for the work of the inspectors.”
2003-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4707 (2003) · source
“The question is, "Why?" In short, all the questions remain - above all the most important question, namely, is cooperation voluntary or are these superficial concessions or claims of such concessions, because time is pressing and because a further review is about to be conducted in the Security Council? Are the concessions a result of the inspections themselves? Or are they the result of international pressure, including the credible threat of the use of force? That being said, I would like to put forward a few thoughts on some proposals that have recently been circulated to change the inspection system. The question relates to the political will of Saddam Hussain's regime, and the answer can only be yes. For that purpose, we do not need more inspections or an increase in the means available to the inspectors.”
2003-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4707 (2003) · source
“We are also told that illegally imported machinery is intended for the Al Samoud 2 system and is thus also proscribed. I have taken due note of the fact that in the field of chemical and biological weapons, the documents submitted on VX and anthrax do not provide new evidence and do not resolve the pending issues. In addition, a list of persons who have participated in the destruction of chemical weapons has been provided, but there has been no list of persons involved in the destruction of biological material. As far as interviews are concerned, Dr. Blix told us that a number of persons have refused to be interviewed privately, and that such private interviews are essential to get information.”
2003-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4707 (2003) · source
“It is true that there have been some advances, to which I will refer. But, above all, what we see is a long list of areas of non-compliance and unresolved issues that were mentioned in Mr. Blix's 27 January report and that have not received any clear response. Let us recall the questions of the VX precursor, the 6,500 chemical bombs and the 8,500 litres of anthrax. We have been told that, as regards the missiles, the inspectors have unanimously concluded that the Al Samoud 2 missile is longer in range than is permitted under resolution 687 (1991) and is therefore a proscribed system. We are told that the clarifications provided on the Al Fatah system are not sufficient. We are told that the casting chambers could be used to produce motors for long-range missiles.”
2003-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4707 (2003) · source
“Ms. Palacio Vallelersundi (Spain) (spoke in Spanish): Like hundreds of millions of citizens the world over, I have been following the words of the inspectors, of Mr. Blix and of Mr. ElBaradei with great care and attention and with an eagerness to hear just one sentence - an affirmation of active, immediate and complete cooperation by Saddam Hussain's regime. The inspectors have not been able to make that affirmation. Indeed, what resounds as far as I am concerned is the last sentence in Mr. Blix's statement today: "Today, three months after the adoption of resolution 1441 (2002), the period of disarmament could still be short, if immediate, active and unconditional cooperation with UNMOVIC and the IAEA were to be forthcoming." (supra) That has not been forthcoming. That is what has been observed.”
2003-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4707 (2003) · source
“My Government believes that in spite of Iraq's continued non-compliance with its obligations - which has been made patently clear from the disturbing information just presented to us by Secretary of State Powell - there is still is a chance for peace if Iraq radically modifies its lack of compliance. Saddam Hussain's regime must understand that if it does not comply with its obligations, then it must confront the grave consequences called for in resolution 1441 (2002). But it should also understand that the full responsibility falls solely upon Saddam Hussain and his willingness to cooperate with the obligations imposed by the international community. That cooperation has heretofore been conspicuously absent. The international community urges him to take advantage of the last chance that has been given to him under resolution 1441 (2002).”
2003-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4701 (2003) · source
“However, for 12 years we have witnessed systematic non-compliance with Security Council resolutions by Saddam Hussain's regime. Spain therefore reiterates that it is imperative to send Saddam Hussain's regime an unequivocal message that non- compliance with the resolutions of the Council and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and long- range missiles pose a threat to peace and that, consequently, preserving international peace and security means, as the Council has underscored, the immediate and complete disarmament of Iraq. A fundamental element of Spain's actions in the current Iraqi crisis is respect for international law, of which Security Council resolutions are an essential part.”
2003-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4701 (2003) · source
“As Secretary of State Colin Powell said, the inspectors are not detectives. The inspectors should be the proxies for the international community in witnessing voluntary disarmament. We can consider all the mechanisms, offices, additional inspections and minders we want. But the issue will still be the same: the lack of will on the part of Saddam Hussain's regime to fulfil its disarmament obligations. We will only be deceiving ourselves if we ignore that fact. Therefore, we can, and must, demand a change of political will: full cooperation with regard to disarmament, without delay or subterfuge. What is at stake is the credibility of the Security Council, which the Charter of the United Nations established as the most valuable instrument for the maintenance of peace. The Council is the key to our collective security.”
2003-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4701 (2003) · source
“As a Spaniard, I am particularly concerned that biological and chemical weapons still under Iraqi control, such as the ones shown to us today by Secretary of State Colin Powell, could end up in the hands of terrorists. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) have our full confidence and support. But inspections are not an end in themselves. Rather, they are the means of verifying that Iraq is carrying out effective and complete disarmament of its arsenal of weapons of mass destruction. Inspections will only bear fruit if Iraq cooperates actively. To date, it has not done so. Time does not mean time for the inspectors. On the contrary, it means an ultimatum to Saddam Hussain's regime that it must disarm voluntarily.”
2003-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4701 (2003) · source
“The international community cannot allow a country to acquire components, develop production lines, possess clandestine mobile production units and laboratories or acquire stocks of weapons of mass destruction. We cannot tolerate such a violation of international law, as it endangers international peace and security and undermines the very foundations of non-proliferation regimes that it has taken many decades to establish. Such a violation also jeopardizes the very existence of an international community that is able to organize peaceful coexistence in our global society. There is only one explanation for the lack of cooperation by Saddam Hussain's regime with the work of verifying his programmes of weapons of mass destruction: that Saddam Hussain has not renounced his plan to use such weapons as he has undoubtedly used them in the past.”
2003-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4701 (2003) · source
“Similarly, this reminds us that we are dealing with a responsibility that belongs to the entire international community. The Secretary of State has put before us compelling data that point to the existence of weapons of mass destruction and to the consequences of their possible use. Those data also confirm that Iraq is deceiving the international community and that it is not cooperating. Legally speaking, and in the context of the United Nations and of resolution 1441 (2002) in particular, that information leads to the legal conclusion that there has been a flagrant violation of the obligations established in resolution 1441 (2002). The Secretary of State has also given us information on the links between Saddam Hussain's regime and terrorism.”
2003-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4701 (2003) · source
“Ms. Palacio Vallelersundi (Spain) (spoke in Spanish): Allow me to join those who have spoken before me in congratulating Germany on its assumption of the presidency of the Security Council, another European presidency at a moment of whose importance for the future of the Council and for the international community as a whole we are all aware. I would also like to associate myself with those who have expressed their gratitude for the information provided by Secretary of State Colin Powell. But I would first of all like to say how important it is that he has brought that information to the Security Council. This once again represents recognition by the United States of America of the importance of keeping the question of Iraq within the framework of the United Nations.”
2003-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4701 (2003) · source
“Our great common challenge is to articulate those relations in legal terms in order to achieve international coexistence that is more just and secure. The fight against terrorism is a basic priority to achieve that objective. Thus, the initiative of the French presidency is very timely, and Spain firmly supports the draft resolution that we expect will be adopted at the conclusion of this debate. In conclusion, in this common endeavour, the international community can always count on the resolute participation of Spain, which, as I have just stated, will guide the work of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, whose presidency, as of April, has been entrusted to us, which I appreciate.”
2003-01-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4688 (2003) · source
“Furthermore, we must consider the adjustment of the Committee's mandate to allow it to continue to play the active and efficient role it has been developing, because we know that terrorism is often linked to other illegal international activities and because we cannot fight terrorism effectively without confronting those matters: arms trafficking, money laundering and other international wrongdoing. We must pay very special attention to prevent access by terrorist groups to weapons of mass destruction. The international community is a reality, and it shares the hope for a more just world, just as it shares a painful vulnerability to terrorism and other global threats. International relations cannot be confined to constant crisis management. Rather, they must include a definitive component in the fight for a better world.”
2003-01-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4688 (2003) · source
“Rather, it must propose legal and political measures of real-world effectiveness in the areas of preventing and suppressing the financing of terrorism; identifying and proposing instruments for the exchange of information and early warning systems that can prevent attacks; making recommendations for effective border control; and the issuance and control of identification and travel documents. We must also insist on the adoption of measures against the active or passive support of terrorism, administrative and legal cooperation and granting refuge to terrorists.”
2003-01-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4688 (2003) · source
“In the global sphere, the various United Nations conventions on the fight against terrorism are instruments of prime importance, and we must continue our efforts to achieve universal ratification of those texts, without losing sight of the objective of a comprehensive United Nations convention in that field. The adoption of Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) and the establishment of the Counter-Terrorism Committee are vital steps forward. We commend the Committee for the work it has done. We must continue to build on the work accomplished, as Ambassador Greenstock has stated. I congratulate him on his work. The work of the Committee cannot be limited to a mere theoretical review of reports.”
2003-01-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4688 (2003) · source
“To be effective, we must focus on a common understanding of terrorism; to be effective, we must cut the lifeline of terrorism by suppressing its means of financing and standing firmly against international crime; to be effective, we must be implacable with regimes that harbour, encourage or protect terrorists, particularly if they posses or can develop weapons of mass destruction. Freedom and security are not opposing concepts in this fight. In this fight, freedom and security have a symbiotic relationship in which both must be strengthened.”
2003-01-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4688 (2003) · source
“It has done so by acting through both the United Nations and the European Union, as well as through the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and, now, through the Council of Europe, which has just taken up the subject of drafting a substantive comprehensive convention against terrorism. Because terrorism concerns all of us, because it threatens all of us, the United Nations must lead and direct the fight against terrorism. In that context, I commend the fresh evidence of resolve, consideration and leadership just given to us by Secretary-General Kofi Annan. There are three focal points of the fight against terrorism.”
2003-01-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4688 (2003) · source
“Our fellow citizens are perfectly aware that the death, murder, devastation and destruction are not aims in themselves but, rather, constitute means to an end. Ultimately, the goal of terrorism is to undermine the basic values upon which our common existence is founded, namely, democracy, freedom and the rule of law. We in Spain were aware very early on that terrorism is no longer just an internal police matter for States. Today terrorism is a problem for the international community. If we have learned anything from terrorist attacks, it is that security is indivisible and that States and regions are not hermetically sealed off from one another. The international community has shown that it too understands this by reacting jointly at both the regional and the global levels.”
2003-01-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4688 (2003) · source
“Ms. Palacio Vallelersundi (Spain) (spoke in Spanish): Terrorism is today an urgent threat to the peace of our community of nations, which wants to be governed by the rule of law. We are confronted by a major challenge of the twenty-first century. Even minor complacency towards terrorism would be a crime; inaction would be a mistake of unimaginable consequences. Those who think that this problem does not affect them are wrong. Recent events have provided a painful reminder that something which seems a distant possibility in our society can instantly become something both commonplace and appalling. Millions of people all over the world, thousands of them living in the Basque country of Spain, must live every day with the knowledge that they are targets for terrorist attacks. Terrorism is one of the main concerns of our democratic societies.”
2003-01-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4688 (2003) · source