YouSaid · the spoken record

Perez-Otermin

lines on the record

27

first

1999-02-22

most recent

2000-02-09

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4

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un-security-council

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1. “We hope that this special meeting will help to once again call attention to the need to ensure that during their important missions United Nations personnel, associated personnel and contracted humanitarian personnel are provided with special protection - protection befitting the importance of the mandates they are being given. This protection will be even more difficult to achieve if the necessary resources are not available. Therefore, more than ever it is essential that States shoulder their responsibilities vis-a-vis this Organization in accordance with their role here in the concert of nations.”

   2000-02-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4100Resumption1 (2000) · source

2. “This is already an established and routine practice, an essential contribution to the successful management of peacekeeping operations. Without a doubt, much remains to be done to improve the security conditions in peacekeeping operations, and in this regard prior training is essential. Uruguay, through its training school for peacekeeping operations, located in Montevideo, is making significant efforts in this area, and we have already invited other States to attend the courses being given there. This training is crucial - today more than ever - given that the most recent kind of peacekeeping operations involves multidisciplinary efforts, in which the protection of civilians in armed conflicts is a top priority, in view of the alarming number of deaths that have been recorded.”

   2000-02-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4100Resumption1 (2000) · source

3. “The fact that the report prepared by the Situation Centre, which until recently was distributed only to members of the Security Council, is now available to the countries who are involved in the peacekeeping operations is a very important contribution to the management of situations in which security and related problems endanger personnel which the contributing countries have placed at the service of the United Nations. The improved dissemination of this report was a long-standing demand that my delegation steadily reiterated, and we appreciate that this approach has now been instituted. We also regard the meetings of the presidency of the Security Council with troop-contributing countries as very useful.”

   2000-02-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4100Resumption1 (2000) · source

4. “The Office of the United Nations Security Coordinator must be assigned more staff to deal with security issues in peacekeeping operations. For reporting incidents involving the safety of peacekeeping personnel, the Secretariat has established a system for prompt consultation with the permanent missions in New York of troop-contributing countries. We encourage the Secretariat to continue this effort, because we believe that this is the best possible mechanism and should be continued and not be considered as an attempt at micro- management of these situations.”

   2000-02-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4100Resumption1 (2000) · source

5. “Uruguay has suffered the loss of several compatriots who were serving in peacekeeping operations, and thus we are inscribed on the list of countries that have paid the highest cost in situations in which security shortcomings have been the principle cause of death. On 3 September 1999 my country ratified the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel, which was adopted in 1994 by the General Assembly and which entered into force one year ago. This is a major step, but the international community must provide even greater support to such initiatives. We urge Member States that have not yet ratified the Convention to do so as soon as possible. Other practical measures should be taken to broaden the United Nations capacity to deal with this issue of crucial importance.”

   2000-02-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4100Resumption1 (2000) · source

6. “The protection of United Nations personnel, associated personnel and humanitarian personnel is the subject that brings us together today and that concerns us. This subject is becoming increasingly important, given the increasing dangers encountered in areas where such personnel are sent to do their work to maintain peace. While it is a fact that more civilians have lost their lives in recent conflicts, it is also true that military observers and police on the ground have had to assume risks for which the United Nations does not have sufficient capacity to prepare for in advance. Very often certain bureaucratic practices led to situations that have in turn led to an inability to secure air- transport services and that have resulted in unfortunate deaths.”

   2000-02-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4100Resumption1 (2000) · source

7. “We were present at peacemaking efforts before the Organization even existed. True to our heritage and vocation for peace, our country has participated in various missions, offering military observers, members of military staff, police officers and contingents numbering approximately 10,000 men sent to the furthest corners of the planet. We believe that in the century that has just begun, as in the past one, it will be the human factor that determines the success of future undertakings. Human beings are the source and users of new technologies, structures and processes; human beings - especially those who throughout history have made a difference - are responsible for blazing trails and opening horizons.”

   2000-02-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4100Resumption1 (2000) · source

8. “Mr. Perez-Otermin (Uruguay) (spoke in Spanish): At the outset, I wish to congratulate the sister Argentine Republic in the person of its Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship, Mr. Adalberto Rodriguez Giavarini, who has honoured us by presiding over this open meeting. I wish him every success in guiding it. I also wish to express my appreciation for the statements made by Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette; Ms. Bertini, Executive Director of the World Food Programme; and Mrs. Junod, head of the delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross to the United Nations. These statements were very enlightening and will certainly be most useful to us as we pursue the objectives of this meeting. Uruguay has a long tradition of supporting peacekeeping in the community of nations.”

   2000-02-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4100Resumption1 (2000) · source

9. “Uruguay has contributed troops to United Nations operations in Rwanda, Liberia, Mozambique and Angola. It is currently participating in the peace operations in Western Sahara, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sierra Leone and, for over a year, it has been committed to supporting the peace process between Eritrea and Ethiopia, thereby demonstrating to the international community its very strong commitment to Africa - a commitment that we make despite our limited resources. The more than 5,000 Uruguayan troops that have supported peace and economic and social development in Africa, and which will continue to do so in the future, together with the people of Uruguay as a whole, will continue to show solidarity with peace-building, democratization and the right to better living conditions for our African brothers and sisters.”

   1999-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4049Resumption3 (1999) · source

10. “We share the concern expressed here by a member of the Security Council regarding the need for greater foresight and precision in the content of the mandates. The Security Council must make greater efforts through the Secretariat to ensure, to the benefit of African countries, the greatest possible precision in mandates so that the proposed objectives are achieved and the necessary provisions to prevent failures such as those in Angola are put in place. Specifically, we believe that foresight is as important in determining the precise moment for the presence of a peace mission as it is in determining the right time for its withdrawal, thereby ensuring that when a mission ceases to exist peace will have been truly established on a solid and sustainable basis.”

    1999-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4049Resumption3 (1999) · source

11. “As President Chiluba rightly pointed out at the Security Council meeting on 21 September (SfPV.4047), the United Nations has a role to play in the constant search for peace in Africa. We therefore congratulate the Council on the commendable measures that have been taken and which are set out in the report of the Secretary-General before us today. Security Council resolution 1209 (1998) on illicit arms flows in Africa is a necessary and timely first step in the efforts of the Organization in devoting greater attention to the prevention of conflicts. Uruguay would also like here to underline the praiseworthy efforts that many African countries are making to promote peace and security in the region and achieve sustained economic growth, showing that African leaders are aware that the greatest efforts must come from Africans themselves.”

    1999-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4049Resumption3 (1999) · source

12. “Uruguay welcomes with satisfaction and gratitude the detailed and timely report of the Secretary-General of 25 September last (S/1999/ 1008), which gives an account of the implementation of the well-timed recommendations contained in his report of 13 April 1998 (S/ 1998/318). We acknowledge with particular interest all the initiatives aimed at facilitating the peaceful resolution of disputes and in particular the creation by the Economic Community of West African States of a Mediation and Security Council to facilitate efforts to achieve understanding between parties in order to prevent and resolve conflicts in the region, respecting the principles of sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity, the fundamental principles of peaceful international coexistence.”

    1999-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4049Resumption3 (1999) · source

13. “Mr. Perez-Otermin (Uruguay) (spoke in Spanish): First of all, I wish to congratulate you, Mr. President, for having convened this public debate today. Allowing the participation of countries like mine, which are not members of the Security Council, will help to enrich the work of this body on an issue that involves and affects us all. My country applauds the firm commitment of the Security Council to raising the awareness of the international community about the question of Africa. Also, opening the debate to the participation of States that are not members of the Council increases the transparency of its work.”

    1999-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4049Resumption3 (1999) · source

14. “Uruguay has always been present in peacekeeping operations, pursuant to mandates set forth in Chapter VII of the Charter. So we join in what was said by the Secretary- General, to the effect that the Indonesian authorities should immediately lend their consent to the presence of a multinational peacekeeping force mandated by the United Nations. We have no doubt that all of us here, and the Governments we represent, will be able to respond to this appeal for the maintenance of peace.”

    1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043Resumption1 (1999) · source

15. “Without prejudice to what I have just set out, given the developments, my Government believes that now the matter is no longer a task for the civilian police; rather, restoring order requires a purely military action ordered by the Organization. We believe that this is no longer the time for lengthy discourse; now is the time for action. Each and every one of us is ready to do what he can to bring peace to a people which only wishes to exercise its legitimate right to determine its own future in an democratic manner. My country, whose people and Government have a very deeply rooted feeling for democracy, have supported this process from the beginning, and we will continue to do so as best we can, in accordance with the traditions of our foreign policy.”

    1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043Resumption1 (1999) · source

16. “This is an unprecedented phenomenon for us; it has never happened with any similar situation before. My country, Uruguay, is contributing the maximum possible. We have provided military officers and civilian police, and we are willing to send more troops to the area. Moreover, the two military officers and the four civilian police still remaining in Dili are there because they volunteered to remain until the end of the evacuation. As they themselves said when they requested authorization to stay, they were convinced that the only way to protect the life of those directly under the protection of the United Nations was for the peace force to remain present in Dili.”

    1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043Resumption1 (1999) · source

17. “This Organization, the United Nations, and particularly the Secretary-General, have been doing very courageous work in support of self-determination for the people of East Timor. But the Organization per se will not be the party responsible if we fail to bring peace to the area. This Organization is no more than what its Members want it to be; its will is the will of its Members. So if there is failure, it is not the Organization that is failing; it is its Members. We all have the responsibility to ensure that the Organization is successful here; some of us have more possibilities for ensuring success than others. The eyes of the world are on us. The Mission I represent is receiving hundreds of messages every day on this matter, coming from organizations and citizens from all parts of the world.”

    1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043Resumption1 (1999) · source

18. “Mr. Perez-Otermin (Uruguay) (spoke in Spanish): The matter before us today is, in the view of my country, one of the most important for this Organization and for the human race as a whole. What has been happening in East Timor, mainly after an exemplary popular consultation carried out with the support of this Organization, fills us with anguish and dread, for it shows clearly that there is a regression, a backward movement away from the civilization which we believed we had achieved. The facts are well known to everybody, and pictures have been transmitted to the whole world by the press. For this reason there is no need for me here to list all the facts. Let me just say that we are utterly disgusted and outraged at what is happening.”

    1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043Resumption1 (1999) · source

19. “The defence of the rights of children is one of Uruguay's domestic and international priorities. We will continue to be a passionate proponent of establishing age 18 as the universal minimum age for the recruitment. We also believe that humanitarian assistance must be protected, and we strongly support all demining activities as well as the full and transparent elimination of all arms- trafficking. In the light of the documents mentioned, words are not enough. Therefore, Uruguay, without overloading its own responsibilities in this regard, renews its full political support for the efforts of the Security Council and the Secretary-General to protect the rights of civilians in armed conflicts, as these efforts will undoubtedly contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security.”

    1999-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3980Resumption1 (1999) · source

20. “A strong and independent judiciary is unthinkable in any political system other than a genuine democracy in which there is a clear separation of the three state powers: the executive, the legislative and the judicial. Allow me once again to express our full support for the clear proposals made by speakers. Without attempting to establish priorities among these proposals, let us state that to build peace, once it has been re-established, there must be at least a minimum of the necessary economic and social development. Thus we would like to reiterate here what Uruguay has stated on other occasions: the best way to prevent conflict, and internal conflict in particular, is by contributing to the economic development of peoples, including such essential social components as education and health.”

    1999-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3980Resumption1 (1999) · source

21. “Thus, we support all of the proposals made in these Security Council meetings because we believe that they can make a decisive contribution to preventing action against civilians in armed conflicts and to defending the legitimate rights of those who so generously and disinterestedly do humanitarian work. We have on many occasions noted that the primary purpose of the United Nations is the maintenance of international peace and security, as clearly stated in Article 1, paragraph 1, of the Charter. This proposition is the foundation on which all the others must be established. Without peace it is not possible to establish a democratic system of government, and without democracy it is not possible to maintain a mechanism that will ensure genuine protection of human rights.”

    1999-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3980Resumption1 (1999) · source

22. “In this connection, we must not forget the clear provision contained in Article 24 of the Charter whereby we, the Member States, conferred on the Security Council the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, and acknowledged that in carrying out its duties under this responsibility the Security Council would act on behalf of all of us. Therefore, in this interplay of those who decide and those who carry out the decisions, we understand that it is our responsibility to renew our full support to the Security Council in its effort to uphold the rights of civilians in times of war. As a contributor to peacekeeping operations, Uruguay has suffered the loss of human lives among its citizens.”

    1999-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3980Resumption1 (1999) · source

23. “We therefore View the presence of States non-members of the Security Council here as one more indication of the Council's policy of having an ongoing exchange of views between the Council and all of the Member States, which contributes to greater transparency in its activities. Therefore, Uruguay today offers all its political support to the Security Council so that it can exercise its authority in accordance with the letter of the Charter of the Organization and so that it can demand and affirm in armed conflict, the defence of civilians and in fulfilment of international norms of humanitarian law and human rights, for this is part of its international responsibility for the maintenance of peace and security.”

    1999-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3980Resumption1 (1999) · source

24. “Having looked carefully at the records of the two meetings of the Security Council to which we have referred, which contain not only the statements of those mentioned above who were invited to speak, but also the wise statements of representatives of the member States of the Security Council, it would seem that nothing remains to be said, for these statements seem to be enough for the Secretary-General to prepare the document requested of him through the presidential statement, a request we fully agree with as well. It is clear that the time to continue formulating international norms in this area has passed, and the time has now come to ensure that these norms are fully implemented.”

    1999-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3980Resumption1 (1999) · source

25. “My country's position fully coincides with all the content of their statements and suggestions. We also emphatically support the statement of the President of the Council of 12 February of this year, contained in document S/PRST/1999/6. My country, Uruguay, is attending this meeting of the Security Council with the authority conferred on it as one of the founding Members of the United Nations and one of the principal contributors to peacekeeping operations in relative terms to its population and the size of its armed forces, and it has made such contributions from the very beginning.”

    1999-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3980Resumption1 (1999) · source

26. “That meeting, together with the one held on 12 February during the Canadian presidency, in the person of the Canadian Foreign Minister, Mr. Axworthy, which showed the importance which your country attaches to this issue, allowed sufficient elements of judgement and suggestions to be voiced so that our intervention will be very brief to the extent that we fully agree with the contents and suggestions of the speakers invited to make statements during those meetings. We would also like to congratulate Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello, Mr. Cornelio Sommaruga, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Ms. Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund, and Mr. Olara Otunnu, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.”

    1999-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3980Resumption1 (1999) · source

27. “Mr. Perez Otermin (Uruguay) (interpretation from Spanish): I should like to begin by expressing thanks and congratulations to you, Sir, on your initiative for having convened this open meeting of the Security Council today in order to hear the views of the Member States of the United Nations that are not members of the Security Council on an issue of such vital importance as the protection of civilians in armed conflict, an issue which involves and affects all of us. Allow me also to congratulate the Permanent Representative of Brazil, Ambassador Celso Amorim, for having convened during his tenure as President last month the meeting on 21 January, when we heard the excellent statement of Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello, Under- Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.”

    1999-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3980Resumption1 (1999) · source