YouSaid · the spoken record

Ping

lines on the record: 49
first: 1999-09-21
most recent: 2009-12-21
sittings or episodes: 5
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“The African Union trusts in the support of the United Nations in a beneficial endeavour whose success will honour the entire international community and shelter from the scourge of war many future generations in the Sudan, Africa and the world. I thank the Council for its gracious attention, and I ask you, Mr. President, to invite President Mbeki to present the conclusions of the High-level Panel and the perspectives that point to the large-scale actions that we must undertake with the Sudanese and all the other actors in the best interest of everyone.”
2009-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6251 (2009) · source
“This sui generis mission responds to real needs, and it will only strengthen the effectiveness, coherence and credibility of the international community's actions in the Sudan. The Sudan needs to move forward, and Africa is determined to provide all necessary assistance, on the basis of the report of the African Union High-Level Panel, which has become the strategy and the source of inspiration for the activities of the African Union in the Sudan. We ask all our partners within the international community to lend their support to this unprecedented effort, remembering that the solutions that will produce the desired results are those with Sudanese ownership and Africa's support.”
2009-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6251 (2009) · source
“A collective step forward is possible if inhibitions, the weight of the past and distractions do not continue to obscure the generous vision of the future that the African Union would like to popularize. The mission entrusted to the African Union Panel is intended to promote a comprehensive approach to solving the crisis in the Sudan as well as the peaceful, democratic transformation of the country. This mission works harmoniously with the mandates of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, the Joint Mediation and the United Nations Mission in the Sudan, mandates whose implementation it is meant to facilitate, without overlapping tasks, duplicating work or contesting competencies.”
2009-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6251 (2009) · source
“The Sudan is the biggest country in Africa. It is a melting pot of the cultural, religious and ethnic diversity that characterizes Africa and that, far from being a handicap, is an advantage. The Sudan shares its borders with nine other African States, and they, more than any others, will be the first to suffer from the continuance of the current situation and even more from possible negative developments in the future. By forming the High-level Panel and by working actively on the follow-up to its recommendations, the African Union, despite difficulties, setbacks, suffering and heartbreak, has affirmed its faith in the capacity of the Sudanese to live up to their historic responsibilities and to overcome their differences for the good of their country and for the good of Africa.”
2009-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6251 (2009) · source
“First are the general elections in April 2010, which ought to mark an important stage in the democratic transformation of the Sudan as envisaged by the January 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Following that, there is the self-determination referendum of January 2011, which in accordance with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement will enable the people of Southern Sudan to decide either to maintain the unity of the Sudan or to partition the country. It is obvious that the choice made will have considerable consequences for the Sudan and for the rest of Africa, just as it is obvious that the conditions and circumstances prevailing before, during and after these votes will have the greatest impact on the course and coherence of events. For Africa, what is happening and what is at stake in the Sudan is of existential importance.”
2009-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6251 (2009) · source
“It is also true that the success of our joint work in the Sudan will require this meeting to be more than a one-off event; rather, it must mark the launching of a process in a spirit of partnership in the service of peace, justice, security and reconciliation in the Sudan. I am sure that we are all aware of the fact that today is a turning point in the efforts of the international community to date to reach a settlement in Darfur and to support the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement so that the Sudan can experience a significantly new era in its history. The situation is critical. The Sudan is on the eve of two major dates that will determine the future of the country and whose impact on that of Africa must not be underestimated.”
2009-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6251 (2009) · source
“It met with all the stakeholders, who reaffirmed their support for the recommendations and the decision of the PSC. On the basis of that visit, the Panel drew up an action plan recommending activities to be systematically and diligently undertaken concerning both Darfur and the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. We have come to the United Nations to request its support in the belief that, with the Panel's report, the methodology on which it was based, the comprehensive character of its vision and recommendations, and the positive reactions of the Sudanese parties, including the Government of National Unity, today we have a suitable instrument to guide our efforts and to achieve our objectives. Hence, today's meeting and the attitude that we expect of the Council are very important.”
2009-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6251 (2009) · source
“Members are aware that the High-Level Panel's report and its recommendations were endorsed by the PSC at its meeting held at the level of head of State and Government in Abuja on 29 October. The PSC also asked me to set up a High-Level Implementation Panel, comprising former Presidents Thabo Mbeki, Pierre Buyoya and Abdulsalami Abubakar, in order to facilitate the implementation of the recommendations made and to help the Sudanese parties to implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and other related processes as elements of the democratic transformation of the Sudan. We have since undertaken a number of steps to implement the Panel's recommendations, which henceforth will be the platform for all the AU's action in the Sudan. In that context, the Implementation Panel went to the Sudan a few days ago.”
2009-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6251 (2009) · source
“It is of the greatest importance to stress here that the conclusion that the Panel reached regarding the need to set any settlement of the Darfur crisis in the more global context of settling the crisis that has affected the Sudan ever since its independence, some of the causes of which go back to the colonial period. The fundamental inequality that characterizes the relationship between the Sudanese centre and hinterlands partly explains the various rebellions that the Sudan has experienced and continues to experience. That is why the Panel has rightly defined the crisis in Darfur as a manifestation of the wider crisis in the Sudan as both a country and a State.”
2009-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6251 (2009) · source
“At the same time, the Panel highlighted the robust desire of the peoples of Darfur for peace and security. Nothing can express that aspiration better that the statement made by a nomad whom the Panel met in El Fasher in June 2009: "We want peace. If it is flying in the air, I am prepared to fly and catch it. If it is buried underground, I am prepared to dig to get it. If it is available in the market, I will find the money to buy it." At the same time, as the Panel has underscored, all the Sudanese parties expressed their devotion to justice, respect for which will facilitate the pursuit of peace, given that justice and reconciliation are inextricably linked and must be tackled and implemented in a comprehensive and supportive way.”
2009-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6251 (2009) · source
“On the one hand, I am convinced that the conflict in Darfur is, first and foremost, a Sudanese problem and that its settlement will depend primarily on the Sudanese themselves, with the international community playing a supportive and supplementary role; on the other hand, the recommendations made by the Panel arise from the concerns of the Sudanese parties such as they have been able to harmonize and unify themselves, as far as possible, and not from some disengaged deconstruction of their realities that we might have sought to impose on them. I would also like to add that the Panel configured a comprehensive approach based on the conviction that the aims of peace, justice and reconciliation in Darfur are closely linked and equally desirable.”
2009-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6251 (2009) · source
“That approach, which gave the Panel and its report unequalled authority, was all the more necessary given the fact that, since the start of the war in Darfur, many people have claimed to speak on behalf of the people of Darfur. The populations of Darfur have rarely had the opportunity to speak for themselves. I wanted to make these remarks to highlight two elements that seem to me essential.”
2009-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6251 (2009) · source
“It is significant that, even with regard to its recommendations, the Panel deemed it useful to keep the Sudanese and international actors informed so as, wherever possible, to ensure their acceptability and viability and to build the greatest possible consensus on the proposed way forward, taking due account of achievements such as the Darfur Peace Agreement, signed in Abuja in 2006, and the lessons learned from the efforts made to date through so much goodwill, African and non-African. It is just as significant that, during its various visits to the Sudan, the Panel spent over 40 days in Darfur going not only to areas under Government control, but also to those controlled by the armed opposition movements.”
2009-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6251 (2009) · source
“While affirming that there could be no impunity for the flagrant violations of human rights committed in Darfur, the PSC also underscored the need to seek justice in a way that would facilitate achieving the goal of peace and reconciliation. Moreover, that is also the spirit of Security Council resolution 1593 (2005) on Darfur. Clearly, those issues cannot be divided. They must be dealt with together with the resolve to create a positive momentum and an add-on effect covering all the areas where there must be action. The Panel carried out its mandate over a period of six months. Throughout that undertaking, it strove to interact with each of the stakeholders, whether Sudanese or international.”
2009-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6251 (2009) · source
“3 As members of the Council know, the AU High- Level Panel on Darfur was established upon a decision adopted at a ministerial meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) on 21 July 2008 in order to consider and to make recommendations on the ways and means to better address issues related, on the one hand, to peace, reconciliation and pacification and, on the other, to justice, the fight against impunity and accountability. By taking that decision, at the instigation of the African Union Commission, the PSC was convinced that the challenges of peace, justice and reconciliation in the Sudan were inseparable.”
2009-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6251 (2009) · source
“In the Sudan, as in other situations of crisis and conflict on the African continent, the future will rely increasingly on joint action and united efforts on the basis of the respective comparative advantages of the United Nations, with its expertise and resources, and regional organizations, particularly the African Union, whose political will - reflected in the implementation of a continent-wide architecture of peace and security - geographic proximity and detailed knowledge of the situations at hand, constitute an undeniable asset and grant the required legitimacy to the actions undertaken.”
2009-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6251 (2009) · source
“This pioneering experience encourages us to better coordinate our actions and to harmonize our respective cultures and practices to the imperatives of joint work whose objective circumstances leave us no other alternative. Certainly, it can sometimes seem to be frustrating, but we have no other choice than to persevere down this path.”
2009-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6251 (2009) · source
“I would also like to congratulate all the other representatives whose terms will conclude at the end of this month. I would like to express my gratitude to the Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his commitment to peace, security, stability and development in Africa, as well as the trusting and promising cooperation that is developing between the United Nations and the African Union (AU). Darfur occupies a special place in the efforts of our two organizations in favour of peace on the African continent. More than any other, that region symbolizes the unique nature of the links between the African Union and the United Nations, having provided the context and the theatre for the first hybrid operation between our two organizations.”
2009-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6251 (2009) · source
“At the outset, please allow me to express my sincere thanks to the President 09-66048 and members of the Security Council for having agreed to meet to discuss the report of the African Union High-Level Panel on Darfur (S/2009/599, annex I). That is an eloquent manifestation of this organ's interest in the situation in the Sudan and the efforts being made to help that country to address the numerous challenges it is facing. I am pleased to take the floor today under the presidency of Burkina Faso - an African presidency, both committed and proactive - and I wish to congratulate you, Mr. President, and the representatives of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and Uganda on having accomplished fruitful terms on the Council in the service, among other things, of the causes of Africa.”
2009-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6251 (2009) · source
“The political will to achieve it exists. Beyond the tragedy unfolding in the Central African subregion, the signs of hope and of reassurance are many. Our leaders and our peoples have sensed the wind of peace blowing through Africa. They have only one message - the peace and development of a continent as the launching of the New Partnership for Africa's Development attests. Progress towards the realization of those two objectives - peace and development - must be propelled jointly by the States of Central Africa and by the United Nations system. Therefore, let us make our cooperation dynamic by taking concrete decisions together, by joining our efforts and, above all, by coordinating our actions for lasting peace in Africa in general and in the Central African region in particular.”
2002-10-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4630 (2002) · source
“Thus, in addition to financing the reconstruction of countries emerging from conflict, we must together find comprehensive responses to questions of security in Central Africa. To that end, it is important to lay the economic and social foundations of lasting peace in the entire subregion: the peace dividends to which Mr. Mbi referred earlier. I should like to add that, in the case of a country such as the Central African Republic, it is somewhat hypocritical to demand, before concluding a programme with that country, that it resolve its debts - something of which it is incapable. The efforts of the international community, and more particularly of donors, must offer to the Central African countries the means they need in order to eradicate poverty and to ensure sustainable development for all. Peace is possible in Central Africa.”
2002-10-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4630 (2002) · source
“In the process of post-conflict peace-building, there is an aspect that we wish to stress: the financing of the reconstruction of countries destabilized by conflicts. The international financial institutions - the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank - have a decisive role to play. They must soften and adapt their conditionalities for countries, such as the Central African Republic, that are involved in a process of national reconstruction and reconciliation, giving priority to structural adjustment and financing programmes that are in accord with the objectives of peace. We welcome the presence here of Mr. Mbi, representative of the World Bank. His participation in this debate shows that problems related to international peace and security affect development. There can be no development without peace.”
2002-10-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4630 (2002) · source
“The same applies to the situation in Angola, marked by the end of the longest war in Africa and by the signing, in April 2002, of a Memorandum of Understanding addendum to the Lusaka Protocol between Government forces and those of UNITA. We should like to note, however, that the efforts being made by our States will remain dead letters if they do not receive from the international community - and more particularly from the United Nations - substantial material, human and financial support. That is why it is more necessary than ever that the United Nations strengthen the peacekeeping capacity of our States. In order to do that, strategies should be developed that emphasize training, the organization of joint peacekeeping exercises and, above all, the creation of partnerships between donors and troop-contributing countries.”
2002-10-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4630 (2002) · source
“The establishment in the Central African Republic in January 1997 of the Inter-African Mission to Monitor the Implementation of the Bangui Agreements, and in March 1998 of the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic, whose forces were under the command of a Gabonese general, illustrate the new willingness of our subregion's leaders to settle disputes by peaceful means. Along the same lines, we welcome the positive evolution of the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, thanks in large part to the signing of the Luanda and Pretoria Agreements, which made possible the withdrawal of foreign troops.”
2002-10-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4630 (2002) · source
“It was decided on that occasion to send a contingent of 300 to 350 troops from Gabon, Cameroon, the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Mali. That contingent will be charged principally with monitoring the border between the two countries and making it secure. An important meeting of the military authorities of the countries concerned is now being held at the Gabonese military headquarters in Libreville. But we are expecting a swift response to the requests for logistical assistance that we have addressed to the international community as a whole. President Bongo's efforts have been joined by those of other African heads of State, inspired by the will to establish an atmosphere of confidence and to strengthen the spirit of dialogue, cooperation, fraternity and solidarity that characterizes our identity.”
2002-10-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4630 (2002) · source
“This integration policy has led to the creation of two concentric international organizations pertaining to the subregion - namely, the Economic Community of Central African States and the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC). Under the leadership of its President, Gabon has been at the very heart of these diplomatic efforts. As everyone knows, His Excellency El Hadj Omar Bongo, has conducted many peace negotiations in the subregion. At present he is working side by side with Vice President Zuma of South Africa for the consolidation of the national reconciliation process that is under way in Burundi. It is also at his initiative that the CEMAC heads of State just met on 2 October 2002 in Libreville in order to examine the prevailing situation between the Central African Republic and Chad.”
2002-10-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4630 (2002) · source
“Over recent years, the international community has observed the mediation efforts made by the Central African countries themselves, in cooperation with other African countries, in order to alleviate tension in the subregion, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the Republic of the Congo, in Angola, Rwanda, Burundi, Chad and the Central African Republic. Above and beyond these mediation efforts, we have also speeded up the process of subregional economic and social integration by developing trans- border cooperation, with the implementation of shared development programmes as the foundation.”
2002-10-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4630 (2002) · source
“In these conditions, would it not be wise to place the financing of this Committee's programmes within the regular United Nations budget? This would enable the Advisory Committee to have consistent material and financial resources, and thus to become the pivotal instrument for more effective and more concrete cooperation between the United Nations and the Central African States. It could thus be not only a framework for reflection and for development of proposals, but also, and above all, a means of action and of coordination of our shared initiatives in the field of the maintenance of peace and security.”
2002-10-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4630 (2002) · source
“Together we have undertaken multifaceted actions in areas as varied as respect for and strengthening of human rights, of democracy, the rule of law, the development of legal and collective security instruments, the strengthening of subregional cooperation in the field of security through the organization of several joint military exercises, manoeuvres and patrols in our different States. All of these initiatives clearly show that the Standing Advisory Committee is the priority framework for our shared action in the field of peace, security and the development of the subregion. Since this Committee stems from the United Nations, we believe that its budget should not be left to the sole responsibility of the States of the region, which are already confronting heavy debt and enormous economic and financial difficulties.”
2002-10-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4630 (2002) · source
“In fact, with the assistance of this Committee, we have established several mechanisms in the ECCAS for the prevention, management and settlement of conflicts, mechanisms that deserve the support of the international community. Among the most important of these, we have the Council for Peace and Security in Central Africa (COPAX), the Central African Multinational Force, the Defence and Security Commission and the Central African Early Warning System. In addition, and along the same framework of the aforementioned Committee, we have adopted many recommendations and decisions that are aimed at promoting and strengthening peace in Central Africa.”
2002-10-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4630 (2002) · source
“If present conflicts were to persist, they could also have grave negative effects - first of all, on other bordering regions; then, on the entire African continent; and, lastly, on the rest of the world. Therefore, it is urgent that the international community, represented by the United Nations, focus all of its action on the subregion in order to help restore peace and security. This is why it is necessary to consolidate cooperation between the United Nations system and the States of our subregion. This particular cooperation has developed since the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 46/37 B on 6 December 1991, which created the Standing Advisory Committee on Questions of Peace and Security in Central Africa.”
2002-10-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4630 (2002) · source
“Thus, the Congo basin, characterized by rich and abundant biodiversity, is a major asset to the development of the countries of the subregion and also an ecological preserve for the world - a real set of lungs for the planet. This fortunate side of life contrasts with an ever- present aspect - that of numerous crises, armed conflicts and scourges, such as tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, as well as steadily rising poverty. It goes without saying that, in such a context, the assets of the subregion can be seriously jeopardized if nothing is done to support the efforts our States are making to find proper answers to the many ills they are confronting.”
2002-10-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4630 (2002) · source
“This meeting is a fresh opportunity to examine the progress that we have made together in the maintenance of peace and security and to reach agreement on ways of strengthening our cooperation at a time when we see glimmers of light in the Central African subregion, which has been clouded for many years now by the persistence of many crises and armed conflicts. Central Africa is evolving at the pace of a two- fold destiny. First of all, the destiny of abundance, characterized by a sort of divine providence that has bestowed upon our immense subregion vast natural resources - diamonds, leather, manganese, oil, and rich forests - necessary not only for its own development but also for that of the rest of the world.”
2002-10-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4630 (2002) · source
“Mr. Ping (Gabon) (spoke in French): First of all, I would like to associate myself with the statement that was made by His Excellency Mr. Rodolphe Adada, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Congo, on behalf of the member countries of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS). I also wish to commend the excellent initiative taken by Cameroon, a Central African country, in convening, under that country's presidency, a meeting of the Security Council devoted to the strengthening of cooperation between the United Nations system and Central Africa in the maintenance of peace and security. This initiative bears witness to the Security Council's commitment to seeking solutions to the different conflicts that thwart peace, stability and development in the subregion.”
2002-10-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4630 (2002) · source
“However, peace agreements are in force in various places, and I have high hopes that the United Nations missions being planned to help with the implementation of the Lome Agreement for Sierra Leone and the Lusaka accords for the Democratic Republic of the Congo will be deployed as soon as possible. The activities undertaken by Africa demonstrate that it is more than ever determined to combat the crises that are impeding its efforts to ensure the well-being of its peoples. The assistance of the international community is essential if it is to achieve that end.”
1999-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4049 (1999) · source
“In this connection, I should like to thank the Secretary-General and the Governments of some Member States represented here today for their support. The favourable response with which the United Nations system and other governmental and non- governmental organizations greeted the report of the Secretary-General on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa led us to believe that the international community would, in a meaningful way, join in the activities undertaken by Africa to resolve conflicts, consolidate democracy and ensure economic and social development. But with regard to conflict situations in Africa the Security Council is procrastinating, while in other parts of the world it is taking prompt action on a humanitarian basis.”
1999-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4049 (1999) · source
“With regard to conflict prevention, management and resolution, Africa has endeavoured to equip itself with the appropriate mechanisms at the regional and subregional level. The Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity, Mr. Salim Ahmed Salim, who spoke earlier, emphasized the action that has been taken at the continent level in Africa. In Central Africa, a supreme council on peace and security has been established in addition to the early- warning system and the adoption of a non-aggression pact. Peacekeeping exercises are also planned for the year 2000 in Gabon. All of these initiatives are contributing to a strengthening of confidence-building measures between the States of the subregion.”
1999-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4049 (1999) · source
“Having considered the report, the Security Council, within the context of its mandate, developed a series of concrete proposals relating to support for regional and subregional initiatives in the areas of conflict prevention and the maintenance of peace; the establishment of an international mechanism to assist host Governments in maintaining the security and neutrality of refugee camps; the strengthening of Africa's peacekeeping capabilities; the strengthening of the effectiveness of arms sanctions regimes imposed by the Security Council; the urgent resolution of the problem of illicit arms flows; and the enhancement of the Council's ability to monitor activities authorized by it but carried out by Member States or a coalition of States.”
1999-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4049 (1999) · source
“Mr. Ping (Gabon) (spoke in French): Sir, your presence here during this debate on Africa attests to the importance that you personally and your country attach to issues relating to our continent. My delegation appreciates this very much and would like most warmly to congratulate you. Two years ago the Security Council, meeting in this very Chamber at Foreign Minister level, requested the Secretary-General to submit to it a report on the causes of conflict in Africa, ways to prevent it and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development there. In response to that request, the Secretary-General submitted to the Security Council on 13 April 1998 a report of very high quality in terms of both the accuracy of its diagnosis and the remedies it proposed.”
1999-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4049 (1999) · source
“I should like to associate myself with those delegations that have never ceased to suggest that specific provisions should be included in the mandates of United Nations peacekeeping and peace-building operations regarding not only the disarmament of former combatants but also the collection and destruction of their weapons, and control over the illicit traffic in arms. I should like to appeal to all the States Members of our world organization to take part en masse in both the preparatory work for the conference, and in the conference itself on all aspects of the illicit traffic in arms which the General Assembly has decided to convene in 2001 at the latest.”
1999-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4048 (1999) · source
“Amongst other things, the resolution urges Member States with relevant expertise to cooperate with African States to strengthen their capacity to combat illicit arms flows, including through the tracking and interdiction of illicit arms transfers; requests the Secretary-General to consider practical ways to work with African States in implementing national, regional or subregional programmes for voluntary weapons collection, disposal and destruction, including the possibility of the establishment of a fund to support such programmes; and encourages the Secretary-General to promote cooperation among Member States, the United Nations, regional and subregional organizations and other relevant organizations to collect, review and share information on combating illicit arms flows, especially regarding small arms, and to make available, as appropriate, information about the nature and general scope of the international illicit arms trade with and in Africa.”
1999-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4048 (1999) · source
“As one can see, Africa is determined to make its contribution to combating illicit traffickers in small arms and light weapons. It expects that the rest of the international community will show the same determination. For its part, the Security Council must see to the full implementation of its resolution 1209 (1998) of 19 November 1998.”
1999-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4048 (1999) · source
“It is clear that without close cooperation between the countries that produce these weapons and those that buy and use them, all the efforts that our respective Governments and the United Nations are making to stem the illicit traffic in this category of weapons will not produce the desired results. Governments in most African regions have taken measures to combat illicit transfers of weapons of all sorts. Following the United Nations example, they have created a subregional register to ensure transparency in terms of the weapons they have available for legitimate defence purposes in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations. Others, such as the States members of the Economic Community of West African States, have adopted moratoriums on small arms and light weapons.”
1999-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4048 (1999) · source
“The use of weapons seems to be motivated by how easy they are to use and how cheap they are. In addition, they are easy to conceal and therefore elude the notice of the customs and security services responsible for controlling our various borders. When we think of the incalculable number of civilian victims that these weapons claim - including women, children and the elderly - we realize the urgency of adopting or strengthening measures, on the national, regional and international levels, enabling us to regulate the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.”
1999-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4048 (1999) · source
“Mr. Ping (Gabon) (spoke in French): Like preceding speakers, I thank you for your delegation's welcome initiative to include the item which brings us here today in the Council's agenda: the problem of the massive illicit traffic in small arms and light weapons. Today, the illicit traffic in small arms and light weapons is a real threat to international peace and security. The Secretary-General has quite rightly focused the international community's awareness on this phenomenon and the dangers it represents to the stability of developing countries, particularly in Africa. The information we have been receiving from the United Nations and from other intergovernmental and non- governmental organizations shows that this is the type of weapon most often used in the many conflicts that various parts of the world are currently experiencing.”
1999-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4048 (1999) · source
“We now have those results, and we feel that the signal is a clear one, given by all of those who are involved in the conflict. We await equally urgent action from the Security Council with regard to that country. But this action also concerns refugees and displaced persons. There is the feeling that all refugees and displaced persons are not accorded the same importance. Africa today has the largest number of displaced persons and refugees if we consider only humanitarian operations. Simply in humanitarian terms, we can see that an African refugee is not accorded as much importance as refugees in other continents.”
1999-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4047 (1999) · source
“Gabon welcomes the proposals made by the Secretary- General in this regard and hopes that the Council will be able to translate these recommendations into practice. African opinion, which is carefully following what the Council is doing elsewhere in the world, would have great difficulty understanding delays in the Council's establishing a peacekeeping operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We have understood from President Chiluba's statement the feelings of the African countries. Those feelings are widely shared, and I think that, as I noted earlier, all the heads of State have made contributions to see to it that the negotiations regarding the Democratic Republic of the Congo that have been undertaken under the strong leadership of President Chiluba have a chance of achieving positive results.”
1999-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4047 (1999) · source
“Chiluba made. That is why in the Security Council we have advocated having the President of Zambia speak here today. We are pleased that his statement has greatly contributed to an understanding of the problems pertaining to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in which, for the first time in African history, we are seeing roughly a dozen countries directly or indirectly involved in such a major conflict. It is now urgent for the Security Council to take a look at the practical modalities involved in conducting a peacekeeping operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in order to safeguard the achievements that the President of the Republic of Zambia has just outlined for us.”
1999-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4047 (1999) · source
“Mr. Ping (Gabon) (spoke in French): I, in turn, on behalf of Gabon, would like to thank President Frederick Chiluba for the important statement he has just made to the Council and for his unrelenting efforts to promote a negotiated settlement to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At the same time I would like to thank all of those who have helped President Frederick Chiluba in achieving these results. These people include the heads of State of the Southern African Development Community and others in Central Africa, both those that have acted publicly and those that have acted through quiet diplomacy. I would also like to note that the Organization of African Unity and its Secretary-General, Mr. Salim Ahmed Salim, have also taken part in the entire negotiating process. Gabon fully agrees with the points that Mr.”
1999-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4047 (1999) · source