YouSaid · the spoken record

Power

lines on the record: 1,841
first: 2013-08-06
most recent: 2019-07-09
sittings or episodes: 165
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

“Primary responsibility for ending the violence in the Sudan rests with the country's leaders, but there are helpful steps that the Council and the international community can take. On 3 April, the President of the United States issued an executive order providing for targeted sanctions against those individuals determined to have contributed to atrocities or taken actions harmful to peace and stability in South Sudan. The Council should urgently consider whether to put in place parallel targeted Security Council sanctions so as to try to deter the outrageous attacks on civilians of the kind we saw in Bor and Bentiu last month. We will also, of course, never give up on diplomacy.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7168 (2014) · source
“They must allow UNMISS to carry out its mandate, without harassment, threats or fear of assault, to protect the people of South Sudan. They must respect the rights and dignity of every citizen regardless of his or her ethnicity, enable the unfettered delivery of humanitarian supplies, stop the warlike rhetoric and incitement to violence, and publicly condemn any and all attacks on civilians. They must return in good faith to the peace process moderated by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development; cooperate with United Nations and African Union human rights investigators and monitors, and resolve their differences by peaceful means. And they cannot just promise to do all this, as they have before. They must mean it, and do it, and do it now.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7168 (2014) · source
“It is unconscionable that South Sudan's leaders have failed to take the steps necessary to restore peace and end the needless suffering of their people. The continuation of this failure could very well push the country further into a cycle of retaliatory ethnic killing, a deepening civil war and an even more devastating humanitarian disaster that will further worsen with the full onset of the seasonal rains and the looming prospect of famine. To prevent this, we call on all sides to do right by the people of South Sudan, who place their trust in them, and by the international community, which stood by them for decades and promised to roll up their sleeves and help build their new country. We call on South Sudan's leaders to cease military action, as they promised to do when they signed the cessation-of-hostilities agreement.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7168 (2014) · source
“The international community lent ample support, including a United Nations mission that pledged to work hand in hand with the Government and the Sudanese people to help build this new States. Civil society pitched in, and the vast majority of South Sudan's citizens focused on the hard work of bolstering their economy and building stronger communities. But a country requires effective leadership, and in South Sudan, after a promising start, the leaders in office and in the opposition have chosen to place personal rivalries and suspicions above the best interests of their country. Those fuelling this conflict - many of them the very same individuals who were instrumental in bringing about South Sudan's independence - have chosen coercion over cooperation and violence over the democratic process. The result is catastrophe.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7168 (2014) · source
“And, as we all know, more fighting means more displaced civilians in need of safe haven and sustenance, more lives disrupted, more schools closed and an even larger burden for the increasingly hard-pressed United Nations relief agencies and donors. We recall the jubilation less than three years ago when South Sudan achieved its independence. Amid honking horns and vivid expressions of national pride, cheering citizens raised their new flag and newly appointed diplomats took their seats in the General Assembly. Friends of South Sudan, who were familiar with the many sacrifices that preceded that day, celebrated. Exiles returned home to help the new nation get on its feet.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7168 (2014) · source
“In Bor, against a backdrop of hostile rhetoric against the United Nations from senior South Sudanese Government officials, several hundred armed youths entered the camp of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) by force and fired on displaced civilians in an ethnically motivated assault that was as cowardly as it was ruthless. The death toll in the clash exceeded 110, including 48 civilians who were fleeing for their lives. Violence against civilians has also taken place in Juba, Malakal and Wau, accompanied by sexual abuse and recruitment of child soldiers. We have also heard of the ominous emergence of radio broadcasts that foment ethnic hate and incite further violence.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7168 (2014) · source
“I would like to thank High Commissioner Pillay and Special Adviser Dieng for their disturbing briefings today. My Government joins with them and others in condemning the outrageous and deliberate targeting of civilians in South Sudan. Instead of ceasing hostilities, as was pledged three months ago, the parties have chosen to intensify fighting and to do so in ways that have shredded humanitarian norms. In April, forces loyal to former Vice-President Machar attacked civilians in Bentiu, pursuing them into a hospital, a church and a mosque, killing at least 200 and likely many, many more, and leaving the dead lying in the streets.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7168 (2014) · source
“We have a golden opportunity on 25 May for the people of eastern Ukraine to have their voices heard, for them to choose their own leaders and for us to get to a universally legitimate Government that is respected and chosen by all of the people of Ukraine. Yet Russia will not come out in support of the elections and work with us to ensure that they take place - which would be the best way of ensuring rights, representativeness and greater autonomy for the people of eastern Ukraine.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7167 (2014) · source
“What I would ask my Russian colleague is whether Russia will make public statements and work privately behind the scenes to urge Russian separatists to negotiate peacefully their departure from public buildings. Where does Russia assess that Russian separatists who claim loyalty to the Russian Government and who wear uniforms just like those of Russian soldiers obtained weapons and training capable of shooting down Ukrainian helicopters? Finally, Russia repeatedly takes aim at the so- called illegitimate Government in Kyiv but refuses to acknowledge ever, in any meeting, that it did not embrace the 21 February agreement when it was negotiated.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7167 (2014) · source
“On 24 January, when protesters occupied some regional administration buildings, we reiterated our call for all protesters and Government forces to refrain from violence and the destruction of property. On 27 January, we made clear that we condemned the use of violence to seize Government buildings, such as the takeover of a Ministry of Justice building that took place over the past cople of days and of a public exhibition hall that weekend, and continued to reiterate our call for all protesters and Government forces to refrain from violence and the destruction of property. Those are just a few of the statements that we made, but if we could just take that particular lie of the table, it would be helpful and a little more constructive. What is more important now is where we go from here.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7167 (2014) · source
“People in this Chamber have heard many times, including just now, that the United States and other countries never called oon protesters in the Maidan to leave buildings or avoid violence. The implication is that we are holding Russian separatists to a different standard. That is a claim that has been made in almost every meeting we have had. I would just like to correct the record. On 15 January, we condemned the actions of rioters outside a Kyiv court building on 10 January. On 22 January, the aggressive actions of members of the extreme-right group Pravy Sektor were unacceptable, enflaming conditions on the streets and undermining the efforts of peaceful protesters. We condemned the targeted attacks against journalists and unofficial groups such as Titushky.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7167 (2014) · source
“I wouldjust like to offer a couple of points in response. First, for the Russians to blame Ukraine for Ukraine's actions in defence of its own people on its own territory really is starting to remind me of the story of the schoolboy who returned home with his nose bloody and his shirt torn and, asked by his mother how the fight started, he said "it started when the other boy hit me back". We have to be clear about cause and effect here, and many Council members, including me, have already gone through the facts that have brought us to this point. My second point is to debunk yet another of the lies that have been told in this Chamber, because it relates to my country, the United States.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7167 (2014) · source
“In conclusion, I reiterate the support of my Government for the principles of the United Nations Charter. We continue to support the scheduled 25 May elections, which will enable the people of Ukraine to choose their leaders freely and fairly. We continue to seek a peaceful, democratic, inclusive and united Ukraine. We remain committed to a diplomatic process. Finally and most urgently, we call on Russia to cease its provocative acts and to fulfil the Geneva commitments from which it has walked away.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7167 (2014) · source
“It may even have the power to abuse its veto at the Security Council. But, as we have said in the Chamber before, it cannot veto the truth. These are dangerous days for Ukraine and for all of us. If there is hope to de-escalate, Russia must pull back its troops from the eastern border of Ukraine, it must cease its campaign of instability inside of Ukraine, and it must work to release the international observers and journalists who have been taken by armed men working on behalf of Moscow's agenda. Over the past 63 days, in the face of aggression and annexation, the Council implored the Ukrainians to demonstrate restraint, and they heeded our call. We also asked Russia to stop invading its neighbour. Sadly, it did not. For that, Russia must be held accountable.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7167 (2014) · source
“Local council members, local police and journalists are missing and being held by armed operatives. International observers from the Vienna Document observation team, as the Council knows, are being held in hostage. Those who have an interest and a mandate to report on the truth are being silenced, and that silence is being filled with relentless Russian propaganda and fiction that, it seems, they hope will justify whatever actions they decide to take. Today's Russian Foreign Ministry ridiculous and false statement purporting Western intervention would not be so alarming if it did not suggest that Moscow is looking for nothing short ofa pretext to invade. Russia may have the power to instigate fear, to spread lies and to sow discord, violence and disarray across its border.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7167 (2014) · source
“The fact that Russia has chosen to call an emergency meeting in protest is yet another indication that the authorities in Moscow either underestimate the intelligence of the world community or that they are trying to exactly replicate in eastern Ukraine the Charade that they were responsible for in Crimea. We are outraged by that prospect, but we are not fooled. Just as Russia and its pro-Russian militia allies engage in a dramatic and dangerous campaign in eastern Ukraine, the Russian Government is spreading some of its most wild propaganda and fantasy stories since the beginning of the crisis. Over the course of the aggression, some of those entrusted with carrying out the functions of the municipal Government and those reporting impartially on the facts have begun to slowly disappear.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7167 (2014) · source
“In addition, Prime Minister Yatsenyuk has publicly committed his Government to undertake far- reaching constitutional reforms that will strengthen the power of the regions. He has appealed personally to Russian-speaking Ukrainians, pledging to support a special status for the Russian language and to protect those who use it. He announced legislation to grant amnesty to those who surrendered arms. The fact that Ukraine has now taken some steps to try to restore order is to be expected. It is justified. It is what each and every one of the States we represent would do in a similar situation, and would probably have done far earlier.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7167 (2014) · source
“Those are not activists, they are armed operatives. It must stop. Since the beginning of the crisis, the Ukrainian Government has acted in good faith and with admirable restraint. The area around Kyiv City Hall is now clear of all Maidan barricades and protesters. Over the Easter holiday, Ukraine voluntarily suspended its counter- terrorism initiative, choosing to de-escalate, despite its fundamental right to provide security on its own territory and for its own people. Even today, as a it tries to lawfully restore order, Ukrainian security forces are operating in a cautious and restrained manner. Unlike the separatists, Ukraine has cooperated fully with the OSCE special monitoring mission and allowed its observers to operate in regions about which Moscow had voiced concerns regarding the treatment of ethnic Russians.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7167 (2014) · source
“There is no evidence that the Ukrainian Government has targeted Russian nationals or threatened Russia in any way, in stark contrast to the ongoing Russian actions to destabilize eastern Ukraine. If Russia thinks peacekeeping forces are required in Ukraine, it should come to the Security Council and seek United Nations peacekeepers. Those separatists are not engaged in peaceful protest on behalf of their rights. Their rights are not being threatened. Their ability to use their language and have it recognized by the Government is not being threatened. Their ability to participate fully as voters and citizens is not being threatened. It is their methods that have been intentionally provocative and threatening. The separatists are not pressing their case peacefully. They are using baseball bats, metal bars, clubs and knives.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7167 (2014) · source
“And Ambassador Churkin has taken the United Nations Charter's name in vein by invoking Article 51 in self-defence, as activated during the Russian takeover of parts of Georgia and relevant here in the context of the crisis in eastern Ukraine. The country that has a right of self-defence, Ambassador Churkin, is Ukraine. Russia's military intervention in Ukraine is a clear violation of international law, and Russia fools no one by calling its troops "peacekeepers". Unfortunately, Russia does have a track record of using the term "peacekeeping" as cover for unlawful military intervention and occupation without authorization from the Security Council.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7167 (2014) · source
“We could go on and on and on and on about the illegal acts. All told, in 17 towns in eastern Ukraine 32 buildings are under occupation, 21 by armed personnel. In addition, we have seen dozens of Ukrainian public officials illegally detained, three bodies pulled from a river near Donetsk and a group of eight, now seven, monitors of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) abducted, in direct defiance not simply of Ukraine's Government but of the Council and the world community. Alongside all of that action, we have heard the Russian Federation building its case for intervention - outright intervention - including President Putin saying that eastern Ukrainian cities and Odessa were not even part of Ukraine in the "good old days", harkening back to the glory of Novorossiysk.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7167 (2014) · source
“It has been 63 days since Russia began its campaign to annex Crimea, and for 63 days, day after day, the Ukrainian Government has chosen peace. Yet in those same 63 days, Russia, day after day, has chosen to pursue more territory. Consider the following facts. Pro-Russian separatists have seized the Donetsk railway control centre and stopped almost all train movements. That is an illegal act. Separatists seized control of the Donetsk General Prosecutor's office, in a violent clash that left more than two dozen people hospitalized. That is an illegal act. Separatists seized the General Prosecutor's office in Horlivka. That is an illegal act. Pro-Russian activists beat up two Radio Svoboda journalists who were filming a protest near the Kharkiv regional administration building on 1 May. That is an illegal act.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7167 (2014) · source
“The Ukrainian people and Government have embarked on an effort today to reclaim one city in the eastern part of their country. Their response is reasonable, it is proportional and, frankly, it is what any one of our countries would have done in the face of that threat. Imagine for a moment if 26,000 square kilometres of Russian territory were seized by another country. Would Moscow show restraint, week after week, day after day, in the hopes that rational dialogue rather than brute force would prevail? How would President Putin respond, if parts of his country were seized, to requests to remove his army from those parts of the country? Seriously, there is some irony in Russian demands, given the manner in which it would deal with separatism within its borders.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7167 (2014) · source
“Ukraine has over and over again committed and recommitted itselfto direct dialogue with Moscow. And yet, in return for Ukraine's reasonableness, Russia has destabilized, threatened and terrorized. In past weeks, the same scenario that played itself out in Crimea has been repeating itself in parts of eastern Ukraine: the same sudden appearance of unfamiliar men and new armaments; the same strategy of occupying buildings and taking control ofthe media; the same vicious propaganda directed against the Government of Ukraine and the same denials of Russian involvement; and the same cries of outrage whenever Ukraine takes a step to assert its own rights, enforce its own laws, protect its own citizens and restore order on its own territory.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7167 (2014) · source
“This policy of restraint continued even after Russia subverted Crimea, orchestrated an undemocratic separatist vote in Crimea, invaded Crimea and announced to the world that it had annexed Crimea - while lying about its intentions and even its presence in Crimea every step of the way. As its country has been carved up, as foreign operatives have moved into its homeland, as masses of Russian troops have assembled along its eastern border, and as Moscow has continued to threaten its territorial integrity and its people, Ukraine has continuously, day after day, shown remarkable, almost unimaginable, restraint. It has done as the Council has asked. It has implemented its international agreements. It has refrained from military responses to aggression, even as Russia proudly announced that it had annexed part of Ukraine.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7167 (2014) · source
“There is horrible violence in eastern Ukraine, and that violence is coming, as it has been for weeks now, from Russian-directed agents and paramilitaries and their associates. The second monumental falsehood is that the Russian Federation is deeply concerned about the instability in the east. The rest of us are deeply and sincerely concerned by that instability. But despite all its rhetoric, Russia cannot be, because Russia is causing the instability. This expressed concern is cynical and disingenuous, and meant only to distract us from the reality that is playing out before our eyes. Today I want to focus on one main point. From the outset, the Government of Ukraine has sought to resolve all issues peacefully through dialogue, both internally and with the Russian Federation.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7167 (2014) · source
“In recent months, the Council has met more than a dozen times regarding the situation in Ukraine. Time and again, we have urged for respect for Ukraine's territorial integrity, adherence to international law, and steps to reduce tensions and de-escalate the crisis. Just this Tuesday, we met to discuss Russia's inexcusable failure to fulfil its obligations under the 17 April Geneva agreement (see S/PV.7l65). Russia is pushing two monumental falsehoods right now. The first falsehood is that the Ukrainians are carrying out a large-scale, uncontrolled, violent attack on unarmed civilians. That is false. The Ukrainian Government is carrying out a targeted effort to contain Russian-sponsored paramilitary violence emanating from Sloviansk, in an effort to deliver security for Ukrainian citizens.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7167 (2014) · source
“In conclusion, I emphasize that the United States remains committed to supporting the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and will continue to uphold the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. We continue to seek stability within a peaceful, democratic, inclusive and united Ukraine, especially in advance of the upcoming important elections. We remain committed to a diplomatic process, but Russia seems committed to destabilization and fantastical justifications for its actions. The truth about what is happening in Ukraine should guide our discussion, because truth is the only foundation on which an equitable and lasting solution to this crisis can be based.”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7165 (2014) · source
“Tragically, what we have seen from Russia since 17 April is exactly what we saw from Russia prior to 17 April: more attempts to stir up trouble, more efforts to undermine the Government of Ukraine and statement after statement at odds with the facts. What we have not seen is a single positive step by Russia to fulfil its Geneva commitments. Instead, Russian officials have refused to publicly call on the separatists to give up their weapons and relinquish their illegal control of Ukrainian Government buildings. In fact, Russia continues to fund, to coordinate and to fuel the heavily armed separatist movement. In addition, just outside of Ukraine's border, Russia has continued to engage in threatening troop movements that are designed not to calm tensions, but to embolden the separatists and to intimidate the Government.”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7165 (2014) · source
“Unlike the separatists, Ukraine has cooperated fully with the OSCE special monitoring mission and allowed its observers to operate in regions about which Moscow had voiced concerns regarding the treatment of ethnic Russians. In addition, Prime Minister Yatsenyuk has publicly committed his Government to undertake far-reaching constitutional reforms that will strengthen the power of the regions. He has appealed personally to Russian- speaking Ukrainians, pledging to support special status for the Russian language and to protect those who use it. He announced legislation to grant amnesty to those who surrender arms. All of that should be cause for optimism and hope.”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7165 (2014) · source
“We also call upon Russia, as a signatory to the Vienna document, to help secure their release and to confirm publicly, even if belatedly, for the record that the abducted monitors were part of a legitimate mission on behalf of the international community. Since 17 April, the Government of Ukraine has acted in good faith and with admirable restraint to fulfil its commitments. The Kyiv city hall and its surrounding area are now clear of all Maidan barricades and protestors. Over the Easter holiday, Ukraine voluntarily suspended its counter-terrorism initiative, choosing to de-escalate despite its fundamental right to provide security on its own territory and for its own people.”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7165 (2014) · source
“Finally, as all the world knows, pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk have kidnapped and continue to hold seven international inspectors, openly declared as members of a Vienna document mission, along with their Ukrainian escorts. My Government joins with responsible Governments everywhere in condemning that unlawful act and in being outraged by the shameful exhibition before the media of those international public servants. The Vienna document, agreed upon by all 57 participating States of the OSCE, has been a lasting source of cooperation and military transparency. We call, with others, for the immediate and unconditional release of the inspectors and their Ukrainian escorts and the immediate end to their mistreatment while in captivity.”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7165 (2014) · source
“In the city of Sloviansk, the mayor was kidnapped, as were several journalists. The separatists in that area now hold an estimated 40 hostages. Nearby, three bodies were recently pulled from a river, each showing unmistakable signs of physical abuse; one has been identified as a local politician, another as a 19 year- old pro-unity student activist. Yesterday, gunmen reportedly chased members of the Sloviansk Roma community from their homes. Make no mistake: those are not peaceful protests. It is not an eastern Ukrainian spring. It is a well-orchestrated campaign, with external support, to destabilize the Ukrainian State.”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7165 (2014) · source
“There we have seen a sharp deterioration in law and order. Just today, pro-Russian separatists armed with baseball bats, stormed the Government buildings in Luhansk, seizing control of the centre of municipal activity in one of the largest cities in eastern Ukraine. That kind of thuggery mimics the seizures of police stations, city halls and other Government buildings in cities and towns in Donetsk oblast and surrounding areas. In addition to occupying Government buildings, over the past two weeks, gunmen kidnapped a senior police officer in Luhansk. In Donetsk, pro-Russian thugs armed with baseball bats attacked peaceful participants at a pro-unity rally, seriously injuring at least 15. Also in Donetsk, pro-Russian groups continue to hold 17 buildings, including the regional television broadcasting centre.”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7165 (2014) · source
“And we are the first to understand and to agree that words on paper will only mean what the actions that are taken as a result of those words produce." Secretary Kerry also commended Foreign Minister Lavrov and the Ukrainian Foreign Minister for their cooperation in achieving that hard-negotiated agreement. It was a moment of hope. Since then, the Government of Ukraine has been implementing its commitments in good faith. Regrettably, the same cannot be said of the Russian Federation. As we meet, observers from the special monitoring mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) are reporting that most of Ukraine, including eastern Ukraine, is peaceful. The exceptions are in such areas as Donetsk, Luhansk and Sloviansk, where pro-Russian separatists continue to occupy buildings and attack local officials.”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7165 (2014) · source
“I thank Under-Secretary-General Feltman for his briefing. On 17 April, Ukraine, the Russian Federation, the European Union and the United States issued the Geneva joint statement to de-escalate the crisis that brings us together this evening. That statement outlined a series of concrete steps to end the violence, halt provocative actions and protect the rights and security of all Ukrainian citizens. As Secretary Kerry said on 17 April, "All of this, we are convinced, represents a good day's work. The day's work has produced principles and it has produced commitments and it has produced words on paper.”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7165 (2014) · source
“At Wadi Araba 20 years ago, Jordan's King Hussein asked us to envision a Middle East in which there would be "no more death, no more misery, no more suspicion, no more fear, no more uncertainty of what each day will bring". That vision, at that time, seemed far more within our grasp than is the case today. Our task - and it is an urgent one - is to reverse course and restore a sense of progress and hope to the region. To that goal, I pledge my own Government's best efforts and respectfully welcome others'.”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7164 (2014) · source
“As a member of the International Support Group for Lebanon, we urge the international community to respond to that epic humanitarian crisis by providing robust financial and other backing through the various funding mechanisms that are available. On the political side, it is important for the Cabinet to continue to steer Lebanon on the sustainable course of moderation. Lebanon's political leaders have a responsibility to their citizens and to their country's Constitution to conclude the recently initiated presidential selection process by 25 May. That is a Lebanese undertaking that should, and must be determined by Lebanon alone, free from outside interference. Both presidential and parliamentary elections must be conducted in a free, fair and timely manner.”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7164 (2014) · source
“The United States urges calm and hopes that all parties will refrain from violence and adhere to the Government's disassociation policy, as enshrined in the Baabda Declaration. We urge as well the full implementation of all Security Council resolutions, including resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1701 (2006), which require the disarmament of militia. Lebanon's leaders face the challenge of working together to address the host of security, economic and humanitarian problems confronting the country. As we have discussed, that challenge is exacerbated by the needs to host the now more than 1 million refugees from Syria living within Lebanon's borders.”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7164 (2014) · source
“Those reports and others are extremely serious and are of profound concern to the international community. We welcome today's announcement that the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is sending a mission to Syria to determine the facts on alleged gas attacks. Syria must immediately and fully cooperate with such fact-finding, and anybody responsible for such attacks must be held accountable. Finally, with respect to Lebanon my Government remains concerned about the fragile security situation, including tensions along the blue line, repeated cross- border violations by Syria, ongoing sectarian violence and Hizbullah provocations, such as last month's attack against Israeli soldiers in the Shebaa Farms region.”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7164 (2014) · source
“The conditions remain dire across the country, but most notably in Homs, Aleppo and in areas near Damascus, such as the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp. We should all be clear about where the fault for that deterioration lies. It is the regime that, with the stroke of a pen, could allow cross-border assistance to reach millions in need. But it does not. It is the regime that continues to pound Syrian civilians with ruthless barrel bombs. It is the regime that has coldly integrated the denial of humanitarian assistance into its ever-expanding arsenal of weapons against the Syrian people. In addition, as my Government and others have noted, we have indications that a toxic chemical - probably chlorine - was used in an attack this month against the opposition-dominated village of Kafr Zita.”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7164 (2014) · source
“Does anybody expect the regime to enfranchise those it has decided to starve? Regime-sponsored elections are inconsistent with the United Nations-led Geneva process and threaten to further undermine the prospects for a peaceful resolution to the conflict. My Government joins with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Joint Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi in calling on the Government to postpone the balloting and to instead focus on the steps clearly defined in the Geneva communique (S/2012/523, annex) to create an atmosphere in which a positive electoral process might move forward. The humanitarian situation, which has been calamitous for many months, has grown even worse of late. The regime's failure to implement resolution 2139 (2014) has wasted valuable time and claimed many more lives.”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7164 (2014) · source
“At the same time, we should be neither surprised nor deceived by the Syrian Government's cynical choice of this inopportune moment to schedule a presidential election. Although we all look forward to the day when meaningful balloting can take place in Syria, that day is not 3 June or any time in the near future. Although credible elections have been held in the midst of conflict, such a process is inconceivable in Syria today, where the regime has crushed political dissent and nearly half of the population is displaced by war, including millions of potential voters who have been forced to flee the country. Inside Syria, do we reasonably expect the 242,000 people in besieged areas, or the more than 3.5 million in hard-to-reach areas, to vote in those elections, when the regime systematically denies them access even to food and medicine?”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7164 (2014) · source
“We must add to that the victims of chemical attacks and barrel bombs, the families deprived of food by the Government's starve-or-surrender policy, the patients forcibly removed from hospitals and the many thousands of people who have disappeared or remain in detention. I realize that those facts are all too familiar to Council members and the broader international community, but I stress them because we must never become resigned or inured to the devastation that is taking place daily in Syria and to the Syrian people. We must keep this litany of horror before us and remain steadfast in our determination to end the killing and to hold the perpetrators of those crimes accountable.”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7164 (2014) · source
“We urge all parties to continue to work together to increase the access of humanitarian supplies into that area. Let me now turn to Syria, where the devastating conflict is now in its fourth year and where the violence continues, the number of refugees is still going up and the flow of humanitarian aid remains a trickle compared to the overwhelming need. Earlier this month, many of us attended a presentation during which we saw graphic photographs depicting the torture and industrial-style killing of some 11,000 Syrian detainees. Those photographs illustrate but a small fraction of the horrors inflicted by the Al-Assad regime.”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7164 (2014) · source
“My Government also condemns other acts of violence, including rocket strikes into Israel from the Gaza Strip, the 14 April murder of an Israeli police official, and settler attacks and demolitions directed against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank. We call upon all concerned to avoid incidents that might make further disturbances likely. We look to the authorities on both sides to investigate and hold accountable persons responsible for acts of violence. We also call on both sides to respect the terms of the November 2012 ceasefire involving Israel and Gaza. In addition, the United States remains troubled by the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Several United Nations relief projects, which are important to improving the conditions there, are still awaiting Israeli approval.”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7164 (2014) · source
“Similarly, we continue to view Israeli settlements in the West Bank as illegitimate, and oppose any efforts to establish new settlements, expand existing ones or legalize settlement outposts. Our positions on other aspects of the process are also well known and have not changed. The United States remains deeply concerned by the up-tick in tensions and violence at the Temple Mount/ Haram al-Sharif compound around the Passover and Easter holidays, and urges all parties to redouble efforts to reduce tensions while maintaining the status quo. We continue to maintain high-level engagement on that issue.”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7164 (2014) · source
“Those principles have not changed. Any Palestinian Government must unambiguously and explicitly commit to non-violence, recognition of the State of Israel and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations between the parties. President Abbas has been committed to these principles and has declared that any Government he forms will be committed in the same way. If a new Palestinian Government is formed, we will assess it based on its composition and actions as well as its adherence to these principles. We continue to oppose unilateral actions that seek to circumvent or prejudge outcomes that can be negotiated only between the parties, including efforts to enhance Palestinian claims to statehood absent a negotiated final-status agreement.”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7164 (2014) · source
“And if the parties are willing to go down that path, we will be there to support them. In that connection, we are grateful for the strong support the negotiations have received from the League of Arab States, the European Union, the Quartet and other key partners. We will continue to look to them in the weeks and months ahead. Regarding the recent announcement by Fatah and Hamas that they intend to form a technocratic Government to prepare for new elections, the timing of the announcement was clearly unhelpful in terms of efforts that were under way between the parties to reach an agreement on extending the negotiations. The United States and the other members of the Quartet have been clear about the principles that must be accepted by the Palestinian Government in order for it to achieve peace and build an independent Palestinian State.”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7164 (2014) · source
“I thank Mr. Serry for his thorough briefing. I will begin remarks today by addressing Israeli-Palestinian issues before turning to Syria and Lebanon. The United States recognizes that the path to a comprehensive peace settlement in the Middle East is littered with obstacles, but we also believe that the goal is as essential as the process is turbulent. For this reason, we will continue to support negotiations between the parties. However, ultimately, the choice is up to the leaders and their people. None of us can make the difficult decisions required for peace, and the parties have decided to take a pause in the negotiations. We have clearly reached a difficult moment, but we continue to believe that there is only one real viable solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: two States living side-by-side in peace and security.”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7164 (2014) · source