YouSaid · the spoken record

Pressman

lines on the record: 643
first: 2014-10-24
most recent: 2016-10-19
sittings or episodes: 73
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

“But we, as Members of this Organization, can reiterate that message and demand that Russia and the Al-Assad regime halt their attacks.”
2016-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7792 (2016) · source
“It showed a 16-year-old boy named Maroufdangling by his legs from the top ofan apartment building that had been hit by an air strike. Marouf was quite literally hanging in the air with his legs pinned between blocks of concrete and his hands wrapped around bits of rubble. Eventually a first responder managed to pry Marouf free from the rubble with a cherry-picker. I am sorry, but Marouf was no Al-Nusra terrorist when he was pinned under the rubble. He posed no threat to Russia or the Al-Assad regime. Yet there he was, a few inches from plummeting to the ground. Most striking, perhaps, when one watches the video, was Marouf's yellow T-shirt, which had a simple message on it saying "Don't shoot". Of course, the fighter pilots that have dropped bombs on eastern Aleppo could not read Marouf's T-shirt.”
2016-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7792 (2016) · source
“It is therefore time to stop debating the Joint Investigative Mechanism's methodology and begin holding accountable those involved in using chemical weapons. The United States will do whatever we can to find a political solution to the conflict and end the violence. That is why Secretary of State John Kerry convened a meeting in Lausanne this past Saturday with stakeholders from across the region. But it is a simple fact that for political talks to work, Russia and the Al-Assad regime must stop bombing the people of eastern Aleppo. And there will need to be a true cessation of hostilities across Syri, that is, one that does not allow Russia and the regime to launch the bombardment they have launched under pretence of counter-terrorism. This week a video, reported to be from eastern Aleppo, emerged.”
2016-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7792 (2016) · source
“As the Joint Investigative Mechanism has stated, both the Al-Assad regime and ISIL have used chemical weapons against the Syrian people. We have heard that some may still harbour doubts that Al-Assad used chemical weapons, but these doubts are not grounded in fact. The Council established the Joint Investigative Mechanism to make an objective determination when Council members could not agree upon who was involved in the attacks. Those with doubts may have hoped for different conclusions from the Joint Investigative Mechanism. But they are not entitled to change the conclusions after the investigation 4 which everyone on the Council supported - is over. The investigation dictates the conclusions, not the other way around. And the investigation found the Al-Assad regime responsible, together with ISIL.”
2016-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7792 (2016) · source
“Strikes from the offensive carried out by Russia and the regime have destroyed or damaged every single hospital in eastern Aleppo and killed doctors and first responders. The siege keeps medicine out and traps in at least 200 critically injured Syrians who desperately need medical evacuation. The United Nations has said that there is food and medicine available in western Aleppo, mere meters away, but the Al-Assad regime will not give permission to deliver it. As Al-Assad's cruelty across Syria continues, the regime is besieging 14 other towns with 452,000 Syrians inside, according to United Nations estimates. In these places, we see the same tactics the regime employs in eastern Aleppo 4 unrelenting air strikes along with denial of aid to communities that are sometimes besieged for years on end.”
2016-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7792 (2016) · source
“We must be equally clear that Russia and Al-Assad need to stop hiding behind alibis while their bombs kill and maim children. No more alibis; it is time to stop the bombing of eastern Aleppo. Russia and the regime have announced a momentary pause in the bombing ahead of an eight-hour humanitarian pause on Thursday. However, Russia's total unwillingness to coordinate this unilateral pause with the United Nations and other partners prevents humanitarian partners from organizing any deliveries of aid. As the United Nations has made clear, an eight- hour pause does not even begin to address the city's humanitarian needs. The last delivery of food there was on 7 July. The remaining food stocks are nearly depleted. A population of hundreds of thousands is about to run out of food and is at risk of literal starvation.”
2016-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7792 (2016) · source
“Here at the Security Council open debate and tomorrow at a meeting of the General Assembly, all United Nations Member States will have the chance to make their views on Syria heard. Member States must do more than decry the violence; they need to recognize those responsible for it. Russia and the Al-Assad regime have launched an all-out campaign to seize eastern Aleppo by force. As United Nations Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura has said, Russia and the regime cannot use the presence of several hundred extremists as an easy alibi to destroy an area of the city with more than 275,000 civilians whose lives hang in peril. Anguish over the violence is appropriate, but so too is clarity with respect to who is responsible for it.”
2016-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7792 (2016) · source
“But as Under-Secretary-General O'Brien has reminded us today, this will be a hard-fought battle with serious humanitarian consequences. We have all seen the brutal tactics used by ISIL to defend its territory: hiding improvised explosive devices, booby-trapping buildings and deploying civilians as human shields. The United States will continue to urge all parties to comply with international humanitarian law and allow access to humanitarian aid. However, a victory in Mosul will not be sufficient to stabilize Iraq on its own. Member States need to assist with reconciliation efforts that support more inclusive governance in Iraq, which will help to support the communities that have suffered under ISIL terror. Let me conclude with Syria.”
2016-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7792 (2016) · source
“The Quartet report includes recommendations that we had hoped the parties would take seriously. We all understand that a permanent status agreement that finally ends the conflict can be achieved only through direct bilateral negotiations between the parties, but significant progress can be made by the parties now that will preserve prospects for two States. The United States will continue to call on both sides to demonstrate, through policies and actions, a genuine commitment to a two-State solution and we will continue to oppose efforts that undermine that goal. Turning to Iraq, the United States is confident that the Iraqi security forces, including the Kurdish Peshmerga, will prevail in their offensive against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Mosul.”
2016-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7792 (2016) · source
“Over the past three months, we have seen the advancement of over 2,400 settlement units in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, together with the retroactive legalization of unauthorized settlements and the demolition of nearly 300 Palestinian structures. The United States Government believes that these developments are part of a broader trend of legalizing outposts, seizing land and expanding settlements, all of which systematically undermine the two-State solution. The Quartet report (S/2016/595, annex) calls on both sides to take affirmative steps to reverse current trends and advance the two-State solution, but frankly we have witnessed the opposite since the report was released three month ago. As we have stressed, we need to start implementing the two-State solution on the ground right now.”
2016-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7792 (2016) · source
“Hamas has been responsible for the most explicit and widespread forms of incitement and has built up illicit arms and undertaken militant activity in Gaza, obviously refusing to abide by the Quartet principles. As Secretary of State John Kerry recently stressed, Israel must decide between expanding settlements and preserving the possibility of a two-State solution. Proceeding with steps such as the recent announcement of a new West Bank settlement only moves Israel closer towards cementing a one-State reality of perpetual occupation that is fundamentally inconsistent with Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic State.”
2016-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7792 (2016) · source
“The United States remains deeply concerned about continuing terrorism, violence, incitement to violence and militant activity. On 9 October, a horrific attack in Jerusalem killed two Israelis and injured several others. The United States strongly condemns this act of terrorism and all statements glorifying it, and we send our deepest condolences to the victims and their families. All Council members must make clear that terrorism is unacceptable and unequivocally unjustifiable. Those who commit or encourage acts of violence send a message that they are not committed to peace. Hamas is a terrorist organization. Hamas clearly opposes efforts to find a peaceful diplomatic solution to the conflict. Hamas denies Israel's right to exist.”
2016-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7792 (2016) · source
“Words of concern should be matched with real resources. As some have already mentioned, last week the Security Council held an Arria-Formula meeting on settlements, including panelists from the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) Americans for Peace Now and B'Tselem. As I stated at that meeting and reiterate again today, the United States would like to thank those NGOs for sharing their technical expertise regarding developments on the ground in Israel and the West Bank. Just as we recognize the contributions of non-governmental organizations around the world that are working tirelessly to shed light on difficult issues, it is vital that all Governments promote and protect an atmosphere in which all voices can be heard.”
2016-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7792 (2016) · source
“I thank Special Coordinator Mladenov and Under-Secretary- General O'Brien for their briefings today. Let me begin by discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict before moving out 0 Iraq and Syria. We appreciate the briefing that we received today on the troubling political, security, humanitarian and economic conditions in Gaza. More than two years after the last conflict in Gaza, reconstruction efforts are beginning to bear fruit. However, a recent International Monetary Fund report put the area's unemployment rate at a staggering 41 per cent. The United States fulfilled 100 per cent of the $414-million commitment we made at the 2014 International Cairo Conference on Palestine "Reconstructing Gaza", yet of the $3.5 billion in pledges made at the Conference, just 46 per cent have materialized thus far.”
2016-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7792 (2016) · source
“As always, we thank the men and women of MINUSTAH, the troop and police contributors and the Group of Friends for Haiti for their tireless efforts to promote stabilization and development, especially at this critical time. I would like to conclude by reaffirming the close ties between the United States of America and Haiti. We are not only neighbours, but also partners and friends. The United States looks forward to deepening that partnership further by working together with an elected Haitian President who can address key issues, such as electoral and judicial reform, anti-corruption efforts and economic growth. We are eager to work together with that new President in our shared goal of ensuring that the future will be strong and bright and benefit the people of Haiti.”
2016-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7789 (2016) · source
“Turning to the future of MINUSTAH, we look forward to a strategic assessment mission to be deployed during this mandate period, which will make recommendations on the possible withdrawal of MINUSTAH and on a future presence and role of the United Nations in Haiti in a manner that is fit for purpose. We welcome the Secretary-General's new efforts to better address cholera in Haiti for both treatment and prevention and to develop a proposal on material assistance and support to those most directly affected by the awful cholera epidemic. We look forward to hearing more details about that new approach, and welcome collaboration between the United Nations and Haiti, with the support of the Member States, to devise an appropriate response to the crisis.”
2016-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7789 (2016) · source
“We call on the Government of Haiti at all levels to remain politically neutral throughout the electoral process and not support any one candidate or party. And we call on all actors, especially candidates and political parties, to engage peacefully in the political process. The United States Government is among the donors providing funding for an international observer mission from the Organization of American States and local Haitian observers in an effort to strengthen transparency and bolster voter confidence. We strongly urge all Haitians to go to the polls and exercise their right to choose Haiti's next leader, confident that the outcome will reflect their voice.”
2016-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7789 (2016) · source
“As damaging as the hurricane was, we must not allow it to undo the impressive gains that the Haitian Government and the electoral officials have made towards the elections. The decision of Haitian officials to repeat the first round of presidential elections has presented Haiti with an opportunity to improve on the 2015 process. While the United States did not believe that a repeat was warranted, we are encouraged by steps that Haiti's electoral authority has taken to address the shortcomings identified in the previous elections, including requiring all participants to identify their voting location in advance of election day. We therefore look forward to the final round of elections on 8 January 2017 and to welcoming the seating of a new President on 7 February 2017.”
2016-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7789 (2016) · source
“The fresh humanitarian challenges facing Haiti are grave and can be met only by fully functioning institutions. That is why, even with the devastation brought about by the hurricane, we strongly urge the Government of Haiti to continue to move towards holding elections as soon as possible. The Haitian people need elected representatives at all levels of Government who can address the aftermath of the crisis and start promoting policies that will build a strong and prosperous Haiti. That means improving the business and investment climate and building a model for economic growth. It means fighting corruption and helping to create an independent and transparent judicial system so that all feel that they will get fair treatment under the law.”
2016-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7789 (2016) · source
“Through USAID, we have so far made available $1.3 million in humanitarian assistance for communities in Haiti affected by the hurricane. As of 11 October, our Department of Defence-led task force has delivered more than 186,000 pounds of relief commodities, aid and supplies to areas devastated by Hurricane Matthew. We know that much more remains to be done as the full extent of Hurricane Matthew's damage becomes known. But in the immediate term, yesterday, the United Nations, as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General just mentioned, issued a flash appeal calling for an additional $120 million to meet immediate lifesaving needs. Haiti needs assistance as soon as possible, and it is incumbent upon all of us to step up and contribute.”
2016-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7789 (2016) · source
“When Hurricane Matthew swept through Haiti and the region last week, it claimed hundreds of lives, levelled homes and businesses and dealt a severe blow to the country's infrastructure and agriculture, especially on the southern coast. The images coming from Haiti are simply searing and heartbreaking. We, the international community, must do all that we can to help Haiti at this time. To our Haitian brothers and sisters, please know that the people of the United States of America stand with them. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), with support from the Department of Defence, as well as other key United States partners, including the Centers for Disease Control, is leading our response.”
2016-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7789 (2016) · source
“We thank Special Representative Honore for her briefing today. First and foremost, I want to convey our deepest condolences to the Government and the people of Haiti for the devastation and loss of life that Hurricane Matthew inflicted last week. Against that backdrop, I am going to speak today about both the importance of disaster relief efforts, including what the United States is doing to help, and the political situation in Haiti, while recognizing that the storm does not change the fact that we are at a critical moment in Haiti's political life and for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).”
2016-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7789 (2016) · source
“This text was a deceptive attempt to get the Security Council to ratify what Russia and the regime are doing in Aleppo, as they will undoubtedly claim that any and all of the devastation that they are raining down is directed at terrorists, not the innocent civilians and civilian infrastructure that they are very clearly striking. But I will not belabour this point. What Russia wants is for there to be more talk while they seek to take the city by brutal force. What we want is less talk and more action for them to stop the slaughter.”
2016-10-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7785 (2016) · source
“In this conflict, violence begets violence. Our effort today was to stop bombardments over Aleppo, nothing more. It is a deadly shame that we were unable to do so. The United States remains committed to finding ways to de-escalate this violence, put a ceasefire in place and start a genuine political process. But for that to happen, there must be an end to the horrific suffering of the people of eastern Aleppo, caused by the current President of the Security Council's and Syrian aircraft. It is time for Russia to stop starving and killing Aleppo's children.”
2016-10-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7785 (2016) · source
“Russia decided that it would support the Al-Assad regime's military campaign to "re-take every inch of Syria", to use Al-Assad's own words. Some here today will criticize this draft resolution for lacking balance, but there is no balance in the bombardment of eastern Aleppo. It is simple. Russia and the Al-Assad regime launched the deadliest campaign of aerial bombardment since 2011. Russia and the Al-Assad regime are using incendiary weapons and bunker-buster bombs, which are magnifying human suffering, hitting even doctors trying to treat patients in basement emergency rooms because nowhere else was safe. Russia and the Syrian regime are causing this bloody chaos. So we must demand that the ones responsible for this air campaign stop. This is not how you defeat terrorists; it is how you create them.”
2016-10-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7785 (2016) · source
“It is why the United States remains unambiguous in our call for opposition groups to separate themselves from Al-Nusra. It is why this week the United States conducted an air strike that targeted a senior Al-Nusra leader in Idlib, Syria. The United States will be relentless in our fight against terrorism. We spent months looking for a way to work with Russia on a campaign that would have effectively targeted Al-Nusra. We agreed on a way forward that would have allowed us to focus on terrorist targets. In return, we asked that Russia show a good faith commitment by upholding a cessation of hostilities and allowing for humanitarian aid. When presented with this opportunity to cooperate on counter-terrorism, Russia decided to walk away. Russia decided to ignore the Council's repeated calls to implement the cessation of hostilities.”
2016-10-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7785 (2016) · source
“Russia has the privilege of serving as a permanent member of the Security Council, with a responsibility to maintain international peace and security. But through the campaign it describes as counter-terrorism, Russia has become one of the chief purveyors of terror in Aleppo, using tactics more commonly associated with thugs than Governments. Russia and the Al-Assad regime think the world will look the other way if they recite the word "counter-terrorism". That is wrong, and each and every one ofus must make that clear to Russia. There are terrorists in Syria - a lot of them. The United States does not need anyone to explain why terrorists are serious, deadly and dangerous. That there are terrorists in Syria is the reason the United States leads a 67-member coalition in the region to fight them.”
2016-10-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7785 (2016) · source
“Why else would the first targets in the Syrian/Russian offensive be hospitals and the bases for first responders, which should have been protected? Why else would each hospital in eastern Aleppo have been struck not once, but at least twice? Why else would a convoy of life-saving humanitarian aid bound for Aleppo be destroyed? One does not have to be an international legal scholar to know that there is a term that may well describe these actions: war crimes, and they must be investigated. Russia cannot use the presence of what the United Nations estimates to be a couple hundred members ofAl-Nusra to justify an indiscriminate aerial bombing campaign devastating an entire population of hundreds of thousands of civilians currently trapped by Russia and the regime.”
2016-10-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7785 (2016) · source
“They will probably somehow blame the United States of America for the suffering in Aleppo; they will suggest that we are the ones not serious about the fight against terrorism; they will invoke past conflicts in distant lands; and they will lie. In short, they will do anything and everything to deny and deflect from the truth. The truth is that Russia is using counter-terrorism as an excuse to help the Al-Assad regime re-take control of Aleppo by brutal force, snuff out whatever opposition groups dare to resist the Al-Assad regime's brutality, and cow civilians who yearn for a different government into submission. As Secretary of State John Kerry has said, "this is a targeted strategy to terrorize civilians and kill anybody and everybody who is in the way of their military objectives". There is no other plausible explanation.”
2016-10-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7785 (2016) · source
“Russia could not let this draft resolution stand in their way, so they vetoed it. Russia dropped its veto here in the Security Council to strengthen Bashar Al-Assad at the expense of 275,000 Syrians. We have heard so many warnings in this Chamber, so many words of anguish offered, so many descriptions of the barbarism that is unfolding. Simply put, today was time for the Council to act, to learn the lessons of the recent past. We failed to do that because one ofus - perversely, the President of the Security Council - is intent on allowing the killing to continue and, indeed, participating in carrying it out. It is grotesque. Russia, as always, will offer a different narrative. Russia has said that it is fighting terrorism.”
2016-10-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7785 (2016) · source
“Air strikes from this Russian and Syrian regime offensive have systematically eliminated whatever infrastructure was left to support the people of eastern Aleppo. Hospitals have been bombed. Pumps for drinking water have been bombed. Ambulances and fire trucks for first responders have been bombed. Families have been trapped under the rubble. Hundreds of civilians are dead, and hundreds of thousands of civilians are literally at risk of starving to death if nothing changes. The Secretary-General has described Aleppo as worse than a slaughterhouse. The United Nations Special Envoy has warned the city will be completely destroyed by the end of the year. And we know the cause - the air strikes conducted by Russia and the Al-Assad regime are the cause. Russia and Al-Assad want to seize eastern Aleppo to further bolster the regime in Damascus.”
2016-10-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7785 (2016) · source
“Yesterday we met in the consultations room and listened to United Nations Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura describe the daily deadly indiscriminate bombings raining down on eastern Aleppo. We heard Special Envoy de Mistura implore the Security Council to take urgent action to avert a large-scale massacre, noting that failure on our part would be a tragedy and a stain on the Security Council that lingers like others in recent history. The draft resolution contained in document S/2016/846, vetoed by Russia today, had a simple demand and one goal: stop the bombing in Aleppo City. Over the last two weeks, Russia and the Al-Assad regime have launched a terrifying military offensive in eastern Aleppo that has laid waste to an area of the city with 275,000 civilians trapped inside of it.”
2016-10-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7785 (2016) · source
“We urge the EU and the Government of National Accord to ensure that the human rights and fundamental freedoms of those migrants who are rescued are respected, in accordance with applicable international law. We must also continue to work to end the root causes of this crisis - the conflicts and extreme poverty that drive people from their homes to attempt the very dangerous journey across the Mediterranean.”
2016-10-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7783 (2016) · source
“The United States is likewise providing capacity-building assistance to the new Libyan Government, and urges the international community to fully support Libya's Prime Minister Serraj, its Presidency Council and civil society efforts, which are helping Libyans establish a democratic, representative political system, strengthen the capacity of critical Libyan institutions to deliver services, secure Libya's territory and build effective, civilian-led national security institutions. We must also address the abuses facing refugees and other migrants, lest efforts to shut down people-smuggling have the unintended consequence of trapping those seeking asylum, with no options to flee violence and conflict.”
2016-10-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7783 (2016) · source
“All told, more than 10,000 souls have been lost at sea since 2014 after travelling untold miles to escape conflict and extreme poverty, and migrant smugglers and human traffickers have exploited a desperate situation. To stop these smugglers and stem such senseless deaths at sea, the member States of the European Union (EU), coordinating with Libya's Government of National Accord, took action last year through the EU Naval Forces Mediterranean Operation Sophia. Since last October, the Operation has assisted in saving over 37,000 people. For that reason, the United States fully supports renewing resolution 2240 (2016) to extend the Council's support for the EU Pperation. We are pleased that the EU has decided to expand its Operation's mandate to assist in the training of Libyan coast guard and navy.”
2016-10-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7783 (2016) · source
“I think I can agree with one point made by the representative of Venezuela, which is that this is indeed a human drama, and a tragic one at that. Over 130,000 people have set off from the North African coast to attempt to reach Italy this year alone; more than 3,000 of them did not survive that journey. Just last week, more than 250 people - including children as young as 4 - drowned after their boat sank just 12 miles from the Egyptian shore. It has been reported that last week alone more than 11,000 migrants had to be rescued off the Libyan coast. Our work today is one part - just one part - of what is needed to save lives.”
2016-10-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7783 (2016) · source
“In the meantime, we will continue to seek a way to end the atrocities on the ground so that people like Betty Christian do not have to be thankful every time they are not killed.”
2016-08-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7754 (2016) · source
“Betty told a reporter that as she fled her home that she had to pass by a group of soldiers who debated whether or not to shoot her. Eventually, they decided to let her live, and so Betty thanked them. She thanked them for not killing her. That is the world in which so many of South Sudan's people live today: they thank people for letting them live. Far too many people do not even get to do that. Perhaps no other country has invested as much in South Sudan's future as the United States of America has. We share the desire of the people of South Sudan for a peaceful and prosperous future, but it is the actions of South Sudan's leaders - their dangerous, deadly choices - that stand in the way of that future. When South Sudan's leaders recommit to the cause of peace, they will find in the United States a steadfast partner.”
2016-08-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7754 (2016) · source
“While the resolution marks a steps towards addressing the violence in South Sudan, UNMISS alone cannot bring an end to the persistent struggle for power among the country's leaders, which has caused the suffering of so many people. Until the leaders of South Sudan are willing to put what is good for their people before themselves, putting peace ahead of personal ambition and power, and until they show the will to find a political solution to this grinding conflict, the people of South Sudan will continue to suffer from the bloodshed and instability that their leaders reap. Let me conclude with the account of a young South Sudanese woman, a 19-year-old named Betty Christian. Betty fled her home in Juba last month during the latest wave of violence.”
2016-08-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7754 (2016) · source
“Today, the Council has taken a step forward in its efforts to prevent that from happening. The stakes are high, and the consequences of continued obstruction should be clear. By adopting this resolution, the Security Council has made very clear that if the Government of South Sudan obstructs the deployment of UNMISS's regional protection force or continues to stand in the way of UNMISS carrying out its mandate, the Security Council is prepared to vote on the arms embargo draft resolution that is contained in annexed to resolution 2304 (2016). The United States is prepared to support imposing an arms embargo on South Sudan if the obstruction continues. If in 30 days the Secretary- General reports obstruction, the Council has decided to vote, and we are confident that consequences will follow.”
2016-08-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7754 (2016) · source
“Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations confers upon the Council the responsibility to take steps necessary to restore peace and security. That includes giving UNMISS the mandate that it needs to protect civilians and maintain security in Juba. To suggest otherwise would mean negotiating a mandate with the same Government that has consistently restricted the movement of those very peacekeepers, organized protests against those peacekeepers and harassed humanitarian staff generally. The Council can deliberate only for so long about the terms of a mandate as the situation in South Sudan deteriorates, an increasing number of innocent people are killed, women and girls are raped and the country's neighbours call for action and express a readiness to respond. More time will amount to only more death and suffering.”
2016-08-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7754 (2016) · source
“Consent is of course important, and the Government of South Sudan, in dialogue with the Heads of State of Uganda, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya, the Sudan, Djibouti and Somalia and the presidential representatives of Algeria, Chad, Nigeria and South Africa, has offered its consent to the deployment of the regional protection force in principle. But we must be clear-eyed about the challenges that UNMISS and its new regional protection force are up against. I appeal to all Security Council members - the Ambassadors on the Council - to read the three-page letter the Secretary-General sent to the Council a few days ago setting out the severe restrictions by the Government of South Sudan, which are crippling the Mission's ability to operate.”
2016-08-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7754 (2016) · source
“For while we expect the South Sudanese Government to treat the United Nations like the partner that it is, that is simply not what is happening on the ground in South Sudan today. Instead, as we all know, the Government of South Sudan's troops are actively blocking United Nations personnel from carrying out their life-saving work, which in some cases has led to the death of United Nations peacekeepers. Those peacekeepers, including from countries represented on the Council, who are operating under a mandate adopted by the Council, could not be evacuated to receive urgent medical attention because the South Sudanese Government would not provide flight clearances.”
2016-08-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7754 (2016) · source
“We are grateful to the UNMISS troop contributors for the sacrifices that they have made during this incredibly challenging period and to the troops who serve in the Mission, some of whom have made the ultimate sacrifice. The regional protection force has been created in response to the collapse of security in Juba, and it will remain until South Sudan's leaders take the steps necessary to provide that security for their own people. Some Council members today will speak about the importance of obtaining the South Sudanese Government's consent. We recognize the importance of Government cooperation, but the United States would point to the actions of the Government.”
2016-08-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7754 (2016) · source
“Secondly, it will protect key facilities essential to the well-being of the people of Juba. Thirdly, it will have the authority to prevent attacks against civilians, the United Nations and humanitarian actors. Like the UNMISS troops already on the ground, the force will operate under a United Nations Charter Chapter VII mandate, with the authority to use all the necessary means to carry out its responsibilities. The regional protection force is part of UNMISS's broader mission, the core responsibilities of which include protecting civilians, monitoring human rights, facilitating conditions for the delivery of humanitarian assistance and supporting the implementation of the peace agreement.”
2016-08-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7754 (2016) · source
“We consulted extensively with fellow Security Council members and countries in the region to shape the resolution. While we hoped to achieve unity on the vote, let us be clear: we have had Security Council unity on UNMISS for some time, and one only need look at what unity has achieved with respect to UNMISS's ability to operate on the ground. UNMISS is facing daily threats, daily impediments and daily and sometimes deadly challenges. Security Council unity has not solved that. Additional authorities and resources might. The Council simply could not wait any longer to give UNMISS the tools that it needs to respond. The resolution sets out three priorities for the 4,000-strong regional protection force. First, the force will facilitate safe and free movement in the capital.”
2016-08-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7754 (2016) · source
“On 5 August, IGAD Plus Heads of State and Government again called upon the Security Council to urgently extend the mission of UNMISS with a revised mandate, including the deployment of a regional protection force. That decision was endorsed once again by the African Union Peace and Security Council just yesterday. South Sudan's neighbours have been clear about what this moment requires, and the resolution adopted today responds directly to those repeated and urgent calls. Further delays would not help those in Juba wondering ifthey can venture outside safely to find food. Further delays would not have helped those waiting for humanitarian aid that currently cannot arrive. Further delays would not have helped protect those who face extraordinary threats with each passing day.”
2016-08-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7754 (2016) · source
“Today, the Security Council has taken important action in support of calls from key regional partners to address this. It is because of this horrific violence that South Sudan's regional partners and the African Union have called upon the Security Council to authorize urgently a regional protection force. Resolution 2304 (2016) does that. In our deliberations, some members of the Council expressed concern that we were moving too quickly. The opposite is true. It has been more than one month since the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Council of Ministers called for urgent revisions to the UNMISS mandate with additional troops to secure Juba - a decision that the African Union Peace and Security Council endorsed the same day.”
2016-08-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7754 (2016) · source
“Last week, the United Nations reported that during the month of July when fighting in Juba surged, soldiers killed innocent civilians and raped women in broad daylight. The United Nations documented 217 cases of sexual violence between 8 and 25 July in Juba alone. Those are the cases that were reported. The actual number is undoubtedly much higher. In a single incident, on 18 July, 16 women and 12 girls were reportedly raped by soldiers at a Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) checkpoint in the capital. It is grotesque, and it must stop. Since 7 July alone, more than 69,000 people, the overwhelming majority of whom are women and children, have fled South Sudan for Uganda. The status quo in South Sudan is unbearable. The status quo for the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is unsustainable.”
2016-08-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7754 (2016) · source
“As such, we appreciate the United Kingdom's approach as penholder in presenting a clean and simple authorization for immediate action to address a threat to international peace and security. These efforts will help ensure that the chemicals are safely and securely destroyed in a verifiable manner, and we are hopeful that all members of the Security Council recognize the importance of undertaking this action in an expedited manner. We look forward to our continued work with the international community to ensure these Category 2 chemical weapons are safely destroyed.”
2016-07-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7743 (2016) · source