YouSaid · the spoken record

Prince Zeid Ra'Ad Zeid Al-Hussein

lines on the record: 187
first: 2014-01-06
most recent: 2014-07-14
sittings or episodes: 30
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

“In this regard, we reaffirm the need to adhere to the provisions of the Budapest Memorandum of 1994 and the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership between Ukraine and the Russian Federation of 1997. Russia and Ukraine must embark on serious and effective dialogue. This dialogue should lead to the return of the Crimean region to Ukrainian control as soon as possible. We call on Ukraine to take immediate steps to resolve the causes of tension, both internally and externally, and to respect human rights, in particular of minority groups, and to revoke any measures that have been taken which may undermine such rights. At the same time, we stress the need to refrain from interference in the internal affairs of Ukraine so that the country may decide its political future for itself.”
2014-03-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7125 (2014) · source
“Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al-Hussein (Jordan) (spoke in Arabic): Jordan wishes to express its deep concern regarding the unfolding developments in Ukraine, in particular in the Crimean region. We call on all parties to exercise calm and self-restraint and not to further escalate the situation by taking military measures or by threatening the use of force. Jordan reaffirms the need to respect the sovereignty of Ukraine, its territorial integrity and its political independence. We reaffirm the prohibition of the use of force on its territory, or any part thereof, and of the occupation thereof, including the Crimean region. Jordan calls on all States concerned to respect the terms of their agreements and treaties with Ukraine.”
2014-03-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7125 (2014) · source
“Only then will the United Nations have a capability that can meet both the demands ofthe Council in respect of the rule of law and the expectations of the host and requesting countries, which so desperately need it.”
2014-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7113 (2014) · source
“I therefore conclude by repeating what Council members said at the first debate here in 2003, namely, that there has to be one address for the rule of law in the form of a stand-alone department, of a size commensurate with its overriding importance, where all of the expertise and knowledge on the issue can be housed under one United Nations roof, where we will find not only experts in the promulgation of draft constitutions and model criminal codes but also former practitioners steeped in every aspect of the major legal traditions, including common law, civil law and mixed systems of law, as well as sharia law; experts in criminal procedure and in the conduct of trials; experts and investigators who have worked in financial courts; experts in court management systems, in particular in their design; experts in legal aid; and experts injudicial and prosecutorial reform - and all of that in addition to all of the relevant expertise required in policing and prison administration.”
2014-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7113 (2014) · source
“The Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group, notwithstanding the outstanding leadership provided by the Deputy Secretary-General in that regard, cannot, in our opinion, be the best way to deal with the issue. The very idea of first scattering the rule-of-law functions among all the various funds, agencies and programmes, which the United Nations consented to many years ago, only for it to now feel crushed by the need to coordinate all of that at the top, is unfortunate. In essence, the United Nations created a problem for itself so impossibly complicated that it had no prayer of ever solving it. Better for us, therefore, to admit now that the scattered approach, however brilliantly it may be coordinated now, is a doomed proposition in the long term.”
2014-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7113 (2014) · source
“Yet, almost 11 years after our first debate here, notwithstanding the tremendous efforts of the Secretary-General and the Deputy Secretary-General to promote the rule of law - and we applaud them for that - we still have no rule-of-law department or a structure of a size that reflects the crucial importance of this subject matter. The global focal point, while a welcome attempt to fuse the United Nations Development Programme with DPKO, remains very small and not what we had in mind many years ago. Incidentally, we are puzzled as to why the Peacebuilding Support Office was never included in that, at least insofar as the countries on its agenda are concerned.”
2014-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7113 (2014) · source
“What we need immediately, therefore, in a post- conflict environment are effective and fair criminal and financial courts, which, given the often devastated infrastructure of the host State, leaves us with no realistic option, if we are to admit it openly, but for the international community to manage the courts themselves, with the United Nations itself imposing, at the request of the host country, an adapted model criminal code until the country in question can regain its footing and itself take over the running and management of such courts. The United Nations would therefore need substantial capabilities and much greater support than it has now.”
2014-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7113 (2014) · source
“We would submit, in answer to that, that when it comes to post-conflict environments, the two most fundamental preconditions for any international endeavour to succeed in rehabilitating a largely destroyed country or region are, first, the provision of security, which we must undertake, and, secondly, together with humanitarian support, the administration of justice. All other development activity can wait for subsequent stages, or best be left to others.”
2014-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7113 (2014) · source
“However, those Judicial Affairs Officers are, in aggregate, still only less than 1 per cent ~ actually far less than 1 per cent, 0.28 per cent to be precise - of the total number of field personnel deployed in the field operations led by DPKO and the Department of Political Affairs. Because of us Member States, their work is often haphazard and is not linear or sequenced. And it falls well within the shadow of their host country's needs, which are, by contrast, vast and almost beyond comprehension. What we must therefore do, if we are indeed serious about the rule of law, is to return to basics. We need to once again ask ourselves: what are the top two preconditions for the recovery of a war-torn society given its realities? And what does the United Nations need to do to realize those preconditions effectively?”
2014-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7113 (2014) · source
“Because we have long departed from the controlled discussion over the rule of law that we once had and, instead, have chosen to expand it over 13 years to the extent that it now covers every aspect of the legal universe, the United Nations is left with no real clarity or any strategic direction over it, let alone any thorough ability to create baseline data and precise measurements of the overall effectiveness. That is all evident from the report itself. It is true that we can celebrate joint visits by the global focal point arrangement to five mission areas and note that 336 Judicial Affairs Officers are deployed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions in 18 field operations, acknowledging that many of them are outstanding professionals.”
2014-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7113 (2014) · source
“At that point, we had the first debate in the Chamber, at the initiative of the United Kingdom. At the time, I noted in our statement on 30 September 2003 (see S/PV.4835) that, ultimately, not only should the Criminal Law and Judiciary Advisory Unit be expanded but that, eventually, it should itself be a part ofajustice and rule of law division. Where are we today? Reading the Secretary- General's report, it is clear that the rule of law, no matter how exquisite the language of our presidential statements or whatever we say in our declarations, is still being underserved by us, the Member States.”
2014-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7113 (2014) · source
“Brahimi's chief proposal in 2000, which triggered our first rule-of-law discussion at the United Nations (see S/PV.4220), centred on the need for an interim or model criminal code in a transitional administration - an idea that was not accepted at the time in the General Assembly not because there was insufficient appreciation by members over the need for it, but because there was no agreement about whether the Security Council or the General Assembly should be the guide on such issues. Instead, the Secretariat, acting on the General Assembly's instruction, began the slow march towards building some capacity within it by creating the Criminal Law and Judiciary Advisory Unit, staffed by two people, within the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO).”
2014-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7113 (2014) · source
“Those 11 years were characterized by much trial and error, for that decade provided the United Nations with recurring and painful examples of what happens when the rule of law is not positioned high enough on the ladder of immediate priorities. Each transitional administration established in that period came to realize, perhaps what remains the harshest and saddest lesson of war, that in war there is a clear winner. It is, as it always has been, of course, the war profiteer, namely, often transnational criminal networks wielding immense power inside and beyond post-conflict theatres once the cessation of hostilities has taken effect.”
2014-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7113 (2014) · source
“Before my delegation offers some observations on the Secretary-General's report, I wish to conduct a short retrospective on this item in general terms. I start by returning to the inaugural debate that we had on this item in the Security Council on 24 and 30 September 2003 (see S/PV.4833 and S/PV.4835), three years after the submission of the report of the Panel on United Nations Peace Operations (S/2000/809), chaired by Lakhdar Brahimi, in August 2000, and 11 years after the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia had relaunched the United Nations into more complex peacekeeping operations.”
2014-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7113 (2014) · source
“We thank you, Mr. President, for convening this debate on the promotion and strengthening of the rule of law in the maintenance of international peace and security and for the concept note setting out the terms of the discussion (S/20l4/75, annex). We thank the Secretary-General for his briefing and for his report, entitled "Measuring the effectiveness of the support provided by the United Nations system for the promotion of the rule of law in conflict and post-conflict situations" (S/2013/341). We also support the issuance of a presidential statement by the Council on this item, as well as the inclusion of a reference in it to the International Criminal Court, believing that for us not to do so, especially under this item, will only be farcical.”
2014-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7113 (2014) · source
“While we appreciate the support provided by the European Union to the budgets of peacekeeping operations, we express the hope that the States members of the European Union, which have vast capacities in the area ofpeacekeeping, will increase their investment in terms of contributing troops and police to United Nations operations. In conclusion, we endorse the presidential statement adopted earlier by the Council (S/PRST/2014/4).”
2014-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7112 (2014) · source
“Fourthly, when addressing issues related to the maintenance of international peace and security, which are at the heart of the Security Council's responsibilities in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, we would emphasize the fact that peacekeeping operations are among the most efficient tools at the disposal of the United Nations in assisting States on the difficult road from conflict to peace. Jordan, as one of the principal troop-contributing countries, believes that the support for United Nations peacekeeping operations is a collective international responsibility, particularly because demand for such operations continues to grow.”
2014-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7112 (2014) · source
“Thirdly, Jordan welcomes the commitment of the European Union to contributing to the establishment of peace, security and development in Africa by playing a crucial role in the international effort to confront the constantly recurring threat of piracy. We also welcome its contribution to the training of the Somali forces in cooperation with African Union Mission in Somalia. We also welcome the European Union's efforts in supporting the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali and its contribution in the deployment of the African-led International Support Mission in the Central African Republic. In that regard, we call for the contribution of all support needed to bring stability back to those regions.”
2014-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7112 (2014) · source
“Secondly, Jordan believes that the European Union has a crucial role to play in the stability and economic development of the Western Balkans. We specifically welcome the personal efforts of Baroness Ashton to strengthen the dialogue between the Republic of Serbia and Kosovo in the framework of the historic First Agreement of Principles Governing the Normalization of Relations between them. The Agreement will not only help to meet the challenges of the next phase between the two parties, but it will also help to spread the culture of dialogue and cooperation in the region as a whole, thereby guaranteeing its stability and respect for human rights.”
2014-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7112 (2014) · source
“Jordan also welcomes the speed and efficiency with which the European Union reacted to the international appeals with respect to the humanitarian crisis in Syria and its repercussions in neighbouring States that continue to host a growing number of Syrian refugees. Jordan greatly appreciates the different forms of support that the European Union is giving to the Syrian people of Syrian and the peoples of neighbouring States. Jordan supports the efficient role being played by the European Union in the coordination of diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving a peaceful and comprehensive negotiated solution to the Iranian nuclear issue. Jordan welcomes the agreement reached between the E3+3 and Iran with respect to the joint plan of action, which we consider to be step in the right direction.”
2014-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7112 (2014) · source
“Jordan undertakes to extend and strengthen the joint action with the European Union to establish peace in our region. Jordan agrees with the EU about the necessity of supporting the efforts of the United States Secretary of State to bolster direct negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis. We welcome the announcement made here by the European Union that it will provide exceptional support to the two parties if they reach an agreement, in addition to its ongoing support of the European Union for the Palestinian National Authority. We are also pleased with the excellent and skilful role the European Union plays in the Quartet, working with the United Nations, the Russian Federation and the United States of America.”
2014-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7112 (2014) · source
“We believe that cooperation between the United Nations and the European Union on peacekeeping and international security issues, pursuant to Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations, will make a significant contribution to improving collective security. The European Union has major economic, security and political resources that enable it to play an effective role as part of international efforts in the prevention and settlement of conflicts. Allow me now to address certain aspects of complementary cooperation between the United Nations and the EU. First of all, the EU is a true and effective partner in the framework of the efforts designed to bring about a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East based on a two-State solution.”
2014-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7112 (2014) · source
“Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al-Hussein (Jordan) (spoke in Arabic): I would like to thank you, Mr. President, for convening this important meeting. I also welcome you, Sir, as well as the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union, Baroness Catherine Ashton. And I would like to thank her and the Secretary-General for their presentations. Jordan welcomes the partnership and cooperation between the European Union (EU) and the African Union. The EU enjoys great respect on the international arena owing to its balanced role in different international dossiers and because it is itself an example in terms of regional progress and the establishment of peace.”
2014-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7112 (2014) · source
“As we end our presidency, I know that I speak on behalf of the Council in wishing the delegation of Lithuania good luck in its presidency of the Council in the month of February. The meeting rose at 11 am.”
2014-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7107 (2014) · source
“The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda. As this is the last meeting of the Council for the month of January, I would like to express the sincere appreciation of the delegation of Jordan to the members of the Council, especially my colleagues the Permanent Representatives, their respective staff and the secretariat of the Council for all the support that they have given to us. It has been a busy month, in which we rallied to consensus on several important issues within our purview. We could not have done it alone and without the hard work, support and positive contributions of every delegation and the representatives of the Secretariat, as well as the interpreters, translators, meetings services personnel and sound engineers.”
2014-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7107 (2014) · source
“The representative of the Democratic Republic of Congo has asked to take the floor a second time. I now give him the floor.”
2014-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7107 (2014) · source
“I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now. A vote was taken by Show ofhands. In favour: Argentina, Australia, Chad, Chile, China, France, Jordan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Nigeria, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Rwanda, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and United States of America The President (Spoke in Arabic): There were 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2136 (2014). I shall now give the floor to the member of the Council who wishes to make a statement after the voting.”
2014-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7107 (2014) · source
“In accordance with rule 37 of the Council's provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to participate in this meeting. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Members of the Council have before them document S/2014/55, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by France. I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2014/42, which contains a letter dated 22 January 2014 from the Coordinator of the Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo extended pursuant to Security Council resolution 2078 (2012) addressed to the President of the Security Council. It is my understanding that the Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it.”
2014-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7107 (2014) · source
“The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda. The meeing rose at 10.15 am.”
2014-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7106 (2014) · source
“On the basis of those meetings, with the consent of the members of the Council, the presidency has drawn the conclusion that the Council can proceed to take a decision on the draft resolution before it. Unless I hear any objection, I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now. There being no objection, it is so decided. I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now. A vote was taken by Show ofhands. In favour: Argentina, Australia, Chad, Chile, China, France, Jordan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Nigeria, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Rwanda, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and United States of America The President (spoke in Arabic): There were 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2135 (2014).”
2014-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7106 (2014) · source
“The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Members of the Council have before them document S/2014/60, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America. I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2013/781, which contains the report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations operation in Cyprus. It is my understanding that the Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. Ishouldliketo informthe Councilthatthepresidency of the Council has met with the representatives of the parties, who have confirmed that they maintain their well-known positions vis-a-vis the item on the Council's agenda.”
2014-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7106 (2014) · source
“There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda. The meeting rose at 6.20pm.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“The representative ofthe Democratic People's Republic of Korea has asked for the floor to make a further statement. I now give him the floor.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“Several delegations have requested the floor to make further statements. I would ask each delegation to limit itself to one additional statement. I will begin by giving the floor to members of the Security Council.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Thomas Mayr-Harting, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“I would like to inform all members that we will continue this open debate during the lunch period as there are a large number of speakers. I now give the floor to the representative of New Zealand.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“In most cases, the absence of the truth, acceptance and, most important, the creation of a shared historical narrative will puncture time and again our collective endeavour to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. That is the truth. The obstacle before us may well appear too massive for it to be scaled by the Security Council or by the Organization. But it is worth remembering the observations of a once-practiced climber, Dag Hammarskjold: "Never judge the height of a mountain until you have reached the top. Then you will see how low it was." My delegation invites, with the sincerest humility, the members of the Security Council to feel for their harnesses and begin roping up. (spoke in Arabic) I now resume my functions as the President of the Security Council. I shall now give the floor to the members of the Council.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“If that is the case in respect of individuals, what then of a wider community, a tribe, a nation or a State, which needs, for its own sake and for the sake of others, to begin such a reckoning? The challenge, we admit, is indeed breathtaking, but if we do not take it up we will remain for the next 69 years caught somewhere in the space between ending conflicts and ending them permanently. Cement alone, along with training, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, security sector reform, elections, power sharing, foreign direct investment, peace treaties and forced amnesia will not be enough - really, it will never be enough.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“We know that because, for the vast majority of humans who commit the worst of crimes, even when confronted with clearest evidence of the truth and their guilt and when there is no amnesty from prosecution offered, they find it next to impossible to freely admit their culpability or reckon with what they have done. That is the story, the very history, ofthe criminal prosecution ofthose most guilty of committing the gravest offenses ever since the Nuremberg Tribunal. Indeed, so rare is it - notwithstanding the thousands of trials that have taken place around the world, national and international - for a person known to be guilty of war crimes, indeed found guilty beyond any doubt by a properly constituted court of law, to admit guilt, to reckon with their past; such cases, when they happen, become a cause for widespread attention.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“What we need now is a historical mechanism to help us file down the sharpest differences in historical interpretation - "border disputes of the collective consciousness", so to speak - with the aim of inspiring genuine reckoning. Extreme nationalism and sectarianism in particular must be handled that way, if we are ever to rid ourselves of their pernicious effects. All of that is, of course, not easy * far from it. To reckon with one's own individual conduct, whenever that conduct is distinctly shameful to others, is one of the most difficult undertakings for any human being. The more shame the conduct generates, the more difficult the reckoning.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“By doing so at the earliest stages of a peacekeeping operation, the Council can help lay the foundation needed for a country or countries to set up historical commissions, if they are willing. Ultimately, the Jordanian delegation believes that the United Nations as an Organization should have a sizeable historical advisory service, in addition to a legal advisory service, which would not only help its Member States to set up commissions and support judicial systems, but also assist them in resolving the many divergent narratives, both between States as well as within them. We have long had, after all, judicial mechanisms for the resolution of border or boundary disputes.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“Of course, where the evidence is correspondingly weaker, the interpretations grow more numerous, and debate should be welcomed. Once the truth has indeed been established, it then requires acceptance by all sides and, hardest of all, a concession, namely, that each side, rather than point fingers at the conduct of others, should reckon publicly with its own actions. Only that can create a real foundation for a shared narrative, followed by genuine reconciliation and a permanent peace. What can the Council do? As suggested in our concept note (S/2014/30, annex), distributed to the membership, the Council can begin by mandating the creation of a historical advisory service to assist countries in preserving what will one day be their official memory - the reference point from which the truth can emerge to relieve memory of its tension.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“Standing alone, or sometimes together with other contributing factors, such as geography, climate, scarcity and underdevelopment, is a lie, usually one relating to a historical account, one that is sometimes even fantastic in its audacity; a lie that produces only more lies over time. If that is the case, we must then accept that it is only when the truth is recovered or a good approximation of it is revealed that a permanent peace can ever be obtained. Truth in that context does not mean a declaration repeated so often that it is seen as true, but the stubborn resilience ofa fact, maintained by a broad supporting structure of corroborating evidence, against which narrow and unfounded historical interpretations can make no dent and would have little to no credibility.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“Truth and reconciliation commissions have on occasion needed, therefore, historical commissions to supplement their work. Also suggestive of the Council's current unwillingness to recognize how necessary a revealed truth is to a deeper form of conflict resolution - notwithstanding its previous creation of commissions of inquiry, as well as the ad hoc, special and hybrid tribunals - has been its hesitating treatment of the International Criminal Court, which, as the only permanent international criminal court, remains the best hope for establishing court-based records of fact for the future. Ultimately, of course, when ethnic wars or wars sprung from extreme nationalisms or ideologies are reverse-engineered back to their points of origin, what do we find?”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“It did begin to recognize the importance of memory when it supported the truth commissions in El Salvador, Sierra Leone and Timor-Leste, among others, but that was done more in the context of piecemeal strategies and was often based on a desire to attain justice and was not aimed at the permanent banishment of conflict altogether. If it had been the latter, the practice would have been mainstreamed into all of the work of the Council. But even in the pursuit ofjustice, the unveiling of the truth in return for amnesty, common to many truth and reconciliation commissions, was not certain to reveal genuine remorse - that fundamental and needed companion of truth - because a quid pro quo in the context of an amnesty was required to draw out the confession in the first place.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“If we lift the lid off human civilization, even just slightly, and look inside, rather than seeing supporting beams of magnanimity and compassion, we fear we might see only the thrashing, tight, circular currents of enmity and bitterness. Better to have dialogue without history, we have thought collectively, and besides, it will look like reconciliation, which is good enough. So we speak in many meetings of the Security Council of the need for dialogue and reconciliation, with reference to a particular agenda item or other, without in most cases ever knowing what we mean by it. That, too, is dangerous. To end a conflict permanently, particularly ethnic conflicts or conflicts sprung from extreme forms of nationalism or ideology, the Security Council must grapple with the psychological components of war.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“For that reason, instances of fragile peace, even superficial peace, have remained persistently on the agenda of the Security Council, notwithstanding the importance attached to the holding of elections and power-sharing agreements and so on, because, for the most part, the work of the Council has not dug deep enough into why many of these sorts of conflicts occurred in the first place. And why is that? We are so sensitive to the use and misuse of historical accounts - because so many and varied are the number of disputed historical narratives - with the result that we, the membership, and the United Nations generally have not wanted to play with such a figurative bomb.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“"Rebuild, train, develop the economy", said the operating manual, and the rest - the trauma, the deep grievances, the emotional pain, the burning anger - they were best left to time and the fading of memory. Unfortunately, human memory has never been that accommodating and meek. Unless settled by a genuine agreement, built on some deep soul-searching, divergent memories can often lie in wait, like dry gunpowder, for a long time, passed down in many communities from parents to children, ready for a charismatic opportunist to come and stir them abruptly and menacingly, to violent effect.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“The political spaces created by the United Nations Operation in the Congo in pacifying parts of the Congo, through active counter- insurgency operations, as well through the protection of civilians, were then built on, both figuratively and literally: roads were paved and buildings went up along with new State institutions. United Nations peacebuilding as we know it now found its first real expression, therefore, in the Congo from 1961 to 1964. Indeed, much of what we do now was done then. There again, the United Nations has developed some expertise. What must be conceded, however, is that much of the work then was physical and, as was common in Western Europe at the time, there was little attempt to address the deeper psychological issues at work before or after the conflict.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“To end the killing, the methods first devised by the United Nations in the period 1948 to 1961, most notably by Dag Hammarskjold, Ralph Bunche and Lester Pearson beginning in 1956, remain with us still: ceasefire through mediation, which leads to the separation of forces, the removal of heavy weapons from the line of separation and the monitoring of the ceasefire or truce through joint commissions, joint patrolling and so on. That, the United Nations has shown itself to be capable of performing. To end the conflict, the Security Council, beginning in 1961, expanded the development of peacekeeping with the adoption of resolutions 161 (1961) and 169 (1961), at a time when a ceasefire in the Congo was not so much mediated, as was the case earlier in the Sinai, but fought for in a country in the throes of a conflict.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source