YouSaid · the spoken record

Rice

lines on the record: 1,272
first: 2005-10-31
most recent: 2013-06-19
sittings or episodes: 170
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

“While we applaud such developments, we recognize that many challenges remain, including so-called insider attacks. The reasons for those attacks vary, but we are working closely with the Government ofAfghanistan on a range of measures to stop them. We have not and will not allow such attacks to undermine international efforts to strengthen the Afghan National Security Forces and put them increasingly in the lead. We know Afghanistan's security depends not only on strong capable security forces, but also on the Afghan people's access to economic opportunity and their belief that their Government is effectively serving their needs. The international community's total pledges in Tokyo of $16 billion in economic assistance through 2015 meet the World Bank's estimate of Afghanistan's requirements, just as Chicago met its security requirements.”
2012-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6840 (2012) · source
“Afghanistan and its international partners have charted a responsible transition, which will transfer full responsibility for security back to Afghanistan. The Afghan National Security Forces continue to grow in size and capability. Those Forces remain on track to reach 352,000 personnel later this year. Two thirds of all those who serve in uniform defending Afghanistan are now Afghans, and over half the Afghan population is protected by a predominantly Afghan force. We look forward to the full implementation of the third tranche of the transition later this year, at which point 75 per cent of the Afghan population, including every provincial capital, will be in the transition process. As pledged at the NATO Summit in Chicago in May, the international community will support the Afghan National Security Forces beyond 2014.”
2012-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6840 (2012) · source
“I welcome Foreign Minister Rassoul back to the Council and thank him for his remarks. I thank Special Representative of the Secretary-General Kubis again for all that he does and for his briefing. I want to extend, through him, our thanks again to the staff of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the United Nations country team for their dedicated work under very difficult circumstances. Since we last met (see S/PV.6793), the international community has further demonstrated its commitment to the Afghan people beyond 2014. As recent events have shown, the transition is on track and our commitment to Afghanistan is enduring. On 7 July, President Obama officially designated Afghanistan a major non-NATO ally of the United States. That is a powerful symbol of our commitment to Afghanistan's future.”
2012-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6840 (2012) · source
“However, Iran has not responded constructively to the offer, nor engaged the P5+1 on meaningful commensurate steps. We believe that there is still time and space for diplomacy. However, the onus is on Iran to respond constructively. The international community should continue to underscore that Iran must take meaningful steps or face increasing pressure. Yet we cannot and will not pursue that path indefinitely. We will not engage in an endless process of negotiations that fail to produce any results. We must therefore remain clear and united in seeking the resolution of the international community's concerns regarding Iran's nuclear programme. Time is wasting.”
2012-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6839 (2012) · source
“We remain committed to trying to find a negotiated solution with Iran that restores international confidence in its nuclear activities and bolsters regional stability. Working with our Permanent Five plus one (P5+1) partners, we have repeatedly laid out clear proposals for addressing the Iranian nuclear issue step by step. As the Council knows, the P5+1 focused initially on those elements of the Iranian nuclear programme that are of most immediate concern: Iran's continued enrichment of uranium to 20 per cent; its stockpiling of 20 per cent enriched uranium beyond the amount necessary for any civilian use; and the continued activity at the underground Fordow nuclear site. In return for satisfactory Iranian action in those areas, the P5+1 have made a serious offer of reciprocal steps that begin to address Iran's concerns as well.”
2012-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6839 (2012) · source
“States in the region must therefore work together and redouble their efforts to deny, inspect and seize illicit Iranian shipments, including transfers via air corridors, in line with the cargo inspection provisions of resolution 1929 (2010). We also urge the Committee to renew its focus on Iran's prohibited ballistic missile programmes. In July, officials of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps tested ballistic missiles capable of travelling 1,300 kilometres. Although such tests are in clear violation of paragraph 9 of resolution 1929 (2010), the Council and the Committee have not yet taken effective action to respond to that blatant non-compliance. The United States seeks to resolve the Iran nuclear issue through a comprehensive approach.”
2012-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6839 (2012) · source
“The Committee should also do more to help international organizations ensure that their activities and programmes in Iran are fully compliant with United Nations sanctions. We particularly urge the Committee and the Panel to focus on Iran's long-standing and well-documented smuggling of weapons to extremist groups worldwide. United Nations sanctions prevent Iran from exporting all arms and related materiel to any country. Iran's arms exports to the murderous Al-Assad regime in Syria are of particular concern. As the Panel of Experts has concluded, Syria is now "a central party to illicit Iranian arms transfers" (S/2012/395, para. 120) .”
2012-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6839 (2012) · source
“We have two effective tools to carry out that task: the Iran sanctions committee and the Iran United Nations Panel of Experts. Those bodies must remain active and continuously seek ways to improve the implementation of sanctions. The June 2012 final report of the Panel of Experts (S/2012/395, annex) provides an excellent blueprint for Committee action on the weeks and months ahead. We encourage the Committee to meet regularly until it has acted upon all the recommendations contained in the final report. The Committee should issue regular guidance and public notices advising States on how best to implement the sanctions. It should impose targeted sanctions on individuals and entities responsible for violating existing sanctions.”
2012-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6839 (2012) · source
“We learned that, at the Fordow fuel-enrichment plant, which is a bunker facility built by Iran in secret and protected by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran has doubled the number of installed Iranian enrichment centrifuges. And we learned that Iran continues to enrich uranium to nearly 20 per cent, which is a step closer to bomb- grade enrichment. Needless to say, such activities are all contrary to multiple resolutions of the Security Council and the IAEA. Iran knows the steps that it must take to be in full compliance with its international obligations. Iran knows the actions required to demonstrate full cooperation with the IAEA. Yet Iran's approach still remains to deny, deceive and distract. The Security Council must redouble its efforts to ensure that the sanctions that we impose are fully and robustly implemented.”
2012-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6839 (2012) · source
“I would like to thank Ambassador Osorio for his briefing today. We greatly value his efforts and his effective advocacy for the full implementation of United Nations sanctions on Iran. Every three months, the Council takes note of the latest report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) showing Iran's continued defiance. Every three months, we witness Iran's latest leaps forward in its prohibited nuclear activities. The Council cannot afford to be complacent. We must recognize that we face a situation that continues to worsen. Just a few weeks ago, the IAEA Director General provided his latest assessment of Iran's nuclear progress (see S/2012/677, annex). We learned that Iran is "significantly" hampering IAEA inspections of the Parchin facility and probably engaging in efforts to sanitize the site.”
2012-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6839 (2012) · source
“Indeed, one day not far away, Al-Assad will lose his bloody grip on the Syrian people. Then the Council will have to step up to help the Syrian people heal the wounds of war and rebuild their battered country. When that day comes, the Syrian people i and the world - will remember who was on the wrong side of history and who was on the side of the Syrian people.”
2012-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6826 (2012) · source
“The primary responsibility for ending the carnage rests with Al-Assad and the clique around him. But the rest of the international community, especially our fellow Council members, has responsibilities of their own. Unfortunately, a few members of the Council continue to prevent this body from responding effectively. That is reprehensible. Yet even at this tragically late hour, things do not have to remain as they are. The Syrian people fully understand which countries have rallied to their legitimate cause and which countries have protected a doomed and desperate regime. The United States will remain committed to pursuing a wiser course, one that limits the harm to regional security, staves off the risk of full-scale civil strife and produces a new, responsible Syrian Government that will defend and respect all of its citizens.”
2012-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6826 (2012) · source
“We welcome pledges by Free Syrian Army leaders that forbid their soldiers from harming civilians, mistreating prisoners or killing captured combatants. We will watch to see that those promises are implemented. We also reiterate our demand that the Syrian Government refrain from using or transferring any chemical or biological weapons. It is incumbent upon the Syrian Government to ensure the safety and security of all such weapons and stockpiles. We have heard volumes today about the suffering of the innocent and the cruelty of the guilty. My country was founded on the belief that Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed. The Al-Assad regime has manifestly lost whatever consent, if any, it ever had. The question is not whether it will fall; the question is when, and at what price.”
2012-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6826 (2012) · source
“We are proud to help train civil society activists and to provide Syrians with equipment that lets them communicate securely with one another, reach out to the outside world and document the regime's atrocities. We encourage the opposition's efforts to unite the population behind a common transition plan that offers a viable and safe future for all Syrians. We will continue to expand and intensify those efforts, and we will not rest until the Syrian people are free to realize their aspirations to govern themselves and live without fear. Even as the conflict rages, we condemn in the strongest terms unlawful killings by any side. We cannot and will not turn away from atrocities and systematic violations of international law. Those responsible for massacres of civilians will be held accountable.”
2012-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6826 (2012) · source
“No amount of humanitarian assistance will end the bloodshed and suffering. That day will come only once Al-Assad has departed and a peaceful, Syrian-led transition to democracy has begun. This remains our goal and should be the goal of all nations of goodwill. We welcome the appointment of Joint Special Envoy Brahimi and fully support his efforts to end the violence and pave the way for a political transition. In parallel, the United States and our partners will continue to work with the Syrian opposition and to engage all elements of society to help the Syrian people achieve a Government that represents all of its citizens, promotes their human rights, respects the rule of law and responds to its people's aspirations.”
2012-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6826 (2012) · source
“We urge all Members to increase their contributions to meet the shortfalls and to coordinate closely with the United Nations to avoid creating parallel humanitarian response systems. We appreciate especially the generosity of Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and other countries that have opened their borders to civilians fleeing violence and persecution. We stand ready to continue to provide support as needed. We call on all concerned to facilitate safe passage for those seeking to flee. The United States is deeply troubled by the spillover of Syria's violence into neighbouring countries, especially Lebanon, where the Lebanese Government and security forces are working to manage outbreaks of violence. But this is not, at its root, a humanitarian crisis. It is a political crisis caused by the cruelty and callousness of the Al-Assad regime.”
2012-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6826 (2012) · source
“My Government is pursuing every avenue to provide humanitarian relief to those affected by the violence in Syria. This year, the United States has already provided nearly $82 million to the United Nations and other relief agencies for the Syrian humanitarian crisis. Our aid has fed the hungry and bound up the wounds of as many of Al-Assad's victims as we can reach. We are helping protect internally displaced people and refugees, working to save children from malnutrition and disease and helping to ensure adequate water, sanitation and hygiene. Our assistance is also enabling humanitarian coordination and logistics support to relief agencies. We are deeply grateful to fellow Member States that also have made important donations.”
2012-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6826 (2012) · source
“We commend the humanitarian workers, who are risking their lives to save others, and we grieve for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. All parties, especially the Syrian Government, must allow safe, full and unfettered access for humanitarian workers so they can save lives that today hang in the balance. The United States strongly supports the full and immediate implementation of the Syria humanitarian response plan, which was agreed by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Government of Syria. Only half of the $180 million needed to address prior humanitarian needs in Syria has been provided. The revised United Nations Syria regional response plan, which assists neighbouring countries hosting refugees, is underfunded as well.”
2012-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6826 (2012) · source
“Bashar Al-Assad and those who still stand by him are now responsible for the deaths of more than 20,000 Syrians and the wounding of tens of thousands more. They have forced hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee for their lives. Despite the appalling environment on the ground and the clear obstruction by the Syrian Government, we are working with others to counter the cruelty of Bashar Al-Assad and his clique. The United Nations, international organizations, the United States, many countries around the world and Syrian and other humanitarian organizations are rushing vital aid to the hundreds of thousands of civilians in urgent need. The United Nations reports that up to 2.5 million Syrians now need assistance.”
2012-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6826 (2012) · source
“Thank you, Foreign Minister Fabius, for convening this important meeting. We gather at a sombre hour, less than a week after some of the bloodiest days since the Syrian regime began its crackdown almost 18 months ago. The United States is outraged by the summary executions and shelling that killed hundreds of Syrians in Darayya late last week. The reports of aerial attacks on hospitals, bakeries and breadlines in Aleppo recall some of the worst atrocities of prior conflicts. The international community has long pledged to never again allow such crimes. Yet, for a year and a half, the Syrian regime has waged a vicious, unrelenting campaign of terror and bloodshed against its own suffering people.”
2012-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6826 (2012) · source
“One can only hope that one day, before too many thousands more die, Russia and China and will stop protecting Al-Assad and allow the Council to play its proper role at the centre of the international response to the crisis in Syria.”
2012-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6810 (2012) · source
“It is simply not credible to argue that the mere continuation of an unarmed observer mission in the midst of these threats and spiraling violence can or will fundamentally change anything. Everyone in this Chamber knows that. The United States has not and will not pin its policy on an unarmed observer mission that is deployed in the midst of such widespread violence and that cannot even count on the most minimal support of the Security Council. Instead, we will intensify our work with a diverse range of partners outside the Security Council to bring pressure to bear on the Al-Assad regime and to deliver assistance to those in need. The Security Council has failed utterly in the most important task on its agenda this year. This is another dark day in Turtle Bay.”
2012-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6810 (2012) · source
“It is at odds with over 100 countries in the Group of Friends of the Syrian People that called for decisive action under Chapter VII to stop the killing and start a process of transition to post-Al-Assad Syria. And it is at odds with the wishes and aspirations of the vast majority of the Syrian people, who deserve so much better from the Security Council. We have missed yet another critical opportunity to work together. We, and especially the people of Syria, cannot afford to miss any more. Yesterday's dramatic attack in Damascus was indicative of how the situation in Syria will continue to deteriorate in the face of the Council's inaction. The perpetuation of the status quo is in no way static. It is in fact a recipe for intensified conflict, increased terrorism and a proxy war that could engulf the region.”
2012-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6810 (2012) · source
“The blame for that unacceptable situation does not lie with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Joint Special Envoy Annan or the United Nations monitors. Unarmed United Nations military observers and civilian staff have performed their tasks bravely under very dangerous conditions, and we thank them and the troop-contributing countries profoundly for their dedicated service. Rather the fault lies squarely with the heinous Al-Assad regime and those Member States that refuse to join the international community and their fellow Council members in taking firm action against the regime. Their position is at odds with the majority of the Council that voted in favour of the draft resolution today. It is at odds with the League of Arab States.”
2012-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6810 (2012) · source
“We have made it clear that those weapons must remain secure and that the regime will be held accountable for their use because, as the situation deteriorates, the potential that this regime could consider using chemical weapons against its own people should be a concern for us all. On 13 July, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon wrote a letter reiterating his call on Council members to "insist on the implementation of the Council's resolutions and to exercise their common responsibilities by taking necessary collective action under the United Nations Charter". Yet the United Nations Mission's reports of persistent and flagrant violations and the appeals of the Secretary-General the Joint Special Envoy have been met only with intensified violence and Security Council inaction.”
2012-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6810 (2012) · source
“Week after week, they told us that the Syrian Government continued to detain and torture citizens and to maintain a horrific posture of intimidation and harassment. They reported recently that the Syrian regime had escalated its crackdown, employing tanks and helicopter gunships. They reported on various occasions that the Syrian-backed shabiha militia were terrorizing entire communities, including by sexually assaulting women and children. The escalation of the regime's attacks against its own people is even more troubling because of its large stockpiles of chemical weapons.”
2012-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6810 (2012) · source
“The only way that unarmed United Nations observers could ever deter violence is if their reports of the Syrian regime's persistent violations of the Annan plan and of their own commitments led the Security Council to impose swift and meaningful consequences for non-compliance, as requested - indeed, demanded - by our Joint Special Envoy. As the United States explained when voting for the establishment of UNSMIS three months ago (see S/PV.6756), we were and remain deeply skeptical of the Syrian regime's intentions, and thus of the efficacy of the observer Mission. Week after week, the Secretary-General, the Joint Special Envoy, the Head ofUNSMIS, General Mood, and others have told the Council that the Al-Assad regime continued to fire heavy weapons in population centres, in contravention of resolutions 2042 (2012) and 2043 (2012).”
2012-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6810 (2012) · source
“But it would not even impose sanctions at this stage, and despite the paranoid, if not disingenuous, claims of some to the contrary, it would in no way authorize or even pave the way for foreign military intervention. What the draft resolution would have done was to provide the political support to the United Nations Supervision Mission in the Syrian Arab Republic (UNSMIS) that might have given it a fighting chance to accomplish its mandate. It is a shame that the Council was unwilling to do so. There should be no doubt about this.”
2012-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6810 (2012) · source
“This is the third time in 10 months that two members, Russia and China, have prevented the Security Council from responding credibly to the Syrian conflict. The first two vetoes they cast were very destructive. This veto is even more dangerous and deplorable. The draft resolution (S/2012/538) just vetoed demanded that all parties cease violence. It invoked Chapter VII of the Charter to make more binding on the parties their obligation to implement the six-point plan of the Joint Special Envoy and effect the political transition plan agreed by the Action Group for Syria in Geneva on 30 June. It also threatened the only party with heavy weapons, the Syrian regime, with sanctions ifit continued to use those weapons brutally against its own cities and citizens.”
2012-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6810 (2012) · source
“By aligning with national priorities, strengthening international partnerships and learning from what we have already accomplished, the Peacebuilding Commission has great potential to help countries emerging from war to stay on the path to peace. The United States looks forward to the Security Council's continuing engagement with the PBC to facilitate and enhance that critical work.”
2012-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6805 (2012) · source
“The PBC has worked with six countries on a diverse range of peacebuilding needs, and the United Nations has supported numerous other peacebuilding efforts in places such as South Sudan and Timor-Leste. While there is no one-size-fits-all peacebuilding solution, the United States encourages the PBC, through its Working Group on Lessons Learned, to systematically review peacebuilding precedents and disseminate global best practices from countries on and off the PBC's agenda. The Council's mandate to advance peace and security demands that we work not just to end conflict, but to prevent its recurrence.”
2012-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6805 (2012) · source
“On other multifaceted issues, such as youth employment and improving public sector capacity-building, progress still needs to be made in bringing all partners together around common strategies and effective divisions of labour. The United Nations can also play a unique role in facilitating triangular partnerships that support the sharing of expertise in post-conflict transitions, such as the initiative of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development to deploy Kenyan, Ugandan and Ethiopian experts to South Sudan, with the support of Norway and UNDP. United Nations agencies can encourage wider use of those and other innovative arrangements when designing peacebuilding activities. Finally, fortunately, we have an increasingly long list of experiences to inform our support for countries emerging from conflict.”
2012-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6805 (2012) · source
“We welcome the commitment of the Secretary-General to implement reforms since the issuance of his report (S/2011/527) on the subject. Those include the development of an online mechanism to access the marketplace of civilian expertise, and the designation of a new global focal point on the rule of law, to bring greater coherence to the work of the United Nations and mobilize the combined expertise of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations on that critical, cross-cutting issue. Indeed, successful peacebuilding requires the United Nations to pool its own system-wide expertise.”
2012-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6805 (2012) · source
“Thirdly, mobilizing resources for peacebuilding remains an enormous challenge, but one on which the PBC can have a significant impact. We commend the country-specific configuration Chairs for publicly advocating for sustained commitment to peacebuilding and increasing the alignment of PBC priorities with projects supported by the Peacebuilding Fund. The PBC can also leverage its diverse composition and convening power to mobilize new sources of investment and support, including from the private sector, and work to ensure timely and successful donor conferences and related processes. Fourthly, today's discussion of the PBC's effectiveness cannot be separated from the broader work of United Nations peacebuilding, including efforts to develop and deploy more effectively capable civilian specialists in the aftermath of conflict.”
2012-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6805 (2012) · source
“The PBC has done that effectively in Sierra Leone by adopting the Government's Agenda for Change as the basis for its engagement in the country. As a result, the PBC promotes a single vision for Sierra Leone's future. Secondly, the international community still struggles with coordinating an increasingly crowded field of peacebuilding actors. We urge the PBC to forge and expand partnerships with international financial institutions, including the African Development Bank and the World Bank, major donors and key regional actors. Deeper relationships between the PBC and regional organizations, such as the Economic Community of West African States, would also benefit many countries on the PBC agenda, particularly in dealing with issues that benefit from regional solutions, including combating transnational illicit networks.”
2012-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6805 (2012) · source
“Government, civil society and citizens must be engaged regularly in order to ensure the international community responds to their needs. We encourage the PBC to engage affected communities in shaping peacebuilding priorities and to incorporate the perspectives of youth and women in particular, which are crucial to post-conflict recovery. The Liberia configuration's recent meeting with a local peace committee is one example of grass-roots engagement that should be repeated. Peacebuilding strategies need to be integral to national plans, not an added burden to post-conflict Governments already struggling to manage delicate transitions. The PBC can help reinforce existing national strategies and ensure a focused effort from all actors.”
2012-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6805 (2012) · source
“I thank you, Minister Holguin Cuellar, for chairing this important debate. I would also like to thank the Secretary-General, Ambassador Gasana, Ambassador Momen and Mr. Von Amsberg for their important leadership on the issue of peacebuilding. We have learned time and again that the end of conflict does not mean that peace has necessarily arrived. Sustained peace must be built on a durable foundation of national commitment, broad international support and experience informed by the lessons of the past. The Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) has an important role to play, and can continue to enhance its contribution by focusing its efforts, strengthening coordination with internal and external stakeholders, and highlighting best practices. First, peacebuilding cannot succeed without national ownership. That is indispensable.”
2012-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6805 (2012) · source
“The Afghan people, the international community, the United Nations and UNAMA have been unfaltering in their commitment to Afghanistan. I want to underscore the enduring importance of the work of the United Nations and UNAMA, from its good offices to promote regional cooperation and co-chairing of the Joint Coordination Monitoring Board, to its humanitarian assistance and support for refugees and internally displaced persons. The United Nations has remained steadfastly committed to the Afghan people, and we are grateful. The Afghan Government and people, the region and the international community have demonstrated their resolve and long-term commitment to a secure, stable and prosperous Afghanistan. The United States will work with all of them every step of the way.”
2012-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6793 (2012) · source
“We look forward to the Tokyo Conference next week, which is an important opportunity for the Afghan Government to clearly commit to improving governance and intensifying the fight against corruption. Those reforms are vital. Afghanistan cannot rely on donor financing indefinitely. Sustainable development requires private investment and improved regional connectivity. As Afghanistan makes progress on governance and anti-corruption, the United States and the international community will take concrete steps of our own to help, as we promised at Bonn. Despite serious fiscal challenges of our own, our continued investment in Afghanistan is essential, and it should come from both Governments and the private sector. The coming months will be a dynamic time for Afghanistan.”
2012-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6793 (2012) · source
“Security improvements will also contribute to the sustainable reintegration of returning Afghans and enable economic opportunity. We are encouraged by the success of the International Conference on Afghan refugees organized in May by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and urge the United Nations to continue to focus attention on the needs of high-return communities to ensure voluntary and sustainable reintegration. The March Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan, held in Dushanbe, accelerated Afghanistan's growing connections with its South and Central Asian neighbours. We also applaud the private-sector conference being hosted in New Delhi this week to promote investment in Afghanistan's people and industries.”
2012-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6793 (2012) · source
“That would not be possible without the growing strength of the Afghan National Security Forces, which remain essential to our shared goal of an Afghanistan that can secure and govern itself. The transition is on track. Afghans are increasingly standing up for their own security and future, and NATO remains united in its support for the Lisbon timetable and an enduring commitment to Afghanistan. The region is also supporting Afghanistan through its transition. We applaud the recent Heart of Asia ministerial Conference in Kabul, which endorsed a process of continuous dialogue and confidence-building measures that will contribute to achieving regional peace and stability, and we welcome the positive role that UNAMA played in helping to ensure that the Conference was a success.”
2012-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6793 (2012) · source
“At the NATO summit held in Chicago in May, world leaders reaffirmed the Lisbon framework for transition in Afghanistan and further outlined the support that the alliance and individual nations will provide to the Afghan military and police after 2014. As the Afghans assume full responsibility for security by the end of 2014, the enemies of the Afghan people should know that there will be steadfast and capable Afghan forces standing against them, with strong NATO support. President Karzai's recent announcement of the third of five tranches of areas to transition to Afghan security lead is an important step forward. As transition begins in those areas, nearly 75 per cent of the population of Afghanistan will be living in provinces, districts and villages where Afghan forces are beginning to lead.”
2012-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6793 (2012) · source
“The post-2014 United States presence will be shaped in close consultation with the Afghan Government and will support Afghanistan's social and economic development, security, institutions and regional cooperation. The agreement enshrines a range of mutual commitments, including on combating terrorism and strengthening democratic institutions. The United States welcomes the strong Afghan commitment to strengthening accountability, transparency and oversight and to protecting the human rights of all Afghans - men and women. Afghanistan and the United States have taken steps together to show that Afghanistan's progress will be irreversible and that our commitment is real and enduring. The strategic partnership is just one piece of a larger international effort to work with the Afghans for a successful transition.”
2012-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6793 (2012) · source
“This morning I will focus my remarks on recent and upcoming events that have reinforced this message. On 2 May, Afghanistan and the United States signed a strategic partnership agreement. It is one of several bilateral agreements that Afghanistan has concluded that demonstrates how the international community continues to come together to support Afghanistan as it prepares for the transition in 2014. The agreement provides a long-term framework for relations between Afghanistan and the United States after a responsible drawdown of United States forces. It reaffirms the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Afghanistan. I want to be clear that the United States does not seek any permanent American military bases.”
2012-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6793 (2012) · source
“I thank Under-Secretary-General Ladsous for his briefing today detailing the important work that the staff of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) performs every day under very difficult conditions, and Executive Director Fedotov for his briefing on this important issue. I also thank Ambassador Tanin for joining today's discussion. As always, we value his participation and his close cooperation with the Security Council. In the last few months, the international community has underscored its support for strengthening Afghan leadership and Afghan sovereignty while reinforcing its commitment to Afghanistan well beyond 2014. As President Obama has said, the message to the Afghan people is clear: "As you stand up, you will not stand alone".”
2012-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6793 (2012) · source
“The Sudan must also guarantee unrestricted humanitarian access to all of Darfur. In conclusion, since the Council's presidential statement of 22 November 2010 on the protection of civilians (S/PRST/2010/25), we have witnessed robust international action to protect civilians, including in Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and of course Libya, as I mentioned earlier, but we have also witnessed the failure to help those in dire need. The United States remains committed to the protection of civilians and will continue working with the Council and our international partners towards that end.”
2012-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6790 (2012) · source
“We must take meaningful steps, including by imposing binding sanctions under Chapter VII, to pressure the Syrian regime to comply with the Joint Special Envoy's six-point plan and work towards a political transition that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people. In the Sudan, the Government in Khartoum continues not only to fail to protect civilians, but to bomb civilian areas and impede the delivery of urgently needed humanitarian assistance. The United States strongly condemns the violations of international law and the human rights abuses in Darfur and the two areas. We and many others have repeatedly called on the Government of the Sudan to end its indiscriminate aerial bombardments and provide immediate and unrestricted humanitarian access in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile States.”
2012-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6790 (2012) · source
“By contrast, the situation in Syria represents a colossal failure by the Security Council to protect civilians. For over a year, the Council has not been willing to protect the Syrian people from the brutal actions of their Government. During our last debate on this topic, in November (see S/PV.6650), the High Commissioner for Human Rights estimated the death toll from months of violence at 3,500. It has at least tripled since then. The regime's relentless campaign of violence against its own people has grown ever more reprehensible, and ever more dangerous to international peace and security. The recent suspension of operations by the United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria is a testament to the gravity of the situation. It is a shame that the Council continues to stand by rather than to stand up.”
2012-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6790 (2012) · source
“The perennial question remains, when will it? Last year, the Council and the broader international community took a principled stand, saving untold lives in Libya. As the Secretary-General said in his report (S/2012/376), the Council's response to the situation in Libya was decisive. The Council first referred the situation to the International Criminal Court, in resolution 1970 (2011). When Al-Qadhafi's regime remained defiant, we adopted, without opposition, resolution 1973 (2011), which contained a strong civilian-protection mandate, well understood by all members of the Council, to authorize the use of force to prevent brutal actions by that regime against the Libyan people. Those actions have given Libyans a well-deserved chance to chart a future where their sovereignty, dignity and human rights are respected.”
2012-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6790 (2012) · source
“The Secretary-General has encouraged all relevant United Nations entities to brief the Council on the protection of civilians, which is something that we strongly support. In particular, we would welcome a briefing to the Security Council on the implementation of resolution 1894 (2009), and an annual briefing on the capacity of current United Nations-mandated peacekeeping and special political missions with respect to their efforts to protect civilians, particularly to identify lessons learned and resources gaps. In addition, we would ask that all relevant United Nations entities include in future reports to the Council information on the threats and vulnerabilities facing populations, as well as their strategies to mitigate those. The Security Council has proved that it can act to protect civilians under threat.”
2012-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6790 (2012) · source