YouSaid · the spoken record

Snoussi

lines on the record: 303
first: 1992-01-21
most recent: 1999-09-30
sittings or episodes: 43
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

“"None the less, regardless of your electoral concerns, they cannot legitimize a measure as dangerous and as reprehensible as the expropriation of something that belongs to others. "We therefore strenuously protest against this measure. "We do so as much to defend the very interests of peace as to draw your attention to the grave dangers to which this exposes Israel and the immense risks that it poses for a fragile peace which is still seeking the means by which it can be strengthened.”
1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3536 (1995) · source
“"Other pioneers have joined their efforts to ours in the quest for a just and lasting peace, guaranteeing to each and all the free exercise of and strict respect for their rights. "The road towards peace has been a long and difficult one, studded with pitfalls. Our common will has made it possible to overcome some of the difficulties and to allow the world to begin to see a glimmer of that peace to which it has aspired for so long. "Of course, not all the obstacles had been removed, but there were grounds for hope. "But now the expropriation of Arab land is leading straight to an impasse from which it will be difficult to emerge. "We have considered your situation in the particular circumstances being experienced by Israel, and the approach of an election is always an important event for a political leader.”
1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3536 (1995) · source
“Prime Minister, "The confiscation of 53 hectares of Arab land in Jerusalem has had the effect of a bombshell throughout the world and has been the subject of general concern. "It has hurt us particularly and personally, aware as we are of the gravity of the consequences of this action both for Israel and for all the peoples of the region. "Patiently standing up to incomprehension and often even hostility, and at the risk of compromising our own position within the Arab nation, we have worked for more than two decades for Judeo-Arab rapprochement and for the establishment of the best possible conditions and the best possible atmosphere for the States of the region to live in peace and understanding.”
1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3536 (1995) · source
“In his letter the King asserted: "The measure that Israel has just taken certainly could abort the peace process on the Palestinian front, the more so since that peace is still fragile, could be torpedoed by forces hostile to it, both in Palestine and in Israel, and is blocked on the Syrian and Lebanese fronts, where the process has not yet taken the appropriate direction." His Majesty the King also indicated: "Israel's confiscation of Arab land in Jerusalem for the purpose of establishing settlements is unfortunately a reflection of its tendency to act unilaterally, in addition to the fact that, by acting thus, it is in violation of international law." Moreover, His Majesty, on 4 May 1995, addressed to Mr. Itzhak Rabin, the Prime Minister of Israel, a letter which I shall now read out: "Mr.”
1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3536 (1995) · source
“Aware of the terrible consequences of the confiscation of Palestinian land, His Majesty King Hassan II, in his capacity as Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee and as current President of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, addressed letters to the Heads of State of the members of the Security Council, drawing their attention to the grave dangers involved in these measures and the immense risks they posed to peace and calling on them to act within the Security Council to prompt Israel to revoke its decision.”
1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3536 (1995) · source
“4) In this respect it should be recalled that in its resolution 242 (1967) the Security Council underscored the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force and demanded the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territories occupied in June 1967, of which we consider the city of Al-Quds to be an integral part. Therefore, at a time when we were expecting that an end would be put to the confiscations of land and to the establishment of settlements, by virtue of the obligations undertaken by the two parties, we saw with great regret that action was continuing to be taken in this area that could call into question the very chances of carrying on with the Palestinian-Israeli peace process.”
1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3536 (1995) · source
“The Washington Declaration of 13 September 1993, welcomed with enormous hope by the international community, specified clearly that the permanent status of the city of Al-Quds was to remain among those questions that would be subject to negotiations scheduled to begin in May 1996. It stated that "The two parties agree that the outcome of the permanent status negotiations should not be prejudiced or preempted by agreements reached for the interim period." (S/26560, annex, p. 5) Furthermore, article I of that Declaration clearly states: "The aim of the negotiations is the establishment of an Authority "leading to a permanent settlement based on Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973). (ibid., annex, p.”
1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3536 (1995) · source
“The confiscation measures constitute an action that not only tends to modify the status of this Holy City but also dangerously creates an enormous doubt in the mind of the Arabs and Muslims, at the very time when they had decided to believe in the miracle of peace in that part of the world. This is where our greatest concerns reside, because it is not just a question of attacking the rules and resolutions of international legality but, in fact, unfortunately calls into question a spirit and a will that the parties concerned need to display at all times if they are to rid themselves of the already-numerous pitfalls on the path towards the long-awaited and desired peace.”
1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3536 (1995) · source
“2) In the same resolution the Security Council urgently called upon Israel "to rescind all such measures already taken and to desist forthwith from taking any further action which tends to change the status of Jerusalem". (ibid., para. 3) This status has since then been reaffirmed by other resolutions of the United Nations, all of which have declared null and void the measures taken to change the status of this Holy City, which has symbolic value and spiritual and emotional dimensions not only for the Muslim world but also for the Christian communities and the Jewish world.”
1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3536 (1995) · source
“We therefore have every right to be seriously concerned by these measures, which represent a return to practices that we thought were a thing of the past. Unfortunately, since the occupation of the Holy City of Al-Quds the Israeli authorities have systematically taken action to modify its status, ignoring many resolutions of the Security Council and of the General Assembly and the rules and principles of international law. In fact, in its resolution 252 (1968) of 21 May 1968, the Security Council considered "that all legislative and administrative measures and actions taken by Israel, including expropriation of land and properties thereon, which tend to change the legal status of Jerusalem are invalid and cannot change that status". (resolution 252 ( I 968), para.”
1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3536 (1995) · source
“The Secretary-General launched an appeal to the international community to encourage the Israeli Government to put an end to these confiscations. For their part, the Arab Group and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, in statements issued as official documents of the Security Council, have also reacted to this grave situation. Indeed, the confiscation measures cannot be acceptable to the international community because, in addition to their blatant illegality, they involve a grave attack on the peace process and undermine the trust that should prevail between the Palestinians and the Israelis in their long quest for a just and lasting peace. They also shake the trust that the Arab world had begun to place in this long-awaited process.”
1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3536 (1995) · source
“Deeply distressed and concerned at this very serious measure, the Ministerial Council of the League of Arab States, which held an extraordinary meeting on 6 May 1995 in Cairo, unanimously condemned this recent decision by the Israeli Government, which could compromise the chances of peace being achieved in that part of the world. For his part, the Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Mr. Hamid Algabid, who has been following this question with great concern, affirmed that this measure represented a grave step backwards for the peace process, created new obstacles to its progress and, equally, constituted a flagrant violation of the agreements reached between the PLO and Israel.”
1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3536 (1995) · source
“My delegation is firmly convinced that your talents as an experienced diplomat, as well as your well-known human qualities, will ensure the success of the Security Council's work this month. I should also like to fulfil the pleasant duty of congratulating Ambassador Karel Kovanda of the Czech Republic on his outstanding performance as President of the Council last month. The Kingdom of Morocco, like many other countries - in particular, Arab and Muslim countries - learned with great consternation and bitterness of the decisions taken by the Israeli Government concerning the confiscation of 53 hectares of Palestinian land in the eastern part of the Holy City of Al-Quds in order to establish new settlements there.”
1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3536 (1995) · source
“Mr. Snoussi (Morocco) (interpretation from French): First of all, I wish to thank you, Mr. President, for having allowed my delegation to participate in this debate. I also thank the Security Council for having responded favourably to our request, on behalf of the Arab countries and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, for a meeting. It is a great honour for me to offer you, Sir, on behalf of the delegation of the Kingdom of Morocco, sincere congratulations on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for May 1995. I am pleased to express to you, a worthy representative of a country with which my own country has strong ties of friendship and cooperation, our greetings.”
1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3536 (1995) · source
“The Security Council has deemed it necessary to arrange this debate and thus remind Israel and the Palestinians that the international community is interested in the continuation of this process and the avoidance of any action that will derail it. Morocco, for its part, will spare no effort to act accordingly.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505Resumption1 (1995) · source
“Our hope is that Israelis and Palestinians will continue their dialogue in order to iron out the many thorny problems remaining and that the problem of establishing settlements will be faced with courage and determination. We also hope that, for our part, we will do all in our power to remain faithful to the promise made. So much remains to be done that we might run out of time. The international community must therefore encourage the parties to demonstrate goodwill and a constructive spirit to settle the remaining problems in order to achieve the positive peace so eagerly awaited, based on mutual understanding, cooperation, security, dignity and respect for the legitimate rights of all.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505Resumption1 (1995) · source
“Improvement of the well-being of the population in the context of mutually advantageous cooperation will help peace take root and create conditions of safety and security in the region. Improving the well-being of the population and developing the region were the primary objectives of the economic conference held in Casablanca. The results achieved thus far in the peace process are by and large positive, but there is still a long road ahead and it is strewn with obstacles. Israel and Palestine have demonstrated such wisdom and courage that we feel that they will be able to overcome the obstacles and, if need be, hurry through some of the mutually agreed stages now at risk with the passage of time.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505Resumption1 (1995) · source
“The Palestinians continue to have hopes, but they now want to see an end to their daily social and economic problems. They also wish to see quick progress through the various stages, to which they see no end. The political settlement must also be swift; there must be no delays. No pretext must be given to extremists of any kind to engage in violence. The time has come to take a clear and responsible attitude in the face of the deterioration of the situation, which threatens the loss of the amazing achievements for which we have waited for decades. It must be recalled that the advent of a just and lasting peace in Palestine hinges on respect for United Nations resolutions, which are the foundation of international legality, as well as on solid socio-economic foundations for such peace.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505Resumption1 (1995) · source
“Effectively stopping the policy of building settlements in the occupied territories, including Al-Quds Al-Sharif, is a determining factor in this process and, like it or not, it will facilitate or hinder future negotiations towards a final solution of the question. Our words, which are addressed to all sides, are designed to be, first and foremost, words of peace and friendship, as has always been the case. My country has invested a great deal in the peace process, and we cannot close our eyes to the dangers which lurk behind the magnificent achievement begun on 13 September 1993. There is no doubt that our optimism has been somewhat diminished. The difficulties in implementing the accords as concluded have been greater and more numerous than expected.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505Resumption1 (1995) · source
“But the Palestinians, so happy one day, were deeply disappointed the next, when they saw settlements continuing apace - with or without authorization. They felt frustrated because, in their eyes and in the eyes of the world, the settlements reflect a state of mind. It was necessary, perhaps more than ever, that statements be unambiguous, because it was a question of the trust that had been established, and was growing, between Palestinians and Israelis. This is a serious problem because it has enabled the opponents of peace to demonstrate that there is good or bad faith in trying to take back with one hand what is given with the other.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505Resumption1 (1995) · source
“But if they are to be successful, the negotiations must continue in the framework of the commitments undertaken by the parties and of a continuous, constructive dialogue carried out in good faith. That will make it possible to overcome the difficulties, to hasten the process and to protect the region against the actions of the enemies of peace. Israeli settlements in the occupied territories, including Al-Quds Al-Sharif, constitute one of the most serious of those difficulties, which must be overcome at all costs. We welcomed the statements by Israeli authorities that they would no longer authorize new settlements. We would have liked those statements to have been implemented on the ground, which would have bolstered trust between Palestinians and Israelis and improved the chances of a positive outcome of the negotiations on final status.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505Resumption1 (1995) · source
“It has provided ongoing, sustained support for the peace negotiations between the two parties to help them surmount difficulties in those negotiations. Each time they occurred, we welcomed the regular meetings between Palestinian and Israeli authorities on implementing the agreements. The parties must not turn back or slacken the efforts they have made to date - much less allow the paralysis of a process that has become irreversible. That is no longer the will of Palestinians and Israelis alone; it is now the will of the entire international community. Continuing the peace negotiations is no longer optional; it is a firm obligation that the parties are duty-bound to honour with a View to bringing about the peace which we have awaited so long.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505Resumption1 (1995) · source
“Mr. Snoussi (Morocco) (interpretation from French): Let me begin, Sir, by congratulating you on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council and on having guided the work of this important body with such wisdom and effectiveness during the month of February 1995. I must also convey sincere congratulations to Ambassador Cardenas of Argentina on having served as last month's President with such talent and ability. The current Chairman of the Group of Arab States, Ambassador Olhaye, has already stated the views of that Group on the matter before the Council. I wish, however, to add a few thoughts. The international community welcomed with great joy the signature by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel, at Washington nearly two years ago, of the Declaration of Principles, and the ensuing agreements.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505Resumption1 (1995) · source
“After these years of unpardonable atrocities, the Council's responsibility is still just as great, as is ours. Today we learned, as we did yesterday, from the representative of the former Yugoslavia that the provisions we wish to implement will surely be flouted. In any case, we must show greater firmness and determination against the Bosnian Serbs if we wish to 48 preserve the credibility of the United Nations, ensure respect for the rule of law and dissuade the aggressors from their intransigence and their continued rejection of all peace proposals made thus far to end the conflict.”
1994-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3454Resumption1 (1994) · source
“The Kingdom of Morocco, of course, supports this proposal because it is convinced that this measure, which would supplement the other measures adopted by the Security Council, would merely do justice to Bosnia and Herzegovina, a full-fledged Member of our Organization and a victim of aggression deprived of its legitimate right to self-defence. This de jure lifting of the embargo, by putting an end to the military superiority of the Bosnian Serbs, could turn out to be a very effective means of dissuasion that would lead the Bosnian Serbs to accept the Contact Group's peace plan. We are also convinced that the international community should no longer allow the Serbs to continue with impunity to trample the fundamental principles of humanitarian law and the provisions of the Security Council resolutions.”
1994-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3454Resumption1 (1994) · source
“Faced with this huge obstacle to the peace process, the offer of the President of Bosnia and Herzegovina, made before the General Assembly in September 1994 - to decide to lift the embargo but not to apply this decision until six months afterwards, in order to give the Bosnian Serbs time to reconsider their position regarding the peace plan - reflects once again the spirit of compromise and the sincere will of the Government of Bosnia to seek a peaceful, just and lasting solution to this conflict, which has gone on for far too long.”
1994-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3454Resumption1 (1994) · source
“Maintaining the arms embargo unjustly imposed on the Government of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina while reinforcing the military superiority of 47 the Serbs has, in fact, encouraged the latter to continue the conflict, to extend their areas of occupation and to pursue their horrible policy of "ethnic cleansing", especially in the areas that are still occupied. This Serb military superiority is certainly not such as to ensure a credible outcome of the peace process, one that would allow, inter alia, for the mutual recognition of all the States in the region within their international borders, the effective protection of refugees within the safe areas and the strict application of sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro.”
1994-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3454Resumption1 (1994) · source
“Given the ineffectiveness of the efforts of the international community and, admittedly, faced with the persistence of the Serbs in perpetuating their aggression and in refusing all peace proposals, it has become inevitable that we should, finally, allow the Government of Bosnia to acquire the means necessary to exercise its right to legitimate self-defence, as defined by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations. We would like in this respect to reaffirm our position regarding the non-applicability of Security Council resolution 713 (1991) to the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the need to apply, effectively, various measures aimed at preventing the flow of military equipment to the Bosnian Serbs.”
1994-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3454Resumption1 (1994) · source
“Those States had hoped that at any moment a reaction by the international community would correct these inequalities. It was not a question of helping the Bosnian people to fight a war, a war they did not want, but of allowing them to defend themselves and their dignity. Indeed, while the United Nations Protection Force and humanitarian organizations - to which we pay particular tribute here - have given the civilian populations considerable humanitarian assistance and contributed to easing their suffering, this assistance, which is still insufficient, cannot and must not replace the search for a lasting and equitable solution, one that would put an end finally to the aggression and occupation and would restore the sovereignty of the Bosnian Government over its territory.”
1994-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3454Resumption1 (1994) · source
“We have shared the sufferings and the frustrations of the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but on several occasions we did in fact prevent them from defending themselves, though our intentions were assuredly good. But how can one speak of good intentions to a people that day after day is subjected to humiliation and sorrow? We had thought that by permitting this country to defend itself, we were going to encourage, as was often said, an escalation - but what an escalation! After more than two years of this tragedy, we can now say that, unfortunately, we encouraged the established military superiority and dreams of hegemony. Is it not time for us to realize that we are in the process of putting this country at the mercy of extremists? Some Muslim States, such as mine, should today feel guilty for not having done more.”
1994-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3454Resumption1 (1994) · source
“During the debate in the General Assembly on the question of lifting the arms embargo against the Bosnian Government, it became evident that the efforts of the international community had not succeeded in fully ensuring the protection of civilian populations, let alone in putting an end to the conflict that has been ravaging this brotherly country for more than two years, despite all the concessions - often very painful ones - agreed to by the Government and the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina. After more than two years, we find ourselves back where we started. We have succeeded only in very minimally protecting a Member State from invasion and from attempts against its sovereignty. Bosnia and Herzegovina, it must be repeated, had to fight, but it had to fight with too few weapons against an enemy that had help and heavily armed forces.”
1994-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3454Resumption1 (1994) · source
“(General Assembly resolution 49/10, para.22) The de jure lifting of the arms embargo would be effectively implemented only in six months' time, in accordance with the proposal made last September by the Bosnian President, if by then the Bosnian Serbs were continuing to reject the peace plan presented by the Contact Group. This overwhelming support for an initiative that does honour to your country, among others, Madam President, reflects the true feelings of the international community, which has for more than two years tried to discourage attempts to infringe the sovereignty and integrity of a country that is a member of our community.”
1994-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3454Resumption1 (1994) · source
“Mr. Snoussi (Morocco) (interpretation from French): First of all, Madam President, I should like to congratulate you very warmly on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council. We are sure that under your presidency the work of the Council will be successful. I should like to pay a special tribute to your predecessor, Sir David Hannay, for the competent and distinguished manner in which he guided the work of the Council last month. Last week the General Assembly adopted, without any negative vote, a resolution in which it asked the Security Council "to give all due consideration [to exempting] the Governments of the Republic and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina from the embargo on deliveries of weapons and military equipment originally imposed by the Security Council in resolution 713 (1991) of 25 September 1991".”
1994-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3454Resumption1 (1994) · source
“We also wish to extend to President Mandela our wishes for a long and prosperous life, that he may lead South Africa to the development and happiness to which it aspires.”
1994-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3379 (1994) · source
“It is not every day that we come across a great patriot, leader and man like Nelson Mandela, who has demonstrated clear-sightedness, intelligence and, above all, generosity. Of course, it is must also be said that it is not every day that one comes across a great statesman like Mr. De Klerk, who knew that the time had come to turn the page of history and to join the flow of history. At a time when we are preparing to welcome this sister nation and to put aside the remnants of a painful past, let us hope that the international community will be motivated more than it has been in the past to solve more promptly the problems that continue to prick the world's conscience. It is our great honour to have the First Executive Deputy President of South Africa among us. We greet him and reiterate all our best wishes for success.”
1994-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3379 (1994) · source
“Apartheid, racial discrimination and segregation disappeared as if by magic, leaving a free country united in the faith of a glorious and prosperous future. This occurred not by chance but thanks to the clear- sightedness of its leaders, who were able to transcend their anxieties and disagreements to organize together the future of a very great country. No, it was not by chance, because for years the international community had worked tirelessly, persistently and intelligently to bring an end to the formidable power of apartheid. This time at least, our sanctions yielded unambiguous and incontrovertible results. Everything that has occurred allows us to believe that all is not lost.”
1994-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3379 (1994) · source
“Ongoing events in Bosnia and Rwanda are totally unacceptable, but we continue nevertheless to hope that reason will prevail over madness and ruthlessness. We will spare no effort to bring comfort to those who suffer, to stop the invaders and to confront those who, in 1994, still nurture the dream of hegemony and grandeur. Thank God, in this absolutely bleak picture there is a ray of hope. For several decades, the situation in South Africa seemed insoluble and intractable. After several decades, we began to believe that the dream of the South Africans would never be realized. But the other day, a miracle occurred in Johannesburg. South Africa was liberated from the hydra that had always held it in thrall.”
1994-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3379 (1994) · source
“The maintenance of peace, humanitarian assistance and aid throughout the world have become everyday tasks for the United Nations, which is finding it difficult to respond to all the appeals made to it from every direction and to all the problems it must solve. Bosnia, and now Rwanda, have taken the place of other tragedies that monopolized the press and television through their violence, assassinations, "ethnic cleansing", rapes and so on. In these past years, we have together deplored all that has come to pass. We have given the Security Council our unwavering support. We have reiterated here our hope that the Council's determination would check hatred and evil. In all these cases, our joint action, unfortunately, was doomed to failure by treacherous outlaws who trample upon human morality.”
1994-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3379 (1994) · source
“Mr. Snoussi (Morocco) (interpretation from French): I am pleased to be able to congratulate my brother Ambassador Gambari on the effective and judicious manner in which he has presided over the Council since the beginning of the month. I should also like to convey to Mr. Colin Keating our gratitude for his presidency last month. It is very comforting for us today to see the Council meeting at last on the occasion of an event in which our hearts and minds can rejoice. For too long we were denied any satisfaction or joy. Unfortunately, the past years have brought us only tragedies, fratricidal wars and terrible situations. The international community has had to face innumerable crises and interminable tragedies.”
1994-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3379 (1994) · source
“I wish to add a few words, because a short time ago we were horrified to hear a dizzying, picturesque depiction - the only one of its kind - of the situation in Bosnia. We heard the very original theory that everything now happening in Bosnia is being done solely by the Muslims, wishing to establish Muslim supremacy and daring to refuse to agree to eliminate Bosnia and Herzegovina. They are the only ones to blame, apparently. Like me, Mr. President, you heard the United Nations condemned for managing once - just once - to prevent Sarajevo from becoming Serb as well. You, too, heard that all the Bosnians dying every day by the thousands are guilty because they do not wish to die or to abandon fast enough the territory they occupy - that is their land, their homeland. What a pity it is that people no longer die of shame!”
1994-04-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3367 (1994) · source
“It is true that the prestige of the United Nations is at stake. It is true that the future of the United Nations is in jeopardy. But cannot we at least allow these poor people, these innocent victims, to defend themselves, to have equality in weapons, until we can do something to save them? The world knows exactly what must be done. Let us do it. Let us wait no longer. The draft resolution on which the Council is about to vote contains elements for the salvation of Gorazde and other cities. But is it not too late, at least for Gorazde? Will this not be merely the umpteenth resolution to be neither respected nor observed by people who have neither faith nor law, whose only rules are mass murder, "ethnic cleansing", rape and intolerance?”
1994-04-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3367 (1994) · source
“But are we to give up and allow this monstrous idea to take root because a group of men far away, inspired by a barbaric ideology, wish to discredit and 16 demolish everything we have built so patiently since 1945? Are we to allow the dream of a few bloodthirsty leaders to come true? Are we to bury for ever the hope still entertained by the poor residents of Gorazde, who are expecting a miracle? We are in a position to bring about that miracle, but only if we wake up soon - this evening or tomorrow - sound the alarm and have our muezzins cry: "Stop this massacre". The latest massacre has begun, because, as the Council knows, the Serbs are in the streets of Gorazde. We sincerely appealed earlier for the Sarajevo ultimatum to cover other areas, because we already feared then what has now happened. What are we waiting for?”
1994-04-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3367 (1994) · source
“We must ask ourselves whether the latest chapter in this horror story will finally convince us that we made a mistake in preventing the Bosnians from defending themselves, because we ourselves were incapable of defending them. The Serbs and the Bosnian Serbs have apparently, in a diabolical fashion, learned to recognize our limits and weaknesses and they have taken advantage of all our hesitations and disagreements. And yet Sarajevo could have taught us a lesson, because it is now very clear that only force can compel the belligerents to stop their warmongering and destruction. Yesterday, a French newspaper wrote: "The United Nations is dead". Certainly, everything would seem to point that way.”
1994-04-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3367 (1994) · source
“We no longer need to read the newspapers to know that they are not content to win, but that they wish to sweep everything away and impose their own rules of the game and their own rules of partition. All the resolutions adopted by the Security Council have been trampled underfoot in the most barbaric manner. In attacking Gorazde, the Bosnian Serbs and the Serbs have sought to demonstrate that they can with impunity achieve their dreams and ambitions. Gorazde the safe area, Gorazde the zone of peace, has been violated, sacked and destroyed in an ultimate gesture of humiliation and defiance. But the defiance of the Security Council is really defiance of the international community as a whole.”
1994-04-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3367 (1994) · source
“Mr. Snoussi (Morocco) (interpretation from French): It is an honour for me to offer you, Sir, my sincere congratulations on your assumption of the presidency of the Council for April. Your wisdom and far-sightedness, with which we are all very familiar, will certainly allow you to take on the delicate task of guiding the Council's work in these difficult times. I also wish to commend the effective and resourceful manner in which the Ambassador of France conducted the Council's business last month. We are meeting once again to deplore the tragedy of Gorazde and to add that city to the long list of martyred cities. Sarajevo gave rise to a glimmer of hope, but, sadly, that hope has died with Gorazde. We no longer even need to watch television to know that the Bosnian Serbs are relentlessly pursuing their dirty work.”
1994-04-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3367 (1994) · source
“On this holy day in the month of Ramadan, when Muslims join in pious devotion, we would pray, along with all believers in the world, for an end to lamenting about the stricken people of Bosnia and for a beginning - at last - to protection for them against the genocide that is being committed every day, against extermination and against a country that wants to make us relive the horrors which our world experienced in 1939 and which it wanted to forget at all costs.”
1994-02-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3336Resumption3 (1994) · source
“And the disarmament still needs to become real disarmament, the aggressor still has to be punished, the perpetrators of these new crimes still need to be brought to justice and sentenced. And we still have to ensure that our principles, our Charter, our laws and our ethics are no longer flouted. This supposes, of course, greater vigilance and more responsibility on our part. It supposes that the determination we have expressed in respect of Sarajevo covers all the "safe areas" we have created. It supposes that the flow of humanitarian assistance also becomes a condition in the ultimatum that has been issued. And it supposes that Serbia's diplomatic and economic isolation becomes effective and total. The United Nations has had proof that this has been effective elsewhere, but let us not wait for a miracle that will not happen.”
1994-02-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3336Resumption3 (1994) · source
“The international community, in a praiseworthy U-turn, has realized that, in the face of so much contempt, so much recklessness and arrogance, only fear can give pause for thought. And NATO's warning has, for the first time, slowed the hellish pace of the Serb onslaught. But this ultimatum, and even air strikes - if air strikes there are - will not bring back to life the hundreds of thousands of dead Bosnians who wanted only to live in peace. This glimmer of hope is that what is left of the Bosnian people will from now on be better protected. But that protection still needs to be extended to all the stricken towns, as there is nothing to show that, once Sarajevo is out of range, the Bosnian Serbs will not attack the other towns, even if they are symbolically protected by our resolutions.”
1994-02-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3336Resumption3 (1994) · source
“Meanwhile, several conferences have been held and, given that they have not achieved an end to the occupation, to the war, or to the barbarity, they have taken turns at chipping away a little further at Bosnia, at the Bosnian territory recognized by our international community. Each time, we hoped that Serb expansionist pretensions were about to stop, but, each time, while the Bosnian people, now a people of refugees, sought the shelter of the road in the countryside and in neighbouring countries, their country, melting away like ice in a fire, grew smaller every day. And since then, absolutely nothing for Bosnia and Herzegovina. But now, suddenly, today there is a glimmer of hope.”
1994-02-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3336Resumption3 (1994) · source
“The Council, of which we have had the honour of being a member, in two years has issued over 40 resolutions and 50-odd statements. Not one of these resolutions and not one of these statements has been observed by the Bosnian Serbs and, by an irony of fate, only the one that imposed the embargo on the Bosnian Muslims has been scrupulously observed, thus depriving that people of its fundamental right to defend itself on an equal footing, in terms of weaponry, against an invader that has at its disposal the most sophisticated weapons and the most deadly engines of war. Nevertheless, the international community will once again witness the good will of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which has agreed to withdraw its heavy weapons even though resolutions 824 (1993) and 836 (1993) impose no obligation on it to do so.”
1994-02-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3336Resumption3 (1994) · source