YouSaid · the spoken record

Thomas-Greenfield

lines on the record: 1,605
first: 2021-05-27
most recent: 2023-12-22
sittings or episodes: 219
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 accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representative of Mali to participate in this meeting. In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the following briefers to participate in this meeting: Mr. El-Ghassim Wane, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, and Ms. Beatrice Abouya, Acting Regional Director of Search for Common Ground. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2023/611, which contains the text of a letter dated 18 August 2023 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council. I now give the floor to Mr. Wane.”
2023-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9407 (2023) · source
“The representative of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has asked for the floor to make a further statement. I now give him the floor.”
2023-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9406 (2023) · source
“Thirteen out of 15 countries on the Council are calling for an end to the development of nuclear weapons by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Thirteen out of 15 are calling for an end to their tests. And 13 out of 15 are calling for unity in the Council. If there is not unity in the Council, it is not because of the 13 countries. It is because of the two countries. And I do join in calling for unity of the Council. I now resume my functions as President of the Security Council. The representative of the China has asked for the floor to make a further statement.”
2023-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9406 (2023) · source
“I shall now make a further statement in my capacity as the representative of the United States. We reject the disingenuous claims by Russia and China that the United States is acting in a hostile manner. United States-allied military exercises are routine, they are lawful, and they are defensive in nature. And unlike the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s ballistic missile launches, they are not prohibited by Security Council resolutions. As a reminder, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea had actually conducted six intercontinental ballistic missile launches in 2022, before the United States and the Republic of Korea resumed their large-scale exercises in August of that year. I want to recall what I said in my statement, that we should pay attention to what other members of the Council are saying.”
2023-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9406 (2023) · source
“We must unequivocally denounce the unlawful behaviour of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. We must call on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to fully and faithfully implement all relevant Security Council resolutions. We must address the global revenue-generating activities of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea that fund its unlawful weapons programme. Division only empowers the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Let us therefore work together once again to confront this pressing threat to international peace and security. I resume my functions as President of the Council. I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements.”
2023-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9406 (2023) · source
“While the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea refuses entry to international aid workers, who could help alleviate the suffering of the North Korean people, the regime invites foreign leaders to Pyongyang to show off its unlawful weapons development. I want to reiterate that the United States remains committed to diplomacy, publicly and privately. At senior levels, we have repeatedly urged the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to engage in dialogue. I offer that to the Ambassador today. We are prepared to engage in diplomacy. We have made clear that we have no preconditions for engagement and are prepared to discuss any topic of concern to his Government. But the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has still not responded to our offers. We must return to an era in which we used our collective voice to curb nuclear proliferation.”
2023-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9406 (2023) · source
“So, what changed? Why are some in the Council now offering up excuses for the pursuit of nuclear weapons by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea? Last month, senior Russian and Chinese officials stood beside Kim Jong Un for a celebration of the regime’s ballistic missile advancement — I repeat, a celebration. The nuclear threat posed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is growing, and Russia and China are not living up to their responsibility to maintain international peace and security. Instead, they are celebrating violations of Security Council resolutions and continuing to block Council action.”
2023-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9406 (2023) · source
“We have all reaffirmed our commitment to the global non-proliferation regime time and time again. But since the beginning of 2022, the Council has failed to live up to its commitments because of the obstructionism of China and Russia. That is a relatively new phenomenon here and an increasingly troubling one, I have to say. If we go back and watch Council meetings from a few years ago, in 2017, every Council member condemned or opposed the unlawful actions of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. We used to stand together, and we used to stand united. Let me be clear, the United States and our allies have not changed our positions. We have always been committed to defending against the continued pursuit of nuclear weapons by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and our defensive joint military exercises are not new.”
2023-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9406 (2023) · source
“The vast majority of Council members have affirmed their opposition to the unlawful actions of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and called for Council unity to address them. We thank those members. We thank them for their continued partnership and dedication to non-proliferation. But Council members must listen closely today to the representatives of those countries that condemn and oppose the continued pursuit of nuclear weapons by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and pay equal attention to those that do not. We must pay attention to which countries try to shield Kim Jong Un from criticism by pointing fingers at those of us calling out and defending ourselves from the regime’s reckless behaviour. This should be an issue that unifies us.”
2023-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9406 (2023) · source
“The war machine of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is fuelled by repression and cruelty, as the Council heard from United Nations experts just last week (see S/PV.9398). It is shameful and a grave threat to global peace. The most recent launch of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea caused an evacuation alert in Okinawa, Japan, raised tensions in North-East Asia, destabilized the security situation in the region and increased the risk of triggering military escalation. With each test, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea further refines its weapons capabilities, and Pyongyang has already announced its commitment to launching another satellite in October. I urge every single member of the Council to condemn that launch and discourage the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea from conducting another test.”
2023-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9406 (2023) · source
“The Security Council has repeatedly demanded that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea not conduct any further launches using ballistic missile technology. Those launches directly undermine the non-proliferation regime. They move us away from our collective goal of disarmament and threaten the neighbours of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the entire world. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea claims, as it always has, that its pursuit of a nuclear weapons programme is an act of self-defence. But we all know the truth. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea puts its paranoia and selfish interests over the dire needs of the North Korean people.”
2023-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9406 (2023) · source
“I thank Mr. Khiari for his briefing. I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of the United States of America. I thank Assistant Secretary-General Khiari for his informative briefing. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has once again defied the Council. It has defied the Council by continuing to pursue its unlawful ballistic missile programme. On 23 August, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea attempted yet again to launch a satellite, using a space launch vehicle. But although that launch failed and although we were given advance notification, this is another violation of Security Council resolutions — a violation the United States condemns in the strongest possible terms.”
2023-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9406 (2023) · source
“In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representatives of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea to participate in this meeting. In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite Mr. Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, to participate in this meeting. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. I give the floor to Mr. Khiari.”
2023-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9406 (2023) · source
“Those neutral expert reports include recommendations to guide the provision of counter-terrorism-related technical assistance, and the Secretary-General’s report rightly characterizes the fight against terrorism as requiring a long-term commitment. The international community and the Council must continue to invest in whole-of-society approaches that respect human rights and the rule of law. By doing so, we can prevent and counter the spread of terrorism. And we can save lives and end needless suffering. We must act with urgency, and we must act together now. I resume my functions as President of the Council. I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements.”
2023-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9405 (2023) · source
“The United States continues to provide its African partners with critical assistance in disrupting and degrading Da’esh and Al-Qaida affiliates in a manner consistent with international law. I want to reiterate that capable law enforcement and broader security service responses are essential to preventing and countering terrorism and violent extremism. In South Asia, Afghanistan must deny safe haven to terrorist groups, including Al-Qaida and ISIS- Khorasan, which continue to harbour ambitions to carry out attacks and have claimed deadly attacks in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Today I also want to call on member States to support increased transparency in, and operationalization of, the Counter- Terrorism Committee’s assessment.”
2023-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9405 (2023) · source
“As the Secretary-General’s report highlights, ISIS continues to take advantage of conflict and inequality to attract followers and organize terrorist attacks. The United States is particularly focused on the increasing terrorism threat across Africa, as outlined in the Secretary-General’s report, and we are deeply concerned that the string of military takeovers in the Sahel will hamper the fight against terrorism in the region. We look forward to the African counter-terrorism summit in early 2024 and the opportunity to discuss durable solutions to the terrorism challenges across the continent. But let us be clear, the summit must include engagement with civil society organizations in order to be impactful.”
2023-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9405 (2023) · source
“The situation in those camps constitutes a humanitarian, human rights and security crisis, and there is an urgent need for countries to repatriate their nationals from them. The United States views the repatriation of both detained ISIS fighters and displaced persons in the Al-Hol and Roj camps as a top priority. It will help to ensure ISIS does not re-emerge in Syria, and it can prevent further human rights abuses. We have seen an increase in repatriations over the past six months and hope that it is a sign of greater efforts to come. The international community must also ensure vulnerable populations are not susceptible to recruitment by violent extremists, including through stabilization assistance to liberated areas.”
2023-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9405 (2023) · source
“We must use all multilateral tools available to us, including United Nations sanctions, to prevent such acts of conflict-related sexual violence, given how destructive such violence is for victims and communities and how destabilizing for societies. We urge Member States to increase their funding for United Nations agencies and partners working to provide comprehensive services for survivors of gender-based violence. Those programmes can have a significant impact on survivors’ lives, and they must be funded, especially because right now the world’s most vulnerable women and girls are in dire need. To give just one example, many of the people residing in the Al-Hol and Roj displaced persons camps in north- eastern Syria, some of whom are family members of ISIS fighters, are also victims and survivors of conflict- related sexual violence.”
2023-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9405 (2023) · source
“The United States is committed to promoting justice and accountability for all acts of conflict-related sexual violence, and that commitment is laid out in President Biden’s memorandum on promoting accountability for conflict-related sexual violence. In June the United States named two Da’esh leaders as specially designated global terrorists. Both individuals committed sexual violence against Yazidis and were responsible for the abduction and enslavement of Yazidi women and girls. The designation of those two individuals was a historic act, marking the first time that a dedicated focus on conflict-related sexual violence has led to the imposition of United States sanctions. We will never stop fighting for justice or forget the more than 2,700 Yazidi women and children who remain unaccounted for.”
2023-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9405 (2023) · source
“I thank Ms. Khalaf for her briefing. I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of the United States. I would like to thank Under-Secretary-General Voronkov and Executive Director Gherman for their work on the seventeenth report (S/2023/568) of the Secretary-General on the threat posed by Da’esh to international peace and security, and for their briefings. I also thank Ms. Khalaf in advance, since I will have spoken before she courageously shares her personal story, which I look forward to hearing. Her leadership as a survivor and an advocate is very inspiring to all of us. Her story will illustrate the gruesome tactics that terrorist groups such as Da’esh/Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham (ISIS) and Al-Qaida use to terrorize civilians, and we must hold all those responsible for those evils to account.”
2023-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9405 (2023) · source
“In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the following briefers to participate in this meeting: Mr. Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General, Office of Counter-Terrorism; Ms. Natalia Gherman, Executive Director, Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate; and Ms. Farida Khalaf, survivor, activist and President of the Farida Global Organization The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2023/568, which contains the seventeenth report of the Secretary-General on the threat posed by ISIL (Da’esh) to international peace and security and the range of United Nations efforts in support of Member States in countering the threat. I now give the floor to Mr. Voronkov.”
2023-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9405 (2023) · source
“I would like to draw the attention of speakers to paragraph 22 of presidential note S/2017/507, which encourages all participants in Council meetings to deliver their statements in five minutes or less, in line with the Security Council’s commitment to making more effective use of open meetings. I now give the floor to the representative of Ukraine.”
2023-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9404 (2023) · source
“once wrote, “he who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it”. We must not remain silent. We cannot remain neutral. This is a moment of moral reckoning, and history will judge us by how we respond. We must hold Russia to account. We must lift up organizations doing the good work of trying to return those children to their families. And we must call on Russia to end the brutal war of aggression, comply with its obligations under international law and immediately return all of Ukraine’s children. I resume my functions as President of the Council. I shall now give the floor to those Council members who wish to make statements.”
2023-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9404 (2023) · source
“Today I want to share a message that comes directly from Evan’s family members. They have asked the international community “to join the United States in doing everything possible to bring [their] son home to his family”. Let us heed their call. I ask members for just a moment to imagine what they would do if this was their child or grandchild who was taken from them. Of course, members would stop at nothing to secure their freedom and to hold those responsible for those evils to account. Members would stop at nothing, and we must support the return of all forcibly transferred and detained children with the same doggedness and determination because those children are the world’s children. We must fight on their behalf as long as it takes until all are free and justice is delivered. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”
2023-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9404 (2023) · source
“Today the United States is imposing sanctions on two entities and 11 individuals, including individuals who have reportedly facilitated the forcible transfer and deportation of Ukraine’s children to camps. In addition, we are taking steps to impose visa restrictions on three Russia-installed purported authorities for their involvement in human rights abuses of Ukrainian minors. The United States will not stand by as Russia carries out war crimes and crimes against humanity or as it arbitrarily detains political activists, journalists and opposition leaders and wrongfully detains American citizens. That includes the wrongful detention of Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich, who languish in Russian prisons. Paul was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, and Evan, a journalist, was just doing his job.”
2023-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9404 (2023) · source
“The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights, for allegedly deporting and transferring children from occupied areas of Ukraine. I want members to stop and think about it. The International Criminal Court has alleged that Vladimir Putin is responsible for war crimes — I repeat, war crimes. We are also aware of reports that Belarusian leaders have supported moving Ukrainian children to camps in Belarus. According to the National Anti-Crisis Management group, at least 2,100 Ukrainian children were taken to Belarus from occupied territories between September 2022 and May of this year. We must hold all of those responsible to account.”
2023-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9404 (2023) · source
“They have forced children out of schools and orphanages and local proxies have tricked or coerced parents into sending their children to so-called summer camps, only to be cut off from communication and not have their children returned to them. According to reports, children in those camps are subjected to propaganda, brainwashing and even given military training. Some are pressured to accept Russian citizenship, and others have reportedly been adopted by Russian families. Members will hear Russian officials say that their transfers of children are part of “humanitarian evacuations” but that is a gross perversion of reality and a futile attempt to justify the unjustifiable. Let us be clear, those atrocities are being orchestrated by all levels of the Russian Government, up to the top.”
2023-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9404 (2023) · source
“Thankfully, that young man is now back in Ukraine, but his story is the exception. We do not even know the location of so many of the children who have been forcibly transferred. This week, I also spoke to a Ukrainian mother who was separated from her forcibly deported son for eight long months. With the help of non-governmental organization workers, she bravely travelled to Russia to free him, but only after she was polygraphed and interrogated by Russian authorities for hours and hours. Russia’s campaign of cruelty continues to this day. Russia and its proxies have detained children fleeing violence.”
2023-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9404 (2023) · source
“While estimates vary — and we heard lots of numbers from our briefers — we know that since February 2022, Russia has forcibly transferred or deported thousands of Ukrainian children, including babies as young as four months old. And we know that Russia has forcibly transferred or deported Ukrainian children as far back as 2014. This week, I spoke with three victims of those horrific abuses. One child told me he was at home in Mariupol living under occupation, when he heard a loud knock on the door. A gang of Russian soldiers dressed in all black stood in his doorway. He was told to immediately pack up his belongings. He was deported to Russia and locked in a dark basement and interrogated. Russian officials threatened to sentence him to 15 years in prison if he ever supported Ukraine, and he was told he would never go back to Ukraine.”
2023-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9404 (2023) · source
“President Putin thought that his war of choice would be quick and easy, that the Ukrainian people would wave a white flag in surrender and that somehow his forces would be greeted as liberators. But he was in for a rude awakening. Ukrainians have courageously fought back to defend their country’s sovereignty and their freedom, democracy and culture. And Ukrainians are fighting valiantly to defend and return Ukrainian children who have been forcibly transferred or deported to Russia, Belarus and Russian- occupied territories. Children are literally being ripped from their homes in the year 2023, by a country sitting in this very Chamber, a permanent member of the Security Council. This is straight out of a dystopian novel, but this is not fiction. This is real life.”
2023-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9404 (2023) · source
“I thank Mr. Kuleba for his briefing. We will circulate a translation in writing of his briefing. He spoke Ukrainian, and we look forward to seeing the translation of that. I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of the United States of America. I thank Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo for her briefing. I also thank Kateryna Rashevska and Mykola Kuleba for speaking out today. On this day in 1991, Ukraine declared its independence from the Soviet Union. That same week, Ukraine notified the United Nations of its independence based on the right of a nation to self-determination in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations. But 32 years later, today Ukraine’s very existence is under attack. For a year and a half, Russian forces have waged a full-scale war on the Ukrainian people.”
2023-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9404 (2023) · source
“In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representatives of Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine to participate in this meeting. In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the following briefers to participate in this meeting: Ms. Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs; Ms. Kateryna Rashevska, legal expert at the Regional Center for Human Rights; and Mr. Mykola Kuleba, Chief Executive Officer of Save Ukraine. In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite His Excellency Mr. Silvio Gonzato, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations, to participate in this meeting.”
2023-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9404 (2023) · source
“The Council must not look away, or worse, move away — not when atrocities continue, when the humanitarian needs are greater than ever before and when a political solution and accountability are still out of reach. The Syrian people deserve our full support. They deserve peace and security and justice. We will continue to stand with them in their time of need. I now resume my functions as President of the Council. I give the floor to the representative of the Syrian Arab Republic.”
2023-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9403 (2023) · source
“The regime’s lack of action on broad political transition initiatives, as well as the dire day- to-day issues facing the Syrian people, demonstrate Al-Assad’s contempt for Syrians, which we have seen time and time again over more than a decade of war — a war in which Al-Assad has used chemical weapons and committed countless atrocities. In response to those evils, the United States will continue to promote accountability for the regime’s abuses, including by applying and enforcing sanctions on those who deserve them. United States sanctions will remain in place until there is, at a minimum, concrete, measurable progress towards a political solution. I want to make it clear that our sanctions do not target humanitarian assistance.”
2023-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9403 (2023) · source
“We all know who is holding up progress — it is Russia. Russia claims to support a Syrian-led and Syrian- owned political process, but we know that it is only trying to exploit the situation for leverage. While we see no need to change the venue from Geneva, we support any effort that would press the Al-Assad regime to return to the Constitutional Committee. Any selection of the venue must be decided by the parties themselves and must include input from the Syrian Negotiations Commission. There must also be meaningful participation by the regime, regardless of location. In that regard, we continue to support Special Envoy Pedersen in his efforts to resume a process that will make genuine and verifiable progress towards a political solution.”
2023-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9403 (2023) · source
“We welcome the General Assembly’s establishment through its resolution 77/301 of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic, aimed at helping to clarify the fate and whereabouts of at least 155,000 missing and unjustly detained Syrians. We hope that all parties to the conflict will participate in that important new body and reiterate our call on them to release those arbitrarily detained, provide human rights organizations with access to detention facilities and the people in them and share information on missing persons with their families. We saw the statement on 15 August by the Arab ministerial contact group on Syria expressing a desire for a resumption of the Constitutional Committee in Oman by the end of the year. It has been more than a year since the Constitutional Committee last met.”
2023-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9403 (2023) · source
“It is also high time for the Al-Assad regime to take the necessary steps to improve the lives of the Syrian people, including Syria’s youngest and most vulnerable population. Across the country, millions of children remain out of school, putting them at high risk of child labour and early or forced marriage. The bottom line is this. Until conditions improve, the safe and dignified return of the displaced will not be possible. Syrians will not return so long as they risk being drafted into the army, unjustly detained, tortured or forcibly disappeared. We have also seen many cases of returnees being harassed or worse.”
2023-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9403 (2023) · source
“Even in the face of those disturbing human rights violations, many brave Syrian women like Ms. Alkanawati have continued to speak out and promote a peaceful, inclusive and sustainable political solution. They have called for dismantling discriminatory laws and systems and building an equal Syria. We must ensure that those women have not just a seat at the table but one at the head of the table, especially because the conflict has had a unique and devastating impact on Syrian women, many of whom are the sole breadwinners of their families. Pre-existing gender inequalities, discriminatory laws and social injustices exacerbate the challenges that women face. We call on all parties to the conflict in Syria to end restrictions on women and grant equal access to education, legal rights, civil documentation and property records.”
2023-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9403 (2023) · source
“We appreciate Special Envoy Pedersen’s persistent efforts to encourage renewed momentum towards a political settlement in the face of steadfast opposition by the Al-Assad regime and its backers, including Russia. This week we marked the tenth anniversary of one of the most horrific events in recent history, when the Al-Assad regime launched rockets carrying the deadly nerve agent sarin into the Ghouta district of Damascus. The attack killed more than 1,400 people and injured many more. Ms. Alkanawati herself was a survivor. The United States remembers and honours the victims and survivors of the attack and of the other chemical attacks carried out by the Al-Assad regime. We continue to call for long-overdue justice and accountability for those horrific attacks.”
2023-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9403 (2023) · source
“And let us be clear: the Syrian conflict radiates instability across the region. Millions are unable to return to their homes. And the regime facilitates drug trafficking. In recent days, we have seen peaceful protests in cities such as Dara’a and Al-Suwayda, where Syrians have called for political changes and for all parties to uphold resolution 2254 (2015). Those are areas where the revolution started, and it is clear that peaceful demands have not been met. The Council has repeatedly reaffirmed the importance of the full implementation of all aspects of resolution 2254 (2015). It is our shared road map, but progress is elusive.”
2023-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9403 (2023) · source
“I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of the United States. I thank Special Envoy Pedersen for his sobering briefing, and I thank Ms. Alkanawati for calling attention to the unique challenges facing women and men in Syria and the role that Syrian women must play in the peace process. I also want to take this opportunity to apologize to Ms. Alkanawati for the unprofessional attack on her credibility by one Member State and encourage her to continue to raise her voice in defence of the voiceless. More than 12 years after the beginning of the Syrian revolution, some want to pretend the conflict is over. But the Syrian people continue to suffer the daily reality the briefers detailed — air strikes, surface-missile attacks, torture and detention and the denial of humanitarian aid.”
2023-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9403 (2023) · source
“I thank Ms. Alkanawati for her briefing. I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements.”
2023-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9403 (2023) · source
“In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Syrian Arab Republic and Türkiye to participate in this meeting. In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the following briefers to participate in this meeting: Mr. Geir Pedersen, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria; and Ms. Lubna Alkanawati, Deputy Director of Women Now for Development. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. I give the floor to Mr. Pedersen.”
2023-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9403 (2023) · source
“There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers. I now invite Council members to informal consultations to continue our discussion on the subject. The meeting rose at 11.50 a.m.”
2023-08-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9402 (2023) · source
“The Libyan people deserve change, they deserve progress, and they deserve hope. It is up to Libya’s leaders to take action and deliver results. We urge all parties to work towards elections, which is a critical, long overdue step that will advance stability and prosperity. I now resume my functions as President of the Council. I give the floor to Ambassador Ishikane, in his capacity as Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1970 (2011) concerning Libya.”
2023-08-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9402 (2023) · source
“Fourthly, we are encouraged by the 5+5 Joint Military Commission’s efforts to remove foreign forces, fighters and mercenaries and advance efforts toward possible disarmament, demobilization and reintegration. Recent progress towards the formation of a joint unit that could patrol the south will help secure Libya’s borders and prevent the spillover of regional turmoil. Fifthly, we will continue to shine a spotlight on the Wagner Group’s pernicious impact on Libya and across Africa. Let us be clear: countries with Wagner deployments within their borders find themselves poorer, weaker and less secure. We see that phenomenon in Mali, Burkina Faso, the Niger and the Sudan. Wagner’s leadership has made no secret of its ambition to gain a further foothold in Africa and of its disregard for Libya’s territorial integrity.”
2023-08-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9402 (2023) · source
“Towards that end, we are open to supporting the formation of a technocratic caretaker Government, the sole task of which would be to bring the country to free and fair elections. Thirdly, on the crucial question of revenue-management, we are encouraged by the unification of the Central Bank of Libya and the establishment of a high committee on financial oversight. This Libyan-led effort will ensure that no single player has exclusive control over public expenditures, and it will help to address legitimate grievances over equitable revenue distribution. The Committee must emphasize transparency and fiscal oversight to win the confidence of the Libyan people. Together with the recent announcement of new progress towards reunification of the Central Bank of Libya, these developments lend critical momentum to support of a political agreement.”
2023-08-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9402 (2023) · source
“All parties — the House of Representatives, the High State Council, the Government of National Unity, the Libyan National Army and the Presidential Council — need to come together to make the necessary compromises required to hold elections. Consistent with our support for national ownership of the election process, we also encourage all external actors to respect the Libyan people’s desire to formulate their own path. In any discussions, the Special Representative’s Office must continue to involve Libyan civil society actors, who will play a key role in the long- term success of any political transition. The Libyan people are ready for compromise — a compromise that will bring about elections and stability.”
2023-08-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9402 (2023) · source
“Persistent grievances cannot be resolved through more fighting. That is abundantly clear. And with instability growing in places such as the Sudan and the Niger, factions within Libya must avoid actions that could precipitate a spiral into wider violence. Secondly, I want to stress that the best path forward for the Libyan people is for all of us to support Special Representative of the Secretary-General Bathily’s efforts to consolidate support for elections as soon as possible. We encourage the Special Representative to continue building on the work of the 6+6 committee, which is critical to addressing the contested elements of the electoral framework, securing the necessary inclusive political agreement on the path to elections and enabling a level playing field for all candidates.”
2023-08-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9402 (2023) · source
“I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of the United States of America. I would like to thank Special Representative Bathily for his informative briefing and all the work that he has been doing. I also thank Ms. Al Jerbi for all that she does to report on the hopes and the struggles of people across Libya and the need for accountability. Her voice was very powerful in the Security Council today. I welcome the participation of the Permanent Representative of Libya in this meeting. Today I want to touch on five challenges facing Libya and discuss the path towards stability and democratic elections. First, the United States is deeply concerned about the outbreak of violence in Libya and the region. We condemn the fighting between militias in Tripoli last week.”
2023-08-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9402 (2023) · source