YouSaid · the spoken record

Van Walsum

lines on the record: 588
first: 1999-01-21
most recent: 2000-12-12
sittings or episodes: 88
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

“I should like to inform the Council that I have received letters from the representatives of Angola, Cape Verde, Greece, Guinea-Bissau, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Italy, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Uruguay and Viet Nam, in which they request to be invited to participate in the discussion of the item on the Council's agenda. In conformity with the usual practice, I propose, with the consent of the Council, to invite those representatives to participate in the discussion, without the right to vote, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter and rule 37 of the Council's provisional rules of procedure. There being no objection, it is so decided. At the invitation of the President, Ms. Coelho Da Cruz (Angola), Mr. Leao Monteiro (Cape Verde), Mr. Rokanas (Greece), Mr.”
1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043 (1999) · source
“I thank the Secretary-General for his statement. The next speaker inscribed on my list is the representative of Portugal to whom I give the floor.”
1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043 (1999) · source
“I should like to draw the attention of the members of the Council to the following documents: S/ 1999/950, letter dated 7 September 1999 from the Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General; S/ 1999/956, letter dated 8 September 1999 from the Charge d'affaires ad interim of the Permanent Mission of Angola to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council, transmitting the declaration on the situation in East Timor made by the member States of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) in Lisbon on 6 September 1999; and S/ 1999/963, letter dated 10 September 1999 from the Permanent Representative of Portugal to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council. I give the floor to the Secretary-General.”
1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043 (1999) · source
“The Council is meeting in response to the requests contained in a letter dated 8 September 1999 from the Permanent Representative of Portugal to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council and a letter dated 9 September 1999 from the Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council, documents S/l999/955 and S/ 1999/961, respectively.”
1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043 (1999) · source
“At the invitation of the President, Mr. Wibisono (Indonesia) and Mr. Monteiro (Portugal) took seats at the Council table; Ms. Wensley (Australia), Mr. Sychov (Belarus), Mr. Ouch (Cambodia), Mr. Larrain (Chile), Mr. Rodriguez Parrilla (Cuba), Mr. Alema'n (Ecuador), Mr. Aboul Gheit (Egypt), Ms. Rasi (Finland), Mr. Kastrup (Germany), Mr. Ryan (Ireland), Mr. Kittikhoun (Lao People's Democratic Republic), Mr. Dorda (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya), Mr. Santos (Mozambique), Mr. Powles (New Zealand), Mr. Kolby (Norway), Mr. Mabilangan (Philippines), Mr. Lee See-young (Republic of Korea), Mr. Kumalo (South Africa) and Mr. Erwa (Sudan) took the seats reserved for them at the side of the Council Chamber. The President: The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda.”
1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043 (1999) · source
“I should like to inform the Council that I have received letters from the representatives of Australia, Belarus, Cambodia, Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, Egypt, Finland, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Mozambique, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, South Africa and the Sudan, in which they request to be invited to participate in the discussion of the item on the Council's agenda. In conformity with the usual practice, I propose, with the consent of the Council, to invite those representatives to participate in the discussion, without the right to vote, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter and rule 37 of the Council's provisional rules of procedure. There being no objection, it is so decided.”
1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043 (1999) · source
“"The Security Council will remain seized of the matter." This statement will be issued as a document of the Security Council under the symbol S/PRST/ 1999/27. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda. The meeting rose at 10.30 pm.”
1999-09-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4042 (1999) · source
“In accordance with its responsibility for maintaining peace and security under the Agreements of 5 May 1999, it is for the Government of Indonesia to take steps to prevent further violence. It also looks to the Government of Indonesia to guarantee the security of UNAMET personnel and premises. The Security Council is ready to consider sympathetically any proposal from the Secretary-General to ensure the peaceful implementation of the popular consultation process. "The Security Council requests the Secretary-General to report as soon as possible on the implementation of the ballot result, including recommendations on the mandate, size and structure of the United Nations presence in East Timor in the implementation phase (Phase III).”
1999-09-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4042 (1999) · source
“It commends the sustained efforts of the Governments of Indonesia and Portugal, through the good offices of the Secretary-General, to find a just, comprehensive and internationally acceptable solution to the question of East Timor, and expresses its appreciation to the Government of Indonesia for its cooperation with the United Nations in the process. "The Security Council condemns the violence in East Timor which both preceded and followed the ballot of 30 August 1999. It expresses its condolences to the families of United Nations local staff and others so tragically killed. It underlines the need for the result to be implemented in an atmosphere of peace and security without further violence and intimidation.”
1999-09-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4042 (1999) · source
“The Security Council now looks to the Indonesian Government to take the necessary constitutional steps to implement the result of the ballot, in accordance with the Agreements of 5 May 1999 (8/1999/513, annexes I-III). "The Security Council recognizes that the Agreements of 5 May 1999 which led to the popular consultation of the East Timorese people would not have been possible without the timely initiative of the Government of Indonesia and the constructive attitude of the Government of Portugal.”
1999-09-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4042 (1999) · source
“It regards the popular consultation as an accurate reflection of the views of the East Timorese people. "The Security Council pays tribute to the extraordinary work of the Personal Representative of the Secretary-General. It also commends the courage and dedication of the Special Representative for the East Timor popular consultation and of the staff of the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) in organizing and conducting the popular consultation in extremely difficult conditions. "The Security Council calls on all parties, both inside and outside East Timor, to respect the result of the popular consultation. The Council urges the East Timorese people to work together to implement their decision as freely and democratically expressed in the ballot and to cooperate in the building of peace and prosperity in the territory.”
1999-09-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4042 (1999) · source
“The Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations. Members of the Council have before them the letter dated 3 September 1999 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council, document 8/1999/944. Following consultations among members of the Security Council, I have been authorized to make the following statement on behalf of the Council: "The Security Council welcomes the successful popular consultation of the East Timorese people on 30 August 1999 and the letter from the Secretary-General to the President of the Council of 3 September 1999 (S/l999/944) announcing the ballot result. The Council expresses its support for the courage of those who turned out in record numbers to express their views.”
1999-09-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4042 (1999) · source
“I should like to inform the Council that I have received letters from the representatives of Indonesia and Portugal in which they request to be invited to participate in the discussion of the item on the Council's agenda. In conformity with the usual practice, I propose, with the consent of the Council, to invite those representatives to participate in the discussion without the right to vote, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter and rule 37 of the Council's provisional rules of procedure. There being no objection, it is so decided. At the invitation of the President, Mr. Wibisono (Indonesia) and Mr. Monteiro (Portugal) took seats at the Council table. The President: The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda.”
1999-09-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4042 (1999) · source
“I thank the Secretary-General for his important statement. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda. The meeting rose at 9.10 pm.”
1999-09-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4041 (1999) · source
“The Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations. I call on the Secretary-General.”
1999-09-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4041 (1999) · source
“I should like to inform the Council that I have received letters from the representatives of Indonesia and Portugal in which they request to be invited to participate in the discussion of the item on the Council's agenda. In conformity with the usual practice, I propose, with the consent of the Council, to invite those representatives to participate in the discussion without the right to vote, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter and rule 37 of the Council's provisional rules of procedure. There being no objection, it is so decided. At the invitation of the President, Mr. Wihisono (Indonesia) and Mr. Monteiro (Portugal) took seats at the Council table. The President: The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda.”
1999-09-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4041 (1999) · source
“May I take it that the draft report, as corrected, is adopted by the Council? There being no objection, it is so decided. This decision will be reflected in a note by the President of the Security Council, to be issued as document S/1999/933. The Security Council has thus concluded its consideration of the item on its agenda. The meeting rose at 1.30 p.m.”
1999-09-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4040 (1999) · source
“Consideration of the draft report of the Security Council to the General Assembly The President: The Security Council will now proceed to the consideration of its annual report to the General Assembly, the draft of which has been prepared by the Secretariat. Members of the Council have before them the draft report of the Security Council to the General Assembly for the period from 16 June 1998 to 15 June 1999, as circulated by the Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs on 25 August 1999, and a corrigendum thereto. I should like to express appreciation to the Secretariat for the work it has undertaken in preparing this factual report. I now call on the Officer-in-Charge of the Security Council Affairs Division to make an explanatory statement.”
1999-09-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4040 (1999) · source
“As this is the first meeting of the Security Council for the month of September, I should like to take this opportunity to pay tribute, on behalf of the Council, to His Excellency Mr. Martin Andjaba, Permanent Representative of Namibia to the United Nations, for his service as President of the Security Council for the month of August 1999. I am sure I speak for all members of the Security Council in expressing our deep appreciation to Ambassador Andjaba for the great diplomatic skill with which he conducted the Council's business last month. Adoption of the agenda The agenda was adopted.”
1999-09-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4040 (1999) · source
“I would like to conclude by expressing my delegation's appreciation and continued support for the untiring efforts of the Special Envoy of the Secretary- General, Ambassador Lakhdar Brahimi, and the United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan to reach a peaceful solution to the conflict in Afghanistan. We appeal to them to continue their efforts in order to bring an early end to the fighting and to promote the negotiating process in this country which has been ravaged by war for far too long. Finally, I would like to state that the Netherlands concurs fully with the statement that will he delivered later in this debate by the representative of Finland on behalf of the European Union.”
1999-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4039 (1999) · source
“The Netherlands would like to stress that the resumption of the fighting in Afghanistan and the lack of will to work towards a real process of reconciliation seriously undermine the capability of the international community to provide humanitarian assistance. The needs of the Afghan population certainly justify continuation of this assistance. We therefore strongly urge the warring factions and the neighbouring countries to facilitate the distribution of humanitarian aid. The Netherlands is concerned at the production and trade of narcotics and illicit drugs in both Taliban and United Front areas.”
1999-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4039 (1999) · source
“The situation in the Panjsheer Valley, a remote and inaccessible area with insufficient means of subsistence, is especially alarming. The well-being of refugees and displaced persons is first and foremost a responsibility of those who cause these forced relocations. The parties should recognize their responsibility and do everything they can to alleviate human suffering. We have welcomed the voluntary return of large numbers of refugees to Afghanistan in the past few years. We are seriously concerned, however, at the cases of forced repatriation of Afghan refugees in recent months. While we understand the burden refugees can put on the available resources in a country of refuge, we appeal to the Governments of countries with substantial numbers of Afghan refugees to respect international refugee law.”
1999-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4039 (1999) · source
“We call upon the warring factions to respect human rights in general and to show special consideration for the rights of ethnic minorities and women and girls, as well as for those of civilians in armed conflict. We welcome the start of the United Nations investigation into the mass murders committed in 1997 and 1998 in Mazar-e-Sharif and northern Afghanistan. We strongly insist that the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Mr. Kamal Hossain, should be enabled to investigate and monitor the overall human rights situation in the country and report back to the Security Council on this issue. The resumed fighting has led to large numbers of refugees and internally displaced persons. There are very few facilities for these people.”
1999-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4039 (1999) · source
“We call upon the Afghan factions, especially the Taliban, to halt their support for these terrorists immediately and to cooperate with the efforts to bring them to justice. The latest Taliban offensive has resulted in thousands of victims, especially among the civilian population. There are credible reports about serious human rights violations, such as the use of child soldiers, arbitrary detention, deportation and forced relocation of civilians, the forcible separation of menfolk from their families, the murder of innocent civilians and the burning of houses and crops. The Netherlands condemns these acts in the strongest possible terms.”
1999-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4039 (1999) · source
“It is essential that the neighbouring countries, too, commit themselves to the outcome of the Tashkent meeting. All peace initiatives should be taken explicitly within the framework of the "six plus two" process. Any foreign military support to the Afghan factions is to be condemned. It is of the utmost importance that the neighbouring countries, including Pakistan, strictly observe the commitment contained in the Tashkent Declaration not to provide military support to either Afghan party and to prevent the use of their territories for such purposes. Another matter of great concern is the support within Afghanistan for international terrorists such as Osama bin Laden and international terrorist organizations.”
1999-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4039 (1999) · source
“The Netherlands has noted with great concern that the most recent "six plus two" meeting in Tashkent has not led to a resumption of the inter-Afghan dialogue. It is disconcerting that, even as the Tashkent talks were taking place, the Taliban were already preparing for another major offensive. In our view the Tashkent Declaration constitutes a good basis for a solution to the conflict in Afghanistan and may well be the best prospect for peace available. There is no military solution to the Afghan conflict. We therefore call upon the parties to lay down their arms and to resume without delay the negotiating process under United Nations auspices. The aim should be the creation of a multi-ethnic, broad-based and representative government.”
1999-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4039 (1999) · source
“That the Netherlands is one of the major donors to UNICEF's programme, we owe largely to the remarkable support and trust the organization has generated among individual Dutch contributors. The Netherlands is prepared to increase its support for projects benefiting children affected by armed conflicts. At present, we lend support to several projects aimed at the rehabilitation of child soldiers in Africa. In all this, we let ourselves be guided by a complex of considerations. First, it goes without saying that the fate of individual children is the subject of our concern. But beyond that, we are dealing with the fate of nations. Children unsettled and traumatized by armed conflict risk growing up to be a liability for their society, whereas children saved from this scourge can help build a healthy society and prevent the next conflict.”
1999-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4037Resumption1 (1999) · source
“My delegation also wishes to pay tribute to the important work of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and of other agencies, such as the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees - as well as the contribution of the International Committee of the Red Cross and numerous other organizations - in alleviating the impact of armed conflicts on children. UNICEF has been instrumental in effectuating active child protection for many years. It also applies its child- rights perspective to the situation of children in conflict situations. I am sure the recently launched Peace and Security Agenda for Children will further guide UNICEF in its worldwide activities aimed at the protection of children.”
1999-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4037Resumption1 (1999) · source
“In such cases it is the responsibility of all States and the international community to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice. From the outset the Netherlands has been supportive, including financially, of the work of the Secretary- General's Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict, Under-Secretary-General Otunnu. By drawing attention to the impact of armed conflict on children, both in general and in concrete cases - such as in the countries he visited - he is fulfilling his important mandate, which was modelled on the recommendations contained in the watershed report by Ms. Graga Machel.”
1999-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4037Resumption1 (1999) · source
“The Convention on the Rights of the Child and other instruments contain clear prohibitions with regard to the use of child soldiers. These norms have to be respected. In the field of standards-setting some further progress is being made. The Netherlands has begun the process leading to the ratification of International Labour Organization Convention No. 182, which prohibits forced or compulsory labour, including forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict. Obviously, States are free to go beyond the minimum standards; in that case the norms that provide the highest degree of protection to children will prevail. This Council has had before it many reports on individual situations where the rights of children were violated on a massive scale.”
1999-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4037Resumption1 (1999) · source
“As we pointed out on an earlier occasion, it is of particular importance that personnel involved in peacemaking, peacekeeping and peace-building activities be familiarized with subjects such as the protection, rights and welfare of children. They should be specifically trained to deal with child soldiers. By definition child soldiers are under age by international or national standards and are therefore unfit for participation in armed conflict. Tragically, these child soldiers, often in their early teens, are not only the victims of the armed conflict in which they are caught up, but, as recent experience has shown, they can be the perpetrators of atrocities as well. An integrated approach should lead to their disarmament, demobilization and reintegration in society.”
1999-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4037Resumption1 (1999) · source
“It is also accepted throughout the world that children require particular protection in situations of armed conflict. Today it is the Security Council that will take a step to bring us closer to this goal. It is important to realize that this is an item which will not disappear from the agenda after today's work. In the preparation of this meeting one could sense the determination of all members of the Council to see to it that the issue of children in armed conflict will be addressed every time the Council takes action to maintain or restore peace and security. In various instances the Council has done so in the recent past. This debate therefore comes at the right time: we can build on concrete experience and plan further action. That is the essence of the draft resolution before us, and it has the full support of my delegation.”
1999-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4037Resumption1 (1999) · source
“Mr. President, I should like to join my colleagues who spoke this morning in expressing my satisfaction at seeing you chair this important meeting. In the second half of this year the United Nations and its principal organs are favoured with a generous portion of Namibian chairmanships. We also wish to commend your country for having taken the initiative to devote a public meeting of the Council to the issue of children and armed conflict. I am grateful to Special Representative Otunnu for his statement on the subject. He has shown once again that with him the advocacy of the cause of children and armed conflict is in able hands. The protection of children appears to be one of those issues which unite all nations. This is borne out, for instance, by the almost universal ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.”
1999-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4037Resumption1 (1999) · source
“We hope that that commission, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission foreseen in the Lorne accord, will help bring forward the day when the people of Sierra Leone can confidently expect peace with justice.”
1999-08-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4035 (1999) · source
“We note that in paragraph 54 of his report (S/ 1999/836) the Secretary-General places his reservations in the wider context of the goal of ending the culture of impunity. International tribunals have been set up or are being set up precisely to remedy this culture of impunity, and we owe it to the people of Sierra Leone to allow them recourse to the same remedies now open to victims of similar crimes in other countries and on other continents. There is no peace without justice, and without accountability for the heinous crimes committed in Sierra Leone there will be no lasting peace for that country. For that reason, we welcome the fact that a commission of enquiry, as recommended by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, is currently being established.”
1999-08-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4035 (1999) · source
“To quote just two examples, in a presidential statement of 29 June 1998 (S/PRST / 1998/ 18) it stressed the obligation of all States to prosecute those responsible for grave breaches of international humanitarian law, and in a presidential statement of 12 February 1999 (S/PRST/ 1999/6) it affirmed the need to bring to justice, in an appropriate manner, individuals who incite or cause violence against civilians in situations of armed conflict or who otherwise violate international humanitarian and human rights law. Furthermore, in its resolution 1231 (1999) of ll March 1999 the Council urged the appropriate authorities to investigate all allegations of human rights violations in Sierra Leone with a View to bringing the perpetrators to justice.”
1999-08-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4035 (1999) · source
“There can be no doubt that the atrocities committed against the civilian population of Sierra Leone, including widespread systematic killings, rapes and amputations, constitute massive violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. As noted by Mr. Okelo in the reservation attached to his signature on the Lome accord, crimes against humanity, war crimes and other serious violations of international humanitarian law cannot be covered by the amnesty provisions of the accord. The Security Council itself has gone on record unequivocally on this issue.”
1999-08-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4035 (1999) · source
“Our contributions thus far, of $4 million for the operations in Sierra Leone of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) plus $2 million for humanitarian assistance, are tangible proof of the importance we attach to the promotion of peace in that country. By the same token, it would in our View be inconceivable for the draft resolution to be adopted today to be seen in isolation from its legal context. We commend the wisdom of the Secretary-General in insisting that his Special Representative enter a reservation regarding the amnesty provisions contained in the Lome accord. As one of the moral guarantors of that accord, our Organization should clearly note the limits of impunity, as defined in international law, which apply to Sierra Leone as they do to any other part of the world.”
1999-08-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4035 (1999) · source
“I join other speakers, Sir, in congratulating you and the other members of your delegation on Namibia's very effective presidency, two thirds of which have already passed in the seclusion of our consultations room, but which has now entered its visible stage. I understand that for a large part of the remainder of your presidency the entire United Nations will have the benefit of seeing you at work in this Chamber. My delegation shares the fervent hopes of all those who see the implementation of the Lome Peace Agreement as the only way forward for Sierra Leone.”
1999-08-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4035 (1999) · source
“The representative of Finland will later in the debate make a substantive contribution to our deliberations on behalf of the European Union. It goes without saying that the Netherlands fully associates itself with her statement.”
1999-07-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4020 (1999) · source
“A country that demobilizes its child soldiers but then fails to accompany them until they have been fully integrated into civilian society, is placing a ticking time bomb at its own foundations. Child soldiers may need to be re-educated, they may require treatment, but they cannot be held accountable the way their adult fellow ex-combatants are. This will often be difficult enough, for some of the worst atrocities have been committed by child soldiers. As to the accountability of adults, however, there should be no doubt. The Netherlands delegation has consistently maintained that accountability and reconciliation are not incompatible. On the contrary, we believe that lasting peace is not attainable without accountability. This principle should always be fully reflected in every programme of reintegration of ex-combatants.”
1999-07-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4020 (1999) · source
“It is the Security Council that can monitor and influence the drafting of a peace agreement from its initial stage and make sure that all elements conducive to a durable settlement are adequately incorporated in the document. Disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, we believe, are among these elements. A conflict cannot simply be switched off, and a country where the fighting has ended must never be left to its own devices. There is no issue where this is more evident than that of child soldiers. The problem of demobilization and reintegration, already quite intractable in general, becomes critically compounded where child soldiers are concerned. It is obvious that ex-combatant children will require a high degree of supervision for a considerable length of time.”
1999-07-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4020 (1999) · source
“From the very beginning of international involvement, parties could be made aware of their collective vital interest in a functioning disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programme. They could indeed be made to realize that a credible disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programme serves as an indication that parties take their commitment to peace seriously, and that the international community's willingness to contribute to the larger post-conflict peace- building process will largely depend on that perception. It is essential that the Security Council pronounce itself on the importance of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration in any peace agreement. The fact that the subject is discussed in other bodies does not detract from that.”
1999-07-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4020 (1999) · source
“The Netherlands has contributed to some of these programmes, such as those in Guatemala, Rwanda, Angola, Mali and Albania. Not all of these were success stories, but important lessons can be learned from all of them. In this connection, we welcome the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration principles and guidelines, which the Department of Peacekeeping Operations Lessons Learned Unit has recently released. One of these lessons seems an obvious one, namely that without the political will of the parties concerned, it is difficult, if not impossible, to implement a disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programme. It is true that political will cannot be enforced, but in the context of a truly integrated approach more could perhaps be done to stimulate it.”
1999-07-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4020 (1999) · source
“We commend the Malaysian delegation for not having allowed itself to be deterred by this objection. Excessive fear of duplication stands in the way of the development of an integrated approach. It is right for the Security Council to discuss disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes because the success or failure of the reintegration of ex-combatants may be largely determined by decisions the Council will have to take in the earlier phases, that is, while it is still occupied with its core task of trying to bring an armed conflict to an end. Over the past 10 years, a number of large-scale disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes have been set up and implemented, increasingly with the active involvement of the international community.”
1999-07-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4020 (1999) · source
“It is a great pleasure to see you, Sir, the Foreign Minister of Malaysia, in the Chair during this important meeting. The Netherlands joins other delegations in welcoming Malaysia's timely initiative to devote an open Council debate to the subject of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration. Like others, we have repeatedly advocated a fully integrated approach to the familiar string of preventive diplomacy, peacemaking, peacekeeping and post-conflict peace-building, but any delegation that tries to put this into practice by suggesting that the Council focus its attention on an element of that sequence which comes after the conclusion of a peace agreement will invariably meet the objection that the matter is already being discussed in other United Nations bodies.”
1999-07-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4020 (1999) · source
“Today, 20 years later, it seems inconceivable that respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity could once more prompt so many States to pursue such a mistaken policy.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“The shift from sovereignty to human rights spells uncertainty, and we all have our difficulties with it. But the Security Council cannot afford to ignore the phenomenon. Times have changed, and they will not change back. One simply cannot imagine a replay in the twenty-first century of the shameful episode of the 1980s, when the United Nations was apparently more indignant at a Vietnamese military intervention in Cambodia, which almost all Cambodians had experienced as a liberation, than at three years of Khmer Rouge genocide. As a result of that misconception, the large majority of delegations, including my own, allowed the Khmer Rouge to continue to occupy the Cambodian seat in the General Assembly for more than a decade.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“Today, we regard it as a generally accepted rule of international law that no sovereign State has the right to terrorize its own citizens. Only if that shift is a reality can we explain how on 26 March the Russian-Chinese draft resolution branding the NATO air strikes a violation of the Charter could be so decisively rejected by 12 votes to 3. This is not a time to be triumphant about that. One day, when the Kosovo crisis will be a thing of the past, we hope that the Security Council will devote a debate to the balance between respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity on the one hand and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms on the other hand, as well as to the shift to which I referred. This will not be a pro-Western or anti-third-world debate.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“The Netherlands has voted for this resolution with a sense of relief. This does not stem from a feeling that we are concluding a military operation we should not have been engaged in. We sincerely hope that the few delegations which have maintained that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) air strikes against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia were a violation of the United Nations Charter will one day begin to realize that the Charter is not the only source of international law. The Charter, to be sure, is much more specific on respect for sovereignty than on respect for human rights, but since the day it was drafted the world has witnessed a gradual shift in that balance, making respect for human rights more mandatory and respect for sovereignty less absolute.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source