YouSaid · the spoken record

Williamson

lines on the record: 252
first: 2002-01-30
most recent: 2003-07-07
sittings or episodes: 30
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“The goal of a Congo free from violence that is just, secure and sustainable can only be reached through meaningful transitional justice that leads to national reconciliation. That requires an end to the culture of impunity, as well as accountability and justice. International action can go only so far in addressing the human rights problems in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Congolese parties themselves must be sincere and active in addressing them. We call on the Congolese to take meaningful steps, beginning with expediting secure and unrestricted access by investigators and MONUC staff to areas of, and witnesses to, suspected human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law.”
2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source
“The Congolese parties who have agreed to work together must now show that their hearts and minds are committed to national reconciliation, and come to agreement on extending Government control throughout the country. As I have already mentioned, on 16 July 2002 the Security Council received a report on the events in Kisangani of 14 and 15 May 2002. The recommendation made then that the authorities in Kisangani should take immediate steps to arrest those who ordered or were involved in extra-judicial killings has not been heeded, and violence continues. That is unacceptable. The people of Kisangani who were victimized deserve better. The people of the Congo deserve better. The years of brutal and bloody conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have exacted a terrible toll on millions of people.”
2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source
“A full recording of these crimes is required, and the perpetrators must be identified and held to account. My delegation urges the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) to assist non- governmental organizations and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in gathering documentary evidence of violations of international humanitarian law and of human rights in order to present these cases to the Congolese Ministry of Justice for prosecution. A truth and reconciliation commission as described in paragraph 28 of the report on Drodro requires an effective and functioning Government. With the formation of the cabinet of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's transitional national Government at the end of June, that framework is in place.”
2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source
“The United States Government believes that the transitional national Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo must take responsibility for ending the pervasive culture of impunity in that bloody, brutalized land. The tragedies of the past years must be addressed. As appropriate, we should assist the transitional national Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to achieve these goals by helping them to strengthen the nascent inclusive national Government. A lesson in recent years is that transitional justice is very important for a post-conflict society hoping to move towards a secure, stable and sustainable peace. It is critical that there be no impunity. Accountability is essential. Gross human rights abuses cannot be brushed under the carpet.”
2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source
“Guehenno's report that the second task force will begin to deploy on 15 August and that the Multinational Force in Bunia has begun to shift the balance between the rebels and legitimate authority. That is very encouraging indeed. But Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Ramcharan has given us yet another report of gruesome crimes committed in the eastern Congo. This morning he told us that in early April at Drodro people were burned alive, that there were machete attacks in hospitals and that there are 20 mass-grave sites. Again we are repulsed by those acts of horrendous inhumanity. Again our conscience is aroused. Again we say there can be no culture of impunity. Yet those crimes against humanity continue and our words ring hollow.”
2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source
“By the end of July it is expected that the vice-presidents, the cabinet ministers and the members of the National Assembly will all be sworn in. The United States Government welcomed the announcement of the transitional Government, and we welcome the movement to put the transitional Government in place. We also welcome the compromise on military integration. Furthermore, my delegation welcomes the report given by Under-Secretary-General Guehenno this morning that verification efforts are taking place in the Ituri district, that Bunia was declared a weapons-free zone on 27 June, that 6,000 internally displaced persons have returned to Bunia, that the Ituri interim administration is being more active, and that the Ituri district seems stable. That is good news. My delegation also welcome's Mr.”
2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source
“We are concerned about the inadequate legal rights afforded to the defendants in those trials and about the callous disregard for the serious nature of the crimes, as reflected in the light sentences handed down and in the failure to charge anyone with crimes against humanity or war crimes. The failures of those proceedings will not end the culture of impunity; sadly, those failures perpetuate that culture of impunity. Just last week, the Security Council issued a press statement congratulating the Congolese parties on forming a transitional Government. The difficult issue of who will serve as minister for land resources and chief of staff of the Government appear to have been resolved. On 30 June at Mbandaka, President Kabila read out the complete list of ministers.”
2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source
“For now, five months later, we hear details of further atrocities committed elsewhere in the Congo. Last winter, Jean-Pierre Bemba, the leader of the MLC, promised to address the atrocities of Mambasa. He announced that his rebel group had arrested five of its own members, including its chief of operations in Ituri province, Lieutenant-Colonel Freddy Ngalimo. He said the five would face trial by rebel court. The United States Government is very disappointed at the inadequate manner with which the MLC handled the trials of those suspected of committing atrocities in Mambasa. We fully share the assessment that those trials were gravely flawed.”
2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source
“Apparently, rebels called their terror campaign "Operation Clean the Slate", and the operation was presented to the people almost like a vaccination campaign. At that time, we expressed our condemnation of these horrendous acts, and I said in that Council meeting on 13 February: "What we have heard today about the catastrophic human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the atrocities committed by various armed factions, tragically reaffirms that we must keep human rights at the centre of our efforts to foster a lasting peace and a new transitional Government in the Democratic Republic of the Congo." (S/PV.4705, p. 8 and 9) For the more recent victims of brutality in the Congo, our rhetoric rings hollow and our actions insufficient.”
2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source
“In his report, the High Commissioner included some of the preliminary findings regarding the atrocity committed in the Ituri district last fall by the Mouvement national de liberation du Congo (MLC) troops and their ally, the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratic - National (RCD-N) rebel movement. At that time, the United States delegation listened with revulsion and profound sadness to the High Commissioner's descriptions of wanton acts of torture, rape, killing and cannibalism. The United Nations investigation confirmed that these atrocities were part of a systematic and horrifying campaign of atrocities committed against civilians in the forest of northeast Congo, with children among the victims.”
2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source
“At that time, the Council thanked the High Commissioner for her good work and strongly condemned the perpetrators of the awful acts in Kisangani, and it reiterated the critical principle that there can be no climate of impunity, that these crimes must stop and that those responsible must be held accountable. Given these events and the Security Council's actions, it is disheartening and distressing that we have had to meet again and again on atrocities and terrible human rights abuses in the eastern Congo. In February, the Council met in formal session to hear the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Sergio Vieira de Mello, report on the catastrophic human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source
“Frankly, the international community has been too slow and too timid to respond to these grievous crimes, and the leaders of the various fighting factions have failed in their responsibilities to end the excessive brutality of their forces. Approximately one year ago, the Security Council was briefed by the then-United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, about the atrocities that took place in Kisangani in May 2002. The report was thorough, detailed and very useful. Security Council members, quite properly, were shocked and distressed by what we were told. The abuse of life and of human rights was appalling; the stories of beheading were repulsive.”
2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source
“I wish to thank the Deputy United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Ramcharan, and Under-Secretary-General Jean-Marie Guehenno for their briefings to the Security Council this morning on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The bloody, violent conflict in the Congo is tragic. For over three and a half years, there have been brutal killings, rape, pillage and looting. Innocent people have died at the hands of combatants and from disease, malnutrition and other consequences of war. Some estimate the death toll from this war at over 3 million people. Some of the worse acts imaginable, including cannibalism, have been committed. Women and children in particular have been victimized by this conflict. And for too many there has been a climate of impunity in which these vicious acts have been perpetrated.”
2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source
“As the international community reaches out to help a population in need, one of its first tasks must be to seek to provide that population with a voice, a voice with which to articulate their own desires regarding what comes next. Helping the people find their voice is especially important in cases where a new government model is being instituted, as is the case in all of the models that have been cited today in your non-paper, Mr. President, and in the discussion which we have had.”
2003-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4748 (2003) · source
“We are committed to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq, as well as to an Iraq free of weapons of mass destruction, living in peace with its neighbours. The coalition will not remain in Iraq longer than required. An Iraqi Government chosen by the Iraqi people and serving the Iraqi people is the goal of the United States and of its partners in the coalition. I would like to conclude my remarks with one other point that I often see omitted in public debate: the will of the governed. We must not lose sight of the fact that the wants and needs of the people in a post-conflict environment are best defined by those people.”
2003-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4748 (2003) · source
“The days of using chemical weapons against Iraqi Kurds and of genocide against Iraqi Shiites in the south are over. The days of human rights travesty and abuse are over. The coalition has liberated the Iraqi people from a brutal tyranny. The coalition is working on the ground to ensure that the Iraqi people receive supplies of the essentials of daily life, including food, water and medical supplies, until Iraq's return to being a self- sustaining member of the global community. The United Nations can play a vital role in post- conflict Iraq. Fortunately, predictions of a humanitarian catastrophe, even predictions of a humanitarian crisis, have proved inaccurate. The coalition also is working with the people of Iraq to facilitate their recovery.”
2003-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4748 (2003) · source
“This is a very different model from Kosovo and, thanks to the leadership of Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the great talent and skill of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Ambassador Brahimi, the post- conflict reconstruction of Afghanistan is on a clear path to success - politically, in terms of reconstruction and in other areas. Given that some of my colleagues have raised the topic of Iraq, I would like to reiterate some of the key principles of United States policy on that issue. Saddam Hussain's weapons of mass destruction no longer threaten international peace and security. The coalition has liberated the Iraqi people from the brutal tyranny of Saddam Hussain's regime. The days of thousands of unaccounted-for disappearances in Iraq are over. The days of torture are behind the Iraqi people.”
2003-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4748 (2003) · source
“Afghanistan had become not a State that sponsored terrorists, but a Government that was held up by terrorists. Those days are over. The United Nations has been the key coordinator as different nations have taken the lead in important areas to reconstruct post-conflict Afghanistan - Italy in the judicial area, the United Kingdom in illicit drug eradication, Germany in police training, Japan in DDR, and the United States in training the Afghan National Army, with the support and help of the French.”
2003-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4748 (2003) · source
“The United Nations has helped that post-conflict situation. The goal of a stable, multi-ethnic Kosovo is a worthy and important one. As laid out in the Secretary-General's most recent report on Kosovo, and as discussed around this table, major challenges in Kosovo remain. Devolution, tempered by the realities on the ground, must continue. The development of the Provisional Institutions of Self- Government must progress. The human rights of all ethnic groups, including their freedom of movement, must be achieved. In Kosovo the work is not done. But the United States is confident that the United Nations mission in Kosovo will be successful. The Security Council's continued attention and involvement in post- conflict Kosovo, however, will be required. In Afghanistan, the coalition forces ended the reign of the Taliban.”
2003-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4748 (2003) · source
“In order to build a sustainable society in Timor-Leste it was necessary to build the institutions of civil society, from constructing Government buildings to constructing schools, from training teachers to building a properly trained police force with adequate numbers. The central role of the United Nations has been extremely important in all phases of this post-conflict situation. The success of the people Timor-Leste, aided by the United Nations and the donor community, is significant and very promising. In Kosovo, after the North Atlantic Treaty Organization employed armed force to end the genocide of Albanian Kosovars, the United Nations played a major role in the post-conflict society, with invaluable assistance from the European Union and the larger donor community. The Security Council met on Kosovo just a few days ago.”
2003-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4748 (2003) · source
“The Truth and Reconciliation Commission is carrying out interviews, allowing the truth to be told. The Special Court has now handed down its first indictments against those who allegedly committed the worst crimes against humanity. If those two institutions of transitional justice are successful, there will be important lessons for the Security Council in moving forward in the critical area of transitional justice. With regard to Timor-Leste, a nation small in territory and modest in population, Australia was the indispensable lead nation in moving the country from conflict to peace and independence. The United Nations played the central role in organizing elections, and the donor community, working with the United Nations, was generous.”
2003-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4748 (2003) · source
“Another lesson from the humanitarian side of the ledger is that of the importance of disseminating explicit guidelines on the role of the various United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations. It is also important to have clear mechanisms in place to address concerns about overlapping mandates between the activities of non-governmental organizations and United Nations agencies. We saw the benefit of such guidelines in the agreement between the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and UNAMSIL on the use of peacekeeping operation resources to move refugees. In the area of transitional justice, which is critical to post-conflict societies' movement to peaceful, sustainable societies, Sierra Leone is providing a very important example.”
2003-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4748 (2003) · source
“How the United Nations and the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) responded to the humanitarian needs of refugees and internally displaced persons in Sierra Leone offers valuable lessons. In the case of UNAMSIL, its assistance was focused, responsive and limited to its mandate. That is the way it should be. The primary task of a peacekeeping mission is to support a political process, even in the post-conflict period. The Council acted to authorize UNAMSIL to participate in the international humanitarian response in Sierra Leone only after a clear explanation of the role UNAMSIL would play and after it became clear that UNAMSIL had unique capabilities that could not be duplicated by any other organization.”
2003-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4748 (2003) · source
“Secondly, there is a need for the effective coordination of humanitarian assistance among peacekeeping operations, international aid agencies and humanitarian groups as a situation moves from peacekeeping to post-conflict reconstruction and renewal. The United Nations is uniquely qualified to provide such coordination in a post-conflict environment, taking policy guidance from the Security Council or the lead security force on the ground - in the case of Sierra Leone, the British military, which provided umbrella security in the immediate post-conflict environment. Sierra Leone also offers insight with regard to the role of the United Nations in coordinating key humanitarian issues in a post-conflict environment.”
2003-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4748 (2003) · source
“We neither strengthen the United Nations or the Security Council nor help bring peace to a conflict by over-promising, raising unrealistic expectations or over-extending the capacity of the United Nations to deliver on the ground. My delegation takes away several lessons from the United Nations role in Sierra Leone and other post- conflict situations in Africa. One lesson, for example, is the need to find a mechanism for donor group coordination and follow-up and for the reintegration element of any disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) programme undertaken as part of a post-conflict peace process.”
2003-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4748 (2003) · source
“Former Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold once said that in conflict situations the United Nations must go to a tailor for the tailor-made suit needed for the occasion. This flexibility has been institutionalized in the Brahimi reform process. It is not a weakness, but rather a strength of the dynamic nature of the United Nations itself, which encompasses and is affected by the national interests of United Nations Members. By virtue of having been involved in more than 60 conflicts, the United Nations can rely on an ever- growing number of post-conflict experiences, as well as lessons learned. This cumulative experience provides a toolbox, as it were, of solutions that can be brought to bear in the face of specific problems. Part of our flexibility is understanding what the United Nations can and cannot do.”
2003-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4748 (2003) · source
“My delegation agrees with Secretary-General Annan that every conflict is unique. I would add, as a corollary to that axiom, that the role of the United Nations and other international and regional organizations also varies from case to case. If we compare the baseline conditions in Afghanistan - a nation of 25 million people with a wide range of ethnic and linguistic backgrounds - with those in Timor-Leste - a nation of less than 1 million people without significant tribal or ethnic divisions - we quickly understand why the conflict in Afghanistan was very different from that in Timor-Leste and why the post-conflict structures that the United Nations established were also distinct. These differences point to the need for the United Nations to tailor its involvement on a case-by-case basis.”
2003-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4748 (2003) · source
“In the nearly 58 years since the United Nations Charter was signed, there have been, by our count, 202 armed conflicts involving 114 nations. More than 27 million people have been killed in those conflicts. The United Nations has played a post-conflict role in only a small number of those conflicts and has met with varying degrees of success. One need examine only a few of those conflicts to understand that the United Nations role varies significantly from one post-conflict environment to the next. Mr. President, in your useful non-paper circulated last Thursday, you suggested that we look at the United Nations role in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Timor-Leste and Sierra Leone. Before considering the United Nations role subsequent to those conflicts, I would like to make a point about the conflicts themselves.”
2003-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4748 (2003) · source
“Mr. President, I want to thank you for thank you for convening this Security Council wrap-up meeting on post-conflict situations, which is a good way to continue and elaborate on the discussion we have had in the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations several weeks ago. I thank the Secretary-General for his interesting remarks. The Brahimi reforms are still not fully implemented. If this discussion can help to push some of those proposals forward, then this will have been a very useful Security Council session. The Brahimi reforms are a good place to start the discussion because they drew on the long and varied experience of the United Nations in various peacekeeping efforts over the years. For obvious reasons, that exercise has been careful not to infringe on the role of the Security Council in making political decisions.”
2003-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4748 (2003) · source
“I thank the Special Representative of the Secretary- General, Mr. Sharma, for his report. The United States is pleased that the predicted increase in violence in Timor-Leste has not materialized. We applaud the helpful role played by Indonesia. We encourage Timor-Leste and Indonesia to finalize their border by the targeted date. We strongly support the adjustments to the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET) approved by the Security Council, including strengthening the capacity of the Timor-Leste police force. The liquidation task force, under Special Representative Sharma, demonstrates good planning. We support the final l2-month extension for UNMISET.”
2003-04-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4744 (2003) · source
“As is the case everywhere, perceptions in Kosovo are an important factor that should be taken into account. The Government of Serbia and Montenegro has made certain commitments to help establish UNMIK's presence in the north and to dismantle parallel institutions. The United States welcomed those commitments and looks forward to their full implementation. At the same time, we look forward to early progress by the Special Representative on decentralization. We welcome the involvement of the Council of Europe and look forward to its June report. Progress on those fronts will help to ease tensions and reinforce ongoing efforts to promote meaningful Serb participation in the Provisional Institutions.”
2003-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4742 (2003) · source
“We do not believe it would be appropriate to leave the determination solely to the Transfer Council. In closing, let me say a few words about the dialogue between the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo and the Government of Serbia and Montenegro. The United States supports efforts to intensify the consultative process in the context of a common document. Mutual respect will be the key to healthier dialogue. We are sure there are areas where UNMIK and the Government of Serbia and Montenegro can share more information on issues of concern to both sides. In certain cases, however, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General is right to consider carefully how he will exercise the authority granted to him in resolution 1244 (1999).”
2003-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4742 (2003) · source
“But a more collaborative process will help dampen the inflammatory rhetoric that gives a sense of crisis to every important decision. Back in February, the Security Council called on the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to produce a plan for implementing the benchmarks. In a presidential statement, the Council welcomed the imminent arrival of the plan. The United States continues to believe that a detailed operational plan for achieving the benchmarks is critical. My Government would be willing to provide experts who could help to put a plan together. My delegation hopes that such a plan for implementing the benchmarks will be forthcoming, as requested in February. Ultimately, progress on the benchmarks will have to be carefully evaluated. We believe that such a determination should include input from the Security Council.”
2003-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4742 (2003) · source
“We must use all the levers at our disposal to encourage respect for the goals set out in resolution 1244 (1999). We must do all we can to encourage responsible government. That is the rationale for United States support for the benchmarks process, and it is the reason the United States believes that UNMIK should complete the transfer of all non-reserved powers to the Provisional Institutions on schedule, by the end of the year. The details of implementation are for UNMIK and the Special Representative of the Secretary- General to decide, but the atmosphere in Kosovo makes it even more critical that the Special Representative consult in a timely and thorough way with all parties. That can be a painstaking process. It can be difficult; it can be time-consuming.”
2003-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4742 (2003) · source
“When those mistakes happen, the painful but necessary response is to say, "Try again". Last week, members of the Security Council criticized the Kosovo Assembly's action on the higher education law. That does not mean that there is a simple solution. The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, and especially the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Michael Steiner, must work with the Provisional Institutions to ensure that the legislation comes out right. I emphasize "work with". However difficult or pragmatic, a functioning partnership is required. Ultimately, it is the Kosovo Assembly's job to make the laws, and it is the Government's job to build support for their passage. If democratically elected representatives continue to ignore constitutional safeguards, we hope donors will take note of that defiance.”
2003-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4742 (2003) · source
“Kosovo's Serbs argue that they will do so when there are more returns, more respect for minorities and less talk about independence. The United States Government continues to support the Council's consistent response to all of that. Quite simply, we must do all that is practically necessary to implement Security Council resolution 1244 (1999). That means achieving the benchmarks that have been delineated and that must be met before status issues can be resolved. It means getting the Kosovo Assembly to focus on practical problems instead of on declaratory motions that have no basis in law. It means reinforcing absolute respect for minorities and the rule of law. It means creating an environment inviting for the return of refugees. It means transferring non-reserved authority to local leaders, even if we are sure there will be missteps.”
2003-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4742 (2003) · source
“The functioning of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government must improve. Some of the uneven progress stems from insecurity about the future; some of it comes from a difficult and emotional history; yet other problems spring from a lack of capabilities and experience. There are equally sobering realities involving ongoing efforts to integrate the Serb minority into the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government. The progress on returns is slow, as I have noted. Respect for minority rights is inconsistent. We here in New York always seem to be in the middle of a chicken-or-egg debate that has no end. Those in the Government pledge to do more to reassure minorities; things will change, they say, when they are secure about the future and when Kosovo's Serbs participate in the Provisional Institutions.”
2003-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4742 (2003) · source
“There are some encouraging developments. My delegation is pleased by the continued progress in training and strengthening the Kosovo Police Service. My delegation is encouraged by the report of some progress in dismantling the parallel judicial system in northern Kosovo. My delegation is encouraged to learn that the first six enterprises have been approved for privatization. But Assistant Secretary-General Annabi's report of growing extremism, grenade attacks on UNMIK police stations and the painfully slow pace of refugee returns powerfully reminds the Security Council that much work remains to be done. And of course, that was the conclusion of the Security Council's mission to Kosovo last December. There is uneven progress in consolidating Kosovo's elected Government.”
2003-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4742 (2003) · source
“The United States supports the decision of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to list the so- called Albanian National Army as a terrorist organization. Its attack on the railway bridge was clearly intended to kill innocent civilians, an utterly despicable act. As President Bush has said, it is never acceptable to target violence against innocent civilians. The United States finds it incredible that such violence comes only weeks after assassins took the life of the Prime Minister of Serbia. We share in the loss of a democratically elected leader. As my delegation noted at the time, we express our sympathy to the people of Serbia for that loss. The Secretary-General's report and Mr. Annabi's briefing suggest the challenges we face in our efforts to implement Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).”
2003-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4742 (2003) · source
“I would like to thank Assistant Secretary-General Hedi Annabi for his informative and very helpful briefing on the Secretary-General's latest report on the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) (S/2003/421). The situation in Kosovo - and, more generally, in the Balkans - continues to be a matter of great importance, as evidenced by Secretary of State Powell's recent visit to Belgrade. Before turning to the Secretary-General's report, let me make a few comments on recent acts of violence in Kosovo. The United States has provided resources to confront organized crime in the Balkans, and has spoken loudly and often against organized crime and extremist violence. The United States condemns outright violence against witnesses in criminal trials and violence targeted against specific ethnic groups.”
2003-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4742 (2003) · source
“The challenge will be to define the venue: to develop, through experience, the most efficient ways of working together. Ultimately, States must take responsibility for conflict that plagues their regions. Through dealing with issues on a regional level, States may take pride in living up to their responsibilities to their neighbours and to their own people. Regional organizations will be most successful if their member States are truly representative of their people.”
2003-04-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4739 (2003) · source
“Regional and subregional organizations in Africa - including the African Union, ECOWAS and the Southern African Development Community - must assist their member States by encouraging them to give top priority to working with the Counter- Terrorism Committee and with global/functional organizations to improve African States' counter- terrorism capabilities and to become parties to all 12 international Conventions relating to terrorism. Organizations such as the Group of Eight, the Financial Action Task Force and the international financial institutions have developed expertise, standards and practices that are invaluable to United Nations Member States, to regional organizations and to the Counter-Terrorism Committee as they all work separately and together to implement resolution 1373 (2001).”
2003-04-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4739 (2003) · source
“The United States is pleased that the Organization of American States (OAS) has agreed to hold a follow- up conference in Washington for regional and subregional organizations, and we look forward to providing support to the OAS on that initiative. Regional organizations - including the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Organization of American States - have endorsed resolution 1373 (2001), have drafted counter- terrorism action plans and have created special counter-terrorism bodies to help their member States implement the resolution. I would be interested to hear how they plan to live up to resolution 1373 (2001).”
2003-04-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4739 (2003) · source
“No State can control its own borders alone; it must have the active cooperation of its neighbours. The vocal reaction of the African Union to the terrorist attack in Kenya and that of the Association of South- East Asian Nations to the bombing in Indonesia signal recognition, on a regional basis, of the human and economic toll of terrorism. The 6 March special meeting of the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee showed that international organizations - including global, regional and subregional organizations - have major roles to play in the full worldwide implementation of Security Council resolution 1373 (2001). That meeting brought more than 65 such organizations together and will help solidify regional relationships and raise the counter-terrorism profile of those organizations.”
2003-04-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4739 (2003) · source
“Those efforts are not intended to replace the engagement of non-African countries in peacekeeping operations on the continent, but they recognize an increasing commitment and responsibility on the part of African countries. The recent meeting between the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and African Chiefs of Defence Staff was an important step in developing a framework for enhancing African peacekeeping capabilities on a multilateral basis. A second area in which regional organizations can work in conjunction with the United Nations is counter-terrorism, a problem not limited to just a handful of countries. Since 11 September 2001, we have seen the United Nations galvanized to fight the threat of terrorism. But to be effective, the United Nations must combat terrorism on a regional basis as well.”
2003-04-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4739 (2003) · source
“The ECOWAS Moratorium on the Importation, Exportation and Manufacture of Small Arms and Light Weapons in West Africa is consistently identified in our discussions as having the most useful potential for stopping the flood of weapons, and the Security Council has endorsed the Moratorium in several of its resolutions. But the Moratorium and its enforcement provisions are not working as effectively as they should. Why is that? A key problem appears to be the failure of ECOWAS States to establish the monitoring and enforcement agencies they pledged to establish. What can the United Nations Secretariat do to spur that? The United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations is working closely with regional and subregional actors elsewhere in Africa, particularly for the enhancement of the capabilities of African troop contributors.”
2003-04-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4739 (2003) · source
“The Security Council has just passed resolution 1474 (2003), calling on regional organizations - particularly the African Union - to assist Somali parties and States in the region in their efforts to fully implement the arms embargo, which is an essential part of the Somali national reconciliation process. Because the traffic in arms, drugs and diamonds destabilizes Governments and undermines peace and security in Africa, regional efforts can be increasingly important. In that vein, I have a question for the representative of ECOWAS. The Security Council has spent a great deal of time addressing the issue of small arms in West Africa.”
2003-04-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4739 (2003) · source
“During the recent crisis in Cote d'Ivoire the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and its member States developed capable military leadership and competent units. In response, the United States has worked with France, the United Kingdom and others to provide significant assistance to the ECOWAS deployment. That support, valued at over $4.5 million, includes troop and equipment transportation, as well as maintenance of United- States-supplied equipment such as vehicles, generators and radios. Donor support from maturing regional organizations must be multifaceted and contingent upon the good-faith efforts of the member States. Significantly, the United Nations has formalized the importance of working with regional groups.”
2003-04-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4739 (2003) · source
“A lasting resolution to those conflicts requires that accountability and justice be carried out by the people and transitional Governments in those States. To do so they will need assistance to develop their investigative and judicial capabilities, as well as the ability to establish fact-finding commissions. The African Union has established a bureau to address human rights issues. What role can the African Union play in assisting with those transitional justice issues in places like the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi? Would the perception of justice be better served if a regional organization like the African Union assisted with fact-finding tribunals rather than having them run entirely by the United Nations or other international organizations?”
2003-04-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4739 (2003) · source
“Consistent with the Group of Eight Action Plan to enhance African peacekeeping capacity, where regional and subregional organizations show promise and member commitment, the United States provides assistance to enhance both ongoing peace-support activities as well as long-term training and infrastructure requirements. For example, the United States has been pleased to provide over $10 million to assist with South Africa's efforts in Burundi, where South African peacekeepers have helped to keep an unsteady peace process on track for over a year. Also with regard to the African Union, the issue of human rights atrocities and the need to end the culture of impunity in African States such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi is before the Security Council and the United Nations.”
2003-04-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4739 (2003) · source