YouSaid · the spoken record

Wolcott Sanders

lines on the record: 182
first: 2006-03-20
most recent: 2007-06-22
sittings or episodes: 29
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

“On a positive note, during 2006 two States acceded to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict. This international instrument works most directly to address the problem we are discussing today. The United States ratified the Protocol on 23 December 2002, and there are now a total of 107 States parties to the Protocol. This demonstrates important leadership on the effort to end the use of child soldiers in violation of applicable international law. Again, I would like to thank you, Mr. President, for the work that you and your team have accomplished on this issue. My delegation looks forward to working with you and other members here to address the problem of children and armed conflict.”
2006-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5494 (2006) · source
“Boys and girls, some as young as 8 years old, are often recruited forcibly and used as kidnappers, guards, cooks, sexual companions or slaves, or are used for placing and removing bombs. Girls in armed groups and paramilitaries are particularly at risk of sexual abuse. The United States supports the Secretary- General's commitment to stop continued violations and abuses against children, including recruiting or using child soldiers in Violation of applicable international law, unprovoked attacks targeting schools or hospitals, the maiming and killing of children, child abduction, rape and other forms of sexual violence, and unwarranted denial of humanitarian access. As an important element of an effort to eliminate such activities, we welcome effective monitoring and reporting of all such violations.”
2006-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5494 (2006) · source
“The LRA has waged a civil war against the Government of Uganda since the mid-1980s and has abducted thousands of children from northern Uganda to serve as soldiers. Children are forced to participate in acts of extreme violence and are often compelled to help beat or hack to death fellow child captives who have attempted to escape. Girls as young as 12 are given to commanders as "wives". Some abducted children have managed to escape, while others have died from disease, maltreatment or combat wounds. Colombia's children have long been caught up in that country's devastating conflict, including significant numbers who are currently being used as soldiers by armed groups, paramilitaries and militias.”
2006-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5494 (2006) · source
“Human Rights Watch has documented the widespread forced recruitment of boys as young as 11 by Burma's national army. Children are routinely picked off the streets, forced into the army and never see their families again. Many are forced to fight against armed ethnic opposition groups and carry out human rights abuses such as rounding up villagers for forced labour, burning houses, and even massacring civilians. Armed opposition groups also recruit children, though in far smaller numbers. Although there appears to have been a significant reduction in the unlawful recruitment and use of children during the past 12 months, children continue to be the victims of violence and abuse by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda, southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
2006-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5494 (2006) · source
“Several meetings have been held this year, and we look forward to working on the recommendations that the Group will provide in future. We also look forward to the implementation of the monitoring and reporting mechanism called for by resolution 1612 (2005). The United States recognizes the agonizing consequences of using children in armed conflict in all regions of the world where this problem exists. The use of child soldiers, in violation of applicable international law, is contributing to violence and great suffering. Such agonizing consequences are particularly severe in southern Sudan and northern Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Colombia and Burma. Burma is thought to have the largest number of child soldiers in the world.”
2006-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5494 (2006) · source
“I wish to thank you, Mr. President, for having convened this meeting today and for your leadership on this issue. I wish also to thank the Secretary-General; the Special Representative on children and armed conflict, Ms. Coomaraswamy; and UNICEF head Ann Veneman for the energy they have devoted to addressing the serious problem of children and armed conflict. It is important that the Security Council, other relevant United Nations entities and our Governments, as Member States, keep the issue of children and armed conflict in our focus. The United States also thanks you, Mr. President, and your Security Council team for having taken the lead in establishing the Security Council Working Group on children and armed conflict.”
2006-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5494 (2006) · source
“We also continue to strongly support credible accountability for the crimes against humanity committed in East Timor in 1999. We deplore the pilfering of the files of the Serious Crimes Unit during the current unrest and call on the Government of East Timor to assist in safeguarding that vital evidence. We also strongly urge that copies of the Unit's files be promptly sent to the United Nations, as directed in the resolution establishing UNOTIL's mandate (resolution 1599 (2005)). We look forward to further progress by the bilateral Truth and Friendship Commission and are hopeful that it will pursue a credible process that is transparent, identifies the names of perpetrators, protects witness confidentiality and involves the international community.”
2006-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5457 (2006) · source
“The police will need to be retrained from the beginning, with one country S/l'V.5457 assuming that responsibility so that training will be the same across all ranks and units. In addition, Chapter VII authority may be necessary for the international community to provide the robust assistance needed to help East Timor overcome the current crisis. The recommendations of the United Nations electoral needs assessment mission for East Timor illustrate how the United Nations can be most helpful. In order to ensure that East Timor's democratic development continues smoothly, we believe that the United Nations Electoral Assistance Division should, in cooperation with the Government of East Timor, organize and administer the upcoming national elections.”
2006-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5457 (2006) · source
“Because resolving the current crisis will require sound, credible information regarding its causes, and because of the urgent need to investigate the deaths that took place in Dili on 28 and 29 April and from 23 to 25 May, we concur with the Government of East Timor's request that the United Nations conduct an independent inquiry into those matters and believe that the resolution extending UNOTIL's mandate should include provisions for it to commence immediately. While the details of such a follow-on mission will be the subject of much discussion in the coming weeks, one thing is already clear: the disintegration of the Timorese national police during the crisis stemmed directly from its politicization and the lack of a central doctrine and training plan.”
2006-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5457 (2006) · source
“Sukehiro Hasegawa, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, for the job that he and his colleagues in the United Nations Office in Timor-Leste (UNOTIL) continue to do in East Timor, and to Special Envoy Ian Martin for his productive efforts in the past few weeks. We recognize that, even when the violence is quelled and the situation is brought fully under the control of the central Government, formidable challenges will remain for East Timor. Under the current circumstances, the mandate of UNOTIL should not be allowed to expire on 20 June. But given that it was not structured to deal with the current unrest, we believe that it should be extended only for another 30 days, until 20 July, to give the Security Council time to work out the structure of the United Nations follow-on mission.”
2006-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5457 (2006) · source
“We thank Special Envoy Ian Martin for his excellent report on the situation in East Timor and the Permanent Representative of East Timor for his detailed presentation from Foreign Minister Ramos- Horta. We also thank the representatives of Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Portugal for their reports, and we commend their forces on the ground for their efforts to consolidate peace and stability in East Timor. We are pleased that coordination among the international forces in Dili continues to improve and that their collective efforts have led to a substantial reduction in the level of violence in Dili. Finally, thanks are due to Mr.”
2006-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5457 (2006) · source
“The order also prohibits United States nationals and others within the jurisdiction of the United States from engaging in transactions with those to whom the United States has applied such sanctions. We stand ready to share our experiences and efforts with the Committee and with all interested States, and we look forward to engaging in the Committee's discussions on this issue.”
2006-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5446 (2006) · source
“One vital mechanism to counter proliferation that the Committee has not addressed adequately is the need to choke off the supply of funds to proliferators. Whatever else motivates proliferation, there can be no doubt that it is money-driven. In that context, the Committee must pay more attention to the provisions of resolution 1540 (2004) that require States to take measures against proliferation financing. Last June, the United States took steps to implement those obligations, when President Bush issued Executive Order 13382. That order, consistent with our obligations under resolution 1540 (2004), establishes a targeted financial sanctions program that blocks the assets of designated WMD proliferators and their support networks.”
2006-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5446 (2006) · source
“As the Committee's April 2006 report to the Council (S/2006/257) illustrates, much remains to be done. The Committee must work with States to identify gaps they must close to comply fully with resolution 1540 (2004). The Committee should aim to establish concrete standards for measuring States' compliance with their obligations under resolution 1540 (2004), taking as an initial starting point the elements of its matrix. We also agree that the Committee should continue to serve as a clearing house for information concerning technical assistance. The United States is working on its own plan to determine what assistance we can provide other States to fully implement resolution 1540 (2004). We encourage other Governments to reach out to those that need to build their capacity to comply with the resolution.”
2006-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5446 (2006) · source
“Resolution 1540 (2004) is a vital step in the international effort to address the threat to international peace and security posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their means of delivery, including to terrorists and States that seek to use proliferation of those items to threaten the civilized world. As the 2006 United States National Security Strategy states, "There are few greater threats than a terrorist attack with WMD". Resolution 1540 (2004), if fully implemented, will ensure that no State or non- State actor is a source of WMD proliferation for terrorists. The Committee has a crucial role in assessing States' implementation of the resolution and ensuring that States remain focused on fully implementing its requirements.”
2006-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5446 (2006) · source
“Finally, Ambassador Mayoral is presiding over the Committee's important discussion about revising the listing and delisting guidelines. Reflecting our commitment to fairness and transparency in the Committee's work, the United States has submitted a comprehensive package of recommendations. We realize that the task is difficult, but we hope the Committee will focus on this important issue and will remain flexible in order to reach agreement. With regard to the 1540 Committee and Ambassador Burian, we welcome the Council's recent adoption of resolution 1673 (2006).”
2006-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5446 (2006) · source
“The United States strongly supports Afghanistan's efforts to S/l'V.5446 reconcile former Taliban to the Afghan Government. We appreciate Ambassador Mayoral's decision to send the Monitoring Team to Kabul to strengthen the dialogue between the Committee and the Afghan Government and to gather the information necessary for the Committee to hold a constructive discussion on the delisting requests. In a further move to bolster dialogue, he recently travelled to Qatar, Yemen and Saudi Arabia, as he mentioned. All three States are important allies in the fight against Al-Qaida. The United States was pleased to join his delegation. Meetings with Member States are often the most effective way to improve cooperation and resolve differences, and thus help to strengthen sanctions implementation.”
2006-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5446 (2006) · source
“Doing so will help streamline its work, freeing up the CTC and CTED to focus on States' implementation of resolution 1373 (2001), and not on administrative matters. The Committee established pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999) has focused on many important issues since Ambassador Mayoral's last briefing and the United States commends his leadership. The Committee, with the invaluable help of its Monitoring Team, is working hard to strengthen the sanctions regime, address States' concerns, and ensure that the international community remains energized and united in fighting Al-Qaida and the Taliban. Under his stewardship, the 1267 Committee turned its attention to the Afghan Government's requests to delist former Taliban members who have completed the reconciliation programme.”
2006-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5446 (2006) · source
“The CTC must remain focused on its primary mandate - monitoring States' implementation of their obligations under resolution 1373 (2001). If States have received technical assistance but still have not met their obligations, the CTC must take action to ensure that they do so. We welcome the CTC's new preliminary implementation assessment tool, which presents a useful way to measure States' implementation of resolution 1373 (2001). We are glad that the CTC and its CTED are working to identify best practices or sets of best practices relevant to resolution 1373 (2001). Once they have done so, the CTC should endorse or adopt and disseminate those best practices, and use them to measure States' compliance with resolution 1373 (2001). Looking ahead, we hope that the CTC's next work programme will cover a 180-day period.”
2006-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5446 (2006) · source
“To achieve the best results, all United Nations Members must be invited to participate as observers, as in previous meetings. We also welcome CTED's outreach to potential donors on issues concerning technical assistance. The United States provides extensive technical assistance, including, for example, $1.5 million for the Pacific Islands Forum to enhance existing anti-money- laundering and counter-terrorism finance regimes in that region. We also welcome New Zealand's successful programme to help Pacific Islands Forum States prepare reports to the CTC, as well as to the committees established pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1540 (2004). Facilitating technical assistance must not become an end in itself for the CTC, however.”
2006-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5446 (2006) · source
“The United States appreciates the leadership of Chairman Loj, particularly her push for the Counter- Terrorism Committee (CTC) to achieve concrete results. We also are grateful for the hard work and expertise of the Committee's Executive Directorate, under Ambassador Ruperez's leadership. We welcome the CTC's recent accomplishments. We applaud its efforts to streamline its reporting procedures and to keep the CTC and States focused on the implementation of resolution 1373 (2001). We also are pleased to hear that the CTC is preparing its fifth special meeting with international and regional organizations, as part of its work to strengthen coordination with those organizations and highlight issues that have yet to receive the attention they deserve, namely restricting terrorist travel and denying terrorist safe haven.”
2006-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5446 (2006) · source
“We also urge the committees and their experts to consult one another more on engagement with other international and regional organizations to be sure that those efforts reinforce one another. Finally, reporting requests also need careful thought and review to avoid reporting fatigue. We remain concerned that States still have much to do to implement the obligations the Council has established. The Secretary-General's recently released recommendation for a counter-terrorism strategy has called on the Council bodies dealing with terrorism to develop standards of accountability and compliance against which individual States' efforts can be measured. The Council should take the steps necessary to ensure that its subsidiary bodies heed that call. I would like to say a few brief words about each presentation.”
2006-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5446 (2006) · source
“The committees are the Council's public voice on terrorism, regularly interacting with States, other parts of the United Nations system, as well as Sll'V.5446 international and regional organizations. For the Council's counter-terrorism efforts to succeed, they must speak with one voice on terrorism and operate in a coherent and coordinated manner. To do so, the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED) and the Monitoring Team of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999) must conduct more joint visits to States. When the two expert bodies cannot do so, they should coordinate their visits to produce the broadest impact. The two committees should share information they gather on those visits and, as appropriate, coordinate follow-up.”
2006-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5446 (2006) · source
“I would like to thank all three chairmen for their briefings. Terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction are the pre-eminent threats to international peace and security, and the Council has a critical responsibility to counter those threats. Ambassadors Loj, Mayoral and Burian show dedicated leadership that helps to drive the international community's fight against terrorism and, in Chairman Burian's case, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, including the threat that terrorists and other non-State actors could access those items. Today's presentations all refer to cooperation among the committees, which is essential and must be enhanced.”
2006-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5446 (2006) · source
“The United States has a long-demonstrated commitment to finding practical and effective ways of curbing the illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons, such as our own strict export-import controls and the significant assistance that we have provided to other States. We remain ready to continue that support, and we urge others to render similar assistance.”
2006-03-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5390 (2006) · source
“The United States continues to stand unequivocally behind the positions that we expressed in our official statement at that meeting and that we have consistently applied since. Since 2001 we have worked hard with many States present here today to meet the provisions of the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects. And it is imperative that we remain focused on fulfilling the obligations made in 2001, without our attention being diverted by revisiting old debates or addressing issues that are tangential to our main purposes.”
2006-03-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5390 (2006) · source
“In addition, since 2003 we have assisted in the destruction of more than 18,000 man-portable defence systems (MANPADS) in 17 countries and have strongly supported initiatives to promote adherence to enhanced controls of MANPADS in multilateral forums such as the Wassenaar Arrangement, the Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation and others. Since 2000, the United States has provided technical assistance to more than 20 countries in the area of stockpile security and management, and has assisted many countries in various regions of the world in their efforts to identify and trace United States-origin firearms used in criminal activities, including terrorist acts. In 2001 United Nations Member States came together to address the problems caused by the international illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.”
2006-03-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5390 (2006) · source
“We have promoted transparency and greater responsibility in transfers of conventional arms, and we have worked to prevent their destabilizing accumulation in forums such as the Wassenaar Arrangement. We offer bilateral, financial and technical assistance to help countries develop national export and import controls, improve border security against arms smugglers and secure and destroy illicit stocks of small and light weapons in conflict-prone regions. Since 2001 the United States has assisted in the destruction of more than 800,000 small arms and light weapons and more than 80 million rounds of ammunition.”
2006-03-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5390 (2006) · source
“The United States has one of the strongest, most rigorous systems in the world for regulating the export of arms. All United States exports of defence articles and services - including small arms and light weapons such as automatic rifles, machine guns, shoulder-fired missile and rocket systems and light mortars - must be approved by the Department of State. All transactions are conditioned on United States authorization for re-export. With respect to both exports and imports, the United States rigorously monitors arms transfers and routinely investigates suspicious activities. The United States has been active in stemming the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.”
2006-03-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5390 (2006) · source
“Small arms and light weapons, in our understanding, are the strictly military arms that are contributing to continued violence and suffering in regions of conflict around the world. We separate these military arms from firearms such as hunting rifles and pistols, which are commonly owned and used by citizens in many countries. It is the illicit trade in military small arms and light weapons that we are here to address and that should properly concern us. The United States believes that the most effective way to prevent small arms and light weapons from getting into criminal hands is through the national implementation of strict export and import controls, the adoption of strong brokering laws, secure storage of small arms and light weapons and the destruction of excess small arms and light weapons.”
2006-03-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5390 (2006) · source
“I cannot stress enough that arms embargoes provide one of the most significant mechanisms through which to eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons. Attacking the global illicit traffic in small arms and light weapons is an important initiative that States should - indeed, must - address because of its wide- ranging effects. The illicit traffic in small arms and light weapons can be used to exacerbate conflict, threaten civilian populations in regions of conflict, endanger the work of peacekeeping forces and humanitarian aid workers, and greatly complicate the hard work of economically and politically rebuilding war-torn societies. Alleviating those problems is in the interests of all of us.”
2006-03-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5390 (2006) · source
“I would like to thank you, Sir, for organizing this meeting today, and Ijoin in welcoming the Foreign Minister of Peru to our discussions. I should also like to thank Ms. Hannelore Hoppe for her presentation of the Secretary-General's report. The illicit flow of weapons, such as small arms, to areas of conflict and the role they play in exacerbating humanitarian crises are evident in Darfur, in the Sudan. Illegal weapons flows from the Sudan's neighbours and across its porous borders have fuelled violence and atrocities, created over 2 million internally displaced persons, and displaced over 200,000 refugees. The United States and the Security Council have been active in urging the parties in the Sudan to adhere to the ceasefire and rapidly to accelerate the peace talks in Abuja.”
2006-03-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5390 (2006) · source