YouSaid · the spoken record

Wolff

lines on the record: 404
first: 2006-12-12
most recent: 2010-07-06
sittings or episodes: 47
sources: un-security-council

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

“In parallel, the resolution underlines that a solution to the conflict should be aligned with efforts to achieve a broader regional peace and notes the importance of the Arab Peace Initiative. As Secretary of State Rice told the Council on 16 December, "as Arab States should reach out to Israel, so should Israel reach out to Arab States" (S/PV.6045). The second point I would like to underscore today is our continuing concern for the welfare of the innocent people of Gaza and in the towns and cities of southern Israel. As the Quartet made clear at its meeting this week, a lasting solution to the situation in Gaza can only be achieved through peaceful means.”
2008-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6049 (2008) · source
“The resolution reiterates the importance of fulfilling those obligations and stresses that neither party should undertake any activity that contravenes those Road Map obligations or prejudices the final status negotiation. The United States has made very clear its View on settlement activity and on the Palestinian Authority's obligation to dismantle the infrastructure of terror in its territories, reform security services and end incitement. On 15 December, the Quartet called for negotiations to be intensified in order to put an end to the conflict and to establish as soon as possible the State of Palestine, living side by side in peace and security with Israel.”
2008-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6049 (2008) · source
“I would like to join others in thanking Special Coordinator Serry for his detailed briefing on the situation in the Middle East today. I would like to make two main points regarding our discussions. First, we welcome the adoption of Security Council resolution 1850 (2008). It is a positive and forward-looking document that has put the Security Council and the international community on record as confirming the irreversibility of the bilateral negotiations and endorsing the parties' efforts to achieve an agreement. As the Quartet stated on 15 December, a lasting peace will results from the parties' mutually reinforcing efforts on the political track in building the institutions of the Palestinian State, improving conditions on the ground and in implementing their Road Map obligations.”
2008-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6049 (2008) · source
“08-63944 Finally, I would like to thank Ambassador Grauls for his excellent work in leading the 1737 Committee and his dedication to ensuring that the Committee carry out its mandate. He has set a high bar for excellence and professionalism for any successor.”
2008-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6036 (2008) · source
“The Committee's efforts are essential to our broader two-track approach, which includes both targeted sanctions and generous incentives for Iran. As Ambassador Grauls noted, the Iran sanctions committee has endeavoured to share best practices among Member States and encourage greater transparency in the international community's nuclear dealings with Iran. We particularly welcome Norway's decision to brief the Committee on its nuclear training programme in Iran and the safeguards put in place to ensure that those activities do not violate existing Security Council resolutions. We urge the Committee to continue its efforts and to consider new, more effective ways to carry out its mandate.”
2008-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6036 (2008) · source
“Iran's failure to cooperate with the IAEA has, indeed, gotten worse, in that Iran is once again refusing to permit the IAEA access to conduct a special kind of verification inspection at the Arak reactor, which is essential to monitor the ongoing construction of the facility, which itself is a violation of the Council's resolutions. The report chillingly notes that Iran's stockpile of low-enriched uranium has reached 630 kilogrammes, which is over half the amount needed for a nuclear weapon. I hope that the Council will take serious note of those findings and support the IAEA secretariat in continuing its investigation. Secondly, in the light of this evidence of Iran's non-compliance, the Iran sanctions committee should redouble efforts to ensure full and robust implementation of resolutions 1737 (2006), 1747 (2007) and 1803 (2008).”
2008-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6036 (2008) · source
“The United States welcomes Ambassador Grauls' briefing 08-63944 on the activities of the Iran sanctions committee. Today, I would like to focus on three points. First, I note that the most recent report of the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Iran contains troubling findings that deserve the Council's attention. The report documents Iran's continued failure to comply with the Council's demands to suspend all uranium enrichment- related reprocessing and heavy water activities. The report also elaborates on the IAEA's concerns about Iran's past weaponization-related activities, as well as Iran's refusal to permit the IAEA to have the access necessary to establish the international community's confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear activities.”
2008-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6036 (2008) · source
“The reference to folly relates to the point I made at the beginning, which is that if the intent is to provide humanitarian assistance, which we support, it is hard to imagine an approach better designed to fail in that effort than the one undertaken in this incident. As we know, these are countries that do not have diplomatic relations with each other. There is hostility between them. It would be unreasonable to expect that an uncoordinated yet premeditated effort to deliver assistance into areas patrolled in the waters off Gaza, under agreement with the Palestinian Authority, would be allowed to go unchallenged in this day and age. Again, the point I made is that it is remarkable that this did not escalate, and we should all be grateful for that. Therein lies the folly - not in the act of trying to provide humanitarian assistance.”
2008-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6030 (2008) · source
“I am not in the habit of taking the floor twice in public meetings like this, but since some direct questions were posed to me, I do not want to leave the room with people wondering what my response might be. The reference to folly was very clear and it did not refer to the intention to send humanitarian assistance, which my Government participates in. My Government provides humanitarian assistance. I do not have the exact statistics, but it is my understanding that this is the first time since 2006 that the Government of Libya has tried to provide assistance to the Palestinian people. I may be wrong, but that is the information that I have, and it raises a question about what the real motives are.”
2008-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6030 (2008) · source
“The Palestinian representative's lengthy prepared remarks would have enjoyed more credibility if he would have been able simply to repeat his leadership's own known views on this. Once this situation, created by Hamas, is addressed, we are confident the humanitarian suffering resulting directly from Hamas's illegal acts will also be remedied.”
2008-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6030 (2008) · source
“The United Nations recently issued a consolidated appeal for the West Bank and Gaza for $462 million to help the people of Gaza, and we would encourage all Member States to respond generously. Finally, let us not forget the underlying reason this humanitarian crisis exists. The legitimate Palestinian Government's authority was usurped in the 7 Gaza Strip by the terrorist organization Hamas. Its instigation of violence through the construction of surreptitious tunnels from Gaza into Israeli territory of the type used to kidnap and kill Israeli soldiers and its indiscriminate rocket attacks on southern Israel and on the established humanitarian aid crossing points all continue.”
2008-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6030 (2008) · source
“It is absurd to assert that Israel committed an act of piracy. Indeed, the Israeli Navy simply approached the vessel, flagged by a hostile State, and instructed it to turn around and not continue into Gazan waters. It then ensured that it did not return to its original course. The Israeli Navy fired no shots and did not insist on boarding the Libyan vessel. Mechanisms are clearly in place, as I have mentioned, for the transfer of humanitarian assistance to Gaza by Member States that truly want to do so. These non -provocative and non -confrontational mechanisms should be the ones used. Direct delivery by sea is neither appropriate nor responsible under the circumstances.”
2008-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6030 (2008) · source
“Under the circumstances, with the terrorist group Hamas controlling Gaza and perpetrating repeated violence and acts of terrorism against Israel, it is fortunate this incident of Libya's making did not escalate. Our understanding from media accounts emerging from Tripoli is that, after Israeli vessels turned the Libyan vessel back on Monday, the Libyan vessel tried once again to enter the port on Tuesday without Israel's consent. Under these circumstances, Israel was justified in escorting the Libyan vessel beyond the territorial sea and into international waters. It cannot be said that Israel's actions constituted piracy under the Law of the Sea Convention. Piracy has a very specific meaning under international law, including that the act has to have been by a private ship for private ends.”
2008-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6030 (2008) · source
“Secondly, Member States seeking to provide assistance to the people of Gaza can work through the existing institutions and programmes of the United Nations that have the mandate and the capacity to provide humanitarian assistance in Gaza. These United Nations institutions include the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the World Food Programme. One is, therefore, left with the impression that provocation - and perhaps even propaganda - was the intended objective of the Libyan vessel's activity. The real lesson here is the need to avoid the repetition of such irresponsible action in how assistance is delivered.”
2008-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6030 (2008) · source
“First, Member States can directly approach the Palestinian Authority, the legitimate Government of the Palestinian people, and inquire about how best to deliver their proposed assistance. The Council of Ministers of the League of Arab States, for its part, issued a 26 November statement calling on Arab countries to send humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip and assigned specific responsibility to the Arab League's secretariat to coordinate with the Egyptian and Jordanian authorities to ensure the entry of that assistance to Gaza. Why did the Libyan authorities not coordinate this in that manner? We are specifically aware, for example, of a shipment of Jordanian assistance that was successfully transferred through the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza on 27 November.”
2008-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6030 (2008) · source
“The way Libya went about this was dangerous and irresponsible. To the best of my knowledge, the Charter, unfortunately, has no provision to deal with the folly of States. This is not a meeting about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. However, if the objective of the Libyan action had been seriously to provide assistance to the people of Gaza, there are several ways to do so that do not involve such provocative, confrontational acts, and that would certainly have had a greater chance of allowing that assistance to get through. The manner which Libya chose seems almost designed to guarantee that the assistance would not be delivered. Now, there are several viable alternatives used by every other State interested in providing assistance.”
2008-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6030 (2008) · source
“We are confronted today by a most unusual situation. The Council has been asked to meet by a Council member to react to a situation of its own making. Libya, a country that does not have relations with Israel, which cannot even acknowledge its existence in the letter it sent to the Council that brought the issue under consideration to our attention, and which has an openly hostile attitude towards Israel, took the remarkable step of attempting to send one of its vessels to waters patrolled by Israel off Gaza in an attempt to land at a port which is not open to international maritime trade. Given the current heightened international sensitivity to unpredictable and uncoordinated maritime activity, what country around this table would not have reacted as the Israeli Navy did in this case?”
2008-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6030 (2008) · source
“As for Afghanistan, we have a coalition in place trying to consolidate a democracy - again, with no territorial ambitions - and trying to help the democratically elected Government. We have heard specious comparisons before. They cannot detract or deflect from the facts before us, and those remain very clear. As I have said before, facts are stubborn things. Russia invaded Georgia, Russia is occupying Georgia, and under that occupation, Russia is dismembering Georgia, in full disregard of that country's territorial integrity. No amount of effort to compare it with completely unrelated and dissimilar situations can excuse that.”
2008-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5969 (2008) · source
“I was not intending to take the floor. I am not psychologist, and I do not know what brought on the free association we heard from Ambassador Churkin. There are eight members of this Council that have recognized Kosovo, eight members that concluded that recognition was the right thing to do. None of them did it under the cover of force, as we have heard. There is a body of resolutions related to Iraq, which we are all quite familiar with, and violations of those resolutions over many years. There were divisions on the Iraq war, those are well- known. We thought we had overcome them. Apparently there seem to still be some lingering frustrations. But there is no territorial ambition or desire to dismember Iraq.”
2008-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5969 (2008) · source
“Russia's credibility and its relations with its immediate neighbours, as well as with others in the international community, are at stake.”
2008-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5969 (2008) · source
“Should it not be one of our principal obligations, and one of the international community's principal obligations, to ensure that all Georgian IDPs, regardless of their ethnicity, have the opportunity to return to the homes that they had to flee as a result of the fighting? Russia needs to complete its withdrawal from Georgia, in accordance with its own undertakings and the ceasefire plan, and we need to move quickly to strengthen the international mechanism called for in that plan. The deployment of additional observers of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in South Ossetia is a start, but additional international observers must be permitted to patrol the security zones to ensure that all parties are complying with their agreements, including the agreement to respect Georgia's territorial integrity.”
2008-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5969 (2008) · source
“Those are also serious charges, and they too must be investigated. We urge Russia to facilitate an impartial investigation by the United Nations of all allegations of human rights abuses on the territory of Georgia, including in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, in order to establish the facts for all to know. The Council must also have an impartial and accurate account of the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) created by this conflict not only in the conflict zone of South Ossetia, but also in Abkhazia. Are ethnic Georgians being permitted to return to their homes? If not, why not? Should we believe so-called president Kokoity's proud claim that ethnic Georgians will not be permitted to return to their homes in South Ossetia? Is there a place in civilized society for such attitudes?”
2008-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5969 (2008) · source
“In the course of Russia's invasion through Abkhazia, Russia violated a security zone patrolled by United Nations peacekeeping forces deployed by the Security Council. In Abkhazia, Russia is therefore undermining not only the territorial integrity of Georgia, but also the integrity of this Council. This Council should call on Russia to facilitate immediately the full redeployment of UNOMIG personnel to the Abkhaz region. With regard to South Ossetia, Russia has repeatedly justified its invasion as necessary to stop what it quickly termed genocide, which allegedly had left more than 2,000 ethnic Ossetians dead. That is a serious charge, and it must be seriously investigated. We have also heard reports of human rights abuses against the ethnic Georgian population of South Ossetia.”
2008-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5969 (2008) · source
“Let us consider the situation in Abkhazia for a moment. Abkhazia does not border South Ossetia. There was no outbreak of hostilities with Tbilisi. There was no humanitarian crisis to address. Russia and its Abkhaz allies advised the United Nations observers to leave and then moved beyond Abkhazia to occupy areas beyond Abkhazia's administrative boundary, where Russian forces remain to this day. The ceasefire plan agreed by Russia does not allow for any presence of additional Russian troops in Abkhazia or for the creation of any security zone there, much less for Abkhazia's independence. Let me underscore another point. The Abkhaz region hosts a United Nations presence, the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG), mandated by the Security Council.”
2008-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5969 (2008) · source
“Russia did not call for this body or other international institutions to consider facts regarding Abkhazia or South Ossetia as Russia perceives those facts. Russia did not work through legitimate international institutions available to it to deal with the concerns that it has raised since 7August, And Russia did not need to recognize two Georgian regions - a decision made possible by its overwhelming military might - to fulfil what it had claimed was its initial reason for taking over Georgian territory, namely, the protection of its peacekeepers and civilians in the South Ossetian region of Georgia. Rather, Russia presumed to confer independence on those two separatist entities as a political act that challenges the post-Soviet borders for the first time since the former Soviet republics gained their independence.”
2008-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5969 (2008) · source
“That should be a source of concern and reprobation not only for the members of the Council, but for every Member of the United Nations, whose Charter requires that all Member States shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations. If this wanton effort to dismember Georgia through military force under the guise of self-defined peacekeeping cannot be condemned, the very foundations of the international order that this Organization was founded to uphold will be in jeopardy. We should all be concerned by the manner in which Russia has acted just as much as we are concerned about what Russia has done.”
2008-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5969 (2008) · source
“Just under five months ago, on 15 April this year, the Security Council adopted resolution 1808 (2008), which spelled out, as had many previous resolutions, the following language as its first operative paragraph: "[The Security Council r]eaffirms the commitment of all Member States to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders ...". That simple statement, incapable of being misinterpreted, was unanimously supported by the members of the Security Council, and it is now being single-handedly disregarded by the Russian Federation. Russia's decision to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia in contravention of its own commitments and obligations could portend further disregard of this institution and its undertakings by one of its permanent members.”
2008-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5969 (2008) · source
“Over the course of these meetings, certain facts have not changed: first, Russia's military invasion of Georgia; secondly, Russia's continued occupation of parts of Georgia in contravention of the ceasefire agreement negotiated by President Sarkozy on behalf of the European Union; and thirdly, Russia's disregard for Georgia's territorial integrity. We now recognize those stubborn facts for what they were: a prelude to Russia's illegal attempt to redraw the borders of its neighbour. Russia's recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent States is incompatible with the United Nations Charter and at odds with numerous Security Council resolutions.”
2008-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5969 (2008) · source
“I too would like to welcome the Permanent Representative of Georgia to the Council and to express our appreciation to the Secretariat for its briefings. The Council meets today in emergency session for the sixth time since the outbreak of hostilities in Georgia on 7 August. This time, the immediate development that has compelled us to meet is Russia's decision to recognize the Georgian entities of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent States. The United States categorically condemns that decision.”
2008-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5969 (2008) · source
“We hope the wider membership will take better advantage of the improvements already made to Council working methods, and we intend to listen carefully to constructive comments in order to assess the effectiveness of practices and measures taken by the Council to enhance efficiency and transparency. That information will inform the future efforts of the Council's Working Group on documentation and procedure.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968 (2008) · source
“We had hoped that the briefings by the Council's President would provide first-hand information to Member States, but attendance at those briefings has been sparse. Similarly, despite the Council's efforts to have greater recourse to public meetings, the Chamber is often half-empty. Nor has identification of the formats used in Council meetings - designed to assist other Member States in understanding the nature and purpose of the scheduled exchanges of Views - stimulated participation. In May, when the Chairmen of the Council's Committees briefed on counter-terrorism activities, a topic of concern certainly to all Member States, less than 10 non-members of the Council joined the debate.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968 (2008) · source
“Most also appear in a topical index published in February 2006. They cover a broad range of relevant subjects, including the agenda, the annual report, briefings, documentation, meetings and formats. Highlights of these notes are presented in a concise and user-friendly list in the annex to document S/2006/507. Today's debate offers an opportunity for the Council to meet with the beneficiaries of that list to hear first-hand whether the practical application of the innovations listed in the annex to document S/2006/507 have helped them to follow the Council's work. It is a consumer survey which gives Member States an opportunity to voice their views on implementation. At the same time, receptivity to the measures taken by the Council remains disappointing.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968 (2008) · source
“Increased use of Internet websites has facilitated this process. The elected members of the Council have made significant contributions to this effort, particularly through their active participation in the Security Council's Informal Working Group on Documentation and Other Procedural Questions. All members of the Council have supported the effort to enhance the efficiency and transparency of the Council's work. In July 2006, they expressed their commitment to implementing the measures devised for that purpose. The Security Council has issued a steady stream of notes by its President aimed at demystifying Council practice and procedures. The notes have been published as official United Nations documents and are listed in the Security Council's report for the year in which they were adopted.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968 (2008) · source
“The United States welcomes this opportunity to have an exchange of views with other United Nations Member States on the implementation of the measures set out in the annex to the note by the President of the Security Council (S/2006/507), issued in July 2006. The Council takes seriously the Charter mandate in Article 30, that it shall adopt its rules of procedure, and takes equally seriously the importance of making sure that other United Nations Members, our partners in the maintenance of international peace and security, are informed and appropriately involved in the Council's work. For over a decade there has been an ongoing dynamic effort in the Security Council to ensure that information concerning the Council's work is readily available to all United Nations Member States.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968 (2008) · source
“We meet today on 19 August, seven days after President Medvedev agreed with French President Sarkozy's plan, four days after Georgia's President Saakashvili signed it, three days after Russian President Medvedev signed it, two days after President Medvedev promised to begin the withdrawal, and more than 24 hours after that last promise was supposed to take effect. Against this backdrop of Russia's continued military offensive and diplomatic delaying tactics, we support the French delegation's draft resolution calling for immediate compliance with the terms of the agreement, to which Russia, Georgia and other parties subscribed, and particularly for the immediate withdrawal of Russian forces from Georgia in accordance with that agreement.”
2008-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5961 (2008) · source
“Georgian President Saakashvili approved the ceasefire terms on the understanding that his Government's agreement would lead immediately to a cessation of hostilities and withdrawal of Russian forces to the status quo ante of 6 August. This did not happen. Despite the Georgian agreement, the Russian military offensive continued. On 17 August, two days after the Georgian President signed the ceasefire agreement, Russian President Medvedev undertook to begin Russia's withdrawal on 18 August. This did not happen. Russian operations continued in an effort to consolidate the occupation and continue to destroy Georgia's infrastructure.”
2008-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5961 (2008) · source
“We have seen a deepening and widening Russian offensive that includes the opening of a second front in Abkhazia and the occupation of Georgian territory. The objectives of this offensive suggest Russian intentions to weaken and subjugate Georgia, a sovereign country with a democratically elected Government that poses no threat to Russia. Last week, French President Sarkozy, acting on behalf of the European Union, launched a diplomatic effort to attain a ceasefire. The United States strongly supported that effort. After Russian President Medvedev agreed to the proposed terms of a ceasefire, Secretary of State Rice travelled to Tbilisi to obtain Georgia's agreement.”
2008-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5961 (2008) · source
“The international community is clear that South Ossetia and Abkhazia are part of Georgia, and the United States fully recognizes this reality. We will continue to stand behind Georgia's democracy. We will continue to insist that Georgia's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity be respected. When this armed conflict erupted, we heard from the Russian representative that his Government was acting to defend its peacekeepers and civilians in the South Ossetia region of Georgia. Yet the military actions Russia has undertaken continue to belie that claim. Even in its early stages, Russia's military offensive and political objectives went far beyond any reasonable or credible limit consistent with its claims. Russia has expanded its operations far beyond the conflict zone into areas that have nothing to do with South Ossetia.”
2008-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5961 (2008) · source
“Such gratuitous incitement of ethnic hatred has no place in the twenty-first century. Finally, we express our readiness to engage in international discussions on the modalities for security and stability in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Whatever the final outcome of these discussions, one thing is clear now: South Ossetia and Abkhazia lie within Georgia's internationally recognized borders. There is no room for debate on this point. The United Nations Security Council has adopted numerous resolutions concerning Georgia. These resolutions are based on the premise that South Ossetia and Abkhazia remain within the borders of Georgia and that their underlying conflicts will be resolved through international negotiations. Russia itself has endorsed these resolutions.”
2008-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5961 (2008) · source
“Russian naval vessels are destroying Georgian ships and disrupting civilian shipping. This situation cannot continue. We are gravely alarmed by the humanitarian situation, particularly in those parts of Georgia under the de facto control of Russian forces and their irregulars, where international human rights groups have reported serious human rights abuses. We demand that Russian forces fulfil their responsibility to prevent such human rights violations and call for an immediate investigation into the atrocities that are alleged to have occurred behind Russian lines. Statements by the so-called South Ossetian president Kokoity and other de facto officials regarding their intentions to displace ethnic Georgians completely from South Ossetia are reprehensible and should be condemned by the international community.”
2008-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5961 (2008) · source
“We continue to receive reports that international humanitarian organizations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), continue to be denied access by Russia to South Ossetia, the region hardest hit by this conflict. By denying access, Russia is preventing what UNHCR estimates to be 128,000 internally displaced persons and thousands of other civilians from receiving assistance, despite repeated appeals by humanitarian groups. We have disturbing reports from areas of Georgia under Russian control. Russian forces have looted Georgian facilities, destroyed essential infrastructure and allowed paramilitary bands to do the same. Georgia's main rail bridge near Kaspi was blown up on 16 August.”
2008-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5961 (2008) · source
“I would also like to extend my thanks to Mr. Pascoe and Mr. Mulet for their briefings, and to welcome Ambassador Alasania to the Council. The United States remains deeply concerned by the situation in Georgia. We deplore the loss of life, civilian casualties and extensive damage to civilian facilities throughout the country. We support the call for an emergency meeting today because of continuing Russian military operations against Georgia despite agreement by the parties, specifically Russia and Georgia, to a ceasefire. As of today, Russia's occupying forces reportedly remain throughout Georgia, including in Poti, Senaki and Gori. These Russian forces continue to destroy civilian infrastructure, block Georgian highways and impede the functioning of a humanitarian corridor.”
2008-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5961 (2008) · source
“Finally, I want to highlight that negotiations continue between the United States and the Iraqi Government on our transition relationship, including with respect to security, which will recognize the increasing ability of the Iraqi Security Forces to assume greater responsibility for security and stability. The report of the Secretary-General (S/2008/495), which is before the Security Council today, highlights the sustainable progress that has been achieved by the Iraqi Government, with the assistance of the United Nations and the support of the MNF-I and the Iraqi Security Forces. The international community supports a free, democratic, pluralistic, federal and unified Iraq, and I call upon all parties to renew their commitment to assist the Government of Iraq in continuing the hard work to overcome the many challenges that remain.”
2008-08-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5949 (2008) · source
“The proposed United Nations compound in Baghdad will ensure that UNAMI is able to continue its important role in Iraq, and we look forward to Iraqi support to ensure those facilities are constructed. Sixthly, I would like to stress the importance of Iraq's neighbours in supporting Iraq's efforts to provide security, achieve political progress and build its economy. The Government of Iraq's security successes have fostered international confidence. Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates have all named ambassadors to Iraq, and other neighbours, including Turkey, have recently sent high-level delegations to Baghdad. We hope that others in the region will follow their example.”
2008-08-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5949 (2008) · source
“In late July, six ministers representing the Sunni coalition were approved for the cabinet and four new Shia ministers have filled vacant Sadrist seats. UNAMI remains deeply engaged in assisting the Government of Iraq in various political and diplomatic activities, including addressing internal border issues, promoting regional dialogue and assisting internally displaced persons and refugees, as we just heard. Recently, UNAMI has been instrumental in advising the Council of Representatives committee members in the preparation of the provincial elections law and the Iraq High Elections Committee as they prepared for and started voter registration on 15 July. We are encouraged by UNAMI's plans to expand its footprint in Iraq and believe that the assistance of the United Nations will be critical to Iraq's long-term development and stability.”
2008-08-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5949 (2008) · source
“Following the military operations in Missan province, the Government of Iraq is beginning to implement a $102-million programme to refurbish and rebuild schools, develop municipalities, improve electricity and health services, build up the police forces and provide clean water and unemployment assistance. That initiative follows similar reconstruction efforts to reduce the appeal of militant groups in Basra, Sadr City, Mosul and Amarah. The fifth point I would like to discuss is political reconciliation. The willingness of the Government of Iraq to confront militias, regardless of sect, has encouraged the Sunni coalition Tawafuq to reconcile its internal differences and return its ministers to the Government, thereby providing an additional avenue for Sunni participation in the political process.”
2008-08-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5949 (2008) · source
“Operations Mother of Two Springs and Lion's Roar denied Al-Qaida sanctuary in the urban areas of Ninawa province and captured and killed several leaders of Al-Qaida in Iraq. Recently, Iraqi security forces and coalition units have launched a major clearing operation in Diyala province, north-east of Baghdad, to clear the remaining safe havens of Al-Qaida in Iraq and stop the Jaish al-Mahdi from smuggling and supplying lethal aid. Iraqi security forces have significantly extended their control, not only through the execution of military operations, but also through the facilitation of humanitarian assistance and the restoration of basic services.”
2008-08-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5949 (2008) · source
“In June, the Iraqi Government continued its offensive against illegal armed groups and the special groups, through Operation Promise of Peace in Missan, which focused on securing the provincial capital, Amarah, as well as the border and some smaller cities. Several senior provincial officials were arrested, and Iraqi security forces seized numerous caches of weapons of Iranian origin. Such operations show the willingness of Prime Minister al-Maliki and the Iraqi Government to confront militants, regardless of their sect or ethnicity, and to secure the country against the threat of malign Iranian influence. Iraqi security forces, working alongside local groups, have also conducted operations in Mosul against Al-Qaida elements.”
2008-08-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5949 (2008) · source
“We also welcome the assistance of countries that continue to provide security for the United Nations personnel and have contributed to the United Nations trust fund. We remain committed to ensuring that the United Nations receives the guarantees necessary for it to sustain and expand its robust presence in Iraq. Fourthly, I would like to emphasize that MNF-I is continuing progressively to transfer responsibility for security to the Government of Iraq. Ten out of 18 provinces are now under provincial Iraqi control, with Qadisiyah province having transitioned on 16 July. Other provinces are expected to transition by the end of this year.”
2008-08-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5949 (2008) · source
“That increased effectiveness and deployability marks the beginning of a transition from a static force centred on Baghdad to a rapid response force for the Government of Iraq. Thirdly, I would like to provide an update on the role of the coalition. The support of the 30 countries contributing to the coalition, NATO's training mission and the operations of UNAMI is critical to the success of Iraqi efforts to build a stable and secure country. Coalition members other than the United States contribute over 9,000 forces to the Multinational Force and another 450 personnel to UNAMI. Every contributor, large and small, plays a critical role - from the Azeris, who have provided security at the Haditha Dam since 2003, to the Romanians, who provide route security in the Dhi Qar and Muthanna provinces.”
2008-08-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5949 (2008) · source