YouSaid · the spoken record

Zarif

lines on the record: 520
first: 1992-01-21
most recent: 2019-09-25
sittings or episodes: 43
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

“Undoubtedly, expediting the full expansion of the central Government's authority to the whole of the country and handing over the responsibility for the country's security to the national army and police are essential steps towards mitigating the threat of insecurity in Afghanistan. The unabated operation of the narcotics industry poses a major threat to the achievement of peace and stability in Afghanistan and adversely affects the political and economic reconstruction of the country. It also endangers the security and stability of the region, especially that of the neighbouring countries. As noted in the report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and in the report of the Secretary-General, Afghanistan produces 87 per cent of the world's opium.”
2006-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5385 (2006) · source
“Sadly, insecurity and the pervasive drug economy remain foremost among the challenges facing Afghanistan. We share the concern of the Secretary- General about the deterioration of the security situation in Afghanistan, especially through the increased employment of more sophisticated and lethal tactics, attacks against soft targets, suicide bombings, kidnappings and attacks against the education system. We strongly condemn all of those terrorist acts, which target the security and development of Afghanistan and the larger region. It is alarming that, despite the ever-increasing presence of foreign forces in the country, anti- Government elements appear to have expanded their theatre of operations and violence into traditionally calmer areas of the west, north and north-east of the country.”
2006-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5385 (2006) · source
“Indeed, the Afghanistan Compact, together with the Interim Afghanistan National Development Strategy, provide an important opportunity to ensure that the Government of Afghanistan and the international community work together on a common plan towards shared objectives in the fields of security, governance and development. Despite those remarkable accomplishments, much remains to be done, and many issues that present challenges to the short- and longer-term security and stability of Afghanistan are yet to be addressed adequately and resolved. We concur with the Secretary-General that many achievements of the past four years remain fragile and that the capacity of the foundations of the State should be strengthened so as to deliver to the Afghans the basic services they require in order to improve their daily lot.”
2006-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5385 (2006) · source
“The report of the Secretary-General depicts a promising future for Afghanistan, saying that, in a little over four years, Afghanistan has made significant progress towards becoming a democratic State with accountable institutions and towards reconstructing the basic infrastructure that can support the economic and social development of the country. In this context, the Government of Afghanistan has taken the lead in developing the framework that will guide the social and economic development processes essential for consolidating the gains of the Bonn process. It has developed a report on the Millennium Development Goals and adapted the Millennium Development Goals to the Afghan context, while including a ninth goal on enhancing security.”
2006-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5385 (2006) · source
“We have noted with delight that over the past few months the political transition envisaged under the Bonn Agreement has been completed through the election and inauguration of the Afghan National Assembly, and that a new phase in the history of Afghanistan has started with the Afghanistan Compact, launched at the London Conference in January this year. Indeed, the completion of the Bonn process, as indicated in the report of the Secretary-General, has resulted in significant political accomplishments and promising improvements in the economic and social fields. These include, in particular, continued progress in public administration and the national education system, as well as achievements in the financial and fiscal fields.”
2006-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5385 (2006) · source
“Allow me to join previous speakers in congratulating you, Mr. President, on your assumption of the presidency of the Council for this month. Let me also extend our gratitude to the Secretary-General for his comprehensive report on the situation in Afghanistan and for the untiring commitment and determination demonstrated by him and his colleagues to consolidate peace, stability and development in the country. I also wish to congratulate Mr. Tom Koenigs, the new Special Representative of the Secretary-General, thank him for his briefing and assure him of our continued support and cooperation in helping the people and the Government of Afghanistan to realize their long- awaited aspirations for peace, stability and development.”
2006-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5385 (2006) · source
“In our view, it is important that the Afghan Government and the international community adopt a more thorough approach to creating a stable basis to facilitate the voluntary return of refugees. I should not close my statement without reaffirming our determination to continue helping the Afghan Government and people overcome the huge challenges they still face and to move smoothly through the remaining stages of their political, developmental and reconstruction process. The international community should also foster closer and broader cooperation, under the auspices of this world Organization, towards the consolidation of peace, security and stability in Afghanistan.”
2005-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5249 (2005) · source
“At the same time, we are also engaged in many projects, both in Iran and Afghanistan, to help promote foreign trade in this landlocked country. I will not go into the details in the sake of time. The Islamic Republic of Iran hosted almost 3 million Afghan refugees for about three decades, incurring huge costs in the process. Our expectation that in the new era, and with the cooperation of the international community and the Afghan Government, the voluntary repatriation of the refugees could occur in a more timely manner has yet to be met. Despite the implementation of the Trilateral Agreement signed with the Afghan Government and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the implementation of several programmes in this respect, the process is not progressing satisfactorily.”
2005-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5249 (2005) · source
“Because opium cultivation has turned into a major source of income for many Afghan farmers, we believe that the major cure lies in accelerating the pace of Afghan reconstruction in all fields. Thus the international community should also redouble its efforts in providing international assistance for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. By pledging at the Tokyo Conference to allocate a credit amounting to $560 million to this end - the highest pledge in terms of per capita income of the donor countries - Iran is actively playing a role. In fulfilling our pledge, we have engaged in various infrastructure activities in Afghanistan, including electricity projects, road construction, manpower training and humanitarian services. In general, Iran's contribution to the reconstruction of Afghanistan has so far amounted to $170 million.”
2005-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5249 (2005) · source
“While certain efforts by the Government of Afghanistan have resulted in the reduction of opium cultivation in some regions traditionally famous for producing opium, it is beyond comprehension as to why at the same time opium cultivation should increase in the regions bordering my country, especially in the Farah province. It is a development that arouses our grave concern. Correspondingly, despite our costly campaign, we have witnessed an increase in drug trafficking from Afghanistan over the past year. For Iran to sustain its ongoing fierce fight against drug trafficking, international support, especially the cooperation of neighbouring countries, is indispensable. There is a pressing need to send an unequivocal message that all States are united in the face of this threat.”
2005-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5249 (2005) · source
“Situated on the smuggling route from Afghanistan to Europe and beyond, Iran has done much more than its share to fight a costly war against heavily armed drug traffickers in the last two decades, losing, inter alia, close to 3,400 law enforcement personnel in the process. Nonetheless, we are ready to stay at the forefront of the worldwide war against drugs. We have cooperated sincerely with the international community in fighting opium cultivation in Afghanistan and have, moreover, tried to promote and implement crop substitution projects in different parts of the country. Despite all the sincere efforts undertaken by the Afghan Government, assisted by the international community, to combat the scourge of narcotic drugs, we cannot conceal the fact that our expectations have yet to be met.”
2005-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5249 (2005) · source
“In our View, the impact of a pervasive drug economy on the reconstruction of Afghanistan, and the fact that terrorism and insurgency feed on drug trafficking, should always be kept in sight. Undoubtedly, insecurity and drug trafficking in Afghanistan are mutually reinforcing, while at the same time both exacerbate other forms of transnational crime. Moreover, opium cultivation in Afghanistan jeopardizes regional stability and adversely affects social order in the neighbouring countries. We fully agree with the Secretary-General that the widespread availability of drugs tends to increase local and regional addiction rates, thus contributing to the spread of diseases such as AIDS throughout the country and the larger region.”
2005-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5249 (2005) · source
“Since security is a prerequisite to ensuring development in the political and economic reconstruction of the country, my Government is concerned about the increase in insurgency and terrorist threats in Afghanistan, particularly in the southern and south-eastern parts of the country, mostly posed by the remnants of the Taliban and Al-Qaida, as well as by drug traffickers. We believe that in combating the elements of disorder in Afghanistan, priority should be given to enhancing the capabilities of the Afghan National Army and Police and the expansion of the authority of the central Government across the country. That is the best way to provide security throughout Afghanistan and help contain the terrorist threat.”
2005-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5249 (2005) · source
“It will certainly require a long-term commitment on the part of the international community to see the process of economic development, along with the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Afghanistan, to a successful conclusion. By the same token, we support the Secretary-General's idea that the international donor community must resist the temptation to move on after the elections are held. As the Secretary-General mentioned in his report, the security situation in Afghanistan remains of paramount concern.”
2005-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5249 (2005) · source
“Different hurdles in the way of economic and developmental progress in Afghanistan, including, inter alia, a pervasive drug economy, coupled with the onus of terrorism and violent insurgency, have burdened the reconstruction of the country with a truly formidable combination of challenges. The host of problems that Afghanistan is facing in these fields, if left unchecked, may disrupt the smooth return of the country to peace and stability. Indeed, the completion of the political transition is a vital step, but, as mentioned in the Secretary- General's report, that alone will not be sufficient for the establishment of lasting peace in Afghanistan.”
2005-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5249 (2005) · source
“The Islamic Republic of Iran stands ready, as always, to extend its unreserved cooperation to the Government of Afghanistan in the successful holding of these elections. The recent report of the Secretary-General on Afghanistan (S/2005/525) refers to the progress made and reforms planned in the economic and social fields, particularly in public administration, fiscal management and the national education system. Indeed, the Afghan people and Government deserve our collective admiration for their achievements. However, despite these commendable efforts and achievements, there is no room for complacency, and much remains to be done, since major daunting challenges still lie ahead.”
2005-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5249 (2005) · source
“We firmly believe that such commitment is indispensable in the striving of the Afghan people and Government for peace, security and development. Allow me, Mr. President, to join other colleagues before me in extending our sympathy on the loss of 17 Spanish peacekeepers in the recent tragic helicopter crash. After successfully meeting several benchmarks set by the Bonn Agreement, the Afghan people and Government are resolutely heading towards another major milestone by preparing for timely, fair and free parliamentary and provincial council elections in September. Despite the enormity of the task, we are confident that the Afghan people, ably led by President Karzai and benefiting from international and regional assistance, will be capable of bringing the process to a successful conclusion.”
2005-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5249 (2005) · source
“I would like to begin by congratulating you, Sir, on your assumption of the presidency of the Council and to congratulate your predecessor on his able leadership. We also want to thank you for having convened this important debate on the situation in Afghanistan. This is an issue in which not only the Afghan people and Afghanistan's neighbouring countries, but also the entire international community, have an enormous stake. Let me join previous speakers in expressing our thanks and appreciation to the Secretary-General for his valuable report and to his Special Representative, Mr. Arnault, for his comprehensive briefing on recent developments in Afghanistan. Indeed, the efforts and dedication of the Secretary-General and Mr. Arnault deserve our profound admiration and support.”
2005-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5249 (2005) · source
“While strongly condemning the latest Israeli campaign in the Gaza Strip, we believe that it is imperative for the international community to weigh in heavily and to unambiguously prevent Israel from further carrying out its nefarious designs against Palestinians. This Council especially shoulders the heaviest responsibility and should act with a view toward preventing Israel from continuing to flout the will of the international community incorporated in numerous United Nations resolutions. We hope that this time all members of the Council recognize the need for taking decisive action in the face of this new escalation in the region and do not choose to allow further paralysis of the Council and erosion of its authority as a result of failing to address the grave situation created in the wake of the recent Israeli campaign.”
2004-10-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5049 (2004) · source
“Collective punishments, house demolitions, land confiscation, indiscriminate extrajudicial killings and targeted assassination of Palestinian resistance leaders are but a few examples of the daily acts of State terrorism committed against the Palestinian people. It is indeed high time for the international community to take effective measures to protect and enforce the most basic rights of the Palestinian people and help put an end to the vicious cycle of violence brought about by the persistent and continued illegal occupation of Palestinian territories by Israel. We believe that an end to Israeli occupation, the formation of a Palestinian State with Al-Quds al-Sharif as its capital and the return of all Palestinian refugees to their homeland represent the only solution to the enduring Palestinian crisis.”
2004-10-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5049 (2004) · source
“Israel's systematic and total disregard for the demands of the international community and its continued acts of violence and terror against the Palestinian people have caused the deterioration of the already dire and grave situation in the occupied Palestinian territory. The recent Israeli war crimes in the Gaza Strip will undoubtedly create more instability and serve to inflame tension, threatening to further destabilize the situation in the region. The impunity with which Israel has been allowed to carry out its established policy of targeting civilians has undoubtedly emboldened it to continue in defiance of international law, United Nations resolutions and even basic norms of decency.”
2004-10-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5049 (2004) · source
“Recent military operations against civilian targets in the northern Gaza Strip and the brutal killing of a large number of innocent Palestinian civilians, including women and children, in refugee camps are war crimes committed by Israel in defiance of basic norms of international law and international humanitarian law. Indeed, Israel's illegal acts of aggression and oppression against the Palestinian people seem to be deliberate attempts to preclude and torpedo any possibility of resuscitating peace in a region which has been engulfed in a whirlpool of tension and conflict for so many decades.”
2004-10-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5049 (2004) · source
“Mr. President, let me join the previous speakers in congratulating you for assuming the presidency of the Council and in expressing our appreciation to your predecessor for the excellent work he carried out. Let me also express our appreciation to you for having convened this important meeting of the Council - a meeting that has once again been convened to debate yet another in a series of repeated and grave violations of international humanitarian law perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territories.”
2004-10-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5049 (2004) · source
“Therefore, it is very sad that the Council could not reach an agreement on the text of a presidential statement condemning the Israeli crime because of only one delegation preventing the Council from pronouncing itself on such an important issue relating to international peace and security in one of the most important and sensitive regions. We hope that all members of the Council recognize the need for taking decisive action in the face of the new tension in the region and will not choose to allow the further paralysis of the Council and the erosion of its authority as a result of its failing to address the grave situation created in the wake of the assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.”
2004-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4929 (2004) · source
“We strongly condemn this latest Israeli criminal act, and we believe that there is an absolute need for the international community to heavily weigh in and prevent Israel from carrying out its nefarious designs against the Palestinians, which will further jeopardize peace and security in the whole region. This Council, especially, bears the heaviest responsibility and should act with a view to preventing Israel from continuing to flout the will of the international community as reflected in numerous United Nations resolutions.”
2004-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4929 (2004) · source
“Extrajudicial killings and targeted assassinations, coupled with other Israeli war crimes and acts of State terrorism such as the construction of the expansionist wall, the wanton destruction of homes, infrastructure and agricultural land, the detention and imprisonment of thousands of Palestinians, and the imposition of collective punishment on the entire Palestinian population can only render the situation in the region ever more tense and explosive. The assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin is a flagrant violation, a flagrant crime, which has created more instability and may plunge the region into another round of violence. It was a deliberate attempt to torpedo any attempt to bring peace to the region.”
2004-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4929 (2004) · source
“In the aftermath of the barbaric terrorist act in Madrid, and at a time when the international community needs to pull together with a View effectively to combating global terrorism, the Israeli occupation and the criminal acts to support it, including extrajudicial killings, undermine the rule of law and cooperation among nations which are committed to fighting terrorism. There is no doubt that what Israel did, and has vowed to keep on doing in future, was a bonanza for terrorists such as those who perpetrated the Madrid crime, enabling them, unfortunately, to become further strengthened.”
2004-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4929 (2004) · source
“But in doing so, he once again made clear that, in fact, they have never been prepared to work towards peace in the region, for fear that any peace would presuppose the restoration of the basic rights of the Palestinians. It is not possible that, intent on preparing for and committing this crime, they did not know what its consequences would be. It is not possible that they did not know that this would be the onset of a new cycle of violence of the kind they have repeatedly, and indeed intentionally, provoked over the past several years.”
2004-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4929 (2004) · source
“In their latest cowardly act of State terrorism, the Israeli forces cold-bloodedly murdered Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, an elderly spiritual leader confined to a wheelchair. The real reason for such a cruel act was the fact that the Sheikh was an inspiration for the resistance against occupation. He was neither involved in nor in control of the resistance - a phenomenon that is caused by the occupation itself and not by any individual or group. Israel, and especially the head of the Israeli regime, who publicly boasted of planning this crime and having it carried out under his personal command, has on its record yet another serious violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, amounting to another crime against humanity.”
2004-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4929 (2004) · source
“Let me begin by congratulating you, Sir, on your assumption of the presidency of the Council and by thanking you for having convened this public meeting on the grave situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. I cannot fail to express my appreciation to your predecessor, the Permanent Representative of China, for his able and effective leadership of the Council last month. Once again the Council has convened to debate yet another atrocious crime perpetrated by a regime that has tried to continue its illegal occupation by resorting to State terrorism and war crimes against the people under its brutal control - a people who, in turn, have been left with no option other than resistance.”
2004-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4929 (2004) · source
“Thus we urge the Council to take decisive action this time on this new, alarming aggression. This is especially necessary in the light of further threats by Israel to launch more attacks on Syria.”
2003-10-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4836 (2003) · source
“The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has already condemned this act of aggression - which is an integral part of the provocative and aggressive Israeli policy - and expressed its full solidarity with the Government and the people of Syria and the Government and the people of Lebanon. We call on the international community, represented by this body, to impose restraints on the Israeli regime, whose actions are a threat to peace and stability in the Middle East. It is unfortunate that the Security Council, bearing primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, has thus far been prevented from shouldering its responsibility with regard to the crisis in the Middle East. There is no doubt that the impunity that Israel enjoys emboldens it to perpetrate its policy of aggression and occupation.”
2003-10-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4836 (2003) · source
“But it is evident that no amount of slander, deception and smear campaigns by Israel can cloud the obvious: that the Sharon regime has engaged in a systematic campaign of provocation and escalation, from desecration of holy places to targeted murder of Palestinian leaders, in order to obliterate any prospect for peace. However, this new adventure is all the more ominous, because it clearly indicates the fact that Israel, in its manoeuvring to continue its policy of occupation through escalation and provocation, is running out of options. It is attacking Arab countries in the belief that that will enable it to get out of the impasse it has created for itself. This new course of action, if unchecked, will drag the entire region into a downward spiral of violence, as it is designed to do.”
2003-10-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4836 (2003) · source
“No justification or pretext can be accepted for such a policy of reckless recourse to armed aggression, which represents a clear violation of the Charter of the United Nations and the most basic principles of international law. This aggression represents a serious escalation at a time when tension is running high in the region. The raid further deteriorates the situation and threatens to broaden the scope of violence. It is in line with the policy of escalation that the Israeli regime has pursued all along with a view to holding on to the Palestinian and Arab lands it has continued to occupy for decades. That is nothing but playing with fire in a region already scarred by decades of aggression and occupation by Israel. My delegation rejects the baseless fabrication against my country presented in the Council today.”
2003-10-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4836 (2003) · source
“I should like to join previous speakers in expressing our felicitations to you, Sir, on having assumed the presidency of the Security Council and to congratulate your predecessor, Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry, on the excellent way he conducted the work of the Council last month. I also wish to thank you for having convened this urgent Council meeting. The Israeli violation of Lebanese territory and airspace and the raid against civilian centres in Syria, causing destruction and casualties, is a further random act in the course of the incessant Israeli aggression against Arab countries and the Palestinian people. It clearly represents Israeli persistence in the pursuit of a policy of State terrorism, which must be vigorously condemned.”
2003-10-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4836 (2003) · source
“My country has paid a very heavy human and material toll in its fight against drug trafficking. As a result, Iran has always had by far the largest number of overall global drug seizures. And as Iran is a destination country, its agencies are implementing various initiatives to tackle drug abuse. The international community can always count on our readiness to effectively contribute to the global combat against traffic in narcotics.”
2003-06-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4774Resumption1 (2003) · source
“Therefore, we have always attached paramount importance to fighting drug trafficking and urged the international community to join hands in this endeavour. As recognized in the latest report of the Secretary-General, Iran addresses the problem at the source by providing resources for labour-intensive public works and infrastructure projects in Afghanistan. Moreover, we have provided assistance to the Afghan Government in a variety of ways, including investing in crop substitution, training Afghan law enforcement officers in Iran, training and equipping Afghan law enforcement offices in five Afghan provinces, and building 25 sentry posts for the Afghan Government. According to our estimates, the total value of Iran's contribution to various projects for the reconstruction of Afghanistan exceeded $68 million as of March 2003.”
2003-06-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4774Resumption1 (2003) · source
“However, it is obvious that, without successful efforts on the demand side with a view to considerably reducing demand, the fight against traffickers cannot come to fruition. As long as the prospect of huge windfalls persists, it will continue to be very difficult to put an end to the deadly business of drug trafficking. Undoubtedly, the possible decrease in supply as a result of actions in the source and transit countries leads only to an increase in the price of drugs, thus creating stronger motivation for growers and traffickers. The Islamic Republic of Iran, as a neighbour of Afghanistan, is the primary transit route for narcotics to the West and, at the same time, has itself become a destination country.”
2003-06-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4774Resumption1 (2003) · source
“Afghan drug law enforcement should be trained, equipped and financed. These are some of the measures that are required on the supply side. Obviously, the Afghan Administration, as a newly constituted entity, simply cannot single- handedly carry out all these measures and thus requires wide-ranging assistance. Combating drug trafficking requires assisting the transit countries so as to enable them to build the necessary capacity to intercept narcotic shipments. They need assistance in a variety of areas, such as information and intelligence sharing, and new detecting and communication methods and technologies. And there should be no doubt that addressing the problem at the source and in transit countries is much cheaper for the destination countries.”
2003-06-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4774Resumption1 (2003) · source
“Meanwhile, we believe that such a comprehensive strategy should be all-encompassing, bringing all actors and interested parties - including civil society and Governments - from source, transit and destination countries together. It should also aim at addressing all aspects of the problem, including opium cultivation, drug processing, trafficking and abuse. The problem resides as much on the supply side as on the demand side. Insecurity in Afghanistan, which I referred to earlier, and the collapse of the economic infrastructure in that country, giving rise to widespread unemployment and lack of economic activities, are among the main problems that should be addressed on the supply side. Thus, Afghan reconstruction should get effectively under way. Crop substitution requires a credit system.”
2003-06-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4774Resumption1 (2003) · source
“Undoubtedly, insecurity and drug trafficking in Afghanistan are mutually reinforcing, and both contribute in turn to terrorism and other forms of transnational crime. Across the globe, the lines between international organized crime and global terrorism have become impossibly blurred, and the links between them have grown in the past decade. The recognition of this reality should compel Governments to begin revamping their strategy for the war on both terrorism and drug trafficking. We support the idea of promoting, under United Nations auspices, a comprehensive anti-drug strategy based on close cooperation between the parties concerned and the Afghan Transitional Administration.”
2003-06-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4774Resumption1 (2003) · source
“Their increasingly centralized and visible leadership - including previous as well as new, emerging leaders - is more outspoken and active in talking to the media, inciting the Afghans to oppose the central Government. And the list goes on. My country, as one of Afghanistan's neighbours, is particularly concerned about the continued rise in opium production in Afghanistan. Despite the commendable efforts of President Karzai and his Administration, as well as those of the United Nations system, Afghanistan continues to be the main centre of illicit opium production in the world, and, as the Secretary-General asserted in his latest report (8/2003/333), poppy cultivation and the production and trafficking in drugs remain major national and international concerns.”
2003-06-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4774Resumption1 (2003) · source
“To do otherwise would amount to abandoning Afghanistan to chaos, leaving the country wide open for the Taliban and Osama bin Laden to move back in and to turn it once again into a base for their terrorist operations. Already, evidence of such a surge of activity in Afghanistan is abundant: the Taliban, Al Qaeda and Hekmatyar's group have reorganized. In the past two weeks, they have carried out 20 operations against the security forces and people loyal to the Government, using more lethal and sophisticated devices and explosives. While they are more concentrated in the eastern provinces, they are increasingly targeting areas in central Afghanistan.”
2003-06-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4774Resumption1 (2003) · source
“To reverse that trend, a sharp increase in international assistance is needed, especially with regard to empowering the new Afghan army, which still numbers only about 4,000 to 5,000 troops stationed mostly around Kabul - far short of the 70,000 or more projected. Consequently, the dependence of the central Government on local commanders to keep order has thus far come at the expense of central authority and lies at the root of a number of problems. The Afghan people and their neighbours - who incurred enormous losses for more than two decades as a result of lawlessness and instability in Afghanistan - expect the international community not to shrink from its commitments to the Afghans.”
2003-06-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4774Resumption1 (2003) · source
“A lack of security across the country - including in the capital - is still an underlying problem. The recent suicide bomb attack on German troops in Kabul, which regrettably killed four soldiers, was only the latest in a series. Continuing security problems are especially damaging because the drafting and approval of a new constitution and the holding of general elections, laid out by the Bonn Agreement, should be completed by next June. Such problems have also discouraged domestic and foreign investment, thus slowing down the country's economic regeneration. The effect of persistent insecurity, coupled with a lack of sufficient funds for reconstruction, has created a negative trend in Afghanistan.”
2003-06-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4774Resumption1 (2003) · source
“At the outset, I should like to join previous speakers in expressing our appreciation to you, Sir, for having convened this meeting, and also to Under-Secretary- General Guehenno and to Director-General Costa for their briefings this morning. More than a year and a half after the collapse of the Taliban, Afghanistan still languishes in a strange limbo between war and peace. Although the ouster of the Taliban and of Al Qaeda from power and the establishment of the Interim Authority - as well as its commendable and important achievements - have been encouraging and a source of relief for the Afghans, for the region and for the international community as a whole, the country has yet to find itself on an irreversible path towards stability and normalcy. The authority of the central Government has yet to spread throughout Afghanistan.”
2003-06-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4774Resumption1 (2003) · source
“Undoubtedly, such an approach runs counter to the spirit and letter of the United Nations Charter, especially Article 24, which maintains that the Council acts on behalf of the membership of the United Nations.”
2003-06-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4772 (2003) · source
“However, given the existing safeguards in the ICC Statute, as well as the very responsible statements that have been made by various officers of the Court, the insistence on extending the provisions of the resolution indefinitely would amount to seeking impunity for more serious crimes, including genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. We agree with the Secretary-General that the indefinite extension of this process undermines not only the ICC, but in fact the credibility of this Council and of the peacekeeping operations. My delegation regrets that a unilateral approach, founded on a misplaced notion of placing one country above the law, has created an untenable and unsound situation in the Security Council and in international relations in general.”
2003-06-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4772 (2003) · source
“The resolution unduly interfered with the Statute of the ICC, which is concluded among States in accordance with the law of treaties - a law that recognizes only parties to a treaty competent to interpret or amend it. Moreover, the international community is cognizant of the fact that resolution 1422 (2002) could be adopted only after the extension of the United Nations mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina was threatened with a veto, as were other peacekeeping mandates that were to come up for renewal, thus jeopardizing the whole United Nations peacekeeping system. We understand that the members of the Council should act responsibly and in such a way as to not place in jeopardy the peacekeeping missions that have been and continue to be indispensable for maintaining peace and security in the areas of their operation.”
2003-06-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4772 (2003) · source
“We believe that the principles and values laid down in the Statute will enable the Court to become an effective organ for the international community to combat the most serious crimes and render justice to their victims. This meeting gives us another opportunity to register our concern over a dangerous tendency to undermine international law and erode the credibility of this Council. What the Council is being asked to do needs to be approached with extreme care and scrutiny, especially in the wake of the unlawful military operations in Iraq, which followed the circumvention of the Security Council. My delegation is concerned because resolution 1422 (2002), the renewal of which is being sought now, is legally disputed and considered to question the authority of a treaty-based international body, the International Criminal Court.”
2003-06-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4772 (2003) · source