YouSaid · the spoken record

Zinsou

lines on the record: 354
first: 2004-02-17
most recent: 2015-05-13
sittings or episodes: 46
sources: un-security-council

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“Mr. Zinsou (Benin) (spoke in French): We are grateful to the French presidency for having organized this discussion on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, a Council agenda item that is both critical and of high priority. This important initiative reminds us of the primary purpose for which United Nations was founded: promotion of the dignity of the human person. The protection of civilians in armed conflict is an essential facet of its mission. Let us acknowledge that the Organization has succeeded in making that mission truly meaningful by striving to promote the development of international instruments on human rights and international humanitarian law to govern the conduct of States and individuals.”
2005-06-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5209 (2005) · source
“We cannot overestimate the contribution that the twin mechanism proposed could make to the strengthening of the judiciary apparatus and of the rule of law in Burundi. It is our hope that the political leadership in Burundi as a whole and all the parties involved will support these proposals, and that they will engage in this process in a spirit of sincerity, so that the sources of violence in the country can be eliminated and human rights violations discouraged once and for all, in order to relieve Burundi of the burden of its recent past. My delegation, together with other Council members, will give its unswerving support to the implementation of the recommendations of the Secretary-General towards that end.”
2005-06-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5203 (2005) · source
“We find in that one more reason for the international community to continue, and even step up, the considerable efforts that have been made for several years now to help Burundi restore peace. However, we all are aware that the road to peace and stability in Burundi is still full of pitfalls and replete with challenges. We are particularly concerned by the repeated violations of human rights. One of the major challenges is the fight against impunity and the struggle for national reconciliation. Recent proposals contained in the Kalomoh report seem to us extremely useful and relevant in that regard. The quest for national reconciliation should take duly into account the need to promote justice. The establishment of truth should be accompanied by the establishment of responsibility.”
2005-06-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5203 (2005) · source
“Mr. Zinsou (Benin) (spoke in French): We welcome the Minister of Justice of Burundi to New York, as well as his delegation. We thank him for his very enlightening statement. We wish also to express our deep appreciation to Assistant Secretary-General Zacklin for his introduction of the Kalomoh report. The presence of a ministerial delegation from Burundi at this meeting bears witness to our shared concern - that of the Security Council and of the Government of Burundi - to continue to seek together ways of achieving lasting peace in Burundi. Recent events on the political scene there have given fresh hope to the people of that country that peace will be restored.”
2005-06-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5203 (2005) · source
“In conclusion, we pay tribute to the Presidents, Prosecutors, Registrars, judges and all members of the team of the two International Criminal Tribunals for their devotion to the service of international justice and for their work to bolster national judicial systems, as well as for their invaluable contributions to the consolidation of international peace and security.”
2005-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5199 (2005) · source
“Despite such concerns, we concur with the Tribunal Presidents that the Completion Strategies must not be implemented at the expense of the rules of procedure and human rights. Law and justice must prevail. In the light of the situation of the two Tribunals, and basing itself on full information, the Security Council should fully assume its responsibilities for the problems raised by the Presidents and Prosecutors of the Tribunals. It is important to maintain pressure on the States concerned to secure the arrest and transfer of the accused to the Tribunals as quickly as possible. The Council should also appeal for the mobilization of the resources necessary to ensuring the best possible operation of the two Tribunals in order to back up their efforts.”
2005-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5199 (2005) · source
“We welcome the calm approach taken by the officials of the two Tribunals in handling those uncertainties. We urge them to continue to study those issues so as to make specific proposals to the Security Council at the appropriate time on measures to be taken to address them. In that regard, we look forward with genuine interest to the next reports of the Tribunals, offering approaches to solutions and estimates of additional costs referred to in the reports before us. At the same time, we wonder about the reasons behind the low number of indictees pleading guilty and the growing number of accused filing appeals. Those two factors are likely to weigh heavily on the timetable of the Completion Strategies and on the Tribunals' budgets.”
2005-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5199 (2005) · source
“We have also noted the great care taken to ensure that transfers to national jurisdictions of cases of lesser responsibility do not take place to the detriment of international standards for rules of proceedings and the execution of sentences. We encourage the International Criminal Tribunals to remain attentive to the way in which national jurisdictions proceed with the cases transferred to them, because that monitoring, in our view, is a guarantee of the legal security of the transferred indictees and encouragement to the national courts concerned to follow good practices. In that regard, we note the manifest transparency of the Tribunals' approach to precisely identifying uncertainties that affect the Completion Strategies. The factors identified demand flexibility and creativity in the management of timetables and deadlines.”
2005-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5199 (2005) · source
“The establishment of the Sarajevo War Crimes Chamber is a significant example in that regard. The productive cooperation with some States, leading to the conclusion of agreements for the execution of sentences in other African countries; the appearance before the Tribunals, in particular the Yugoslav Tribunal, of several fugitive accused; and the establishment of working groups to research ways and means of expediting the work are all measures reflecting genuine commitment to doing everything possible to attain the target set by Security Council resolutions 1503 (2003) and 1534 (2004). We consider them to be the manifestations of real progress in the international community's efforts to combat impunity for crimes against international humanitarian law.”
2005-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5199 (2005) · source
“Mr. Zinsou (Benin) (spoke in French): I wish to welcome the Presidents and Prosecutors of the International Criminal Tribunals. We thank them for their reports and for the extremely enlightening information they have given the Council in their briefings on the implementation of the Completion Strategy for their work. We note with satisfaction the tireless efforts being made to expedite the work of the two Tribunals. The progress achieved in the implementation of the Completion Strategies is most welcome in that regard. We welcome the judicious application of the principle of the heaviest responsibility, the joining of certain trials, and the training activities undertaken to enhance the capacities of national jurisdictions so as to ensure better handling of transferred cases.”
2005-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5199 (2005) · source
“That is the case with the conflicts in West Africa, where harmful regional phenomena are exacerbated by the extremely mobile nature of problems arising out of the process of regional integration. Such a context urgently requires the adoption of a regional approach and enhanced cooperation with regional and subregional organizations in order to implement actions aimed at remedying the problems created by conflict. In conclusion, we reaffirm Benin's resolute support for the Secretary-General's proposals with respect to the creation of a Peacebuilding Commission to fill the structural gap existing in the United Nations in regard to the coordination of action to promote international peace and security.”
2005-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5187 (2005) · source
“We should offer ex-combatants, who are often unemployed youth, child soldiers and women victims of abuse a genuine economic alternative to war by giving them the possibility to participate in training programmes, to adopt a peaceful way of life, to earn a daily wage by finding well-paying civilian jobs and to acquire a culture of peace in the service of peace. These activities should be funded by the regular United Nations budget. When it comes to local ownership of the peacebuilding process, it is important for the activities of the international community and, in particular, those of the United Nations, to strengthen capacity. When the complexity of a conflict is such that trans-border factors are involved, factoring them in can only help us achieve our goals.”
2005-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5187 (2005) · source
“The logical consequence of this approach would be for the mandates of peacekeeping operations to be based on such an integrated strategy. The mandates would then become a reference point for structuring the objectives over the short, medium and long term. They could also provide a context of integrated coordination for taking wise advantage of the potential for synergy arising from increased cooperation from actors on the ground. The adequate financing of and meaningful implementation of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) programmes is an essential component of peacebuilding. These activities should be carried out in such a way as to make the programmes a catalyst for social transformation laying the foundations for lasting stabilization in countries emerging from conflict and in their regions.”
2005-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5187 (2005) · source
“The coordinating function can be legitimately discharged by the United Nations in View of its universality and the legitimacy it enjoys. The challenge relates to the Organization's capacity to mobilize other international actors, in particular the funds and programmes and the international financial institutions. These have to be brought to support a comprehensive integrated strategy and to plan their contribution on the basis of a rational distribution of work based on proven comparative advantage. That is a way of avoiding duplication. In this connection, the participation of various external actors in defining strategies would ensure their support and their genuine contribution to the implementation of the strategies.”
2005-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5187 (2005) · source
“Processes of normalization have stagnated because of a lack of adequate support or an inability to get the next phases under way. What we clearly see is a lack of harmonious streamlining among peacekeeping operations, humanitarian assistance and economic development assistance. The added value of today's debate, in our view, resides in our arriving at the appropriate conclusions about the limits of a sequential approach and identifying of the challenges posed by an alternative integrated global approach. Such an approach would involve simultaneous interventions and closer cooperation among the principal organs and institutions of the United Nations. Another prime requisite is increased coordination of the activities of external actors that participate in peacebuilding.”
2005-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5187 (2005) · source
“Those three types of operations reflect an evolution in our Organization's practice, but they are dependent on structural limits relating to compartmentalization of the principal organs of the United Nations, which has led to the perception of interventions as either sequential or separate - in other words, a series of consecutive phases, from stabilization, to increased assistance for reconstruction, to the promotion of sustainable development. When we talk about such a sequence, we have to think about harmonious transitions to avoid any gaps or relapses. The performance of the international community in this regard has been spotty, because there have been numerous cases of relapse, resurgent violence and renewed conflict.”
2005-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5187 (2005) · source
“We see three types of intervention: peacekeeping operations essentially focused on security issues and on opening up access for humanitarian assistance; peacekeeping operations that seek to help establish solid national democratic institutions; and multidimensional interventions based on a recognition of the need to attack the underlying causes of internal conflict, which are often economic and cultural and thus fall within the development field.”
2005-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5187 (2005) · source
“Mr. Zinsou (Benin) (spoke in French): Madam President, thank you for having organized this open debate on peacebuilding, a topic of great importance with respect to the goals and purposes of the United Nations and, in particular, with respect to the Security Council's primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. The question of peacebuilding arises above all in settling crises and internal conflicts and in preventing their resurgence. A review of the international community's contribution to managing post-conflict situations shows that there has been a true learning curve.”
2005-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5187 (2005) · source
“We urge the United Nations to assist the Timorese authorities in the mobilization of resources to provide an optimal solution that will be commensurate with the vital interests and legitimate aspirations of the Timorese people.”
2005-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5180 (2005) · source
“The following areas, we feel, should be given particular attention: strengthening the legal system, particularly with regard to serious crime; building up the professionalism of the national police; and setting up an alternative arrangement to compensate for the non- deployment of the auxiliary security force recommended by the Secretary-General to deal with border infractions and the withdrawal of military group - the only unit responsible for maintaining the roads from Dili to the border - and for the departure of the medical group. All those elements will have a decisive impact on the future of the young Timorese nation and on the consolidation of what has been achieved.”
2005-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5180 (2005) · source
“All of those positive aspects convince us that Timor-Leste has turned a decisive corner in its march towards establishing democracy and sustained economic growth and sustainable development. That significant progress augers well for the future of the country. In conclusion, Benin would like to join all those who have called on the international community to maintain its commitment to Timor-Leste to find the resources to respond to the major needs that remain and for which the Secretary-General has indicated that appropriate international support is needed.”
2005-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5180 (2005) · source
“We pay tribute to the great maturity that the Timorese parties have shown in dealing with those delicate issues. The ongoing improvement of the political, social and economic situation in Timor-Leste and the commitment of the Timorese Government to achieve the Millennium Development Goals are very encouraging, as is the ongoing strengthening of good- neighbourly relations with Indonesia and Australia. In this regard we particularly welcome visit of the President of Indonesia to Timor-Leste and the signature on that occasion of the Provisional Agreement on the Borderline. We hope that the demarcation of the border will be completed very soon. The deadline established by the two sides shows that both want this dossier to make progress, and we encourage them in that.”
2005-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5180 (2005) · source
“We share the pride expressed by the Secretary-General at the invaluable contribution made by the United Nations to the building of the Timorese State. We pay tribute to the determination of the people and the Government of Timor-Leste to consolidate peace and stability in the country. We welcome the many important actions taken recently with a view to strengthening the country's legal framework and to stabilizing the political climate, such as the promulgation of the law of the Superior Council for Defence and Security, the drawing up of the penal and criminal codes and the confirmation by the parliament of the nomination of an Ombudsman for Human Rights and Justice for Timor-Leste, and to deal with the issue of religious education.”
2005-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5180 (2005) · source
“Although UNOTIL's strength is below the level requested by the Timorese authorities and recommended by the Secretary-General in his report in document S/2005/99, its creation and its mandate as defined in resolution 1599 (2005) give concrete expression to the will of the international community to ensure a smooth transition and continuity of the international presence in the new phase that is just beginning - the transfer of powers and the consolidation of what has been achieved since the independence of Timor-Leste. We pay tribute to UNMISET and to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the excellent work that has been done in support of reconstruction and the strengthening of the human and institutional capacity of Timor-Leste.”
2005-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5180 (2005) · source
“Mr. Zinsou (Benin) (spoke in French): We, too, would like to thank the Assistant Secretary-General, Mr. Annabi, for his outstanding briefing on the end of mandate report on the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET), established by the Secretary-General. We are grateful for the information that he has provided with regard to the setting up of the United Nations Office in Timor Leste (UNOTIL). We welcome the speed with which arrangements were made to bridge the withdrawal of UNMISET and the establishment of the follow-on special political mission.”
2005-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5180 (2005) · source
“Disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes should be viewed as a lever to set in motion socio-economic changes that promote the development of a productive formal economy, thus assisting economic recovery and sustainable development.”
2005-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5156 (2005) · source
“We should renounce a linear approach to managing post-conflict situations. Instead, we should promote a comprehensive approach linking conflict prevention and resolution to peacebuilding through a complete sequence of steps, because experience has shown that a linear approach leads to bottlenecks that entail real risks, as they reduce our ability to manage and take advantage of synergies to accelerate the normalization process. We should encourage the harmonious linking of the various steps of the international community's intervention in order to multiply the effectiveness of the resources employed.”
2005-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5156 (2005) · source
“People who are already suffering as a result of conflict and crisis should receive adequate international assistance to protect their right to life and to protect them from the violent actions of combatants. The Council should strive to speak with one voice when it comes to promoting international criminal justice as an effective tool to combat impunity. The Council must also give more sustained attention to forgotten crises. There should be closer coordination between the Council and non-governmental organizations that provide humanitarian assistance, even if it is necessary to maintain a clear separation of humanitarian assistance and military operations. The Council must overcome a certain hesitation in taking courageous action to deter perpetrators of abuses against civilians.”
2005-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5156 (2005) · source
“Experience with Council missions and international missions of inquiry shows how useful they can be, and we welcome the Council's intention to continue to use such tools. With regard to interaction between the Council and regional African organizations, we must ensure coordination with regional conflict management machinery in Africa. Such coordination could be carried out through by means of regular reports on activities and networks for exchange of information, which would provide the Council with reliable and timely information to facilitate rapid decision-making. When prevention efforts fail, we have a duty to protect civilians; nowhere is this more pressing than in Africa.”
2005-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5156 (2005) · source
“Sanctions must continue to be assessed and monitored on a regular basis by the panel of independent experts. However, we should think more deeply about how to ensure greater respect for arms embargoes, in particular those on light weapons, as well as for individual sanctions aimed at drying up the sources of conflict. Wherever a United Nations operation is in place, it should contribute to ensuring that sanctions are enforced in an effective manner. Its mandate and rules of engagement should be formulated accordingly. Greater support should be provided for initiatives such as the moratorium of the Economic Community of West African States, which is being transformed into a convention; this could also contribute to the attainment of that goal.”
2005-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5156 (2005) · source
“The Council should be more active and more open to greater coordination and closer cooperation with other United Nations bodies, as necessary, and regardless of the stage at which United Nations intervention is decided upon. In that connection, we welcome the favourable developments that have transformed peacekeeping missions into multidimensional operations that respond more effectively to the increasingly complex character of the crises that they are addressing. As a complement to its diplomatic efforts and the deployment of peacekeepers, the Council should refine the way in which it uses sanctions. It is true that the usefulness of that instrument has been demonstrated against UNITA in Angola and the Revolutionary United Front in Liberia; in those cases, the sanctions were targeted and the political goals clear-cut.”
2005-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5156 (2005) · source
“Responsibility for post- conflict reconstruction is, first and foremost, the responsibility of the World Bank and the African Development Bank - with, of course, the support of the African Union - as evidenced today in several African countries. Greater synergy with those institutions should be developed. A peacebuilding commission, as proposed by the High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change, would thus be entirely justified. In addition to its devastating and wide-ranging impact directly on the African people, conflict also has indirect effects: the deterioration or destruction of health and education systems; the relentless spread of diseases, such as HIV; the abandonment of agriculture; the slowdown in economic growth and investment; massive violations of human rights.”
2005-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5156 (2005) · source
“The search for solutions to African crises is carried out in a more systematic and prompt manner than in the past. Unfortunately, Africa provides tragic proof of how costly conflicts can be if they are resolved. That is why my delegation believes that the Council should do more to prevent conflict in Africa. The Security Council should therefore be proactive, rather than reactive. The United Nations should look more closely at the underlying causes of conflict. In order to prevent conflict in Africa, greater attention should be paid to the best way in which to encourage democracy and good governance to take root in the countries of the continent. The United Nations, particularly the United Nations Development Programme, has an important role to play in that area.”
2005-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5156 (2005) · source
“But, in particular, Africa has also steadily been on the Council's agenda for several decades because of the many conflicts that have afflicted the countries of the continent since their independence, and it is those conflicts that are the main cause of the backwardness that characterizes the continent in various domains. A partnership for peace and security has thus developed between the African continent and the Council. The Council has committed itself to seeking solutions to a number of African crises at various stages of development by mobilizing the instruments for intervention available to it, with varying degrees of success. The Council's activities have increased over time. The attention the Council devotes to African issues has increased tenfold.”
2005-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5156 (2005) · source
“Mr. Zinsou (Benin) (spoke in French): We would like to express our gratitude to you, Mr. President, for having organized this open debate on the African dimension in the work of the Security Council. Although it comes as no surprise, the fact that you have taken this initiative does you credit. The objectives of the Organization as set out in the Charter can be summarized as peace, freedom and development. It was therefore only logical that, once the United Nations was established, Africa should become a focus of its activities.”
2005-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5156 (2005) · source
“I would recall the importance of the presentation of the first report pursuant to the resolution. This report will enable us to assess national policies' alignment with the objectives of the resolution. We welcome the diligence of those States that have already submitted their initial reports. Those reports provide the Committee with information that is critical for assessing States' efforts to implement the resolution for the benefit of all.”
2004-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5097 (2004) · source
“We confirm our commitment to the Council's goals, which are that States should take appropriate measures as part of collective and vigilant efforts to combat that particularly worrisome threat, which could give rise to such extensive destruction. We would urge the Governments of Member States to follow up on the resolution and to rationalize their domestic measures for monitoring the production and transfer of sensitive materials. We believe that since the adoption of the resolution, Member States have become fully aware of what is at stake and have rightly perceived the need for all involved to actively and fully participate in the ongoing and cooperative efforts to prevent any illegal transfers of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery.”
2004-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5097 (2004) · source
“The Committee has established its structure, taking into account the complexity of its task and the sense of urgency required in order to eliminate the risk of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and to ensure that such weapons are neither acquired by non- State actors nor fall into the hands of terrorists. Members of the Committee participated constructively and productively in the lively discussions on the resolution. The international community is in agreement as to the relevancy and usefulness of the resolution as a way of filling the legal gaps identified within the international instruments that seek to deal with the problem of the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.”
2004-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5097 (2004) · source
“Mr. Zinsou (Benin) (spoke in French): On behalf of the delegation of Benin, I wish to express our great appreciation to Ambassador Motoc of Romania for his dedication and the professional approach he has taken towards the great responsibility entrusted to him by the Security Council. Under his able guidance, the Committee established to ensure and monitor implementation of Security Council resolution 1540 (2004) has now organized its work and adopted the basic documents it needs to ensure its functioning. The Chairman's first report to the Council clearly shows the methodical approach he has taken towards the work of the Committee.”
2004-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5097 (2004) · source
“Those measures are necessary for strengthening the foundation of the market economy in the province, as well as for protecting property rights, which can greatly contribute towards stabilizing Kosovo.”
2004-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5089 (2004) · source
“Here, we encourage the search for the broadest possible consensus on implementing the planned comprehensive and integrated strategy - a strategy which takes into account the subregional approach in creating a process for determining the future of the province of Kosovo. In conclusion, we fully share the view of the Secretary-General regarding the importance of accelerating the economic development of the province. That must form an essential theme of the long-term strategy, and the reforms needed to ensure it must be tirelessly carried out. We welcome the dynamic process of privatization and the possible establishment of an investment promotion agency, as well as the rationalization of tax policies.”
2004-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5089 (2004) · source
“The battle against impunity for acts of harassment against minorities must be strengthened and must be a priority for UNMIK and for the new Ministry for community matters, human rights and returns. We welcome the decision taken by the political leaders of Kosovo to create that new Ministry, and we consider it a timely one. The ministry can and must become involved in advancing dialogue between the communities, with Belgrade and with the region. That is the best way to ensure cohesion among the various ethnic groups in Kosovo. The Ministry must do everything possible to provide all of those groups with conditions conducive to their full development.”
2004-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5089 (2004) · source
“However, acts of vandalism against such rebuilt but not yet reclaimed houses are particularly harmful and undermine confidence-building measures designed to promote the return of displaced persons. Such acts must therefore be condemned with the utmost vigour. It is regrettable that the authorities of Kosovo's Provisional Institutions have not expressly condemned those acts. The return of displaced persons must be considered as a decisive element in assessing the process of normalization. We urge UNMIK and KFOR to increase their activities aimed at ensuring the freedom of movement of minorities wherever it is threatened. Security must be provided in such a way as to inspire confidence in all communities.”
2004-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5089 (2004) · source
“In our view, that is the direction in which the planned reform of the local Kosovo administration should go. Ethnic exclusivity is a synonym for exclusion, and exclusion is a source of frustration and conflict. We also have concerns regarding the fact that Kosovo's Provisional Institutions for their part have not energetically encouraged increased minority representation. Progress in Kosovo towards achieving political normalization must also be measured in terms of the integration of minorities. We welcome the considerable efforts made to repair the physical and psychological damage caused by the events of March 2004. The rebuilding of houses and schools has been most encouraging.”
2004-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5089 (2004) · source
“It is clear that the situation would have been quite different if the events of March 2004 had not taken place, if a considerable number of potential voters had not been forced to leave the province, and if the Serb authorities had cooperated in carrying out the postal registration programme for refugees and in a timely manner, had encouraged the active and unconditional participation of the Kosovo Serbs. The report (S/2004/907) of the Secretary-General cites, among the conditions laid down by the Serb authorities, the establishment of internationally recognized local Serb authorities in the areas populated by Kosovo Serbs. Those demands seemed to us to run counter to the vision of a multi-ethnic Kosovo, which should be administered by local structures which are neutral from an ethnic point of view.”
2004-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5089 (2004) · source
“We also welcome the actions of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the Kosovo Force (KFOR), which coordinated their actions to ensure the security and order which are necessary for the holding of any transparent and reliable election. Here, we note with great satisfaction that the electoral campaign and the balloting took place without irregularities and without significant incident. The lower level of voter turnout compared with previous votes was regrettable.”
2004-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5089 (2004) · source
“Our comments concern primarily the holding of the legislative elections, the situation of minorities and the promotion of economic development in the province. In our view, the success of the first legislative elections in Kosovo, organized by the Provisional Institutions, are an important indicator of positive developments in the situation in Kosovo after the tragic events of March 2004. We attribute this to the efforts of those who worked as fast as they could to stabilize and normalize the situation in the province and to create the conditions for the proper conduct of the elections. The key role played by local institutions, such as the Central Election Commission, is of particular note.”
2004-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5089 (2004) · source
“Mr. Zinsou (Benin) (spoke in French): We would like to thank the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for his very instructive briefing on the situation in Kosovo. We also commend the representative of the Government of Serbia and Montenegro for his outstanding contribution to our debate. We greatly appreciated the report of the Secretary-General on the activities of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), particularly its annex I, on the technical assessment of the implementation of each of the eight standards established by the provisional administration. It has enabled us to take stock of what remains to be done in order to achieve the objectives set by the policy of "standards before status".”
2004-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5089 (2004) · source
“In our view, political constraints are essentially linked to a lack of cooperation from States that delay handing over to the Tribunal persons who have been accused and who are still at large on their territory. My delegation urgently appeals to the Governments concerned to apprehend those involved as soon as possible and to hand them over to the Tribunals so that they can answer for their acts before international justice. In so doing, they would be making a very valuable contribution to combating impunity and to promoting respect for the rule of law and the principles of humanity necessary for the preservation of international peace and security. In conclusion, we renew our firm support for the officials of the two Tribunals. We pay tribute to them for all their efforts to ensure that the rule of law prevails.”
2004-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5086 (2004) · source
“The seminars organized by the Tribunals are, no doubt, helpful in enhancing the national capacity of the countries concerned; we support those seminars. But the question of safeguarding and respecting international norms should be stringently evaluated. In that connection, the alternative formula of deferring some cases to third-country tribunals should be given all due consideration. In dealing with this aspect of the completion strategy, what is most to be feared is that cases will be transferred to overburdened and politicized national justice systems. Here, we encourage the Tribunals to continue their discussions with third States which they have determined to meet international norms in order to ensure that accused are given speedy and fair trials.”
2004-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5086 (2004) · source