May I begin by warmly welcoming the attendance of the First Executive Deputy President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki. It is indeed an honour for us all that he and his delegation could be with us today, a day that is indeed historic.
Today’s vote in the Security Council is timely recognition of the …
The cries of the victims in Rwanda have been heard calling upon the Security Council to act. The sheer magnitude of the humanitarian disaster in that tragic country demands action. This Council has struggled to formulate a response that is both appropriate and effective. To do so we went to extraord…
The situation in Haiti grows more desperate by the day. A small group of military officers has usurped the sovereignty of an independent people. The usurpers are devoid of honour or patriotism and driven only by greed and mistaken self-interest. They have violated their obligation to uphold Haiti’s …
We welcome you, Sir, to your new duties as Council President, and we know that you will steer the Council this month with style, wit and determination. We also recognize and applaud the skilful, innovative performance of Ambassador Keating as last month’s President.
The United States welcomes the p…
Along with my colleagues, Mr. President, I am delighted to see you here. It is especially appropriate that you should be here on a day when we are considering the subject of Bosnia, one which has taken up a great deal of the time of the Council.
The resolution we have adopted today is eloquent in i…
Once again this Council is meeting in response to barbaric acts of aggression against a Member State of this Organization. Once again, people of good will are looking to us to uphold the principles of international law and civilized behaviour between States. The civilians of Gorazde have been subjec…
The United States is pleased to see that the Liberian parties have made some progress, albeit limited, towards implementing the peace process since the Council’s last meeting on Liberia in February. However, we remain concerned by the delays and obstacles to the peace process erected by several of t…
My Government welcomes the recommendation of the Fifth Committee authorizing the Secretary-General to commit up to $11 million in funds for the war crimes Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia this calendar year. It is our understanding that this amount, when combined with voluntary contributions, shou…
The United States Government is deeply saddened by the untimely and unfortunate deaths of President Habyarimana of Rwanda and President Ntaryamira of Burundi. That the attack on the lives of these two men should have occurred as they returned from a regional summit in Dar es Salaam, where they were …
Sir, at our first formal meeting in April, let me extend my
delegation’s welcome and support as you assume the responsibilities of the Council presidency. We should also like to express our deep appreciation and admiration to Ambassador Mérimée for his excellent stewardship of the Council during th…
My Government has consistently supported, and continues to support, the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR), which has been called on to provide vital missions in Bosnia, Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. In recent weeks there have been many encouraging developments in Bo…
We supported the draft resolution extending observer status to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The Commonwealth is indeed composed of independent States, whose sovereignty and territorial integrity we continue to support. They pursue objectives in their joint interest in the Commonweal…
Council members are conscious of the difficult situation that the Middle East now faces. Leaders of courage on both sides of the Arab-Israeli conflict have taken the decision to end the decades of bloodshed and make peace. A historic step was taken last 13 September, when Israel and the PLO signed t…
The United States believes that there is nothing more important in Angola than reaching peace. No other objective, no hope for military or political gain, can take precedence over reaching a lasting settlement to Angola’s brutal civil war.
We have worked closely in Lusaka with the Secretary-General…
On behalf of my Government and the people of the United States, I am delighted to welcome you, Chairman Shevardnadze, to New York and to the United Nations. Although this is your first visit as the leader of independent Georgia, you are no stranger to this body or to the world stage.
The name of Ed…
Let me congratulate you, Sir, on your assumption of the very difficult office of President; we pledge you our full support. May I also thank your predecessor, the representative of
The United States was happy to co-sponsor the resolution just adopted, which we believe represents an important step t…
Briefly, while we must continue to recognize that the Security Council cannot move ahead of the Georgians and Abkhaz themselves in efforts towards a political solution to this conflict, the regrettable truth is that, to date, the parties have not made sufficient progress towards a settlement. It is …
On behalf of my Government and the people of the United States, I should like to thank the Assembly and Ambassador Marker for the kind words of sympathy in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Los Angeles. I should also like to express our deep gratitude for the thoughtful expressions of s…
The United States is a leading supporter of international efforts to assist the troubled economies of Africa, and considers the resolution to contain many positive elements. However, in joining the consensus on it we feel obliged to clarify our position on two important points.
The first concerns t…
With reference to draft resolution II, "Assistance to the Palestinian people", contained in document A/48/715, I would like to make the following comments.
If the process of peace in the Middle East is to succeed, a necessary ingredient will be the economic development and reconstruction of the Wes…
