S/PV.7565 Security Council

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Members of the Council have before them document S/2015/890, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by France. The Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.

The draft resolution received 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2249 (2015). I now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements after the vote.

On 13 November, Daesh committed an act of war against France. In launching its deadly attacks in Paris and Saint-Denis, Daesh sought to strike more than a capital — it sought to strike at what defines our nation. The toll was particularly heavy, as we all know — 130 people were killed, more than 600 were injured, and 193 are still hospitalized, many between life and death. But that day Daesh did not attack only France and the French. It sought to strike far more. It assailed the entire world in the cosmopolitan city of Paris. Among the dead, 24 nationalities have been identified to date. And I recall that before Paris, Daesh attacked Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey, Tunisia, Russia and many other countries. It wanted to undermine the ideal of our freedom and our shared humanity — an ideal that is the United Nations. President Hollande spoke Monday before the French Parliament, meeting in a joint session, to mark the absolute determination of France to fight Daesh with all means necessary. And in its relentless fight against the terrorism practiced by Daesh, France wants to be true to its values. As a founding Member of the United Nations, France is deeply committed to the raison d’être of our Organization. The United Nations represents the primacy of law and collective security. It is therefore to the Security Council that the President of the Republic has naturally turned to organize and mobilize our international action. In adopting resolution 2249 (2015), the members of the Security Council have acted unanimously to live up to their responsibilities. The resolution we have just adopted recognizes the exceptional nature of the threat posed by Daesh. It calls on all Member States to take all necessary measures to eradicate the sanctuary that Daesh has created in Syria and Iraq, and to thwart its radical ideology. The resolution frames our action within the framework of international law and in respect for the Charter of the United Nations, which is our common good — indeed, I would say our common treasure. It also offers the guarantee of an effective fight against transnational terrorism. As I said, the events of 13 November were an armed aggression against France. Our military action, of which we informed the Security Council from the outset and which was justified as legitimate collective self- defence, can now also be characterized as individual self-defence, in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations. On the basis of this historical resolution of the Security Council, France will pursue and strengthen its efforts to mobilize the entire international community to defeat our common enemy. France will play its full part in this effort. Militarily, the President of the Republic announced an intensification of air strikes against strategic Daesh targets in Syria. This intensification is under way. In the coming days, France will increase its strike capability threefold with the arrival of the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. Politically, the fight against Daesh will be effective only if it is based on a political transition that will end the Syrian conflict, which has served and continues to serve as a nursery of terrorism. The resolution creates the conditions for an international mobilization. In that context, we appeal to Europe. My country has sought and obtained this week from the European Union the first activation in its history of the mutual solidarity clause, because France has paid a heavy price in its struggle against the terrorism of Daesh in Syria and Iraq and that of Al-Qaeda in the Sahel. We expect Europe to actively engage with us on behalf of our shared security and that of the neighboring countries of Syria. We also call on all members of the Security Council and beyond. It is in that spirit that the President of the Republic will travel next week to Washington, D.C., and Moscow. We have contacted our many partners and will continue to do so. Indeed, we are determined to achieve the broadest possible mobilization. Against Daesh, we have our common humanity. We, the peoples of the United Nations, have a duty to defend it.

For several days now, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and other terrorist organizations have launched a series of deadly terrorist attacks at multiple locations across the world, killing innocent civilians, including a Chinese citizen. The Chinese Government strongly condemns the heinous atrocities committed by terrorist organizations. The perpetrators must be brought to justice. Terrorism is the common enemy of all humankind. All terrorist acts, regardless of their motivation, timing, location or perpetrators, are grave criminal acts that threaten international peace and security. The international community must join hands to act in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and other basic norms of international relations. It must give full play to the leading role of the United Nations, further strengthen coordination and cooperation in counter-terrorism, and form a united front against terrorism. Counter-terrorism efforts must address both the symptoms and the root causes of the problem, and refrain from adopting double standards. The full implementation of Security Council counter-terrorism resolutions must include combating terrorists’ use of the Internet to instigate and plan terrorist activities and to spread extremist ideas. Measures must also be taken to cut the terrorists’ financing channels and halt their cross-border movements. The Chinese Government firmly opposes all forms of terrorism and firmly combats all violent terrorist crimes that challenge human civilization. The fight against the East Turkestan terrorist forces, headed by the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, is an important component of the international counter-terrorism struggle. We will further strengthen our cooperation with the international community on counter-terrorism in order to safeguard world peace and stability.

Today we are all French. We are all Malian. (spoke in Russian) And, dear colleagues, we are also Russian and Arab. (spoke in French) It is time to react, and to do so with a French heart — with a Russian, Malian and Arab heart. Terrorists in Beirut, Ankara, Sinai, Paris and Bamako have sworn their determination to terrify us, as they did in New York, Casablanca and Madrid. But they will not succeed. Today, we have reacted rapidly, with unity, resolve and strength. The only way not to cede victory to terrorism is to pursue our way of life and to keep our principles and values whole, making no concessions on human rights. I would therefore like to underscore paragraph 5 of resolution 2249 (2015), which ensures legal coverage, as the paragraph stresses, in full compliance with international human rights, and refugee and humanitarian law. Because, as the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius said, “The best revenge is to not be like your enemy”. Those of us seated at this table have the duty to guarantee those values and principles. We must not allow our daily headlines to become a series of war dispatches. No one can doubt that all of us — absolutely all — must close ranks in order to combat and vanquish terrorism. I therefore thank France for its leadership on the resolution adopted today and for blowing the whistle that has brought us out of the trenches to intensify our offensive. We have heard the Marseillaise sung often in recent days. This is not the first time that this anthem has symbolized resistance to the bloody flag of tyranny. It is time once again for the citizens of the entire world to mobilize our battalions against those who have come to slit our throats. It is time for victory.

In recent weeks, barbaric terrorist attacks have startled the world’s conscience. From Europe to Africa to the Middle East, innocent men and women have been slaughtered. Families have been destroyed in Beirut, concert-goers slain in Paris, air passengers bombed in the sky and tourists killed on the beach in Tunisia. The United States stands with the victims of terrorism of all faiths and nationalities. Yet, even as we mourn those lost in the recent attacks, we remember the wholesale violence that continues in Iraq and Syria, where men, women and children struggle every day to survive and to flee the bloodshed. Behind those outrages lies a violent ideology of hate. Groups like the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Al-Nusra Front know what they are doing. They perpetrate atrocities to advance a hateful world view. We, the States Members of the United Nations, must therefore intensify and accelerate their efforts to degrade and defeat those groups once and for all. We need a truly global initiative to counter ISIL, prevent more attacks in our homelands and stabilize the Middle East. For that reason, we welcome and applaud resolution 2249 (2015) for its resolute call on States to take all necessary measures in compliance with international law to counter ISIL and the Al-Nusra Front. We must also choke off funding, arms, recruitment and other kinds of support to ISIL and the Al-Nusra Front. As the resolution recognizes, Iraq has made clear that it is facing a serious threat of continuing attacks from ISIL, in particular coming from safe havens in Syria. The Al-Assad regime in Syria has shown that it cannot and will not suppress that threat, even as it undertakes actions that benefit recruitment by extremists. In that regard, working with Iraq, the United States has been leading international efforts to provide assistance to combat the threat that ISIL poses to the security of that country’s people and territory. In accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and its recognition of the inherent right to individual and collective self-defence, we are taking necessary and proportionate military action to deny ISIL safe haven. The United States, along with 64 other nations and international organizations, has formed Global Coalition to Counter ISIL whose central aim is to degrade ISIL’s capabilities and achieve its lasting defeat. Militarily, the Coalition is working to deny ISIL safe havens and to disrupt its ability to project power and build partner capacity. It is also actively working to disrupt ISIL’s financing and economic sustainment and the flow of foreign terrorist fighters to and from territories it has seized, as well as to counter its message of hatred and violence. To stabilize areas liberated from ISIL’s control, the Coalition further supports the efforts of the United Nations Development Programme and of the Iraqi Government. Today’s resolution recalls the Security Council‘s well-established framework for responding to terrorist threats generally, and in particular to ISIL, the Al-Nusra Front and others associated with Al-Qaida. Multiple resolutions — including resolutions 1267 (1999), 1373 (2001), 2170 (2014), 2178 (2014) and 2199 (2015) — lay out specific obligations and actions that States must take to respond to those threats. In the Security Council, we look forward to continuing cooperation, including in the relevant sanctions committees and counter- terrorism entities, to enhance our will and capacities to implement those tools in order to counter ISIL and related groups. To vanquish those groups, we must also tackle the violent extremism that drives them. Their violent ideologies capture and motivate individuals worldwide, including those likely responsible for today’s tragic hotel attack in Bamako. We therefore look forward to the Secretary-General’s plan for preventing violent extremism. Finally, we must urgently work together to support a political transition process in Syria, in accordance with the Geneva communiqué (S/2012/523, annex) and the statement of the International Syria Support Group, in order to reduce the operating space for those groups and establish a political process leading to credible, inclusive and non-sectarian governance, followed by a new constitution and elections. Our task is great, but we know what needs to be done. We draw our strength from the resiliency of the people affected by those tragedies. Their unity and resolve show why ISIL will fail in its goal of creating fear and polarizing communities. Through global solidarity and cooperation, ISIL and its ideology will be defeated.

The Security Council is meeting today following a series of atrocious terrorist attacks that resulted in hundreds of deaths. The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and its affiliates are now threatening new attacks. We are all outraged by the deaths of those killed in the Sinai Peninsula and in Paris. Recent terrorist targets included Turkey, Tunisia, Lebanon and, today, Mali. Boko Haram continues to wreak havoc. ISIL has attempted to create a terrorist caliphate in Iraq and Syria as a stronghold to further expand its actions. We unequivocally condemn all terrorist attacks. We once again express our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved friends and families and wish speedy recovery to those injured. The masterminds and perpetrators of those bloody crimes shall be resolutely punished. They must be sought out wherever they may hide. We stand ready to engage in broad cooperation with other States to that end. Mercilessly combating terrorism has been the absolute priority for our country over the past few years, which has been targeted by terrorist attacks many times. The international community must fully mobilize and once again demonstrate political will, unity and solidarity in combating the common terrorist threat, bolstering the fight with specific steps and actions. We must be guided not by ambition, but rather by shared values and interests based on international law, in order to create a broad, international counter- terrorism coalition. That is percisely what was called for by President Putin in his recent address before the General Assembly (see A/70/PV.13). We welcome the growing understanding that the time has come to join ranks in the international community in the face of terrorism. The active efforts and initiatives on the part of our partners in the Security Council aim to tackle the challenge. This is indeed a central concern for all that requires priority attention and, most important, action, without any preconditions or attempts to exert control. Of course, we had to support France’s draft resolution. While resolution 2249 (2015) was prepared in extraordinary circumstances and with a very tight time frame, the French delegation did take on board Russia’s important amendments. We are convinced that the Charter of the United Nations should be an important foundation in combating international terrorism as it relates to the use of force. We felt it important that that be reflected in the text, as in fact it now is. As clarified by the Russian delegation, the preambular section of the resolution now clearly states that documents adopted by the International Syria Support Group on 30 October and 14 November constitute a packet on the basis of which, in addition to the Geneva communiqué (S/2012/523, annex), there must be a settlement to the Syrian crisis. The Council has taken a number of important decisions aimed at strengthening the international community’s fight against terrorism and adapting it to new threats and the changing tactics of terrorists. Resolution 2199 (2015), on combating the financing of terrorism by cutting off attempts to gain financing through the illegal trade in oil, was adopted in February at Russia’s initiative. In our view, the French resolution is a political appeal, rather than a change to the legal principles underlying the fight against terrorism. We consider it a step in creating a broad anti-terrorism front by marshalling comprehensive cooperation among all States to end all manifestations of terrorism and eradicate its root causes. That was also the aim of the Russian draft resolution presented to the Council for its consideration on 30 September, which contains a number of practical provisions without which combating terrorism in Iraq and Syria will be difficult. We consider the attempts by some members of the Council to block work on our draft resolution to be politically short-sighted. One cannot, on the one hand, combat terrorists while, on the other hand, essentially play into their hands by trying to achieve one’s own aims. We aim to work actively for the speedy adoption of our draft resolution.

The attacks carried out by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Paris and Beirut, the attacks by Boko Haram in Nigeria and today’s attacks by Al-Qaida-linked extremists in Bamako serve to underscore the fact that terrorist groups are a major threat to international peace and security. Nigeria condemns those barbaric and cowardly attacks in the strongest terms. There can be no justification for terrorist attacks. The perpetrators must be relentlessly purposed and brought to justice. We offer our deepest condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of those who have lost their lives in terrorist attacks and wish the injured a quick recovery. The situation calls for urgent action by the international community to intensify the fight against ISIS and other terrorist groups, including Boko Haram. Resolution 2249 (2015), which the Council just adopted, provides a framework for achieving that. All United Nations States Members must now work together to diligently implement the resolution.

We welcome the prompt and unanimous adoption of this resolution. “We shall not live in fear” was the proud and heart-rending response of Parisians in the midst of tragedy last week. And indeed, we cannot and we must not give in to fear, but act with the full force of conviction against the evil that Daesh represents. As we stand together in solidarity with the people of France we also share the sorrow and grief of all those affected by the carnage and slaughter perpetrated by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Boko Haram and other terrorist mutations. Nothing can ever, ever, justify terrorism. Earlier today, Lithuania’s President, Dalia Grybauskaitė, reaffirmed my country’s commitment to working together with our anti-ISIL coalition partners in the fight against terrorism. The evolving nature and intensity of the threat of terrorism and violent extremism put existing counter- terrorism measures to an unprecedented test. While primitively barbaric and brutal, today’s terrorists are outpacing us and our high-tech advances. We find ourselves increasingly running against and behind time. There can therefore be no room for complacency or business as usual in our responses. On the contrary, we need to take an honest look at the impact our actions have on the ground and rise up to the new urgency of the task. Inter alia, that requires ensuring the full cohesiveness of the counter-terrorism machinery by putting an end to the oft-cited silo mentality and making all the parts of the counter-terrorism system, within and outside the United Nations, work truly as one, from assessment to assistance and delivering advice, support and capacity- building exactly where and when it is needed, with maximum impact. As today’s resolution 2249 (2015) recalls, tackling terrorism financing is a high priority. A breakthrough is urgently needed in that regard as well — no more piecemeal measures, but a comprehensive approach that would take into account the increasing diversification and complexity of the sources and channels of financing, as well as the nefarious linkages between terrorism and cross-border organized crime. Furthermore, we have to find the right answers to the difficult questions regarding modern technologies and communications, which bring huge improvements to our lives but can have deadly effect in the wrong hands. We will have to deal with the uneasy questions of how much of our liberties and freedoms we are ready to sacrifice to ensure our safety and security in a way that does not support repression and oppressive regimes and does not give the satisfaction to the terrorists of having disrupted our lives. We have to critically review our battle for the hearts and minds of potential terrorist recruits by stepping up the efforts to tackle the many root causes that push individuals into the hands of Daesh butchers, as well our counter-messaging efforts. For that, new and reinforced partnerships are required internationally, regionally and locally, where the voices of women, youth and vulnerable groups are well heard and heeded. Finally, the importance of resolving the Syria crisis could not be more urgent. We must restore hope to the Syrian people. While we cannot see, by any measure, the regime at the core of this crisis as a partner in the fight against Daesh, we are encouraged by the Vienna talks and the new momentum they seem to produce, with a hope that this will lead to the desperately needed transition and the full implementation of the Geneva communiqué (S/2012/523, annex) of 2012.

At the outset, allow me to reiterate our condolences to the Government and the people of France over the atrocious, cowardly terrorist acts that struck Paris last week. We also pay homage to the victims of the bloody, criminal terrorist acts committed recently in the Sinai, Beirut, Susa, Ankara, Baghdad, Libya and, just today, in Mali. Those reprehensible acts demonstrate beyond a shadow of a doubt that terrorists are seeking to destroy our common values of coexistence and that the war against terrorism has indeed become a global one. That makes it imperative that all of us be united in both word and deed. Jordan welcomes the adoption of resolution 2249 (2015), which we voted in favour of because it reflects our belief in the need to strengthen and coordinate international efforts to combat the terrorist organization known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS)  — perverts who wreak havoc and evil across the globe and who are undeterred in demonstrating their odious intentions towards humankind in targeting civilians. Targeting and defeating ISIS and other terrorist groups requires action from all of us and a response commensurate with the magnitude of the challenge. It also requires international action and serious collective effort at all levels and on all fronts, including military, security and intellectual. There is also a need to suppress the financing of terrorism. We are very pleased that the Council has adopted this resolution by unanimity, demonstrating the unity of the Security Council in combating ISIS and sending a powerful message to that terrorist organization and other terrorist groups. Jordan reiterates its ongoing resolve to combat terrorism in every possible way and to work to coordinate and bolster international efforts to confront terrorism and violent extremism.

New Zealand stands in solidarity with the victims, families, fellow citizens and Governments who have suffered from the recent horrendous attacks perpetrated by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). We are today one week from the terrible events in Paris, and less than a day from those in Bamako. As others have noted, those are but two episodes in a bloody, continuing story. The Security Council must speak out in times of crisis. We are pleased that today the Council has sent a strong, unified message of its shared result to prevent and suppress the terroist threat posed by ISIL and other terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In the face of ISIL’s barbarity and senseless killing, we are reminded of the important role of the Council in uniting the international community around our shared commitment to peace and collective security.

We welcome the forceful message sent by the Security Council via its unanimous adoption of resolution 2249 (2015). All acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable. Those who provide material, intellectual or financial support for terrorism must be prosecuted and brought to justice. In addition to the resolution we have just adopted, there is an urgent need to implement all of the Council’s relevant resolutions, especially resolutions 2170 (2014), 2178 (2014) and 2199 (2015). Combating terrorism must take place in line with the obligations flowing from international law and the Charter of the United Nations. Similarly, the international community must contribute to identifying and overcoming the causes and conditions that give rise to terrorism and violent extremism, which cannot be defeated solely via military means. Lastly, I would like to categorically state that Chile will continue to support global efforts against terrorism, in the Security Council and all the other competent forums and organizations.

Angola voted in favour of resolution 2249 (2015) — submitted by France in connection with the terrorist attacks perpetrated by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as Daesh  — in the expectation that it is an important step in the fight against terrorism and for the building for the indispensible global coalition needed if we are to win the war against terrorism. We join the other members of the Security Council in condemning this terrorist movement, which, as the resolution states, constitutes an unprecedented to international peace and security. We express our deep sympathy and condolences to the victims and the families of the heinous crimes recently committed by terrorists. The complete eradication of ISIL/Daesh, as well as Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab and other terrorist groups designated by the Security Council, is a top priority for the international community. International terrorism has been showing a highly dangerous capacity to spread its violent extremist ideology through terrorist acts, gross systematic attacks against innocent civilians, violations of human rights and intolerance and hatred of the other for being different on cultural, religious or ethnic grounds. In addition to recruiting terrorist fighters, the heinous crimes committed by ISIL/Daesh also include the destruction of cultural heritage and trafficking in natural resources and cultural artefacts  — including crimes at a scale rarely seen since the Second World War. As things stand now, with the deadly danger of terrorism as a real menace to international peace and security and to the very survival of some of the most affected countries, it is high time for the international community and the main international players to put aside our differences, national egoism and arrogance and work decidedly to build a global coalition to fight and eradicate terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, as called for by international public opinion. It is our hope that the adoption of resolution 2249 (2015), in the wake of this deadly concerted terrorist act, will serve as a wake-up call for a radical change in attitude by the world’s main players.

I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate our condolences to the Government and the people of France, as well as to the peoples and the Governments of the other countries that have suffered the latest terrorist assaults, including the downing of the Russian airliner and the attack early this morning in Mali. We would also like to pay homage to the thousands upon thousands of children who die in Syria every day  — especially in connection with the reprehensible murder of more than 200 children at the hands of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) for not wanting to join that group. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela voted in favour of resolution 2249 (2015) in line with our categorical rejection of the commission of terrorist acts in all forms and manifestations and regardless of the motivation, who commits them or where. Such acts are deliberate attacks on international peace and security. Terrorism is a flagrant violation of international law, including international humanitarian law and human rights law, all the while being and affront to the right to life. We therefore believe that addressing terrorism should be done without double standards: there are no good or bad terrorists. It is time to be consistent in our efforts  — to take joint, coordinated and consensual actions and to meet our responsibilities as members of the Security Council under the mandate conferred upon us in line with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and international law. The world has watched in bewilderment as the violence and terrorism practiced to subjugate societies, civilizations, religions and creeds has assumed multiple manifestations. Ultimately, however, they remain the outcome of practices related to intolerance, violent extremism and sectarianism, while they often follow geopolitical interests imposed to undermine legitimate Governments and destabilize the Middle East and Africa. We reiterate that terrorist acts threaten not just the territorial integrity but also the political unity of States, as well as the security and stability of States, regions and the international community. We are deeply alarmed at the extraordinary military and logistical support enjoyed by such terrorist organizations as ISIS and the Al-Nusra Front, giving them tremendous military capacities to develop and deploy indiscriminate violence, destabilize legitimate Governments, overthrow their constitutional order, halt the social and economic development of their people, and destroy their infrastructure, institutions and response capacities. My delegation reiterates the need, today more than ever, to address the root causes that fuel these phenomena and to develop effective and innovative strategies to interrupt terrorist and extremist narratives with the aim of preventing radicalization and achieving tangible short-term and long-term results. The Council must act in a more preventive manner to resolve and anticipate conflicts that could be unleashed by terrorism. Recent events have shown that vulnerability to terrorism and foreign terrorist fighters is now global. That is why the role of the Security Council will be decisive in the fight against an extraordinary and unprecedent threat that is undermining the future of humankind. We must therefore fully adhere in particular to resolutions banning the financing and training of and illicit transfer of arms to terrorist groups. Finally, my country is convinced that the fight against terrorism must be waged in the context of international cooperation under the binding international and regional instruments in this sphere, including relevant Security Council resolutions and the norms of international law, in full respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law, and taking into account that if we do otherwise, we will contribute to the further radicalization of these individuals. We hope that the action taken pursuant to resolution 2249 (2015) and the fight against terrorism will always be coordinated with the countries concerned and that no participating actor will have a political agenda other than the defeat of terrorism and, in the case of Syria, support for the negotiating process among its people, Government, the countries of the region and the international community, which are backing an effort that we all hope will be fruitful and successful.

I shall now make a statement in my capacity as representative of the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom warmly welcomes the unanimous adoption of resolution 2249 (2015). Today, we sent a clear, unambiguous message that there will be no respite in our collective efforts to stop, suppress and destroy the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Whether in the streets of Paris or Beirut or in the skies above the Sinai, ISIL’s brutality knows no bounds and respects no borders. ISIL’s determination to carry out attacks around the world must be met by our greater resolve to defeat them wherever we find them. Too many Security Council members here today, and too many other United Nations Member States, have experienced ISIL’s callous disregard for life. Our welcome unity today shows that we shall not be deterred in our efforts to prevent such attacks from happening again. As my Security Council colleagues have said, this resolution is a powerful international recognition of the threat ISIL poses. It calls for lawful action and all necessary measures to counter ISIL. Like others, the United Kingdom has already taken action against ISIL on the basis of individual and collective self-defence, as we have set out to the Council. The Council has put in place extensive obligations for States to take action against ISIL, to stop the travel of foreign terrorist fighters and to choke off their funding. The recent attacks and resolution 2249 (2015) remind us that these measures must be implemented if the international response to ISIL is to succeed. In conclusion, we stand in solidarity with the people of France and we commend France for its leadership on this resolution. As the Security Council presidency, we are proud that the Security Council has acted with speed, unity and clarity of purpose to agree this powerful call to action. I now resume my functions as President of the Council.