I deeply regret that the previous speaker showed more outrage against the United States than against the Al-Assad regime, which on Tuesday deliberately dropped chemical weapons killing over 100 men, women and children in the most barbaric fashion.
More than three and a half years ago, the Syrian re…
I warmly welcome the Secretary-General’s briefing. I agree with his nine-point plan for reform and with every other word that he said.
I would like to pay tribute to the brave men and women serving in United Nations peacekeeping missions. For many people around the world, they are all that stands b…
On 28 February (see S/PV.7893), I asked a simple question of the Security Council, namely, would we take action against those who used chemical weapons in Syria? We had a chance that day to adopt a draft resolution (S/2017/172) that would have done exactly that — a draft resolution that would have t…
I thank Mr. Arnault for his briefing, his recent report (S/2017/252) and the hard work he has done on our collective behalf.
At the outset, I would like to express my condolences to Ms. Mejía Vélez following the tragic loss of life in the Mocoa landslides at the weekend. It was such an awful traged…
Allow me to begin by expressing my condolences to the representative of the Russian Federation for the terrorist attack in Saint Petersburg yesterday that caused such senseless loss of life.
I should also like to wish you, Madam President, all the very best for your month in the hot seat, and thank…
I am appalled that Russia vetoed today’s draft resolution (S/2017/172), and I am surprised and disappointed that China chose to join it, at complete odds with the principles of non-proliferation that both China and Russia claim to support so strongly. As permanent members of the Security Council and…
The Security Council is about to be asked a simple question: Will we take action against those who use chemical weapons in Syria? It is that simple. Will we take action on behalf of those whose lives have been destroyed by these senseless weapons? Will we take action for people like Mohammed Abdul-R…
I would like to welcome Foreign Minister Kurz to the Security Council and thank him for his briefing today. His chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), together with Austria’s hosting of the OSCE, as well as parts of the United Nations, shows just how central …
I thank our three Secretaries-General for their briefings today. The three organizations — the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the European Union (EU) — are all playing a crucial role to preserve peace and security in Europe, and we are grateful for…
Like others, I should like to express my deepest personal condolences to the delegation of the Russian Federation and to the family and friends of Vitaly Churkin. Vitaly was an exceptional diplomat and a truly remarkable man. We disagreed on many issues, but I always found him to be an honest and de…
I am most grateful for the analysis shared by the briefers this morning. I join others in paying tribute to you, Mr. Minister, for your leadership in bringing this important issue to our attention.
The terrorist threat has evolved over the past decade. We face increasingly complex threats as terror…
Let me take this opportunity to welcome you, Sir, in your role as President of the Security Council for the month of February. I commend you for the start that you have made, and I support your proposal for a draft presidential statement on this important issue.
As our briefersmade clear, Sir, we b…
I want to begin by paying tribute to Ms. Power in her final appearance in the Security Council. Throughout my time here, she has been that hard pedaling dynamo that she just described. She has been a tireless advocate, a passionate campaigner, a trusted ally and a true friend. She has shown an unrel…
I thank Nickolay for his briefing just now, which made clear that we are beginning a difficult year for the Middle East.
Fifty years since the Six Day War and almost six years since the start of fighting in Syria, peace for many in the region is but a distant memory. Years of violence are now, sadl…
The United Kingdom welcomes the adoption of resolution 2334 (2016) today. It is the first Security Council resolution on the Israel-Palestine issue in over seven years. The adoption of the resolution is first and foremost a clear reinforcement of the international community’s conviction that a two-S…
The United Kingdom abstained in the voting on the final mandate renewal for the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) because we do not agree that the mandate put forward for adoption represents the best approach to closing the Mission or for continuing to operate in Liberia over the next 15 mon…
Today, the Security Council had a chance to show that we would no longer tolerate business as usual in South Sudan. Tragically, for the people of South Sudan, we have been unable to do so. For a long time it has been clear to many of us in the Chamber that a different approach was needed, that diffe…
I want to begin by welcoming the Secretary-General’s briefing, as this will probably be his last public meeting on the issue. I want to thank him for his unflinching activism on the Middle East peace process. It has been a difficult and, at most times, frustrating portfolio, but he has not wavered i…
I thank you, Mr. President, for agreeing to hold this emergency meeting at the initiative of France and the United Kingdom.
This is a dark day for the people of Aleppo, surely the darkest of the past five years. Al-Assad’s forces, propped up by Russia and Iran, have once again redefined horror. The…
The United Kingdom warmly welcomes the unanimous adoption of resolution 2323 (2016) today, which renews the mandate of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). It sends a strong signal of Security Council unity and commitment to resolving the situation in Libya. As the penholder on this…
