AMBASSADOR PRESSMAN'S REMARKS ON IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Ambassador David Pressman
Alternate Representative to the UN for Special Political Affairs 
New York, NY
December 18, 2014
AS DELIVERED

Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Ambassador Quinlan, for your briefing and your leadership of this Committee over the last two years. Because of your diligence and commitment, this Committee's work has been energized. You and your team have done a great job helping the Committee carry out its mandate, improve the transparency of its work and tighten relationships with other international bodies. Please accept the United States’ deep appreciation of your efforts.

Mr. President, the Security Council established this Committee eight years ago this month, back in 2006 because the international community had serious doubts about the peaceful intentions of Iran's nuclear program. Since then, the Committee's work has been an integral element to our broader diplomatic strategy. This Committee has helped many countries implement the increasingly robust UN sanctions. This Committee, with the support of its Panel of Experts, has investigated serious sanctions violations and developed an impressive understanding of Iran's proliferation networks. This Committee has also helped crack down on Iran's arms smuggling, stemming the flow of weapons to a volatile region.

Yet today, several years later, the international community still does not have confidence in Iran's nuclear program. To resolve these issues, Iran is now in a serious dialogue with the P-5+1 countries. To give these negotiations the best chance of success, last month we decided to extend them for an additional seven months. While we continue to believe that the best way to achieve our goals is through diplomacy, we are not going to sit at the negotiating table forever. As we have said many times, we don't want just any agreement – we want the right agreement. Plainly and simply, these negotiations must find ways to ensure that Iran does not, and cannot, acquire a nuclear weapon.

As these talks continue, we should consider how the Security Council's Iran Sanctions Committee can best support them. Our advice to the Committee is simple: keep doing what you're doing. During this period, the Committee must absolutely continue its vital work monitoring and improving enforcement of these critical sanctions. Similarly, the Panel of Experts should continue its work investigating violations and reaching out to Member States. Unless or until the Security Council modifies these sanctions, the pace and intensity of this work should remain robust.

Recent reporting from the Panel of Experts reminds us why this is so important. We know that Iran is still trying to procure sensitive nuclear technology. We know Iran is still smuggling arms in violation of resolution 1747. And we know that Iran's leaders forthrightly reject this Council's resolutions, speaking publicly about their destabilizing arms shipments to Syria, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iraq.

Responding effectively to these violations is at the core of the Committee's mandate. Any breach of the sanctions is a serious matter, as it is dangerous, violates international law, and undermines the Security Council's credibility. In the coming weeks and months, we will continue to work with Committee members to ensure that the Security Council's resolutions are not violated with impunity. The Committee's outreach work in advising Member States and answering questions about these sanctions is critically important. The Committee and the Panel must continue to remind Member States of the need to sustain full and robust implementation of these sanctions.

Our determination to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remains clear and we are committed to resolving this issue peacefully, through diplomacy. Sanctions are critical to that effort and we intend to ensure that this important body is able to carry out its mandate effectively.

Thank you, Mr. President.

REMARKS ON UKRAINE BY U.S. UN AMBASSADOR POWER

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Remarks by Ambassador Samantha Power, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, at a Security Council Stakeout on Ukraine
Samantha Power
U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations 
New York, NY
March 1, 2014
AS DELIVERED

Good evening. Today in the Council, the United States renewed its call for the international community to support the newly formed government of Ukraine and prevent unnecessary violence.

Unfortunately, the Russian Federation Council's authorization of the use of military force in Ukraine is as dangerous as it is destabilizing. It is past time for the threats to end. The Russian military must pull back.

It is ironic that the Russian Federation regularly goes out of its way in the Security Council chamber to emphasize the sanctity of national borders and sovereignty. Today, Russia would do well to heed its own warnings. Russia's actions in Ukraine violate Russia's commitment to protect the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of Ukraine, and pose a threat to international peace and security. We have said from the outset that we recognize and respect Russia's historical ties to Ukraine. But instead of engaging the government of Ukraine and international institutions about its concerns for ethnic Russians, it ignored both and has instead acted unilaterally and militarily.

The United States, again, calls for the immediate deployment of international observers from either the OSCE or United Nations to Crimea and other parts of Ukraine to provide transparency about the movement and activities of military and para-military forces in the region and to defuse the tension between groups. The best way to get the facts, to monitor conduct and to prevent any abuses is to get international monitors and observers - including from UN and OSCE - on the ground as soon as possible. We are also working to stand up an international mediation mission to the Crimea to begin to deescalate the situation, and to facilitate productive and peaceful political dialogue among all Ukrainian parties.

Less than one week since the sun set on the Sochi Olympics, we are at a critical moment. The United States considers the current actions by Russia in Ukraine as unacceptable behavior for a G-8 member. The United States will stand with the people of Ukraine and the Ukrainian government in Kyiv. And as the President has said, intervention by the Russian military will be both a grave mistake and have costs and consequences.

With that, I'll take a couple questions.

Reporter: James Bays from Al Jazeera. I know that President Obama has been speaking to President Putin. President Putin now has this authorization, but there's clearly now a gap before he decides whether he's going to use it. Just, explain to us if you can on camera what is the message from the U.S. to President Putin right now?

Ambassador Power: The message is, pull back your forces. Let us engage in political dialogue. Engage with the Ukrainian government which is reaching out to you for that dialogue. The occupation . . . the military presence in Crimea is a violation of international law and we all need to allow cooler heads to prevail and to negotiate a peaceful way out of this crisis. Military force will never be the answer to this crisis.

Reporter: Ambassador, what are those costs that the United States says that Russia will suffer; and secondly, as a champion of human rights, doesn't it trouble you that there are four senior members of this Ukrainian government who have come from very far right, extremist parties?

Ambassador: I think what you heard from President Obama in the readout that the White House issued is that the United States has already suspended its preparation for the G-8 Summit that was supposed to take place in Sochi. And what I can say is that, again, the political and economic isolation that that represents is only going to deepen as this crisis escalates. And that is why, again, it is incredibly important that an international observer mission get into Ukraine as soon as possible; that all countries embrace the prospect of international mediation, such as that offered by the UN Special Envoy Robert Serry; and that we embrace the fundamental tenets of the UN Charter: territorial integrity, sovereignty and unity of Ukraine, avoiding the use of force, and the threat of force, and returning to the path of peaceful dialogue.

Thank you.

REMARKS BY SECRETARY KERRY AND CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER WANG YI BEFORE MEETING

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Remarks With Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi Before Their Meeting
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Benjamin Franklin Room
Washington, DC
September 19, 2013


SECRETARY KERRY: Good morning, everybody, thank you very much for joining us. And it’s my great privilege to welcome His Excellency, the Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi.
He was here 15 years ago as a visiting scholar at Georgetown, and I know that he remembers well this kind of weather, this kind of a beautiful day along the Potomac. And we’re very happy to have him back in Washington.

I met with Foreign Minister Wang in April in Beijing where he gave us a very generous and warm welcome, and we had excellent conversation, and then in Brunei this summer. And I’m very pleased that he has taken the time to strengthen our relationship by visiting here ahead of our very busy week in New York.

As President Obama has frequently stated, the United States welcomes the continued peaceful rise of China, and we have a vested interest in China’s growing prosperity and partnership, not only in the Asia-Pacific region, but also around the world.

President Obama has also made what I believe is a strategic and appropriate commitment to rebalance our interests and our investments in Asia. A stronger partnership with China is very much a part of that effort. The United States is a Pacific nation, and we take our Pacific partnerships very seriously, and we will continue to build our enduring presence in that area, working with our partners to promote peace and prosperity.

China and the United States have also agreed to a new model of relations, and that was worked on and announced at the Sunnylands summit with our presidents. It is based on practical cooperation and constructive management of differences. We recognized the need to avoid falling into a trap of seeing one another as strategic rivals, and that recognition is now driving our partnership on issues from climate change to wildlife trafficking to military consultations and the promotion of balanced growth around the world.

Importantly, part of our new relationship is a commitment to engage in frank discussions on sensitive issues, particularly where we disagree, where misunderstanding could lead to a miscalculation.

We plan to discuss Syria today, and while we appreciate China’s support for a political solution, the only solution we believe is ultimately available and possible, we do have differences between our nations and have disagreed sharply over how the international community should respond to the Syrian regime’s use of chemical weapons. With negotiations ongoing at the Security Council, we look forward to China playing a positive, constructive, important role.

We will also engage in very important conversation about North Korea today. China plays a very special role in addressing the North Korean nuclear challenge and in achieving our shared goal: the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

China and the United States also have a shared interest in preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, and our close cooperation will be critical to that effort, and the Foreign Minister and I will discuss this further today.

From our dialogue on intellectual property to maritime security and human rights, we are committed to working through difficult issues, and, as you can tell, we have a very big agenda. And it’s through the process of working through these difficulties that we can actually forge a stronger friendship, a stronger partnership, and a stronger future for both of our nations.

So, Foreign Minister Wang, thank you again for your visit. I welcome you here. I hope you feel at home during your time in Washington. It’s good to see you again.

FOREIGN MINISTER WANG: (Via interpreter) Secretary Kerry has on several occasions asked me to visit the United States, and I’m very happy that finally I have come to visit this country.

This year is an important year for China-U.S. relationship to build on past achievements and make new progress. Since the change of government in both countries, China-U.S. relationship has had a smooth transition, got off to a good start, and now enjoys strong momentum. President Xi Jinping and President Barack Obama met successfully twice in less than three months. They reached important agreement on our two countries working together to build a new model of major country relationship, charting the future course for China-U.S. ties.

I have come to the United States to work with the U.S. side to push forward the building of this new model of major country relationship between our two countries with concrete actions and enrich its (inaudible) with our specific cooperation. I look forward to having in-depth and candid discussion with Secretary Kerry on all these issues of mutual interest, to which that Mr. Secretary just referred. And the Chinese side is ready to work with the United States to make good preparations for our upcoming high-level engagement, and for pushing forward our mutually beneficial cooperation. At the same time, we are also ready to have in-depth communication with the United States with an open mind on those issues, including Syria, issues on the Korean Peninsula, climate change, and cyber security. We also want to discuss with the United States the relevant issues in the Asia-Pacific region, to work with the U.S. side for sound interaction in the Asia-Pacific between our two countries.

I have come to the United States to implement the agreement reached between our top leaders to strengthen the mutually beneficial cooperation between our two countries and to enhance the China-U.S. friendship. We look forward to working with the United States to ensure that we will be able to translate the defining feature of this new model of major country relationship, namely non-conflict and confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation into all aspects of China-U.S. relationship to bring benefits to our both countries and beyond. And it is my belief that there is tremendous potential for us working together to further expand and deepen our cooperation.

Just now, Secretary Kerry referred to the two important issues of Syria and the DPRK. Let me make a few brief comments here.

On Syria, China welcomes the framework agreement reached not long ago by the United States and Russia. We believe that there needs to be early agreement on the decision to be taken by the OPCW, and at the same time, the Security Council of the United Nations also needs to recognize and support this decision. Ultimately, the issue of Syria needs to be resolved through political means. The Chinese side will continue to play its positive and constructive role in that direction.

Addressing issues on the Korean Peninsula have been an important area for China-U.S. cooperation. Today marks the 8th anniversary of the issuance of September 19th

Joint Statement of the Six-Party Talks. I believe it is an important time for the Six Parties to review the past, summarize the good experience, and open up brighter prospects for the future. To achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and maintain peace and stability in Northeast Asia serves the common interests of China and the United States. I look forward to having a deep discussion with Secretary on how we can work together to re-launch the Six-Party Talks and effectively push forward the denuclearization process. And I am confident that we will be able to reach new, important agreement.

Well, today is also the Chinese traditional festival, a mid-Autumn day for family reunion. And the moon tonight will be the fullest in this whole year, which augurs well, I suppose, for a brighter future. And let me use this opportunity to convey the festive greetings to all of you and through all of you to the American people. Thank you.

(In English) Thank you.

SECRETARY KERRY: (In Chinese.)

FOREIGN MINISTER WANG: (In Chinese.)

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very, very much.

REMARKS TO U.N. BY U.S. AMBASSADOR SUSAN E. RICE

FROM U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks by Ambassador Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, in Response to a Question Submitted on Twitter
Susan E. Rice
U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations
U.S. Mission to the United Nations New York, NYApril 3, 2012

AS DELIVERED
AMBASSADOR RICE: So the question that we received – Mark, would you read it again?
MODERATOR: One more time, this is from @freeppl. Why are you not acting swiftly towards the killing in Syria as you did in Libya?

AMBASSADOR RICE: And I take that as, in the first instance, directed at the Security Council.
And I think as is well known, and I will say for the benefit of the folks at @freeppl, that the Security Council has been shamefully and woefully divided on the issue of Syria. And unable to adopt resolutions that even would entail relatively modest action.

In the case of Libya, we had Resolution 1970, which imposed strong sanctions and made a referral of Qadhafi to the International Criminal Court. And then we had 1973, which was a result of the regional group, the Arab League, making a request to the Security Council for intervention, and the Council coming together to authorize protection of civilians in a no-fly zone.

Now the circumstances in Syria are quite different. And, indeed, the circumstances in various countries within the Arab world have evolved in a different way.

There’s no such request from the Arab League. There’s no such unity in the Security Council. And, indeed, the circumstances on the ground are quite a bit different and more complex, with an opposition that is struggling to unify, that doesn’t control a clear and geographically identified swath of territory, as was the case in the east in Libya.

And therefore, very regrettably, and much to the frustration of the United States and many others in the international community, the Security Council, the international community, has not been able to respond robustly and swiftly, as we have sought. And even to go to the step of implementing meaningful sanctions.
But we will keep at it.