Many countries have pledged financial and material
help to fight the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. But few of the promises
have been fulfilled, and time is running out to stem the spread of the
outbreak.
Unprecedented crisis, that’s the UN Ebola team describe the outbreak.
We heard the UN special envoy for Ebola Doctor. He said during his 30
years career, he hasn’t seen anything that this challenge. He said the
virus not just impact on the region of South Africa, but impact on the
world, made a very deadly prospect.
We also hear the Tony Banbury, who is the head of UN’s Ebola mission.
Just return from a week in 3 most effected countries. He said the quote
is a emergency of profound consequence, and grave risk. Speaking via
video phone, he called on all countries to help.
(Source: CNTV)
Showing posts with label UN. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UN. Show all posts
Monday, 13 October 2014
Sunday, 13 July 2014
AI demands UN investigation in Israel-Gaza conflict war crimes
LONDON:
Amnesty International (AI) has urged the UN to urgently mandate an
independent international investigation into Israeli airstrikes on Gaza
as well as Palestine’s indiscriminate shelling of Israel, and hold
accountable those responsible for war crimes.
The UN questions the legality of Israel’s Gaza offensive, while Netanyahu is dismissive of international pressure.
Despite claims by Israel that its operation “Protective Edge”, launched June 8, targets Hamas militants, most of more than a hundred Palestinians killed in airstrikes on Gaza are civilians, Amnesty says, adding that at least 24 children and 16 women were among the casualties.
Simultaneously, at least 20 people in Israel have been wounded by rocket attacks from Palestinian territories, according to the human rights watchdog, calling on the UN to set up a “fact-finding mission to Gaza and Israel to investigate violations of international humanitarian law by all parties to the conflict.”
“Swift UN action is needed as lives hang in the balance,” said Philip Luther, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Amnesty International. “The international community must not repeat previous mistakes, standing by and watching the devastating consequences for civilians of both sides.”
Amnesty sees arms embargo on Israel and all Palestinian military groups as a means of preventing the violence escalating further.
“Pending such an embargo, all states must immediately suspend all transfers of military equipment, assistance and munitions to the parties, which have failed to properly investigate violations committed in previous conflicts, or bring those responsible to justice,” Amnesty's official statement reads.
Strikes on homes, performed as part of Israel’s military operation, are a matter of particular concern to human rights groups. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, on Friday questioned the legality of such attacks.
Israel has argued that all targets in the Gaza strip are either military facilities or are homes of Hamas militants.
In case of doubt, buildings ordinarily used for civilian purposes, such as homes, are presumed not to be legitimate military targets,” Libi Vice, spokeswoman for the Israel Defense Forces (IFD) told RT on Thursday.
Human rights watchdogs want proof that 340 housing units, destroyed in Gaza, were actually used for military purposes.
“Unless the Israeli authorities can provide specific information to show how a home is being used to make an effective contribution to military actions, deliberately attacking civilian homes constitutes a war crime and also amounts to collective punishment against the families,” said Amnesty's Luther.
“Firing indiscriminate rockets, which cannot be aimed accurately at military targets, is a war crime, as is deliberately targeting civilians,” he added. “There can be no excuse for either side failing to protect civilians, including journalists, medics and humanitarian workers, or civilian facilities.”
Amnesty International has also called on Israel and Egypt to “ensure that sufficient amounts of medical and humanitarian supplies are allowed into Gaza”. Healthcare services in the region have been on the brink of collapse due to shortages of supplies, the World Health Organization earlier warned.
Friday saw thousands of activists in London and Oslo protesting against Israeli strikes in Gaza. Organizers of the massive rallies said Palestinians are facing “a horrific escalation of racism and violence” at the hands of the IDF.
The UN questions the legality of Israel’s Gaza offensive, while Netanyahu is dismissive of international pressure.
Despite claims by Israel that its operation “Protective Edge”, launched June 8, targets Hamas militants, most of more than a hundred Palestinians killed in airstrikes on Gaza are civilians, Amnesty says, adding that at least 24 children and 16 women were among the casualties.
Simultaneously, at least 20 people in Israel have been wounded by rocket attacks from Palestinian territories, according to the human rights watchdog, calling on the UN to set up a “fact-finding mission to Gaza and Israel to investigate violations of international humanitarian law by all parties to the conflict.”
“Swift UN action is needed as lives hang in the balance,” said Philip Luther, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Amnesty International. “The international community must not repeat previous mistakes, standing by and watching the devastating consequences for civilians of both sides.”
Amnesty sees arms embargo on Israel and all Palestinian military groups as a means of preventing the violence escalating further.
“Pending such an embargo, all states must immediately suspend all transfers of military equipment, assistance and munitions to the parties, which have failed to properly investigate violations committed in previous conflicts, or bring those responsible to justice,” Amnesty's official statement reads.
Strikes on homes, performed as part of Israel’s military operation, are a matter of particular concern to human rights groups. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, on Friday questioned the legality of such attacks.
Israel has argued that all targets in the Gaza strip are either military facilities or are homes of Hamas militants.
In case of doubt, buildings ordinarily used for civilian purposes, such as homes, are presumed not to be legitimate military targets,” Libi Vice, spokeswoman for the Israel Defense Forces (IFD) told RT on Thursday.
Human rights watchdogs want proof that 340 housing units, destroyed in Gaza, were actually used for military purposes.
“Unless the Israeli authorities can provide specific information to show how a home is being used to make an effective contribution to military actions, deliberately attacking civilian homes constitutes a war crime and also amounts to collective punishment against the families,” said Amnesty's Luther.
“Firing indiscriminate rockets, which cannot be aimed accurately at military targets, is a war crime, as is deliberately targeting civilians,” he added. “There can be no excuse for either side failing to protect civilians, including journalists, medics and humanitarian workers, or civilian facilities.”
Amnesty International has also called on Israel and Egypt to “ensure that sufficient amounts of medical and humanitarian supplies are allowed into Gaza”. Healthcare services in the region have been on the brink of collapse due to shortages of supplies, the World Health Organization earlier warned.
Friday saw thousands of activists in London and Oslo protesting against Israeli strikes in Gaza. Organizers of the massive rallies said Palestinians are facing “a horrific escalation of racism and violence” at the hands of the IDF.
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Wednesday, 9 July 2014
India says UN has no role to play in Kashmir
ISLAMABAD:
The Narendra Modi government thinks the United Nations Military Observer
Group (UNMOGIP) has no longer any role to play between Pakistan and
India and has ordered it to vacate the government premises where they
have been located free of charge for 40 years.
The
free lunch is over, the UN has been told. Indian media reports say that
the UN has been clearly told that “the UNMOGIP’s role has been overtaken
by the Simla Agreement and the consequent establishment of the Line of
Control. New Delhi is of the view that the UNMOGIP has no relevance or
role to play whatsoever.”
The Foreign Office did not want
to comment on media reports but the spokesperson told The News: “Even if
true, such moves do not change the reality.”Meanwhile, an Indian
official was quoted as saying: “They should stay in Srinagar and do what
they want. In case they want to be stationed in Delhi, they should hire
premises in a private property and not occupy the government property.”
It
is only Pakistan that has time and again proposed to India to involve
the UNMOGIP over disputes at the LoC as they are neutral observers and
the ongoing blame game that follows skirmishes could come to an end.
But
a strange philosophy governs New Delhi, where officially the UNMOGIP
has offices in New Delhi and Srinagar with their mandate well known, but
India refuses to involve them in any manner in disputes with Pakistan
saying they do not want the third party involvement.
In
keeping with the hawkish line that Modi has taken on Kashmir, it will
not be long before the UNMOGIP office in Srinagar is also wrapped up.INP
adds: According to Indian Express, the South Block has asked the
UNMOGIP to vacate the bungalow — 1AB, Purana Qila Road — which has been
serving as its office for the last four decades. The government
accommodation — a Type VII bungalow, about 7,000 square feet — was
allotted to the UN mission “free of charge”.
The UNMOGIP,
established under a UN Security Council Resolution, was meant to
supervise the ceasefire line established under the Karachi Agreement of
July 1949.
When contacted, UNMOGIP’s Military Information
Officer Major Tomas Malm, who is based in Srinagar, confirmed that the
government has asked them to vacate the premises. “UNMOGIP’s response is
to relocate to another location in Delhi,” he said. Asked if they have
been told the reason for this directive, he said, “The Indian
authorities’ reason is unknown to UNMOGIP.”Asked if the move reflected
New Delhi’s stand towards the UNMOGIP, he said, “You have to ask the
Indian government regarding their attitude towards us.”
Friday, 20 June 2014
Global refugee numbers highest since WWII: UN
GENEVA: The
number of people driven from their homes by conflict and crisis has
topped 50 million for the first time since World War II, with Syrians
hardest hit, the UN refugee agency said Friday.
The UNHCR said there were 51.2 million forcibly displaced people at the end of 2013, a full six million higher than the previous year.
"The numbers we are announcing today do not represent good news. On the contrary, they represent a quantum leap in forced displacement around the world," said UNHCR chief Antonio Guterres.
"For the first time since the Second World War we had in 2013 more than 50 million people displaced by conflict or by persecution, either crossing borders or within the borders of their country," he told reporters during a visit to Lebanon.
Lebanon and other countries neighbouring Syria have borne the brunt of the refugee crisis sparked by that nation´s civil war.
The civil war in Syria is largely to blame for the global increase, the UNHCR said in its annual report, released on World Refugee Day.
Since the conflict erupted in March 2011, a total of 2.5 million people have fled Syria, with 6.5 million more displaced inside the country.
The Central African Republic and South Sudan crises have also sparked new waves of displacement, while enduring violence in Afghanistan and Somalia has continued to feed the numbers.
"The world has shown a very limited capacity to prevent conflicts and to find a timely solution for them," said Guterres.
"And so since conflicts erupt, impunity and unpredictability become the name of the game, and the consequences are dramatic for those millions and millions of people suffering so much," he added.
The spiralling numbers have huge implications for aid budgets, and place massive strains on nations on the front-lines of refugee crises, the UNHCR said.
Its data covers three groups: refugees, asylum-seekers, and the internally displaced.
Refugee numbers reached 16.7 million people worldwide, the highest since 2001."The number of new refugees last year was 2.5 million, the highest number since the Rwanda genocide," of 1994, Guterres noted.
A total of 6.3 million have been exiled for over five years, the agency said, not including five million Palestinians aided by the UN Relief and Works Agency, a separate body.
Overall, the biggest refugee populations under UNHCR care came from Afghanistan, Syrian and Somalia, who together form over half the global total.
The world´s top refugee hosts were Pakistan, Iran and Lebanon.The regions with the largest refugee populations were Asia and the Pacific, with a total of 3.5 million.
Sub-Saharan Africa totalled 2.9 million and the Middle East and North Africa, 2.6 million. (AFP)
The UNHCR said there were 51.2 million forcibly displaced people at the end of 2013, a full six million higher than the previous year.
"The numbers we are announcing today do not represent good news. On the contrary, they represent a quantum leap in forced displacement around the world," said UNHCR chief Antonio Guterres.
"For the first time since the Second World War we had in 2013 more than 50 million people displaced by conflict or by persecution, either crossing borders or within the borders of their country," he told reporters during a visit to Lebanon.
Lebanon and other countries neighbouring Syria have borne the brunt of the refugee crisis sparked by that nation´s civil war.
The civil war in Syria is largely to blame for the global increase, the UNHCR said in its annual report, released on World Refugee Day.
Since the conflict erupted in March 2011, a total of 2.5 million people have fled Syria, with 6.5 million more displaced inside the country.
The Central African Republic and South Sudan crises have also sparked new waves of displacement, while enduring violence in Afghanistan and Somalia has continued to feed the numbers.
"The world has shown a very limited capacity to prevent conflicts and to find a timely solution for them," said Guterres.
"And so since conflicts erupt, impunity and unpredictability become the name of the game, and the consequences are dramatic for those millions and millions of people suffering so much," he added.
The spiralling numbers have huge implications for aid budgets, and place massive strains on nations on the front-lines of refugee crises, the UNHCR said.
Its data covers three groups: refugees, asylum-seekers, and the internally displaced.
Refugee numbers reached 16.7 million people worldwide, the highest since 2001."The number of new refugees last year was 2.5 million, the highest number since the Rwanda genocide," of 1994, Guterres noted.
A total of 6.3 million have been exiled for over five years, the agency said, not including five million Palestinians aided by the UN Relief and Works Agency, a separate body.
Overall, the biggest refugee populations under UNHCR care came from Afghanistan, Syrian and Somalia, who together form over half the global total.
The world´s top refugee hosts were Pakistan, Iran and Lebanon.The regions with the largest refugee populations were Asia and the Pacific, with a total of 3.5 million.
Sub-Saharan Africa totalled 2.9 million and the Middle East and North Africa, 2.6 million. (AFP)
Sunday, 25 May 2014
World media body warns of taking Geo issue to UN, EU
PARIS: International organisation Reporters Without Borders has expressed grave concern over the illegal closure of Geo TV in different cities of Pakistan, warning that if the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) did not stop unilateral action against Jang and Geo, they would raise the issue at the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU).
The Reporters Without Borders Asia Desk in-charge has said that a remedy must be found to counter the dangers faced by the staff of Jang and Geo.
“In our view, the prime minister and the government must take some solid steps to provide protection to journalists. We have already reacted to the notice issued by Pemra to Geo,” he said.
In an interview with this correspondent in Paris, he said, “In Pakistan there are laws and an authority to regulate the media and they should work in accordance with the prescribed rules, and the rules should be implemented in accordance with democratic principles. It is totally against principles if five members of Pemra recommend the closure of Jang and Geo. Moreover, it is never commendable to threaten the media on one pretext or the other. We are reviewing the situation in the wake of pressure on Geo and the Jang Group from different angles.”
He said: “It is more than one month but no progress seems to have been made in the assassination bid on senior anchorperson Hamid Mir. People should be kept on board in this connection. We are waiting for the report of the commission in this regard.”
He said that he was confident that the Supreme Court would provide justice to Jang and Geo. He said that they were much concerned with the situation.
Saturday, 3 May 2014
Pakistan urges increased UNGA role in UN chief' s appointment
UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has called for enhancing the General Assembly's role in the selection and appointment of the United Nations secretary general saying that the world's top diplomat should have the confidence and support of all member states.
The position and the wide ranging role and responsibilities of the secretary general as statesman top diplomat advocate and chief administrative officer are important for the entire UN membership not just the Security Council... Ambassador Masood Khan told a UN panel on Friday while advocating improved coordination between the Assembly and the Council.
A candidate for Secretary general is picked in secret by the Security Council and then recommended for approval by the General Assembly. But each of the five big powers in the council Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States can veto a candidate killing his or her chances of going before the Assembly.
Speaking in a meeting of the Ad hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly, Masood Khan Pakistan's permanent representative to the UN underscored the need for evolving consensus in the process of UN chief's appointment requiring inclusiveness transparency and interaction.
The General Assembly should not be there to rubber stamp a decision already taken, the Pakistani envoy said, while speaking in a debate on Role and Responsibility of the General Assembly in the Appointment of the Secretary General.
Apparently the recommendation by the Security Council is not exclusive but well established practice would belie that interpretation he said. The challenge is to ensure that the recommendation and the appointment are not isolated acts but part of a process which is underpinned by participation and ownership of both the principal organs and of all member states. In fact he expressed the view that neither the recommendation nor the appointment can or should be made without proper consultation and interaction. This would require increased cooperation and coordination between the Assembly and the Council.
Referring to an Assembly resolution proposing sufficient time for interaction of candidates for the post of UN chief with member states Masood Khan said We can take a start by putting this provision into practice ahead of the next appointment of the Secretary General. In this context Masood Khan added.
The process of consideration of the candidatures by the Security Council should be guided and informed by this prior interaction and sense of the house in the General Assembly. A recommendation emanating from such a process and the appointment by the Assembly on that basis would have fulfilled the requirement of inclusiveness and ownership while also accomplishing this task with consensus and acclamation which is the desired and the best way of doing it.
Thursday, 1 May 2014
COAS for Kashmir solution under UN resolutions
ISLAMABAD: The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), General Raheel Sharif, said on Wednesday that Kashmir was the jugular vein of Pakistan. Addressing a large gathering on the occasion of Youm-e-Shuhada here at the GHQ, he stressed the resolution of the Kashmir issue in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.He said that Kashmir was an internationally recognised dispute and added that matchless sacrifices offered by the Kashmiris would not go waste.
Sunday, 13 April 2014
Russia, West lock horns on Ukraine at UN crisis talks
UNITED
NATIONS: The U.N. Security Council met late Sunday in emergency session
as violence escalated in eastern Ukraine, hours before a Monday morning
deadline for pro-Russia protesters to lay down their arms or face
Ukrainian troops.
Russia called the meeting shortly after Ukrainian special forces exchanged gunfire Sunday with a pro-Russia militia in an eastern city, and at least one security officer was killed and five others wounded.
Ukraine´s president accused its powerful neighbor of fomenting unrest, and announced that his government would deploy armed forces Monday to quash an increasingly bold pro-Russian insurgency.
"At this moment, Ukraine teeters on the brink," Assistant U.N. Secretary-General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco told Security Council members.
Ethnic Russians in Ukraine´s east fear that the country´s new pro-Western government will oppress them, and are demanding to have referendums on autonomy and possible annexation by Russia.
Fernandez-Taranco said U.N. monitors in eastern Ukraine have described seeing pro-separatist protesters as being armed with machine guns and sniper rifles.
"The fact is that many of the armed units that we´ve seen were outfitted in bulletproof vests, camouflage uniforms with insignia removed," U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power said. "These armed units ... raised Russian and separatist flags over seized buildings and have called referendums and union with Russia. We know who is behind this.
"Russia has tens of thousands of troops massed along Ukraine´s eastern border, and there are fears that Moscow might use the violence in the mainly Russian-speaking region as a pretext for an invasion, in a repeat of events in Crimea weeks ago.
"This is not a war between Ukrainians, this was artificially created," said Ukraine´s U.N. Ambassador Yuriy Sergeyev.
Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin denied Western and Ukrainian claims that Moscow was behind the violence, and told U.N. diplomats that Ukraine has been using radical neo-Nazi forces to destabilize its eastern region. "It is the West that will determine the opportunity to avoid civil war in Ukraine. Some people, including in this chamber, do not want to see the real reasons for what is happening in Ukraine and are constantly seeing the hand of Moscow in what is going on," Churkin said.
"Enough. That is enough."He said after the meeting that he hoped Western powers would pressure Ukraine to rethink its deadline for sending in troops. "Whether they are going to put an end to this provocation by Kiev, this is their responsibility to prevent further escalation of this crisis," Churkin said.
Russia called the meeting shortly after Ukrainian special forces exchanged gunfire Sunday with a pro-Russia militia in an eastern city, and at least one security officer was killed and five others wounded.
Ukraine´s president accused its powerful neighbor of fomenting unrest, and announced that his government would deploy armed forces Monday to quash an increasingly bold pro-Russian insurgency.
"At this moment, Ukraine teeters on the brink," Assistant U.N. Secretary-General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco told Security Council members.
Ethnic Russians in Ukraine´s east fear that the country´s new pro-Western government will oppress them, and are demanding to have referendums on autonomy and possible annexation by Russia.
Fernandez-Taranco said U.N. monitors in eastern Ukraine have described seeing pro-separatist protesters as being armed with machine guns and sniper rifles.
"The fact is that many of the armed units that we´ve seen were outfitted in bulletproof vests, camouflage uniforms with insignia removed," U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power said. "These armed units ... raised Russian and separatist flags over seized buildings and have called referendums and union with Russia. We know who is behind this.
"Russia has tens of thousands of troops massed along Ukraine´s eastern border, and there are fears that Moscow might use the violence in the mainly Russian-speaking region as a pretext for an invasion, in a repeat of events in Crimea weeks ago.
"This is not a war between Ukrainians, this was artificially created," said Ukraine´s U.N. Ambassador Yuriy Sergeyev.
Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin denied Western and Ukrainian claims that Moscow was behind the violence, and told U.N. diplomats that Ukraine has been using radical neo-Nazi forces to destabilize its eastern region. "It is the West that will determine the opportunity to avoid civil war in Ukraine. Some people, including in this chamber, do not want to see the real reasons for what is happening in Ukraine and are constantly seeing the hand of Moscow in what is going on," Churkin said.
"Enough. That is enough."He said after the meeting that he hoped Western powers would pressure Ukraine to rethink its deadline for sending in troops. "Whether they are going to put an end to this provocation by Kiev, this is their responsibility to prevent further escalation of this crisis," Churkin said.
Russia, West lock horns on Ukraine at UN crisis talks
UNITED NATIONS: The U.N. Security Council met late Sunday in emergency session as violence escalated in eastern Ukraine, hours before a Monday morning deadline for pro-Russia protesters to lay down their arms or face Ukrainian troops.
Russia called the meeting shortly after Ukrainian special forces exchanged gunfire Sunday with a pro-Russia militia in an eastern city, and at least one security officer was killed and five others wounded.
Ukraine´s president accused its powerful neighbor of fomenting unrest, and announced that his government would deploy armed forces Monday to quash an increasingly bold pro-Russian insurgency.
"At this moment, Ukraine teeters on the brink," Assistant U.N. Secretary-General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco told Security Council members.
Ethnic Russians in Ukraine´s east fear that the country´s new pro-Western government will oppress them, and are demanding to have referendums on autonomy and possible annexation by Russia.
Fernandez-Taranco said U.N. monitors in eastern Ukraine have described seeing pro-separatist protesters as being armed with machine guns and sniper rifles.
"The fact is that many of the armed units that we´ve seen were outfitted in bulletproof vests, camouflage uniforms with insignia removed," U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power said. "These armed units ... raised Russian and separatist flags over seized buildings and have called referendums and union with Russia. We know who is behind this.
"Russia has tens of thousands of troops massed along Ukraine´s eastern border, and there are fears that Moscow might use the violence in the mainly Russian-speaking region as a pretext for an invasion, in a repeat of events in Crimea weeks ago.
"This is not a war between Ukrainians, this was artificially created," said Ukraine´s U.N. Ambassador Yuriy Sergeyev.
Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin denied Western and Ukrainian claims that Moscow was behind the violence, and told U.N. diplomats that Ukraine has been using radical neo-Nazi forces to destabilize its eastern region. "It is the West that will determine the opportunity to avoid civil war in Ukraine. Some people, including in this chamber, do not want to see the real reasons for what is happening in Ukraine and are constantly seeing the hand of Moscow in what is going on," Churkin said.
"Enough.
That is enough."He said after the meeting that he hoped Western powers
would pressure Ukraine to rethink its deadline for sending in troops.
"Whether they are going to put an end to this provocation by Kiev, this
is their responsibility to prevent further escalation of this crisis,"
Churkin said.
Friday, 11 April 2014
Militias attack fleeing Central Africans: UN
The U.N. refugee agency says Christian militias in the Central African
Republic are attacking people trying to flee the country, forcing them
to take more dangerous routes across the border.
UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said on Friday that the agency had
registered four wounded refugees in Cameroon in recent days, three of
them hacked with machetes and one who had been shot.
People arriving in Cameroon told UNHCR that militias have blocked the
main roads across the border, forcing them to travel through the bush,
sometimes for up to three months.
According to agency numbers from March, more than 300,000 people have
fled the Central African Republic, which descended into sectarian
violence following a coup last year.
On Thursday, the U.N. Security Council approved nearly 12,000 peacekeepers, but they won’t arrive until September.
White House to Iran: No visa for UN envoy pick
WASHINGTON:
The United States, in a rare diplomatic rebuke, will not grant a visa
to Tehran's pick for envoy to the United Nations, the Obama
administration said Friday.
The move could complicate efforts to thaw the decades-long diplomatic freeze between the US and Iran, as the two countries negotiate a deal to curb Tehran's disputed nuclear program.
President Barack Obama's administration had previously said only that it opposed the nomination of Hamid Aboutalebi, who was a member of the group responsible for the 1979 takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran as a revolution erupted in Iran. US officials had hoped the issue could be resolved by Tehran simply withdrawing the nomination.
That did not happen, so the US made the unusual, if not unprecedented, move to not grant a visa to a U.N. ambassadorial nominee.
"We've communicated with the Iranians at a number of levels and made clear our position on this - and that includes our position that the selection was not viable," White House spokesman Jay Carney said. "Our position is that we will not be issuing him a visa."
Aboutalebi is alleged to have participated in a Muslim student group that held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days during the takeover. His nomination has outraged members of Congress, who passed a bill barring entry to the US to an individual found to be engaged in espionage, terrorism or a threat to national security.
Carney would not say whether Obama would sign the bill but said the president shares its sentiments.
United Nations officials had no immediate comment on the US decision.
The move could complicate efforts to thaw the decades-long diplomatic freeze between the US and Iran, as the two countries negotiate a deal to curb Tehran's disputed nuclear program.
President Barack Obama's administration had previously said only that it opposed the nomination of Hamid Aboutalebi, who was a member of the group responsible for the 1979 takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran as a revolution erupted in Iran. US officials had hoped the issue could be resolved by Tehran simply withdrawing the nomination.
That did not happen, so the US made the unusual, if not unprecedented, move to not grant a visa to a U.N. ambassadorial nominee.
"We've communicated with the Iranians at a number of levels and made clear our position on this - and that includes our position that the selection was not viable," White House spokesman Jay Carney said. "Our position is that we will not be issuing him a visa."
Aboutalebi is alleged to have participated in a Muslim student group that held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days during the takeover. His nomination has outraged members of Congress, who passed a bill barring entry to the US to an individual found to be engaged in espionage, terrorism or a threat to national security.
Carney would not say whether Obama would sign the bill but said the president shares its sentiments.
United Nations officials had no immediate comment on the US decision.
US blocks Iran's envoy to UN in rare rebuke
WASHINGTON:
The United States has blocked Iran's pick for envoy to the United
Nations, a rare diplomatic rebuke that could stir fresh animosity at a
time when Washington and Tehran have been seeking a thaw in relations.
The Obama administration said on Friday that the US had informed Iran it would not grant a visa to Hamid Aboutalebi, a member of the group responsible for the 1979 takeover of the US embassy in Tehran. While U.S. officials had been trying to persuade Iran to simply withdraw Aboutalebi's name, the announcement amounted to an acknowledgement that those efforts had not been successful.
''We've communicated with the Iranians at a number of levels and made clear our position on this and that includes our position that the selection was not viable,'' White House spokesman Jay Carney said. ''Our position is that we will not be issuing him a visa.''
Aboutalebi is alleged to have participated in a Muslim student group that held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days during the embassy takeover. He has insisted his involvement in the group Muslim Students.
Hamid Babaei, a spokesman for the Iranian US mission, said the decision was not only regrettable but ''in contravention of international law, the obligation of the host country and the inherent right of sovereign member-states to designate their representatives to the United Nations.''
As host country for the United Nations, the US must provide rights to persons invited to the New York headquarters. However, exceptions can be made when a visa applicant is found to have engaged in spying against the U.S. or poses a threat to American national security.
Denying visas to UN ambassadorial nominees or to foreign heads of state who want to attend United Nations events in the US is extremely rare, though there appears to be precedent. According to a paper published by the Yale Law School, the United States rejected several Iranians appointed to the UN in the 1980s who had played roles in the embassy hostage crisis or other acts against American citizens.
Iran's choice of Aboutalebi had pinned President Barack Obama between congressional pressure to deny the envoy entry into the US and the White House's delicate diplomatic dealings with Tehran. After more than three decades of discord, US and Iranian officials have started having occasional direct contact, including a phone call last fall between Obama and new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
The US and its international partners also have reached an interim agreement with Iran to halt progress on Tehran's disputed nuclear program. Officials are in the midst of negotiating a long-term agreement to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon.
Officials said under secretary of state Wendy Sherman, the chief US negotiator in the nuclear talks, informed Iranian officials involved in discussions in Vienna this week about the visa decision. The White House said it did not expect the negotiations, which are due to resume next month, to be affected by the matter.
Despite some signs of progress in relations, many US lawmakers continue to eye Iran skeptically, and Tehran's choice of Aboutalebi sparked outrage from both Democrats and Republicans. The House and Senate unanimously passed legislation expanding the grounds for barring entry into the US to include individuals engaged in terrorism.
Carney would not say Friday whether Obama would sign that bill, but he said the president did share its sentiments.
The administration's decision to block Aboutalebi's nomination drew praise from both parties, including Republican senator Ted Cruz, the chief sponsor of the congressional legislation. In an interview with Fox News, Cruz said he appreciated the president ''doing the right thing and barring this acknowledged terrorist from coming into the country.''
Democratic senator Chuck Schumer said allowing Aboutalebi into the US ''would have been a slap at all American victims of terrorism, not just those taken hostage in 1979. We're glad the Obama Administration made this choice, and Iran should stop playing these games. ''
UN officials had no immediate comment on the US decision.
Iran had previously called US rejection of Aboutalebi ''not acceptable,'' with Iranian state television quoting Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham as saying he is one of the best US diplomats and arguing that he previously received a US visa.
American officials said Iran still has time to withdraw the nomination and application, suggesting the US has simply chosen to not act on the visa instead of outright rejecting it.
Without a US visa, Aboutalebi would not be allowed to enter the United States. Iran could nominate a different ambassador or have Aboutalebi occupy the post from overseas.
Despite the decades-long tensions between the US and Iran, the Islamic republic maintains a robust diplomatic mission at UN headquarters in New York. The US frequently allows visas for representatives from countries it disfavors, including Syria and North Korea, but restricts their diplomats' movements and activities to a 25-mile (40-kilometer) radius of New York City.
There have been previous instances where officials accused of terrorism or deemed to pose a threat to the US have sought visas to appear at the UN, including with a previous Iranian nominee in the early 1990s and more recently with Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir. In most cases, the US has either signaled opposition to the applicant and the request has been withdrawn, or the state department has simply declined to process the application.
The Obama administration said on Friday that the US had informed Iran it would not grant a visa to Hamid Aboutalebi, a member of the group responsible for the 1979 takeover of the US embassy in Tehran. While U.S. officials had been trying to persuade Iran to simply withdraw Aboutalebi's name, the announcement amounted to an acknowledgement that those efforts had not been successful.
''We've communicated with the Iranians at a number of levels and made clear our position on this and that includes our position that the selection was not viable,'' White House spokesman Jay Carney said. ''Our position is that we will not be issuing him a visa.''
Aboutalebi is alleged to have participated in a Muslim student group that held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days during the embassy takeover. He has insisted his involvement in the group Muslim Students.
Hamid Babaei, a spokesman for the Iranian US mission, said the decision was not only regrettable but ''in contravention of international law, the obligation of the host country and the inherent right of sovereign member-states to designate their representatives to the United Nations.''
As host country for the United Nations, the US must provide rights to persons invited to the New York headquarters. However, exceptions can be made when a visa applicant is found to have engaged in spying against the U.S. or poses a threat to American national security.
Denying visas to UN ambassadorial nominees or to foreign heads of state who want to attend United Nations events in the US is extremely rare, though there appears to be precedent. According to a paper published by the Yale Law School, the United States rejected several Iranians appointed to the UN in the 1980s who had played roles in the embassy hostage crisis or other acts against American citizens.
Iran's choice of Aboutalebi had pinned President Barack Obama between congressional pressure to deny the envoy entry into the US and the White House's delicate diplomatic dealings with Tehran. After more than three decades of discord, US and Iranian officials have started having occasional direct contact, including a phone call last fall between Obama and new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
The US and its international partners also have reached an interim agreement with Iran to halt progress on Tehran's disputed nuclear program. Officials are in the midst of negotiating a long-term agreement to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon.
Officials said under secretary of state Wendy Sherman, the chief US negotiator in the nuclear talks, informed Iranian officials involved in discussions in Vienna this week about the visa decision. The White House said it did not expect the negotiations, which are due to resume next month, to be affected by the matter.
Despite some signs of progress in relations, many US lawmakers continue to eye Iran skeptically, and Tehran's choice of Aboutalebi sparked outrage from both Democrats and Republicans. The House and Senate unanimously passed legislation expanding the grounds for barring entry into the US to include individuals engaged in terrorism.
Carney would not say Friday whether Obama would sign that bill, but he said the president did share its sentiments.
The administration's decision to block Aboutalebi's nomination drew praise from both parties, including Republican senator Ted Cruz, the chief sponsor of the congressional legislation. In an interview with Fox News, Cruz said he appreciated the president ''doing the right thing and barring this acknowledged terrorist from coming into the country.''
Democratic senator Chuck Schumer said allowing Aboutalebi into the US ''would have been a slap at all American victims of terrorism, not just those taken hostage in 1979. We're glad the Obama Administration made this choice, and Iran should stop playing these games. ''
UN officials had no immediate comment on the US decision.
Iran had previously called US rejection of Aboutalebi ''not acceptable,'' with Iranian state television quoting Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham as saying he is one of the best US diplomats and arguing that he previously received a US visa.
American officials said Iran still has time to withdraw the nomination and application, suggesting the US has simply chosen to not act on the visa instead of outright rejecting it.
Without a US visa, Aboutalebi would not be allowed to enter the United States. Iran could nominate a different ambassador or have Aboutalebi occupy the post from overseas.
Despite the decades-long tensions between the US and Iran, the Islamic republic maintains a robust diplomatic mission at UN headquarters in New York. The US frequently allows visas for representatives from countries it disfavors, including Syria and North Korea, but restricts their diplomats' movements and activities to a 25-mile (40-kilometer) radius of New York City.
There have been previous instances where officials accused of terrorism or deemed to pose a threat to the US have sought visas to appear at the UN, including with a previous Iranian nominee in the early 1990s and more recently with Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir. In most cases, the US has either signaled opposition to the applicant and the request has been withdrawn, or the state department has simply declined to process the application.
Saturday, 5 April 2014
US, UN, Nato all praise for Afghans courage in landmark vote
KABUL: The
United States and the UN have praised the "courage" of Afghan people who
turned out in force for presidential elections, despite Taliban threats
against the vote which passed off largely peacefully.
Afghan voters formed long lines outside polling stations on Saturday to pick a successor to President Hamid Karzai, with a final turnout expected to exceed 50 percent -- outstripping expectations.
US President Barack Obama congratulated the nation on the ballot -- its first democratic transfer of power -- and said it was "critical" to its future and securing continued international aid.
"Millions of Afghan men and women took to the polls today with courage and commitment," US Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement. "This is their moment. The Afghan people secured this election. They ran this election, and most importantly, they voted in this election. "There were no major militant attacks during polling, and organisers described the ballot as a huge success, despite complaints that a shortage of ballot papers had denied some citizens the right to vote.
However, with results not due until April 24 the country faces a testing period, and many Afghans fear a repeat of the fraud scandals that marred the last presidential election in 2009. If no candidate wins more than 50 percent in the first round, a run-off is scheduled for late May.
There is no clear favourite among the front-runners to succeed Karzai -- former foreign minister Zalmai Rassoul, Abdullah Abdullah, who was runner-up in the 2009 election, and former World Bank academic Ashraf Ghani.
Whoever emerges victorious must lead the fight against the Taliban without the help of US-led combat troops, and also strengthen an economy that currently relies on declining aid money.
"Today´s election and massive participation of the people have taken Afghanistan a few steps forward to peace, stability and development," Karzai said in an address to the nation Saturday. "This was a major effort of the people, our security forces, and all the officials who had a role in holding the election.
"The United Nations Security Council also commended "the participation and courage of the Afghan people to cast their ballot despite the threat and intimidation by the Taliban" and other terrorist groups. It condemned the deadly attacks which overshadowed the election campaign and urged all those involved to show patience and respect during the count.
NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen praised the "enthusiasm" of voters and the "outstanding job" by Afghan security forces. "This has truly been an election led by Afghans, secured by Afghans, for the future of Afghans," he said.
The final turnout could exceed seven million, the head of the Independent Election Commission (IEC), Ahmad Yusuf Nuristani, said, though this was a preliminary estimate and may change. Initial predictions in 2009 proved inaccurate. Around 13.5 million people were eligible to vote, putting the estimated turnout above 50 percent -- a significant increase on 2009, when only around a third of voters cast ballots.
The open nature of the race with so many candidates in the running, coupled with a massive security operation to thwart Taliban attacks, may have contributed to the high turnout.
The Taliban had urged their fighters to target polling staff, voters and security forces, but there were no major attacks reported during the day.
Interior Minister Omar Daudzai said late Saturday that four civilians, nine police and seven soldiers had been killed in violence in the past 24 hours, but added that many attacks had been foiled, without giving further details.
Attacks or fear of Taliban intimidation had forced more than 200 of a total 6,423 voting centres to remain closed. The day before the poll, Associated Press photographer Anja Niedringhaus was shot dead by a police commander in eastern Khost province. She was the third journalist working for international media to be killed during the election campaign, after Swedish journalist Nils Horner and Sardar Ahmad of Agence France-Presse.
Afghans have taken over responsibility for security from US-led forces, and this year the last of the NATO coalition´s 51,000 combat troops will pull out, leaving local forces to battle the resilient Taliban insurgency without their help.
The country´s third presidential election will bring an end to 13 years of rule by Karzai, who has held power since the Taliban were ousted in 2001. Massive fraud and widespread violence marred Karzai´s re-election in 2009, and a disputed result this time would add to the challenges facing the new president.T
The election may offer a chance for Afghanistan to improve relations with the United States, its principal donor, after the mercurial Karzai years. Relations fell to a new low late last year when Karzai refused to sign a security agreement that would allow the US to keep around 10,000 troops in Afghanistan to train local forces and hunt Al-Qaeda.
Afghan voters formed long lines outside polling stations on Saturday to pick a successor to President Hamid Karzai, with a final turnout expected to exceed 50 percent -- outstripping expectations.
US President Barack Obama congratulated the nation on the ballot -- its first democratic transfer of power -- and said it was "critical" to its future and securing continued international aid.
"Millions of Afghan men and women took to the polls today with courage and commitment," US Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement. "This is their moment. The Afghan people secured this election. They ran this election, and most importantly, they voted in this election. "There were no major militant attacks during polling, and organisers described the ballot as a huge success, despite complaints that a shortage of ballot papers had denied some citizens the right to vote.
However, with results not due until April 24 the country faces a testing period, and many Afghans fear a repeat of the fraud scandals that marred the last presidential election in 2009. If no candidate wins more than 50 percent in the first round, a run-off is scheduled for late May.
There is no clear favourite among the front-runners to succeed Karzai -- former foreign minister Zalmai Rassoul, Abdullah Abdullah, who was runner-up in the 2009 election, and former World Bank academic Ashraf Ghani.
Whoever emerges victorious must lead the fight against the Taliban without the help of US-led combat troops, and also strengthen an economy that currently relies on declining aid money.
"Today´s election and massive participation of the people have taken Afghanistan a few steps forward to peace, stability and development," Karzai said in an address to the nation Saturday. "This was a major effort of the people, our security forces, and all the officials who had a role in holding the election.
"The United Nations Security Council also commended "the participation and courage of the Afghan people to cast their ballot despite the threat and intimidation by the Taliban" and other terrorist groups. It condemned the deadly attacks which overshadowed the election campaign and urged all those involved to show patience and respect during the count.
NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen praised the "enthusiasm" of voters and the "outstanding job" by Afghan security forces. "This has truly been an election led by Afghans, secured by Afghans, for the future of Afghans," he said.
The final turnout could exceed seven million, the head of the Independent Election Commission (IEC), Ahmad Yusuf Nuristani, said, though this was a preliminary estimate and may change. Initial predictions in 2009 proved inaccurate. Around 13.5 million people were eligible to vote, putting the estimated turnout above 50 percent -- a significant increase on 2009, when only around a third of voters cast ballots.
The open nature of the race with so many candidates in the running, coupled with a massive security operation to thwart Taliban attacks, may have contributed to the high turnout.
The Taliban had urged their fighters to target polling staff, voters and security forces, but there were no major attacks reported during the day.
Interior Minister Omar Daudzai said late Saturday that four civilians, nine police and seven soldiers had been killed in violence in the past 24 hours, but added that many attacks had been foiled, without giving further details.
Attacks or fear of Taliban intimidation had forced more than 200 of a total 6,423 voting centres to remain closed. The day before the poll, Associated Press photographer Anja Niedringhaus was shot dead by a police commander in eastern Khost province. She was the third journalist working for international media to be killed during the election campaign, after Swedish journalist Nils Horner and Sardar Ahmad of Agence France-Presse.
Afghans have taken over responsibility for security from US-led forces, and this year the last of the NATO coalition´s 51,000 combat troops will pull out, leaving local forces to battle the resilient Taliban insurgency without their help.
The country´s third presidential election will bring an end to 13 years of rule by Karzai, who has held power since the Taliban were ousted in 2001. Massive fraud and widespread violence marred Karzai´s re-election in 2009, and a disputed result this time would add to the challenges facing the new president.T
The election may offer a chance for Afghanistan to improve relations with the United States, its principal donor, after the mercurial Karzai years. Relations fell to a new low late last year when Karzai refused to sign a security agreement that would allow the US to keep around 10,000 troops in Afghanistan to train local forces and hunt Al-Qaeda.
Friday, 21 March 2014
Saudis lock horns with US at UN forum, back China
During a skirmish between the envoys of the United States and China in the general debate at the United Nations Human Rights Council this week, the Saudi envoy sided with Beijing and locked horns with Washington. So did Pakistan and a host of other countries.
Iran remained silent.
The colourful anti-clerical Iranian opposition groups that used to enrich the international s scene on the sidelines of UNHRC in Geneva until last year have disappeared this year. Has their financial support dried up? Nobody knows. They have been replaced by NGOs promoting a new positive image of Iran. For example, this week, one NGO held an event on Iran’s positive treatment of women, minorities and the progress in the lives of Iranian Sunni Baloch. The presentations were impressive and convincing.
The other area where change is noticeable is the mushrooming of NGOs attacking Iran’s traditional political competition in the region: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, and more recently Malaysia. Pakistan is in this list with repeated side panel discussions organised this week by apparently Iran-linked NGOs to assail the treatment of Shia minorities in these countries. This year, there is a sharp focus on Pakistan and Malaysia. At least one event has been organised on this topic outside the UN building and two inside, with paid guests flown in from both countries to speak and criticise their governments.
Though the criticism of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Malaysia and sometimes Egypt is blunt and direct, the criticism on Pakistan by Iran-linked NGOs varies from mild to slightly harsh, but at all times calibrated. Last week, when a couple of questioners asked a female Pakistani speaker to name Pakistani government and military as alleged supporters of terror groups that attack Pakistani Shia citizens, the speaker refused to be drawn into a debate. “I will only talk about the cases in front of me and the groups involved,” she said. ‘I have no evidence on the involvement of Pakistani government or military.”
The fact that Iran-linked groups are organising seminars inside the UN building putting Pakistan on trial for the human rights situation in the country could at some point irk Islamabad, which has so far unreservedly extended diplomatic and political support to Tehran inside and outside the UN.
Malaysia, by comparison, is not that recalcitrant. Azhaan Hamid, a member of a Malaysian NGO, explained there is no restriction on the practice of Shia Muslim sect in his country. “We welcome all Muslims.
We traditionally never had Shia Muslim presence. But now one country is paying money to create presence for political purposes, not religious,” he said, without naming Iran.The subject is sensitive and difficult to probe because it involves religious sensibilities. But here the issue is political, where states are involved with their strategic interests, exploiting religion. During another sideline event on Iraq, a speaker called on all Muslim states to stop using sects to further strategic interests.
Mehdi al-Katib, from the al-Khoei Foundation, named after the revered Iraqi Shia scholar whose disciples are spread in many countries including Pakistan, agrees. “I agree with the argument. Muslim states should not use sects as a tool of politics or strategy.”
For the first time this year, a young man has been seen at different panel discussions claiming to represent Pakistani Hazaras.Though the plight of our Hazaras is real and indescribable, the young man appeared to be politicising it, and offered anti-Pakistan lobbies to take up the topic of Pakistani government allegedly condoning attacks on its citizens who follow the Shia sect. Interestingly, Alessandro Monsutti, an anthropologist with The Graduate Institute in Geneva, was in the audience. He intervened to correct the record. He said Pakistan’s Hazaras were accepted wholeheartedly into the Pakistani fabric since 1947, and produced national heroes in civil life and in the military, and that the attacks on the community were largely a post-2001 Afghan war development.
Pakistan is preparing to table a resolution against the unchecked use of unmanned drones at UNHRC with wide international support.Pakistan is also pushing the Kashmir dispute with a new vigour. The backlash is visible, with increased activity in Geneva on Balochistan, and the speakers flown in from several countries to speak about the secession of different Pakistani provinces. While Islamabad understands this backlash, the entry of the sectarian element is a new development, and a disturbing one.
Monday, 10 March 2014
Ban calls for progress as UN commission on women opens
Among
priorities are health needs, maternal and child health, sexual
education, contraception and fighting violence against women, including
female genital mutilation, Ban said at the opening of the UN's 58th
session of the Commission on the Status of Women.
"We
have come a long way, but there is much still to do and little time to
do it," he said. "Gender gaps are particularly stark among rural
populations and for persons with disabilities, indigenous people and
other marginalized groups," Ban said.
"Women
also remain scarce in corporate leadership, despite research that has
consistently shown that companies with more women on board perform
better," he added
"Globally, only about one in
five parliamentarians is female despite evidence that parliaments with
more women take up a wider range of issues, including health, education,
anti-discrimination and child support," he said.
The
commission, which brings together officials from the UN's 193 member
states and several thousand representatives from non-government groups,
meets until March 21.
Last year, the commission
adopted a landmark declaration denouncing violence against women and
established a code of conduct to fight it, despite the reluctance of
countries such as Iran, Libya, Sudan, Russia and the Vatican.
The
declaration emphasized that violence against women and girls could not
be justified by "any custom, tradition or religious consideration.
Wednesday, 5 March 2014
UN envoy cuts short Crimea mission
Serry, who had been sent to assess the situation in the disputed Black Sea peninsula for UN chief Ban Ki-moon, was confronted by gunmen outside the Ukrainian naval headquarters in Crimea's capital Simferopol.
After he was prevented from returning to his vehicle, he dropped into a cafe to use a telephone to alert the mission of the incident, and an angry group of pro-Russian activists briefly blocked his exit, the aide said.
Serry then left on foot for his hotel after his safety was assured, and he was driven to the airport where he was in a lounge waiting for a flight. "He's fine. The self-defence militias in Simferopol have guaranteed his security," Serry's assistant told AFP by phone from the car.
"He wants to fly to Kiev but there is no ticket for him yet. He is hoping that he can leave Crimea without further incident," she said. Serry himself would not speak on the phone. UN deputy secretary general Jan Eliasson said: "He is in good shape physically but he feels threatened."
Serry, a former Dutch ambassador to Kiev who was travelling with a UN colleague, was accosted by gunmen outside the naval headquarters on Wednesday and warned "he should leave Crimea," according to the United Nations.
Serry had arrived only Tuesday in the tense Crimean peninsula, which has come under de facto control by Russian forces. He had already aborted a trip to Crimea last week, saying tensions made it impossible to visit the peninsula.
Saturday, 1 March 2014
UN Security Council to conduct urgent meeting on Ukraine crisis
A diplomat from Luxembourg, president of the 15-nation council this month, said the meeting would take place at 2:00 p.m. EST (1900 GMT) and was being convened at the request of Britain.
The council met on Friday to discuss the crisis in Ukraine's Crimea region but took no formal action, as expected.
The meeting highlighted the deep divisions between the United States and other Western nations and Russia, which has a major Black Sea naval base in the Crimea.
At Friday's session, Ukraine accused Russia of illegal military incursions onto Ukrainian territory, while US and European delegations warned Moscow to withdraw any new military forces deployed in neighboring Ukraine.
Russia, however, said any military movements by Russian forces there were in compliance with its agreement with Kiev on maintaining its naval base there.
Russia is a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council and, therefore, able to block any actions proposed by its members.
Ukraine urges UN Security Council to stop Russian aggression
"We call on the Security Council now to do everything possible to stop aggression of the Russian Federation to Ukraine. There is still a chance," Ukrainian Ambassador Yuriy Sergeyev said.
Russian troops entered Ukrainian territory illegally as an "act of aggression against the state" and "their number is increasing every coming hour," he added.
Sergeyev called for the deployment of international monitors and said Russia had "brutally violated the basic principles of the charter of the United Nations."
"We urge all member states of the United Nations to demonstrate solidarity with the Ukrainian nation to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country," Sergeyev added.
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