Remarks by Ambassador Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, at the Security Council Stakeout on Syria

8/3/2019 Remarks by Ambassador Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, at the Security Cou

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Remarks by Ambassador Susan E. Rice,

U.S. Permanent Representative to the

United Nations, at the Security Council

Stakeout on Syria

Susan E. RiceU.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations

U.S. Mission to the United Nations

New York, NYJanuary 10, 2012

Ambassador Rice: Before we get started, I want to note for the

record a milestone development at the US Mission to the

United Nations, which is the fact that Mark Kornblau has now

become a father and welcomed into the world a beautiful

young daughter named Lexie. So, congratulations Mark, we're

all very proud of you. It's the happiest adventure you will have

in your life, being a parent.

Coming to the substance of the day, as you know, we had the

opportunity in consultations to hear a briefing from Under-

Secretary-General Lynn Pascoe. He covered principally Syriaand also commented on Iraq and Guinea-Bissau as requested

by some members of the Council.

The briefing we received on Syria was alarming by any


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standard. The Under-Secretary-General noted that in the days

since the Arab League monitoring mission has been on the

ground, in fact, some estimated 400 additional people have

been killed, an average of 40 a day, a rate much higher thanwas the case before their deployment. That is a clear indication

that the government of Syria, rather than using the opportunity

of its commitment to the Arab League to end the violence and

fulfill all of its commitments under the protocol, is instead

stepping up the violence despite the presence of monitors and

carrying out further acts of brutality against its population

even often in the presence of those monitors.

Clearly this is something we profoundly condemn; it's part of a

pattern that has characterized the abuses of the Asad regime.

It has long been the view of the United States that Asad should

step aside and yield to the wishes of the Syrian people for a

government that reflects the rule of the people and indeed is

unified and committed to peaceful progress for the country.

Unfortunately, rather than take that approach, we heard the

vitriol of President Asad's speech today and further belittling

by him of the Arab League, which we found offensive given the

entire international community, the United States and all

members of the Security Council are united in support of the

Arab League initiative, and it is something that the Syrian

government themselves committed to embrace.

Moreover, we are deeply concerned by reports that at least two

of the monitors of the Arab League today--two Kuwaitis--were

roughed up, harmed, harassed, hurt, in the context of their

work. The Arab League, as I understand it, has issued a


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statement strongly condemning that and pointing the finger,

putting the blame, very squarely on pro-regime elements that

were responsible for the attacks on the human rights monitors

from Kuwait. And so, as the Arab League has, we call on thegovernment of Syria to uphold its obligations to ensure the

protection, the safety, the freedom of movement of the

monitors, which has been anything but honored to date.

I'm happy to take a couple of quick questions.

Reporter: Thank you. President Asad said today that what is

happening in his country is a foreign conspiracy. What is theUnited States --- going to be a tougher line in the Security

Council? Are you going to take a tougher line in the Security

Council in order to convince Russia, mainly, to accept, to

submit a new draft resolution?

Ambassador Rice: To say that it's a foreign conspiracy is

frankly an insult to the people of Syria who are dying on the

streets at the hands of their own government as they try to

express freely their rights to peaceful expression and freedom

of assembly and to bring about, through peaceful means, a

better future and a more responsive government.

The United States has been very clear and very forceful in its

approach to the crisis in Syria from the very outset. We

imposed tough sanctions on the Syrian regime, and we haveincrementally increased them. We have joined with partners in

Europe and the Arab world to broaden and deepen those

sanctions. And we have pressed, as you know, for a strong

and meaningful response from this Council on what is


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transpiring in Syria. We think it is long past time that the

Council passes a strong resolution that supports the Arab

League and all of the elements of the Arab League initiative,

including its call for sanctions.

Unfortunately, after a bit of a show last month of tabling a

resolution, the Russians inexplicably have been more or less

AWOL in terms of leading negotiations on the text of that

resolution. We and many other members of the Council have

offered a number of amendments. We were happy to engage in

a process, but we thought that that document, that ultimate

resolution that might emerge from negotiations had to be

credible, it had to be comprehensive. We couldn't cherry-pick

among aspects of the Arab League initiative that some may like

and leave aside those that some may not like. We needed to

endorse the Arab League and support it in toto.

Reporter: Ambassador, are you suggesting that Russia is not

acting in good faith? Negotiations are also...Germany andBritain sort of favored an Arab League briefing, I understand

today, by the Qatari Ambassador in the Council... did they not

think that this would be a good idea to have a briefing in the

Council and what's the US position on that?

Ambassador Rice: First of all, I'm not talking about good faith

and bad faith. I'm simply describing where we are in the

process ofconsultations and deliberations on the Russian draft

resolution. There was a flurry of activity before the holidays,

and there was someexpectations raised last week in

consultations that there would be further negotiations and to

date, despite our collective readiness toaddress this, we


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haven't seen the Russians come back to the Council with a new

text. I hope that they will soon. What was the second part of

your question?

Reporter: The second part was that Germany had this idea of

having an Arab League briefing and also the Qatari head of the

committee...

Ambassador Rice: Well there was some suggestion by a couple

members of the Council that perhaps after the 19th of January

when the Arab League is again reconvened to take a more

formal assessment of the monitoring mission that it might beworthwhile for the Council to have the opportunity to hear

from the Arab League. And certainly we would welcome that,

but I think it was really an informal suggestion rather than any

formal proposal.

Reporter: You talked about the 400 casualty figure since the

Arab League monitors have arrived in Syria. A large number of

those casualties can be attributed to terrorist attacks, and

during the same period, we've also seen the rise of the Free

Syrian Army and more activity by them. Do you think it's fair to

blame the escalating violence solely on the Asad government?

Ambassador Rice: Well, first of all, I was referring to figures

that Under-Secretary-General Pascoe cited in his briefings. My

understanding was he was not talking about loss of life thatoccurred in the terrorist attacks but the number that the UN, as

you know, has been progressively citing, which is now over

5,000 people that have lost their lives in the context of the

uprising. So I think the terrorist casualties are a separate


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figure. But you can certainly seek clarification.

But clearly we have condemned as a Security Council and on a

national basis the terrorist attacks that have occurred of late in

Syria, and we condemn such attacks wherever they may occur.

And there is no doubt that those are happening, but that is a

separate phenomenon and a frankly-fortunately--a lesser

phenomenon than what we see--and have seen for almost ten

months now--which is the government of Syria willingly and

blatantly and in cold blood massacring its own people.

Thank you.

Documents

Remarks by Ambassador Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, at the Security Council Stakeout on Syria