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STORY: UN / SECURITY COUNCIL WORKING METHODS
TRT: 02:38
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / RUSSIAN / NATS
DATELINE: 05 SEPTEMBER 2023, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior UN Headquarters
05 SEPTEMBER 2023, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. Wide shot, UK Ambassador Barbara Woodward speaking
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Barbara Woodward, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, United Kingdom:
“In attempting to defend the indefensible, Russia has increasingly used this Council as a platform for propaganda and disinformation. It has requested briefers on the basis of their willingness to defend or distract from Russian aggression. And it has allowed its narrative to seep into other important issues on the Council's agenda. It is incumbent on all of us to maintain the authority, integrity and legitimacy of this Council all the more so, when the actions of one permanent member threaten this.”
5. Med shot, Woodward and US Ambassador Robert A. Wood at Council dais
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Robert A. Wood, Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Alternate Representative for Special Political Affairs, United States:
“The penholders put into blue, a well-crafted compromise proposal that had the overwhelming support of Council members. At the very last minute, without consulting at all with Council members, the Russian Federation put a competing draft into blue. Russia then brazenly vetoed the penholders draft resolution, which received 13 yes votes and Russia's draft resolution received only one yes vote, that of the Russian Federation. Thus, in defiance of the Council's usual working methods, Russia has single-handedly killed the Mali sanctions regime. Russia's actions were in bad faith and were disrespectful of all of the other members of the Security Council.”
7. Wide shot, Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya at Council dais
8. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Vasily Nebenzya, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Russian Federation:
“Instead of looking for solutions to complex problems, which truly does require both time and a willingness to compromise, Western states often deliberately choose the simplest path forward which provokes the use of the veto or abstentions on documents. And again, a fresh example of this is the situation with Mali sanctions, when repeated and persistent calls to the penholders to take a constructive approach and turn on their brains were simply ignored. And please don't tell us about the painstaking efforts that you made to negotiate the Mali resolution. Those efforts consisted of fully ignoring the concerns of that country.”
9. Med shot, delegates
10. Wide shot, Council
In the context of divisions among Council members, the Security Council today (5 Sep) held its annual open debate on its working methods.
United Kingdom Ambassador Barbara Woodward said, “in attempting to defend the indefensible, Russia has increasingly used this Council as a platform for propaganda and disinformation. It has requested briefers on the basis of their willingness to defend or distract from Russian aggression. And it has allowed its narrative to seep into other important issues on the Council's agenda.”
Woodward said it was incumbent on Council Members “to maintain the authority, integrity and legitimacy of this Council all the more so, when the actions of one permanent member threaten this.”
United States Ambassador Robert A. Wood spoke about the recent Council vote on two competing resolutions aimed at renewing the Mali sanctions regime.
Wood said, “the penholders put into blue, a well-crafted compromise proposal that had the overwhelming support of Council members. At the very last minute, without consulting at all with Council members, the Russian Federation put a competing draft into blue.”
He said, “Russia then brazenly vetoed the penholders draft resolution, which received 13 yes votes and Russia's draft resolution received only one yes vote, that of the Russian Federation. Thus, in defiance of the Council's usual working methods, Russia has single-handedly killed the Mali sanctions regime. Russia's actions were in bad faith and were disrespectful of all of the other members of the Security Council.”
For his part, Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya said, “instead of looking for solutions to complex problems, which truly does require both time and a willingness to compromise, Western states often deliberately choose the simplest path forward which provokes the use of the veto or abstentions on documents.
On Mali sanctions vote, Nebenzya said, “repeated and persistent calls to the penholders to take a constructive approach and turn on their brains were simply ignored,” adding, “please don't tell us about the painstaking efforts that you made to negotiate the Mali resolution. Those efforts consisted of fully ignoring the concerns of that country.”
