Palestinian children and armed conflict – SecCo meeting – Verbatim record (excerpts)

Provisional

Security Council

Sixty-first year 

5494th meeting

Monday, 24 July 2006, 10 a.m.

New York  

  

  

 

 

Agenda

 

 

Children and armed conflict

  Letter dated 6 July 2006 from the Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General (S/2006/494)

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    The meeting was called to order at 10.15 a.m.

 

 

Adoption of the agenda

 

 The agenda was adopted. 

 

 

Children and armed conflict

 

 

    Letter dated 6 July 2006 from the Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General (S/2006/494)

  

/…

 The President (spoke in French ): I should like to inform the Council that I have received a letter dated 19 July 2006 from the Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations, which will be issued as document S/2006/562, and which reads as follows:

  “I have the honour to request that, in accordance with its previous practice, the Security Council invite the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations to participate in the meeting of the Security Council being held on Monday, 24 July 2006, regarding the issue of children and armed conflict.”

  I propose, with the consent of the Council, to invite the Permanent Observer of Palestine to participate in the meeting in accordance with the provisional rules of procedure and the previous practice in this regard.

  There being no objection, it is so decided.

  At the invitation of the President, Mr. Mansour (Palestine) took the seat reserved for him at the side of the Council Chamber.

/…

  The President (spoke in French ): …

/…

  I now give the floor to the representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. On behalf of the Security Council, I extend a warm welcome to Marie-Madeleine Kalala, Minister for Human Rights.

 Ms. Kalala (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (spoke in French ): …

/…

  Lastly, in these difficult times, allow me to recall that many children are living in situations in which there has been a breach of international peace and security. I am thinking in particular about the children of the Palestinian Authority, of the State of Israel and of Lebanon. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is fully confident that the Council will soon find a solution to the tragedy that is taking place in the Holy Land.

/…

  Mr. Al-Nasser (Qatar) (spoke in Arabic ): …

/…

In conclusion, we ought never to forget that children are our greatest hope and most precious resource in rebuilding communities affected by armed conflict and the achievement of peace, security and sustainable development. The regrettable situation of children in the Middle East, particularly those in Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian territories, represents a test for the new Working Group and its new bureau, which possesses considerable experience. We look forward to hearing from the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict about her intended actions vis-à-vis partners on the ground and their potential contribution to increasing the resources currently available.

/…

  The President (spoke in French ): I shall now make a statement in my national capacity.

  Today, as we meet for this session, how can we not think first of the children in Lebanon, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories — innocent victims in a conflict that they have nothing to do with?

/…

  The meeting was suspended at 1.10 p.m.

 

This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the interpretation of speeches delivered in the other languages. The final text will be printed in the Official Records of the Security Council . Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room C-154A.