Mr. President,
I congratulate New Zealand on its Presidency of the Security Council and thank you, Honorable Minister for Foreign Affairs Murray McCully, for presiding over this important debate, a reflection of your country’s responsible, principled position vis-à-vis this issue and the commitment to uphold your Security Council mandate and contribute to international peace and security.
We also reiterate our deep appreciation to the delegation of Malaysia for its skilled leadership of the Council in June, including the critical debate on children and armed conflict, and express appreciation for Malaysia’s efforts as Chair of the Security Council’s Working Group on this matter.
I also thank UN Special Coordinator and Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Nikolay Mladenov, for his briefing and his initial efforts in this important post. We reaffirm our support for his mandate and readiness to continue cooperation towards fulfillment of our common objectives, foremost among them securing a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace settlement. [Read more…]
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