UNGA Disarmament Index 2018: S-Z

This is an index of all references made to issues of disarmament and arms control made during the 73rd General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly from 25 September - 1 October 2018.

A-G | H-R | S-Z

Saint Kitts and Nevis
H.E. Mr. Timothy Harris, Prime Minister
28 September 2018

Nuclear Weapons/DPRK: “St. Kitts and Nevis supports the calls for diplomacy to address the conflicts around the world and is particularly heartened by the welcomed dialogue on the Korean Peninsula. The Caribbean is a zone of peace and our clear philosophy is to promote peace, friendship and dialogue whilst avoiding conflict with other territories. In this regard a denuclearized world is a most desirable objective for all humankind.”

SALW/ATT: “Throughout the Caribbean, we suffer from an increase in crime connected to the trade in small arms, light weapons and the drug trade. These weapons flow into the Caribbean where they are not manufactured and are linked to an insatiable drug appetite in the West. It is beyond our power to unilaterally control the flow of guns into the region or the habit that drives the dangerous global drug trade. We seek the assistance of the international community as we work tirelessly to address this scourge. My country remains fully committed to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). Our increasing internal budgetary allocations are an indication of our commitment to the maintenance of safety and security.”

Nuclear Weapons: “We need to see all Global Leaders come together to create and maintain stability, equality and peace in our countries, so that our collective contributions can prevent and avoid war and violence; end the proliferation of nuclear weapons, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a d create a level playing field for small states to thrive. May we be always mindful and proactive to ensure that no country is left behind in the pursuit and achievement of the 2030 Agenda.”

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
H.E. Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister
27 September 2018

SALW: “In recent years, we have demonstrated that small size is no impediment to impactful contributions on the world stage. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has played a leadership role in the UN’s post-Financial Crisis response; in revitalization of the General Assembly; in Security Council Reform; in advancing the Law of the Sea; in Small Arms control; in ambitious measures to combat Climate Change; and in the global response to Non-Communicable Diseases.”

“Our international agenda for corrective action includes too: trafficking in persons; illegal drugs and small arms; refugees from ravaged lands; violence against women and children; the growing scarcity of water and food in many nations; the war against chronic non-communicable diseases; the rising tide of religious intolerance in certain places; and the reunification of families arising from abductions of yesteryear.”

Militarism: “As the threats to international peace and security have evolved in diverse ways, so too, has the need for a diversity of viewpoints on the Security Council increased. Small Island States have largely solved – and solved spectacularly – the challenge of forging peaceful, harmonious societies amidst many of the social, ethnic, political, historical and cultural fissures that 11 traditionally lie at the root of many breaches of international peace and security. We have confronted these challenges not with a surfeit of weapons or dollars, but with mutual respect, dialogue, and an understanding that unique situations require not static ideological solutions, but flexibility and innovation geared towards the specificities of the issue at hand.”

WMD: “Similarly, the madness of the spread of weapons of mass destruction and the threat of their use is a standing affront to humanity, peace and security and thus demands our continued collective response.”

Saint Lucia
H.E. Mr. Allen Michael Chastanet, Prime Minister
28 September 2018

No relevant references.

Samoa
H.E. Mr. Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, Prime Minister
28 September 2018

Cyber: “Climate change as well encompasses the breadth of security issues facing our Blue Pacific region including human security. environmental and resource security, transnational crime and cyber security.”

NWFZ: “Pacific Island Forum Members have a proud history of working collectively in response to events and issues that have challenged regional security, peace and stability, from the 1985 Rarotonga Treaty created a nuclear free zone in the South Pacific, to a collective approach to addressing the existential threat of climate change.”

San Marino
H.E. Mr. Nicola Renzi, Minister for Foreign and Political Affairs and Justice
29 September 2018

WMD: “Religious radicalism, terrorism, transnational organised crime, trafficking in drugs and human beings, weapons of mass destruction, violent extremism, marginalization and exclusion pose a threat to international peace and security.”

Disarmament: “It is essential to analyse the root causes of conflicts if we want to favour disarmament and de-radicalisation. At the same time, we need to promote, through education, respect for and protection of human rights, the rule of law and access to justice.”

Armed Conflict: “The number of conflicts has increased over the last decade and has led to the displacement of millions of people. In 2017, 68 million people were forced to leave their homes.”

Sao Tome and Principe
H.E. Mr. Urbino José Gonçalves Botelho, Minister for Foreign Affairs
29 September 2018

Armed conflict: “If we really want peaceful, equitable and sustainable societies, our efforts must continue to be conducted… to mitigate the effects of the current armed conflicts existing throughout the world, and to prevent the emergence and escalation of regional tensions which can generate others of the same kind."

Saudi Arabia
H.E. Mr. Adel Ahmed Al-Jubeir, Minister for Foreign Affairs
28 September 2018

JCPOA: "Iran continues its terrorist activities and its aggressive conduct. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia wishes to voice its support for the US recent strategy in dealing with Iran, including seriously dealing with its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes and its support for terrorism. Saudi Arabia believes that in order to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East what is necessary is to deter Iran and its subversive policies. Iran has trained terrorist militias, armed terrorist militias, has provided them with ballistic missiles, they have conducted assassinations targeting diplomats, acts of aggression against diplomatic missions. This is sectarianism and interference in the internal affairs of the region."

Senegal
H.E. Mr. Sidiki Kaba, Minister for Foreign Affairs
29 September 2018

No relevant references.

Serbia
H.E. Mrs. Ana Brnabić, Prime Minister
27 September 2018

No relevenat references.

Seychelles
H.E Mr. Danny Faure, President
25 September 2018

No relevant refernces.

Singapore
H.E. Mr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Foreign Affairs
29 September 2018

Cyber: “Frontier issues such as artificial intelligence and cybercrime have leapt from the pages of science fiction. Social cohesion is breaking down.”

“The International Telecommunications Union ranked Singapore as the country most committed to cybersecurity in its 2017 Global Cybersecurity Index. Yet, in July this year, one of Singapore’s health databases was subject to an advanced persistent threat. This was a deliberate, targeted and sophisticated cyber-attack.”

“Cybersecurity has been a priority under Singapore’s chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). At the 3rd ASEAN Mini terial Conference on Cybersecurity in Singapore last week, ASEAN agreed to subscribe in-principle to the 11 norms in the UN GGE’s 2015 Report.”

“Singapore will launch an ASEAN-Singapore Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence in 2019. We have also partnered with the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) on a U -Singapore Cyber Programme to raise awareness and build capacity in our region.”

DPRK: “Singapore was able to make a small contribution towards easing tensions when we hosted the Summit between the US and DPRK leaders in June. The Summit, as well as the three inter-Korean dialogues held this year, are important steps towards lasting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Singapore hopes that dialogue and efforts towards peace will continue.”

Sierra Leone
H.E. Mr. Julius Maada Bio, President
27 September 2018

SALW: “We acknowledge the continued relevance of the Programme of Action and the International Tracing Instrument, which constitutes the global framework to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects.”

Slovakia
H.E. Mr. Andrej Kiska, President
26 September 2018

Armed conflict: “We gather here every year to enhance what we have been building for over 70 years. An idea of world based on rules and principles of humanity, responsibility, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence. Where wars and armed conflicts have no place.Where disputes are solved in dialogue. And where challenges are addressed in cooperation.”

“The number of armed conflicts has increased in the recent years. Only in 2016 and 2017 the number of conflicts reached the peaks of the Cold War era. The civilian casualties rise. We are talking about hundreds of thousands of innocent people directly affected by conflicts and wars.”

Nuclear weapons/DPRK: "The threat of nuclear weapons resonates much more often than we could have imagined in the past years. We hope that the current developments in North Korea will bring tangible results. We must make sure the agreements will be kept. And if not, we need to act with resolve."

Chemical weapons/WMD: “Together we have agreed that using the weapons of mass destruction will be unacceptable without exceptions. Any use of chemical weapons must be a red line to our tolerance. An automatic trigger for resolute actions. So it is shameful to see repeated use of chemical weapons against own citizens for the sake of survival of a tyranny in Syria. Or for us, Europeans, shockingly, the attacks in Salisbury in Great Britain with the perpetrators avoiding responsibility and shamelessly denying facts.”

Cyber: “Unprecedented progress in innovations and new technologies brings new challenges. I am very much concerned about malicious activities in cyber space. Growing manipulation in social media is undermining democracy worldwide and indoctrinating our populations.”

“Cyber space knows no borders. It is anonymous and provides unlimited room to strike at us. The choice of means is endless.To manipulate elections, to influence decisions. To spy on us or sneak into our computers, networks and everyday lives. It is as dangerous as any conventional threat. As such it requires our utmost attention. But we don't do anything yet or barely a little. The global companies prefer their profits to their responsibilities. So it is up to us, the states, to set new standards and where needed, regulations. Because today we donT lead. We only follow. And the price of inaction may be soon very high.”

Solomon Islands
H.E. Mr. Ricky Nelson Houenipwela, Prime Minister
28 September 2018

Cyber: “Madam President, security concerns have become more complex. It now involves activities beyond traditional definitions. Some of these now include new threats such as climate change, cybercrimes, transnational organised crime and so forth.”

DPRK: “This year we witnessed constructive engagement towards better managing relations along the Korean peninsula. The UN must continue to ensure that conflict prevention and resolution remains a central plank to its work as mandated by the UN Charter.”

Somalia
H.E. Mr. Ahmed Awad Isse, Minister for Foreign Affairs
29 September 2018

Arms trade: “I call on the UN to lift the arms embargo on Somalia.”

South Sudan
H.E. Mr. Taban Deng Gai, First Vice President
28 September 2018

No relevant references.

Slovenia
H.E. Mr. Borut Pahor, President
25 September 2018

NPT: “We must preserve and protect the non-proliferation architecture based on NPT, to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, including chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. We have to implement all binding international treaties, concerning weapons of mass destruction including in particular the NPT of which 50th anniversary we are marking this year. “

JCPOA: ”To that end we reiterate support to JCPOA as long as Iran honours its obligations.”

DPRK: “We welcome developments related to Korean peninsula and hope to achieve the complete, verifiable and irreversible de-nuclearisation of it. “

Landmines: “Slovenia continues to support humanitarian demining, mine victim assistance and the elimination of the unexploded ordnance and remnants of wars. ”

South Africa
H.E. Mr. Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, President
25 September 2018

Disarmament/SALW: “We are working to silence the guns in Africa by 2020, to bring an end to conflicts that have cost the lives of millions of our people, displaced many more and stunted economic growth and human development.”

JCPOA: “We must accept our shared responsibility - and our shared interest - in ending conflict, and, using the outcomes of the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit, to empower the United Nations to be a more effective instrument for mediation, peace keeping and post-conflict

reconstruction. In this spirit it is crucial that we should preserve the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran, which was one of the most important breakthroughs in international

diplomacy in recent times.”

Spain
H.E. Mr. Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, President
27 September 2018

WMD: “The growing tensions regarding nuclear proliferation and weapons of mass destruction are equally troubling. The world cannot afford another arms race. We must make the effort to regain lost consensus, an strengthen the non-proliferation system.”

Sri Lanka
H.E. Mr. Maithripala Sirisena, President
25 September 2018

Arms trafficking: “I must mention that just as poverty plays a central role in many problems that plague the world, trafficking in weapons, illicit drugs and narcotics have also become grave threats to humanity.”

Sudan
H.E. Dr. Eldirdiri Mohamed Ahmed, Minister for Foreign Affairs
1 October 2018

SALW: "It is vital to refer to the success and tangible results achieved for the National Campaign of Weapons Collection...This led to a reduction of crime rate, curbing drug and human trafficking. It also led to greater movement by the citizens and their repatriation so they can undertake different economic activities once again."

"...We also work on tackling the spread of small and light weapons since they have a direct relationship to a the transnational organized crime, terrorism and drug trafficking."

Nuclear Weapons/Chemical Weapons: "Once again we stress our full commitment to all international treaties and agreements relevant to international peace and security and demilitarization, among those being the non-proliferation treaty, wof which we have acceded to since 1973, and well as other nuclear treaties. We support all efforts made in this vein and we play an important role of cooperation between African countries to implement the treaty on the ban on the use of chemical weapons."

Suriname
H.E. Mrs. Yldiz Pollack-Beigle, Minister for Foreign Affairs
29 September 2018

Arms Trade: “The scourges of illicit drug trafficking, transnational organized crime, terrorism as well as trafficking in arms and persons, place an unprecedented burden on the financial and human resource capacity of small developing countries, hampering their ability to implement policy measures aimed at achieving development objectives.”

Militarization/Outer Space/Autonomous Weapons: “Like many other countries, we call for an end to the arms race, while also rejecting the militarization of outer space and the research of artificial intelligence for warfare purposes."

Sweden
H.E. Mr. Olof Skoog, Chair of the Delegation
1 October 2018

DPRK: “On the Korean Peninsula, there is hope that a political solution will emerge from years of escalation, high tension and mistrust. There is unity in the Security Council toward our common goal of complete denuclearization, peace and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula through diplomatic means.”

NPT: “Groundbreaking international commitments have been reached. At the same time the field of disarmament remains filled with broken and unfulfilled promises. We are witnessing a deeply worrisome nuclear renaissance, with vast modernizations of nuclear arsenals underway. Nuclear and non-nuclear weapon states should heed the call of the Secretary-General to engage in a dialogue and confidence building aiming at reducing risks and breaking the stalemate plaguing disarmament diplomacy. The NPT framework is ideally suited for such efforts.”

Switzerland
H.E. Mr. Alain Berset, President
25 September 2018

No relevant references.

Syrian Arab Republic
H.E. Walid Al-Moualem Deputy Prime Minister Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates
29 September 2018

JCPOA: “Syria strongly condemns the decision of the US administration to withdraw from the Iran nuclear agreement, which proves once again the United States' disregard for international treaties and conventions. We express once again our solidarity with the leaders and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran and trust that they will overcome the effects of this irresponsible decision.”

Chemical weapons: "Syria eliminated completely its chemical program and fulfilled all its commitments as a member of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), as confirmed by numerous OPCW reports.”

“Unfortunately, every time we express our readiness to receive objective and professional investigative teams to investigate the alleged use of chemical weapons, these countries would block such efforts... Meanwhile, these same countries disregarded all reliable information we provided on chemical weapons in the possession of terrorist groups that used them on multiple occasions to blame the Syrian government and justify an attack against it. The terrorist organization known as 'the White Helmets' was the main tool used to mislead public opinion and fabricate accusations and come up with lies on the use of chemical weapons in Syria.”

Tajikistan
H.E. Mr. Mahmadamin Mahmadaminov, Chair of the Delegation
1 October 2018

No relevant references.

Tanzania
H.E. Mr. Augustine Phillip Mahiga, Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation
27 September 2018

DPRK: “Tanzania welcomes the recent talks between the US and North Korea on the Korean Nuclear Deal which paved the way for a recent signing of an agreement between North Korea and Republic of Korea. We hope this deal and others that have followed the same pattern will yield the anticipated positive outcomes sooner than late including the long outstanding humanitarian issues in the Korean Peninsula. These are some of good examples of successful outcomes following the diplomatic engagements around the world.”

WMD: “Tanzania is unreservedly committed to the multilateralism in pursuit of its national interests. It is also through unmitigated multilateralism, that we will be 3 able to address critical global challenges such as terrorism, extremism, radicalism, climate change, restrictive trade policies, trafficking in persons, drug abuse, pandemic diseases, absolute poverty, immigration dynamics and weapons of mass destruction, just to mention a few.”

Thailand
H.E. Mr. Virasakdi Futrakul, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs
1 October 2018

TPNW/CTBT: “Thailand also supports a rules-based international order. Last year, Thailand became one of the first states to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). And just last week, I deposited our instrument of ratification for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) which complements ASEAN’s objective of making Southeast Asia a Nuclear Weapon Free Zone.”

DPRK: “We also support efforts to achieve a peaceful and denuclearized Korean Peninsula. We also hope to see one day a Nuclear-Weapon Free IndoPacific region. The late Senator Robert Kennedy of New York once said, “some men see things as they are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were, and ask why not.” Today all ten Southeast Asian Nations have ratified the CTBT, why not all countries of the Indo Pacific region. As an Asian proverb states “a journey of a thousand of miles begins with the first step.” Southeast Asia has taken the first step towards a Nuclear-Weapon Free Region. Why not the rest of the Indo Pacific countries?”

Timor-Leste
H.E. Mrs. Maria Helena Pires, Chair of the Delegation
1 October 2018

DPRK: “In our region, we felt encouraged by the continued dialogue for peace and reconciliation on the Korean peninsula, and we hope that the dialogue between the parties will bring an end to the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the region.”

TPNW: “Our country has also signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and we encourage all State Members to do so."

Togo
H.E. Mr. Robert Dussey, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Regional Integration
27 September 2018

No relevant references.

Tonga
H.M. Mr. Tupou VI, Sovereign and Head of State
26 September 2018

Armed Conflict: We continue to look to the Security Council to protect the innocent from threats to international peace and security in whatever form, be they traditional threats such as armed conflict, or newer threats like climate change, to ensure no one is left behind.”

Trinidad and Tobago
H.E. Mr. Denis Moses, Minister for Foreign Affairs
29 September 2018

SALW: “The illegal trade in arms continues to affect the social and economic fabric of the Caribbean region, including Trinidad and Tobago. This is a particularly applicable to the trade in small arms and light weapons, which is linked to other transnational organized crime, such as drug trafficking. It threatens the livelihood of our people, undermines the rule of law and challenges our efforts for a peaceful, equitable and sustainable country.”

ATT: “On the global level, Trinidad and Tobago fully subscribes to the object and purpose of the Arms Trade Treaty, which can be leveraged as a mechanism for reducing incidences of armed violence in the region. Thus, since 2010, Trinidad and Tobago has tabled the biennial resolution on Women, Disarmament, Non-proliferation and arms control, which encourages women’s participation in disarmament decision-making processes.”

TPNW: “On the issue of denuclearization, Trinidad and Tobago holds the firm view that the use or the threat of use of nuclear weapons constitutes a crime against humanity, and a violation of international law, including the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. Therefore, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago remains robust in its support for the full and effective implementation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and is actively treating with the issue of signature and ratification.”

DPRK: “This year, the world has witnessed the unifying power of dialogue and understanding with the recent Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and the Unification of the Korean Peninsula between the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Trinidad and Tobago remains optimistic that this historic milestone will usher in a new era of peace, cooperation and the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.”

Tunesia
H.E. Mr. Khemais Jhinaoui, Minister for Foreign Affairs
28 September 2018

Armed Conflict: "For the last years, the world has seen exacerbated increase in the phenonmonent of refugees and migrants, which was a result of the continued crises and the exacerbation of armed conflicts and the human suffering associated with them, as well as disrupting security and development."

DPRK: "We are satisfied with the results of the Summit held recently...we hope that the international community will make every possible effort to end the tension in the Korean Peninsula and resetalbish conflict in the peninsula through denuclearization and ridding it of WMDs and finding peace."

Turkey
H.E. Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President
25 September 2018

Statement not yet available.

Turkmenistan
H.E. Mr. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, President
29 September 2018

No relevant references.

Tuvalu
H.E. Mr. Enele Sosene Sopoaga, Prime Minister
27 September 2018

Nuclear weapons: “This year was characterized by the fear of a potential nuclear war as if we have not learnt from the wrongs of the past. Now we have nuclear weapons that are much more powerful than those dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”

Nuclear testing: “Numerous nuclear tests in our Pacific region have caused unimaginable damages to the environment and health of our people. Some of our islands are still coping with the effects of nuclear radiation decades after those nuclear tests. The recent Pacific leaders meeting in Nauru reaffirmed our commitment to peace and security in the Pacific region. Under the Boe Declaration on Pacific Regional Security, we are calling for urgent actions not only on military, but on human security issues as well.

In this spirit, Tuvalu two days ago, signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), which offers the international community an opportunity to ban this weaponry. We urge all of us to take up concrete actions to make our world safe.”

WMD: “Climate change is a weapon of mass destruction. It is slaughtering fellow human beings world-over. The UN cannot and must not allow the biggest GHG emitters to turn away from their moral duty to urgently reduce GHG emissions, and to save SIDS like Tuvalu with appropriate adaptation support.”

Uganda
H.E. Mr. Ruhakana Rugunda, Prime Minister
27 September 2018

WMD/Terrorism: “We must be unwavering in our resolve to combat terrorism. Religious extremism and terrorism from groups like Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, ISIS and A1 Qaida constitute threats to our common security and development. This threat is compounded today given the possibility of the linkage between terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. These are challenges that cut across national boundaries and require collective responses.

Ukraine
H.E. Mr. Petro Poroshenko, President
26 September 2018

Armed conflict: “Despite the universal appeal for peace and declared commitment to uphold it, wars and armed conflicts remain our reality.”

“Unfortunately, my fellow citizens have become a part of that one-fifth of the world population who is experiencing the horrors of war.”

Militarisation: “Under Russian occupation, Crimea has turned into a military stronghold threatening security and stability in the entire wider Black Sea region.

"We believe that increasing militarization of Crimea deserves the General Assembly's close attention and prompt reaction.”

Military spending: "Despite heavy security and defense expenses totaling more than 6% of its GDP, Ukraine is undergoing fundamental transformations on social, economic and political tracks."

United Arab Emirates
H.H. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
29 September 2018

Landmines: "The Houthis continue to obstruct humanitarian assistance, and are receiving Iranian arms, planting landmine sand recruiting children."

JCPOA: "Mistrust in Iran’s intentions and the concerns over its nuclear ambitions are not only limited to the region. These concerns were also reflected in the decision taken by the United States to withdraw from the Iranian nuclear deal and to impose sanctions. Iran had never ceased its aggressive behavior in the region nor abandoned its intention to develop weapons of mass destruction, even when the international community granted Iran the opportunity to rectify its policies and behavior. In this regard, we reiterate the importance of a united international position against Iran that addresses its development of ballistic missiles, its support of terrorist groups, and its use of proxy wars to undermine regional and international security."

United Kingdom
H.E. Mrs. Theresa May, Prime Minister
26 September 2018

Armed conflict/Syria: “And after the military interventionism at the beginning of the century, people question the rationale – and indeed legitimacy – of the use of force and involving ourselves in crises and conflicts that are not ours. While at the same time being repelled by the slaughter in Syria and our failure to end it.”

Chemical weapons: “And we see this when states like Russia flagrantly breach international norms – from the seizing of sovereign territory to the reckless use of chemical weapons on the streets of Britain by agents of the Russian GRU.”

“When the Syrian Regime used chemical weapons on its people again in April, it was Britain together with France and America who took military action to degrade the Syrian regime’s chemical weapons capability and deter their use.

And when earlier this year, Russia used a toxic nerve agent in a sickening attack on the streets of Salisbury, the UK with our NATO, EU and other allies took action, expelling over 150 Russian intelligence officers: the largest collective expulsion ever.”

Armed conflict: “In Burma, following the damning report of the United Nations fact-finding mission, we should show the same confidence to hold accountable those responsible for the appalling atrocities repeatedly inflicted by the Burmese military on the Rohingya, Shan and Kachin peoples since 2011.”

DPRK/Iran: “The United Nations has a critical role to play. And it has a wide range of levers to do so from sanctions – which show the leaders of Iran and North Korea that they cannot act without consequence – to peacekeeping missions such as that in South Sudan, which is helping to prevent suffering and the collapse of law and order.”

United States of America
H.E. Mr. Donald Trump, President
25 September 2018

Military spending: “We have secured record funding for our military — $700 billion this year, and $716 billion next year. Our military will soon be more powerful than it has ever been before.”

DPRK/ Nuclear weapons: “With support from many countries here today, we have engaged with North Korea to replace the specter of conflict with a bold and new push for peace. In June, I traveled to Singapore to meet face to face with North Korea’s leader, Chairman KimJong Un. We had highly productive conversations and meetings, and we agreed that it was in both countries’ interest to pursue the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Since that meeting, we have already seen a number of encouraging measures that few could have imagined only a short time ago. The missiles and rockets are no longer flying in every direction. Nuclear testing has stopped. Some military facilities are already being dismantled. (...) The sanctions will stay in place until denuclearization occurs.”

Chemcial weapons/Syria: “Our shared goals must be the de-escalation of military conflict, along with a political solution that honors the will of the Syrian people. In this vein, we urge the United Nations-led peace process be reinvigorated. But, rest assured, the United States will respond if chemical weapons are deployed by the Assad regime.”

JCPOA/Iran: "Iran’s neighbors have paid a heavy toll for the region’s [regime’s] agenda of aggression and expansion. That is why so many countries in the Middle East strongly supported my decision to withdraw the United States from the horrible 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal and re-impose nuclear sanctions. The Iran deal was a windfall for Iran’s leaders. In the years since the deal was reached, Iran’s military budget grew nearly 40 percent. The dictatorship used the funds to build nuclear-capable missiles, increase internal repression, finance terrorism, and fund havoc and slaughter in Syria and Yemen.”

“The United States has launched a campaign of economic pressure to deny the regime the funds it needs to advance its bloody agenda. Last month, we began re-imposing hard-hitting nuclear sanctions that had been lifted under the Iran deal. Additional sanctions will resume November 5th, and more will follow. And we’re working with countries that import Iranian crude oil to cut their purchases substantially.

We cannot allow the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism to possess the planet’s most dangerous weapons. We cannot allow a regime that chants “Death to America,” and that threatens Israel with annihilation, to possess the means to deliver a nuclear warhead to any city on Earth.”

“We ask all nations to isolate Iran’s regime as long as its aggression continues. And we ask all nations to support Iran’s people as they struggle to reclaim their religious and righteous destiny.”

Urguay
H.E. Mr. Tabaré Vásquez, President
26 September 2018

No relevant references.

Vanuatu
H.E Mr. Charlot Salwai Tabimasmas, Prime Minister
28 September 2018

No relevant references.

Venezuela
H.E. Mr. Nicolás Maduro Moros, President
26 September 2918

WMD: “A global media campaign about an alleged migratory crisis in Venezuela has been deployed to justify a humanitarian intervention, as announced for years. It is a plan similar to the weapon-of mass-destruction plan used in Iraq; it is the same plan that justified the intervention in other countries, this time under a form of a great brutal psychological warfare campaign.”

Drones: “(...) Last August 4th, I was a victim of a terrorist attack with drones that tried to kill me in a military event on one of the main avenues in Caracas. If it had been executed as planned, it would have been a massacre, an assassination of the institutional, political and military high command of our nation, Venezuela. On August 4th, the perpetrators, the terrorists, those who attacked me with drones – this is the first attack with drones known in the world history of terrorist violence – were captured by the security bodies and State police agencies. The 28 perpetrators were captured thanks to different investigation procedures. They are convicted and sentenced. As I informed to different governments of the world, all the investigations about that terrorist attack indicate that it was prepared, financed and planned in the territory of United States of America (...).”

Viet Nam
H.E. Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister
27 September 2018

TPNW: “We have seen significant achievements in recent years in global cooperation and development, ranging from the Convention on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, to the reforms of the United Nations, to the realization of the 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the adoption and implementation of the 2030 Agenda.”

Yemen
H.E. Mr. Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi Mansour, President
26 September 2018

Military spending: "I have told you many times from this rostrum that Iran carries out blatant interventions in Yemen. It finances the Houthi militia and provides it with weapons, missiles, equipments and experts, it targets international and regional waters, as well as jeopardizes international shipping routes."

Zambia
H.E. Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, President
25 September 2018

No relevant references.

Zimbabwe
H.E. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, President
26 September 2018

No relevant references.