Reaction to the White Papers

Although, important headway was made during Friday’s emergency Security Council meeting, continued discussions will be necessary in order achieve a suitable resolution for the current crisis. 

First, we would like to address statements made on combating terrorism in Yemen and throughout the Middle East.  US President Barack Obama has suggested the creation of a United Nations International Terrorist Asset Information Network (UNITAIN), dedicated to the eradication of the fundamentalist threat by facilitating cooperation and communication between UN nations. Russia pledges support for this organization and will work with all nations to eliminate international terrorism.

As we have stated, we believe that NATO is an outmoded organization with an anti-Russian history. It is Russian policy to pursue the elimination of NATO, and the creation of a new, more inclusive alliance. NATO expansion into Turkey was a prominent factor in last Monday’s attack, and we believe that further expansion of NATO into the Middle East will only provoke further attacks. We believe that a United Nations sponsored body, which includes not only western nations but also Middle Eastern states, and provides economic aid, military support, and a global intelligence network to all its members, is the appropriate way to combat terrorism.  In the 21^st century, a purely military organization like NATO is not beneficial to promoting peace and stability. 

Russia supports the facilitation of stability in the state of Yemen, which has been a base of operations for Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.  AQAP, the organization behind Monday’s attack, has been a dominating force in Yemen, and will continue to be so without economic assistance supervised by the UN, to ensure that it is used appropriately by the Yemeni government.  However, we condemn recent German sanctions on Yemen and their threats of unilateral military force.  Neither of these methods will prove effective, and we must all work within the framework of the UN. We commend Saudi Arabia, for its initiative to combat terrorism within Yemen.

Russia has long maintained the most important component in the fight to overcome terrorism is direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine that results in a lasting peace.

During recent UN discussions, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked Russia for the supposedly poor security control over our nuclear stockpiles.  We reiterate that we maintain extreme security over all fissile materials and nuclear warheads, and that we are in compliance with numerous arms agreements including the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the US-Russian New START treaty, and the Nunn-Lugar initiative.  

During Friday’s meeting, Russia was shocked and disappointed to hear Israel confirm that it possesses nuclear armaments.  In light of this new information, it is imperative that Israel becomes a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty.  The NPT is vital for sustained peace, and it is Russian policy to actively pursue creation of a nuclear free zone in the Middle East.  Also we implore Pakistan to become a signatory to the agreement, and for Iran to honor its commitment to the NPT, and to maintain only a civilian nuclear program. 

In closing, Russia is continuing multilateral negotiations in hopes that next Thursday’s resolution can makes strides toward solving the current crisis, and the worldwide threat of global terrorism.