The United States and its allies clashed with Russia and China in the U.N. Security Council on Monday over the usefulness and impact of U.N. sanctions, which are currently imposed on countries from North Korea to Yemen and Congo as well the al-Qaida and Islamic State extremist groups and their affiliates and supporters.
Russia, which holds the council presidency this meeting and chose the topic -- preventing humanitarian and unintended consequences of sanctions -- also lashed out at unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States, European Union and other countries and groups.
U.N. political chief Rosemary DiCarlo told the council there are 14 U.N. sanctions regimes: As examples, in Libya, Mali, South Sudan and Yemen they support conflict resolution; in Guinea Bissau they aim to deter unconstitutional changes of government; in Central African Republic, Congo and Somalia they curb the illicit exploitation of natural resources that fund armed groups; in North Korea, they target proliferation activities; and they constrain Islamic State and al-Qaida terrorist threats.
DiCarlo said U.N. sanctions are no longer 바카라the blunt instrument they once were.바카라 Since the 1990s, they have undergone changes to minimize possible adverse consequences on civilians and third countries, and the Security Council has included and provided humanitarian exemptions in most sanctions regimes, she said.
Russia's deputy U.N. ambassador Dmitry Polyansky, who chaired the meeting, said many sanctions regimes interfere with plans for state-building and economic development, pointing to Central African Republic and Sudan and calling the measures on Guinea Bissau 바카라anachronistic.바카라
The Security Council needs 바카라to take greater heed of what the authorities of states under sanctions think바카라 and be more realistic in setting benchmarks to lift them to make sure they don't turn into 바카라a mission impossible,바카라 he said.
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield countered that sanctions are 바카라a potent tool바카라 that 바카라make it harder for terrorists to raise funds via international financial systems,바카라 and have slowed development of 바카라certain capabilities바카라 in North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Sanctions also 바카라constrain the resources of those who would spoil peace processes, threaten U.N. peacekeepers, commit atrocities, and obstruct humanitarian assistance,바카라 she said.
Britain's deputy ambassador James Kariyuki said the value of U.N. sanctions were proven in Angola, Ivory Coast, Liberia and Sierra Leone where 바카라they helped end conflict and support the transition to peace and democracy바카라 and were then lifted.
바카라In the Central African Republic, they've improved the practices of a mining company,바카라 he said. 바카라In Somalia, the arms embargo has enabled the seizure of thousands of ammunition rounds, anti-tank guided missiles, and sniper-fire rifles reportedly intended for al-Shabab,바카라 the al-Qaida-linked extremist group.
Russia's Polyansky took special aim at sanctions imposed outside the U.N. by countries or groups, which he said 바카라remain a serious impediment for full-fledged functioning of humanitarian exemptions,바카라 citing problems with contractors, carriers, cargo insurance and bank transactions.
He also said Russia proceeds from the understanding that only U.N. sanctions 바카라are legitimate,바카라 and that broader use of unilateral sanctions 바카라undermines the norms and institutes of the international law.바카라
Polyansky claimed 바카라secondary sanctions of major Western powers create a `toxic vibe' around Pyongyang" that discourages cooperation even in areas not touched by international restrictions. He also cited what he called the 바카라war of sanctions바카라 against Russia's ally Syria, which has very negatively affected its economy, as well as U.S. sanctions against Cuba and Venezuela.
China's U.N. Ambassador Zhang Jun called unilateral sanctions 바카라extremely harmful바카라 and expressed concern that a few countries 바카라have been flinging them about left, right and center, in a frenzy so much so that they seem to be addicted to them.바카라 He said these measures 바카라have thrown a spanner in the works of economic and social development and scientific and technological progress of the targeted countries."
Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador, countered that the U.S. far prefers sanctions to be imposed multilaterally, including at the Security Council.
But when some council members block 바카라critical designations of peace process spoilers, high profile terrorists, human rights abusers, and sanctions evaders바카라 the United States and many other countries are prepared to act -- and to use their currency regulations and domestic financial systems 바카라as economic leverage to address urgent global challenges such as nuclear proliferation, human rights abuses and violations, and corruption," she said.
To Russia's contention that sanctions imposed by individual countries may be unlawful, Thomas-Greenfield retorted, 바카라the United States categorically rejects that position.바카라
The U.S. fully supports its partners, regional organizations including the European Union, African Union and West African regional group ECOWAS 바카라that impose their own sanctions in response to threats,바카라 she said.
France's deputy U.N. ambassador Nathalie Broadhurst said EU sanctions are 바카라바카라in accordance with international law" and 바카라do not impede humanitarian action."
