Ambassador Kelly Craft
Permanent Representative
U.S. Mission to the United Nations
New York City
September 12, 2019
AS DELIVERED
Thank you, Mr. President. I first want to note how pleased I am to be here today with all of you in the UN Security Council, assuming my duties at the U.S. Mission to the UN. Thank you to my UN Security Council colleagues for all of your warm welcomes.
The United States welcomes the unanimous adoption of today’s resolution, which relaxes the arms embargo on the Government of the Central African Republic and commits to revisiting the sanctions regime in four months.
My country recognizes that armed groups continue to violate the arms embargo with impunity, and we urge the region to put an end to the arms trafficking that undermines the Central African Republic’s national security. We recognize progress has been made by the government and will continue our bilateral support to help the authorities achieve the UN benchmarks.
Mr. President, we look forward to working with other members of this Council, the Central African Republican Government, and the UN to support the implementation of the February 6 peace agreement and the further extension of state control over the entire territory of the country. The irresponsible flooding of arms into a desperately poor and divided country would only increase the likelihood of a return to widespread bloodshed and violence. This is not what anyone wants.
Thank you, Mr. President.
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