Statement by Ambassador Samuel Žbogar, Chargé d’ affaires, at the General Assembly debate on the use of the veto, Item 63: Special report of the Security Council, 60th plenary meeting

Thank you Mr. President.

Slovenia aligns itself with the EU statement, to which I will add some remarks in my national capacity.

Mr. President,

Each veto is regrettable. To veto a reference to the UN Charter is absolutely deplorable.

My country deeply regrets the two vetoes cast by the Russian Federation last week. With this, it singlehandedly prevented the inclusion of references to the UN Charter and its principles in the Security Council’s first resolution about the war on Ukraine. It furthermore also directly violated Charter’s limitations on the use of veto, namely Article 27 (3), which instructs a party to a dispute to abstain from voting.

Colleagues,

For three years, Russia is waging a war against Ukraine in clear violation of the UN Charter and international law. And after three years of death and destruction, a just and lasting peace is long overdue.

For this reason, we actively engaged in the process of the Council’s consideration of the Path to Peace resolution. We respect the aim of the adopted resolution. To set in motion a path leading to peace. To agree on a baseline leading to peace negotiations. We fully support this aim. To us, it is the right step, which however, lacks direction. 

As the saying goes: If you don’t know where you are going, any road will lead you there. It was crucial for the European members of the Council, members from the region, to determine the frame accompanying the path to peace at the very outset. To give us a basic direction. And this minimum frame was to determine that peace negotiations should be conducted in line with the principles of the UN Charter. As simple as that.

Regional solutions to regional problems apply to all regions. The Security Council members from Europe were compelled to present amendments to the American text.

The amendments that mirror the Secretary-General’s advice. Who for three years has been underlining that a lasting peace needs to be firmly anchored in the UN Charter and its principles.

The amendments that the General Assembly felt necessary to include earlier that morning. The amendments that received 11 votes of the Council members and would have carried in the Security Council, were it not for a veto of a country most directly involved in this war. These two vetoes were cast in violation of the UN Charter.

Mr. President,

Europe desperately needs peace. And Slovenia is pleased that the Security Council is finally moving towards its primary task with regard to the war on Ukraine – ensuring a just and lasting peace.

Thank you.

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