The United Nations
Media www.rajawalisiber.com – The Security Council convened on Friday for an open meeting on Ukraine, following a request by Russia, citing allegations of military biological activities in the European country.
High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, and Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, briefed the Council Members.
Dicarlo informed that the situation is “particularly alarming” in Mariupol, Kharkiv, Sumy and Chernihiv, where there is shelling of residential areas and civilian infrastructure, resulting in an increasing number of civilians killed and injured. She argued that “all alleged violations of international humanitarian law must be investigated and those found responsible held accountable” As of 11 March,
OHCHR has recorded a total of 1,546 civilian casualties, including 564 killed and 982 injured, since the start of the invasion on 24 February. OHCHR believes the real casualty figures are likely considerably higher, as information from locations where intense hostilities are ongoing has been delayed and reports are still pending corroboration.
The Under-Secretary-General also stressed how critical iIt is critical to urgently achieve a cessation of hostilities to allow for the safe passage of civilians from besieged areas and to ensure that lifesaving humanitarian supplies can reach those who remain.
On 9 March, over 51,000 people were reportedly evacuated through five out of six agreed-upon safe passages. “As the war grinds on, there is already much reflection about its implications, beyond the tragedy it represents for Ukraine.
We increasingly hear the use of terms such as “turning point”, “defining moment”, “end of multilateralism”. I believe this is not exaggeration. Indeed, some consequences are already being felt, economically and politically,” DiCarlo said. “We must do everything we can to find a solution and put an end to this war. We must do it now,” she concluded.
Regarding the Russian allegation, Izumi Nakamitsu said she was aware of the reports, but assured that “the United Nations is not aware of any biological weapons programmes.” She explained that, if agreed by the Security Council, an investigation on the basis of the complaint received could be initiated. “Article VI of the Convention has never been activated.
While these provisions have not been regularly used, they are nonetheless internationally agreed procedures that are available to be used to defuse tensions and to address and resolve any concerns relating to compliance with obligations under the BWC in a multilateral setting,” she said.
Nakamitsu also expressed concern regarding an accident involving the nuclear facilities in Ukraine, saying it could have severe consequences for public health and the environment and all steps must be taken to avoid it. According to her, “the possibility of an accident caused by failure to a reactor’s power supply or the inability to provide regular maintenance is growing by the day.”
She explained that the forces in effective control of nuclear power plants in Ukraine must ensure their safe and secure operation. “I am extremely concerned that four of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s seven pillars for the safe and secure operation of facilities are reportedly not being implemented at Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhya,” she added.
The Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation, the Council Member that called for the meeting, said it was happening because “as Russia is conducting a special military operation in Ukraine”, it had “discovered truly shocking facts of an emergency clean up by the Kiev regime of the traces of a military biological program which is being implemented by Kiev with its support by the United States Ministry of Defense.” Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the Permanent Representative to the United Nations of the United States, noted that, last month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken “laid out with tragic accuracy what Russia was about to do.”
“He specifically warned that Russia would manufacture a pretext for attack and even cautioned that Russia would fabricate allegations about chemical or biological weapons to justify its own violent attacks against the Ukrainian people. Today the world is watching Russia do exactly what we wanted would”, she said. “I will say this once.
Ukraine does not have a biological weapons program. There are no Ukrainian biological weapons laboratories supported by the United States, not near Russia’s border or anywhere,” she added.
On his turn, Sergiy Kyslytsya, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations, assured that his country “runs a health system that is totally in full compliance with its international obligations and in full cooperation with all relevant international organizations.”