Ambassador Kelly Craft

Permanent Representative

U.S. Mission to the United Nations

New York, New York

January 21, 2020

AS DELIVERED

AMBASSADOR CRAFT: You know, once again today, for decades of having the same meeting in the Security Council and everything on the Middle East and the challenges and, once again decades of this unrelentless criticism of Israel, and today I really called upon the Council to, let’s change this dialogue, let’s talk about what really does promote peace and security in the region.

You know, blaming Israel or really talking about the malign behavior of Iran? And, you know, you look no further than the families of the 176 victims of that plane crash and you understand their behavior and it’s unacceptable to be killing their own people, their neighbors, you know, arming Hizbollah and the Houthis, and most definitely propping up the Assad regime. So I think we need to call it where it is and we need to stop criticizing Israel; if you’re going to promote peace and security in the region then you need to be talking about Iran. So thank you.

QUESTION: [Inaudible]

AMBASSADOR CRAFT: You know I think right now is the time that everybody has an opportunity to have an equal voice and to be able to speak, speak what, how they would like to speak. But from my perspective, is the time to be able to call out what is really the behavior that is preventing the peace and security in the Middle East and that is Iran. So thank you all very much.

QUESTION: [Inaudible]

AMBASSADOR CRAFT: You know that’s something that we’re all waiting and we’re, I’m equally as, anticipating this as you are.

QUESTION: Ambassador, let me ask you the same question I asked the British ambassador, and that is, is this meeting still useful?

AMBASSADOR CRAFT: You know I think it is still useful, because we come out and we speak about it and we’re able to each offer, offer up our own, um, kind of, our own advice as to how we would prefer to have the dialogue. So, that, from that perspective yes, and that’s what the Security Council’s all about, is everybody has the opportunity to speak. So thank you. Thank you. Thanks, have a great afternoon.

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