Mariano Rajoy highlights "key role" played by Spain as member of UN Security Council

New York (United States of America)

In his appearance before the media, Mariano Rajoy stated that the main goal of his trip to the United States is to chair the United Nations Security Council meeting on Tuesday. "Spain has now formed part of the Council for two years, during which it has played a key role on very important issues", said the President of the Government, who held a meeting on Monday with the Spanish ambassadors accredited in the United States and to the UN and the Organisation of American States (OAS).

The President of the Government congratulated the Spanish senior officials and the Spanish Ambassador to the UN for their work during this period, which has been key for "improving our position in the United Nations and before all the countries in the world".

On the issue of the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism, Mariano Rajoy pointed out that last week, in an open debate chaired by the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alfonso Dastis, a commitment was made to a faster mechanism to avoid attacks. He also pointed to the historic agreement on the Iranian arsenal that took place in July 2015 under the Spanish Chair of the corresponding committee, with the country playing the same role on the sanctions committee on North Korea.

The President of the Government also mentioned contributions to judicial cooperation in countering terrorism and greater involvement by women in peacebuilding. As regards Tuesday's meeting, the Security Council will tackle how people are dealt with in conflict situations, he explained, "in order to identify what can be done to combat people trafficking, particularly when this affects victims of war and terrorism".

Evacuation of Aleppo

Pool Moncloa/Diego CrespoMariano Rajoy stressed Spain's role in the agreement on Aleppo (Syria) reached on Monday by the Security Council. "Spain has made a significant contribution to the adoption of this resolution, exercising its good offices as the holder of the Presidency of the Council and based on our inalienable humanitarian convictions", he declared.

The President of the Government remarked that the goal is for the evacuation of this city to take place under safe conditions, pursuant to the principles of international humanitarian law and under the "neutral and direct" supervision of the UN. Furthermore, the text urges all parties to the conflict to facilitate the provision of medical and humanitarian assistance to such people as may require this and to respect health and humanitarian personnel.

Mariano Rajoy added that this issue has already been tackled at the European Council meeting last Thursday and that the resolution is "a step in the right direction, although there is still a lot to do in Aleppo and in Syria as a whole".

Condemnation of attack on Russian Ambassador

In his speech, the President of the Government condemned the attack on the Russian Ambassador to Turkey on Monday in the country's capital, Ankara. Mariano Rajoy, who described the attack as "brutal and senseless", conveyed the government's support to the people of Russia and their government.

The President of the Government also expressed his deepest sympathies to the families of the people who died as a result of the severe weather conditions in the Region of Valencia and Murcia. The government, he stated, is closely following developments, "in strict coordination with the autonomous regions affected". He added that the scope of the damage will be known shortly after which the necessary aid will be allocated to repair this.