Lakhdar Brahimi Quotes on Countries (11 Quotes)

Afghanistan is a land-locked country.

The agenda is to take the necessary steps as fast as possible with as many short cuts as the Afghans will allow us to (put together) a provisional administration to take charge of Kabul on behalf of the whole people of Afghanistan, ... We've asked a number of countries and the United Arab Emirates was the first one to kindly say they would welcome a meeting there and we are extremely grateful to them, but we are discussing with the Afghans to see where it is more convenient for them to hold this meeting.

The third point is that for some time the UN has been talking about helping Afghanistan in the reconstruction of the country but there has never been any real commitment by the international community to provide resources for that.

Iraq is a country that has been invaded. It's not a failing state that you want to help. It's a country that was functioning good or bad, with a horrible dictator, but you have invaded.

There is a story which is not being told strongly enough of the Afghan employees of the UN inside the country who are saving hundreds of thousands of lives everyday by their bravery and nobody talks of them.

This incident, which follows similar incidents, adds to a sense of insecurity and fear in the country,

Though it will certainly not be easy, we do believe that it shall be possible to identify, by the end of May, a group of people respected and acceptable to Iraqis across the country, to form this caretaker government.

Bremer is the dictator of Iraq. He had the money. He has the signature. Nothing happens without his agreement in this country.

But you are absolutely right that when the international community decides to help in a meaningful manner a country like Afghanistan, then coordination between the various actors that are involved in these processes is very, very difficult indeed.

I think a failed state is the responsibility of the people who have made that state fail, and those are generally the people of that country.

So, the international community are all the countries that are important: the United States definitely everywhere; the European Union because it is very important, and also, they do show a great deal of international responsibility; and then the local players.