Irritated Winston Peters calls for quiet while giving United Nations speech. Video / United Nations
A clearly irritated Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters had to briefly pause his United Nations Security Council speech on Thursday to call for others in the room to be “quiet”.
Video footage of his speech shows Peters repeatedly looking around the room as he spoke about different principles he said were important to achieving effective multilateral peace and security arrangements.
He then pauses to say: “Or maybe a third principle, when somebody is addressing you, the rest of the people in the room keep quiet.”
While some soft chuckles can be heard, Peters was certainly not laughing and continues to look around. The council’s chair from Slovenia then acknowledges Peters and he continues his speech.
After Peters’ speech, the Slovenian representative asked for “silence in the room”.
Winston Peters addresses the UN Security Council.
Elsewhere in his speech, the minister spoke about how since New Zealand sat as a Security Council member nearly 10 years ago, the council’s ability to “address urgent global conflicts has been marred by contentious negotiations and a far greater willingness by some Permanent Members to exercise their veto”.
The use of the veto powers held by the council’s permanent members – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – has long been a point of frustration for New Zealand.
Earlier this year, while speaking about the crisis in Gaza, Peters told the United Nations the veto power had been used to stop the council “acting decisively” and that meant the council had failed in its role to maintain peace and security. It was also raised by New Zealand as Russia vetoed resolutions regarding its invasion of Ukraine.
Peters said on Thursday that the UN General Assembly should push for the council to be more accountable and examine “the motives behind the use of the veto where it obstructs meaningful action”.
He called for all states to refrain from the “threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or sovereignty of any state”. That also included members of the council, he said.
“A second core pillar of our efforts must be respect for international humanitarian law and the basic standards of humanity that it protects,” Peters said.
“We must be steadfast in bringing to account those who refuse to comply with these most fundamental limits on how war is waged.”
Peters told the council there must also be investment in peace-building and sustainable development, along with a commitment to diplomacy being the “building block” of better relations between states.
The Foreign Affairs Minister has kept a busy schedule at the UN, meeting with many countries’ representatives on the sidelines of the annual session of the UN General Assembly. That included meeting with the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority.
He is expected to address the General Assembly on Friday.
Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the Newshub Press Gallery office.
