John Pomfret Quotes

Only external authority—the United Nations—can bring about the necessary arrangements to prevent both communities from killing one another.

I'm not aiming for the Nobel Peace Prize!

An international presence in Serbia's Kosovo province is not a problem. But only a civilian and unarmed mission under U.N. auspices, with Russia's participation, would be acceptable.

I think no one could have made peace in Bosnia besides Holbrooke.

The only foreign policy advice I heard from China was when they said to Sudan, 'Don't go back to war.' That's all they said. They didn't push anything else.

We try very quickly to show that we are not at war with the Iraqi people. We're trying to deal with the people who are indeed themselves at war with the Iraqi people.

To many, peace is what enables development and is critical in providing opportunities to young people. To some - especially those from regions involved in conflict - peacekeeping and efforts to preserve peace are absolutely vital in bringing prosperity and hope for the future.

We want peace and a political solution to the situation in Chechnya.

Everyone is interested in war, in that people don't want it to happen. I'm much more interested in peace than in war but it's important to understand why we fight.

We're not going to baby sit a civil war.

It is our duty to persuade the nations of the world, in whatever way that we can, to settle their differences in some other way. (Other than war)

My mission was to save Rwanda. Their mission was to put on a show with no risk.

Surely diplomacy is needed when there is conflict, not when there is harmony.

The English buy peace rather than make it.

There are universal traits and aspects of all these conflicts, and I think that all of them have bridgeable solutions. The only question is whether you are ready to take the challenge, to pay the price, to compromise in order to get more. This, I believe, is the challenge for all the peacemakers in the world.

The greatest honor history can bestow is the title of peacemaker.

I think it is not just the U.N. speaking, but the concept of a third party, a third party to a conflict speaking out. You know, sometimes saying, 'Stop, this is enough. This cannot be allowed to happen,' gives the victims and the people who are caught in that situation courage, encouragement, support.

I'm in the government to make sure that if there's an opportunity to make peace, it won't be missed.

You don't despair about something like the Middle East, you just do the best you can.

We will prevent war, whatever it takes.

I wish to pay attention to what we can do better to prevent conflict. Because by avoiding conflict, we save human lives, and we also save money.

Our work for human dignity is often lonely, and almost always an uphill climb. At times, our efforts are misunderstood, and we are mistaken for the enemy. There has been a clear erosion of respect for U.N. blue and our impartiality.

I do know that you have to choose between the logic of reconciliation and the logic of justice. Pure justice leads to new civil war. I prefer the negotiable revolution.

We want peace and development in all 10 states of South Sudan - we don't want military backing.

It is highly probable that in most cases, war could be avoided or ended. For discussions allow passion to subside, and to persuade alienated neighbors, or at least one of them, to listen to the voice of a conciliator is a step in the direction of peace.