FOURTH COMMITTEE HEARS DIFFERING VIEWS ON PEACE-KEEPING OPERATIONS
Press Release
GA/SPD/76
FOURTH COMMITTEE HEARS DIFFERING VIEWS ON PEACE-KEEPING OPERATIONS
19951114 Peace-keeping was not on a downward path destined to wither away and die and must remain central to the United Nations global mission, the representative of New Zealand told the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) this afternoon as it continued its consideration of peace-keeping operations.He said the financial crisis seriously impacted peace-keeping operations and must be addressed. The United Nations could not go on extending credit indefinitely to non-payers at the expense of those troop contributors whose unpaid reimbursements continued to increase. The new arrangement for consultations between the Security Council and troop contributors was not working, and the issue had to be reopened.
According to the representative of Zimbabwe, the use of double standards in determining conditions for deployment or withdrawal of peace-keeping missions clearly undermined the credibility, impartiality and true universality of the United Nations. He said many had asked why the patience of the Organization seemed to run out faster when it was handling peace-keeping missions in Africa - - a continent which had been host to an inordinate number of aborted, or abandoned missions. Peace-keeping should not be the preserve of a few economically powerful countries.
The representative of China said that while the international situation called for changes in the mandate and scope of peace-keeping operations, the frequent resort to force was a dangerous trend. To invoke Chapter VII of the Charter on flimsy grounds, establish multinational forces or turn peace-keeping operations into enforcement actions, or confuse one with the other, would only aggravate problems and block their settlement.
Bangladesh said the growing deficit in peace-keeping financing not only delayed the mounting of new operations but also placed an inequitable financial burden on developing countries that were providing troops. As the fifth largest troop contributor, his Government believed the Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations should be expanded to allow all contributing countries to participate in policy-making.
A number of speakers said Chapter VII provisions of the Charter invoking the use of force should be used only as a last resort for strictly defined purposes with maximum effort made to maintain impartiality. The representative
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of the Czech Republic said the use of force beyond self-defence risked compromising the neutrality of the United Nations, turning it into a party to the conflict. The lesson of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) was of great importance -- "the United Nations cannot be engaged in war using peace-keepers".
Representatives of Uruguay, Mozambique, Yemen, Argentina, Malaysia, Norway, Romania, Canada, Japan, Swaziland, Mexico and Lebanon also addressed the Committee.
The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, 15 November, to continue its general debate on peace-keeping operations.
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Committee Work Programme
The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) met this afternoon to continue its consideration of the question of peace-keeping operations in all its aspects. It had before it the annual report of the Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations, the Secretary-General's report on improving preparedness for conflict prevention and peace-keeping in Africa and a draft resolution on peace-keeping operations.
Another document before the Committee was a report of the Joint Inspections Unit entitled "Investigation of the relationship between humanitarian assistance and peace-keeping operations". It also had before it a letter from the Netherlands containing a preliminary study on the United Nations rapid deployment brigade as well as letters from Ukraine and Austria. (For details see Press Release GA/SPD/75, issued on 13 November.)
ALEJANDRO MERNIES (Uruguay) said his Government had participated in peace- keeping since 1954, continued to contribute many troops to different missions, and was ready to cooperate with the United Nations in turning the ideals of the Charter into reality. Certain principles were fundamental and three stood out: non-intervention, respect for self-determination and the peaceful settlement of disputes. His country had participated and was prepared to participate in all operations established under the provisions of Chapter VI of the Charter.
He said full participation by all troop-contributing countries in the Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations was essential to guarantee the success of operations. The Committee should admit all troop-contributing countries. Uruguay was concerned with delays in payments of the United Nations to countries that contribute troops. This affected their capacity to participate in other operations. Special attention should be given in the planning stage of missions to the safety and security of personnel through seeking reasonable guarantees from the parties to the conflict. Also, criteria should be established for reimbursements for contingent-owned equipment. That would help avoid misunderstandings in the future.
FAIZAL FAQUIR CASSAM (Mozambique) said that the success of peace-keeping operations was a prerogative of the parties involved. Their failure to commit and the lack of political will was a sure starting point for set backs. Peace- keeping operations must also be guided by a pragmatic evaluation of each country's specifics. It was also important to address humanitarian aspects so that operations could cope with both military and humanitarian issues.
National institutions must participate in the process to ensure that a vacuum was not left when a peace-keeping operation was over, he continued. The
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United Nations must work in close cooperation with local authorities and peace- keeping operations must be provided with the means to consolidate peace and stability by addressing post-conflict problems. Effective demobilization, weapons collection and mine clearance, as well as the strengthening of national institutions must be a high priority. The United Nations must be given the means to eliminate the gap between the establishment of mandates and the immediate deployment of peace-keepers. The stand-by arrangements were an important step towards working out a more permanent mechanism. However, the rapid deployment of peace-keeping forces could also rely on regional arrangements; cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations should be strengthened.
AHMED SALLAM (Yemen) said the issue of peace-keeping was of great importance as such operations were essential to maintain international peace and security. But peace-keeping could not replace a political settlement. The root causes of conflict should be addressed and the international community must improve its ability to deal with tensions before they turned to armed conflict. The causes of poverty had to be addressed, and bilateral assistance must be maintained to poor countries.
He expressed support for the Secretary-General's proposal to use regional organizations to harmonize United Nations endeavours to solve conflicts. There was a need to consolidate funding to the Organization. The international community should play a leading role in safeguarding international peace and security.
NGONI FRANCIS SENGWE (Zimbabwe) said it was time the General Assembly expanded the size of the Special Committee in accordance with the principle of equitable geographical representation and the growing involvement by Member States in peace-keeping operations. The Organization had done a sterling job in Mozambique and South Africa. It was hoped the international community showed the same resolve in Angola.
Given the growing number of peace-keeping operations, peace-keeping should not be the preserve of a few economically powerful countries, he said. It was essential that the membership was not dragged into sponsoring any course of action which had been charted to reflect the narrow national interests of a handful of Member States. "Who would vouch for the neutrality of the United Nations and even-handedness of a peace-keeping operation if one or two States, permanent members of the Council became interested parties?" he asked. Should not Member States whose nationals actually died in peace-keeping missions be part of the decision-making process?
Many had asked why the patience of the United Nations seemed to run out faster when the Organization was handling peace-keeping missions in Africa. That
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continent had been host to an inordinate number of aborted, or abandoned peace- keeping missions, he continued. The case of creeping regionalism and the application of double standards in determining the conditions for the deployment or withdrawal of peace-keeping missions clearly undermined the credibility, impartiality and true universality of the United Nations.
ALEJANDRO VERDIER (Argentina) said he supported the expansion of the Special Committee. The proper training of personnel for peace-keeping missions was crucial, and the seminar on this matter held in Buenos Aires this year was attended by 16 Latin American countries. Argentina was committed to peace- keeping through the contribution of troops and experts. Preventive diplomacy and post-conflict peace-building were important and should not be neglected. Argentina would continue to contribute "white helmets" for development work where needed.
Peace-keeping operations remained an essential tool to maintain peace and security, he continued, but the tool needed to be perfected. An important factor for the future was public perception of these operations; the Organization should make an effort to promote the public's understanding of operations. A great deal remained to be studied with regard to rapid reaction. He expressed support for the Secretary-General's proposals to improve the capacity for conflict prevention and conflict resolution in Africa.
He said the critical situation confronting peace-keeping was a matter of concern. Argentina did not believe the problem was related to waste but rather to politics and the non-payment of contributions by some Member States. He trusted that a solution would soon be found to the Organization's financial crisis.
WANG XUEXIAN (China) said peace-keeping operations were often used as an instrument to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, to impose a certain type of social system and set of values, or to serve the interests of one or two countries. While changes in the international situation called for changes in the mandate and scope of peace-keeping operations, frequent resort to force in an attempt to settle conflicts by military means was a dangerous trend in peace-keeping operations. To invoke Chapter VII of the Charter on flimsy grounds, establish multinational forces or turn peace-keeping operations into enforcement actions, or confuse one with the other, would only aggravate problems and block their settlement.
There was an increasingly serious trend to adopt "double standards" in peace-keeping operations, he continued. That trend was particularly serious for Africa and would inevitably affect the understanding and support of developing
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countries for the Security Council's peace-keeping operations and the formulation of other policies. It would also impair the Council's authority and reputation and weaken its ability to maintain peace and security.
He said it was essential to preserve some guiding principles to put peace- keeping operations on the right track, including: observance of the Charter's principles and purposes, particularly respect for State sovereignty and non- interference in the internal affairs of countries; the settlement of disputes through peaceful means such as mediation and negotiation; opposition to double standards and the imposition of the policies and views of a few Members; obtaining prior consent of the parties concerned; the observance of strict neutrality and non-use of force except in self-defence; the adoption of a realistic approach; and the establishment of operations only when conditions were "ripe".
SUBRAMANIAM THANARAJASINGAM (Malaysia) said it was pertinent to question the future of United Nations peace-keeping. What were the prospects for mounting operations given the Organization's financial crunch? he asked. Would financial considerations become the sole determinant of United Nations peace-keeping operations? Would peace-keeping relapse into the pattern of the pre-cold war era or would it be franchised to the major Powers? Those questions needed to be addressed by the Fourth Committee.
There was a sense of disillusionment with peace-keeping, he continued. The United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) cost the Organization $4 million a day and had failed to safeguard the victims of ethnic cleansing and aggression. The failure in Somalia had been no less spectacular. But failures should be balanced by the Organization's successes in Cambodia, Mozambique and Angola. The root causes of conflict had to be addressed, and preventive action was better than confronting crises that had already erupted. There was a compelling need to involve all troop-contributing countries as full members of the Special Committee.
For operations to be effective, he said, there should be clearly defined mandates, adequate resources and effective leadership. The Security Council should be prepared to enforce its decisions and should not deflect responsibilities as happened in the cases of Bosnia and Rwanda. Unity of command and control was essential. The Department of Peace-keeping Operations should redouble efforts to maintain an updated registry of leadership personnel, and a questionnaire should be sent immediately to all Member States. There was also a need for a consultative mechanism between troop contributing countries and the Security Council. Malaysia supported the stand-by system and the establishment of a United Nations peace enforcement force to protect blue helmets. Member States should pay their peace-keeping contributions in full and on time. Efforts
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should also be made by the United Nations to reimburse promptly troop contributors to ensure their continued participation in peace-keeping missions. Training was also essential for peace-keeping to be effective.
ERIK TELLMANN (Norway) said effective peace-keeping policies could only be adopted if legitimate interests were represented in the relevant forums and that should be the main criteria guiding considerations to expand the membership of the Special Committee. Legitimacy was indispensable for the peace-keeping operations, and open discussions as well as decision-making was a prerequisite. The Special Committee should remain an effective instrument for policy dialogue within peace-keeping operations. In the light of the increasing complexity of such operations, effective United Nations action required that all Members States that had something to contribute were included in the process. The Fourth Committee should review the Special Committee's working methods and the expansion of its membership.
He went on to discuss the financing of peace-keeping operations, command and control, rapid reaction, and peace-keeping in Africa. The continued reluctance by some Member States to pay their contributions on time and in full was unacceptable, he said. That lack of discipline and political commitment affected peace-keeping operations and added a burden to troop contributors, which discouraged the participation of developing countries in peace-keeping. The United Nations rapid reaction and stand by capability must be improved and extended into the humanitarian area, he said.
PETRU DUMITRIU (Romania) said his country ranked twentieth among the troop- contributors as of the end of October, and was committed to international efforts to maintain peace and security. In July, Bucharest hosted a seminar on the legal aspects of peace-keeping, organized by the Government and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which was attended by representatives of 25 countries. Since last May, two Romanian soldiers had died while in service; therefore, the question of compensation arrangements was no longer a theoretical issue. There should be consultations between troop contributors, members of the Security Council and the Secretariat.
He said the conceptual aspects of peace-keeping deserved further development which could lead eventually to a United Nations doctrine. Preventive diplomacy, peace-making, peace-keeping and post-conflict peace-building were interlinked. The security and safety of United Nations personnel in the field should be improved, and particular attention should be paid to the security dimension of missions from the planning stage. He paid tribute to the group of military advisers of the permanent missions to the United Nations and their work to reform the methodology for determining reimbursements for contingent-owned equipment.
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MOHAMMAD ZIAUDDIN (Bangladesh) said his country was the fifth largest troop contributor with several thousand troops dispersed in various military and civilian capacities over 11 conflict areas. Several countries besides his own had significantly enhanced their participation to peace-keeping operations, and they should be allowed to play a policy-oriented role within an expanded Special Committee.
He commended the Secretary-General's efforts to consolidate the stand by arrangements of military forces and civilian police, agreed standards of equipment and other capabilities and said Bangladesh was finalizing the number and nature of troops it would contribute. As a smaller country, it faced the difficulty of providing equipment that would be suitable for different terrain and locales.
The growing deficit in peace-keeping financing not only delayed mounting of new operations, he continued, but also placed an inequitable financial burden on those developing countries which were providing troops. All Member States must ensure the payment of their assessed contributions on time and in full. Timely payments would be helpful in preparing comprehensive budget estimates for all ongoing and new operations. The United Nations would then be in a better position to reimburse troop contributors.
He said it was crucial to strengthen the safety and security of United Nations and associated personnel. The Organization should exert efforts to arrange spontaneous compensation, not only for the affected families who had suffered loss, but also, for injury, disability or illness suffered by personnel in the peace-keeping service.
DAVID KARSGAARD (Canada) said 84 nations currently contributed troops to peace-keeping operations. The draft resolution before the Committee reflected a common-sense approach which, he hoped, would lead to more efficient work methods within the United Nations as a whole. In September, Canada had put forward a report on rapid reaction capacity, which advocated a broad reform of many elements of peace-keeping with recommendations aimed at reducing delays between the approval of a mandate and the deployment of peace-keepers to the field.
The study presented 26 practical recommendations which could be implemented progressively in the short, medium and long term, he stated. Canada would like to discuss those proposals with interested delegations and the Secretariat and looked forward to working with those concerned to address issues in a timely and effective way.
He said his Government was encouraged by the strides made by the
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Secretariat to enhance its capabilities in the areas of mission planning, training support, finance and logistics, demining, civilian police and consultation with troop-contributors. It was time to expand membership of the Special Committee on Peace-keeping to reflect current realities. Despite serious problems in Somalia, Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, the United Nations should persevere in its efforts to improve its capacity to plan and conduct the more complex missions of the 1990s. The deliberations of the Special Committee could contribute to that improvement.
HISASHI OWADA (Japan) welcomed the emphasis in the Secretary-General's report on the role played by traditional peace-keeping operations, particularly the time-tested principles which were an important element in their success. The mandate of enforcement action should clearly stipulate the precise extent of its power, authority and duration. The tragic experience in Rwanda had made it clear that the United Nations capability to deal rapidly with a conflict at its earliest stage must be strengthened. In view of the difficulties involved in organizing a self-contained United Nations rapid reaction force, it would be more realistic to enhance the state of readiness of peace-keeping units by strengthening the current stand-by arrangement. Further, the establishment of additional depots for emergency reserves of equipment would avoid complications in equipping peace-keepers and shorten the lead time for their deployment.
His Government also supported welcomed initiatives to reinforce capabilities in Africa, he said. It had recently held a high-level symposium in Tokyo on "Problems of Conflict in Africa" and hoped its results would contribute to the promotion of peace-keeping efforts in Africa. He drew attention to the matter of the safety of those engaged in peace-keeping activities and other related fields of humanitarian assistance. Unless that was ensured States would be reluctant to send their nationals to such risky activities. The training of non-military personnel would also have to be seriously considered in view of the increasingly important role they played in peace-keeping operations.
WILLIAM M. QWABE (Swaziland) said the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations presented an opportunity to look anew at peace-keeping and humanitarian activities, and to take remedial steps to translate previous failures into success. Peace-keeping operations could not be accomplished without appropriate financial resources and should be kept at the level of capacity to pay by Member States. Such problems as loss of cash, loss of peace-keeping equipment due to insecure storage and poor management, and overpayment for goods needed to be addressed immediately. Also, all Member States should pay their contributions in full and on time.
He expressed support for cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations in conflict prevention, management and resolution. It was
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true that the key to enhancing preparedness for conflict prevention and peace- keeping in Africa lay, first and foremost, with the countries of the continent. The United Nations should develop training tools designed to assist Member States and regional institutions in the development of peace-keeping skills. He commended the work of non-governmental organizations in providing humanitarian assistance in conflict areas and appealed for financial assistance to the Baphalali Swaziland Red Cross Society. There should be better coordination and action in conflict prevention and peace-keeping.
COLIN KEATING (New Zealand), said his country did not agree with those who said peace-keeping was on a downward path -- destined to wither away and die. It should and must remain central to the United Nations global mission. The Organization's financial crisis seriously impacted peace-keeping operations and regular budget activities and must be addressed. The United Nations could not go on extending credit indefinitely to non-payers, at the expense of those troop contributors whose unpaid reimbursements remained unpaid and continued to increase. His Government strongly disapproved of the current Secretariat practice of regarding the financial obligations to troop contributors as less important than other financial commitments and the practice must cease. All creditors -- commercial entities, internal commitments and Member States who had contributed troops must be treated equally. Inequities in the present scale of assessments must be addressed but they were no excuse for reneging on obligations to assessed contributions or abrogating them by unilateral decisions.
He welcomed the reorganization and enhancing of the Department of Peace- keeping Operations (DPKO) particularly in the fields of mission planning, field administration and logistics and training. He said his Government, which provided a number of military officers to that Department, was concerned at suggestions the Department might wish to phase out many of its current secondments. They brought a much needed professionalism to peace-keeping operations, and there would be a long-term need for that type of contribution. A strengthened Department would enable the Organization to look beyond immediate day-to-day tasks, to longer term projects such as the preparation of a handbook for logistics support. Training would be an important component of any new cooperative arrangement aimed at improving the ready reaction capability of the United Nations.
It had been a year since new discussions had been initiated in the Security Council on new institutional arrangements for consultations with troop contributors, and such consultations were still not working satisfactorily, he said. Some Security Council members were to be commended for trying to make the process work. But for the most part Council members remained silent, some never attended and others, including permanent members, never spoke. The Secretariat continued to treat the consultations as a continuation of the old format and the
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process was consultative only in name. The time had come for the Council to reopen the issue and pursue it in open dialogue with the troop contributors.
KAREL KOVANDA (Czech Republic) said that while peace-keeping operations could augment and support political settlements of disputes reached by the parties concerned, they could not substitute for them. This year, an important reduction in the size and cost of operations had occured. The termination of missions in Mozambique, Somalia and El Salvador should create favourable conditions for a certain stabilization of such operations and for their thorough review and future improvement.
He said mandates should be clear, precise and achievable. The need for setting an achieveable mandate was obvious, for example, when it came to "safe areas" in Bosnia. If the parties refused to cooperate once an operation was deployed, it would either have to terminate or resort to military enforcement to coerce the acceptance of a peaceful solution. The Czech Republic did not favour the latter option.
The use of a rapid reaction force in UNPROFOR constituted a significant deterrent and means of coercion. However, the use of force beyond self-defence risked compromising the netutrality of the United Nations, turning it into a party to the conflict. If credibility were to be maintained, the use of force should be viewed as a last resort, used only for strictly defined purposes with maxiumum effort to maintain impartiliaty. "Chapter VII provisions of the Charter should be invoked as an exception rather than the rule, and only after all other means are exhausted", he added. The lesson of UNPROFOR was of great importance - - "the United Nations cannot be engaged in war using peace-keepers".
He expressed support for continued cooperation with regional organizations. Consultations among the Security Council, the Secretariat and troop contributors should be further improved. He also supported the proposal to establish a rapidly deployable headquarters capability in the Department of Peace-keeping Operations. Missions huld be accompanied by a massive information campaign both to provide basic informaiton and to couhnter adverse propaganda by belligerents. A code of conduct for peace-keeping personnel should also be established. Stand- by arrangements should be used as a basis for enhance rapid raction capacity. He tpaid tribute to peace-keepers and those who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
PABLO MACEDO (Mexico) said peace-keeping operations could not replace endeavours to achieve peace such as dialogue between the concerned parties. Once the parties involved in a dispute or conflict had reached an agreement the United Nations could monitor it. The consent of the parties must be obtained and any peace-keeping operation should be given precise terms of reference, mandates and
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timetable. Without the consent of all parties a peace-keeping operation would be doomed to failure. Impartiality, in addition to consent, were the parameters that should guide actions. Peace-keeping operations could only be effective when Member States provided the necessary personnel and equipment. He urged members of the Security Council, especially the permanent ones, to provide the material resources necessary to ensure the success of any operation.
There had been a proliferation of peace-keeping mandates invoking Chapter VII of the Charter, he said, when such action should be an exception not to be applied in many varied situations. Efforts for peaceful settlement should be exhausted first. Peace-keeping operations should not be replaced with unilateral actions, which lacked a legal foundation and were tantamount to the United Nations abrogating its responsibilities to Members based on dubious legality. It was also important for peace-keeping operations to have a solid financial base.
Regarding the establishment of a rapid reaction force, he said his Government was concerned at its legal nature, scope of its mandate and the onerous financing involved. Such a force should be examined with utmost care and a thorough study of the legal and financial consequences. It was fundamental to observe unity of command and control in peace-keeping operations to ensure cohesion and the collective will of all Members not just that of troop contributors. The participation of troop contributors should be increased. In determining military commanders for United Nations peace-keeping operations, military expertise and not just political considerations should be taken into account. Mexico supported the idea of the Special Committee becoming an open- ended body and the expansion process should begin in the near future.
SAMIR MOUBARAK (Lebanon) said almost 30 years had passed since the establishment of the Special Committee on Peace-keeping and yet it was still seeking to achieve an agreed and unified framework for its work. Recent developments, including the fall of the socialist bloc and the end of the cold war created a climate that could enable the Special Committee to seriously take up its work. But there were two main problems -- the Special Committee's membership and the emergence of new forms of peace-keeping tasks. To solve the problems of the Special Committee, its mandates needed to be clearly defined. Its work could not be separated from the work of the open-ended group on the Agenda for Peace.
He said some operations had been successful while others had not achieved their objectives. Failures should be discussed in the Special Committee. Peace- keeping missions should have a clear mandate and be provided with the necessary resources. The Middle East had been the scene of peace-keeping missions since their inception. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) continued
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its work for the past 17 years. Lebanon was fully aware of the role of those forces and paid tribute to their excellent performance. Nevertheless, Lebanon regretted they could not achieve their mandate, due to Israel's refusal to implement Security Council resolutions, he said.
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