PEACE-KEEPING'S RAPID EXPANSION PHASE HALTED, BUT IT WILL REMAIN PRIMARY UN ACTIVITY UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR PEACE-KEEPING TELLS SPECIAL COMMITTEE

Press Release
GA/PK/137

PEACE-KEEPING'S RAPID EXPANSION PHASE HALTED, BUT IT WILL REMAIN PRIMARY UN ACTIVITY UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR PEACE-KEEPING TELLS SPECIAL COMMITTEE

While the recent phase of rapid expansion of peace-keeping operations may have halted for a time, peace-keeping as a primary activity of the United Nations would not end, Under-Secretary General for Peace-Keeping Operations Kofi Annan told the Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations, as it began its 1996 session this morning. What had been gained in recent years should not be sacrificed, he said, as he reviewed how the peace-keeping operations and procedures had been improved.

Also this morning, the Committee elected the following officers: Ibrahim A. Gambari (Nigeria), Chairman; Emilio J. Cardenas (Argentina), David Karsgaard (Canada), Yukinari Hirose (Japan) and Zbigniew Matuszewski (Poland), Vice-Chairmen; and Abderahman S. Abderahman (Egypt), Rapporteur.

In adopting its programme of work, the Committee decided to hold a maximum of six sessions of general debate between today and Wednesday, 3 April. Following that, an open-ended working group will meet between 9 and 24 April. There will be a meeting of the Special Committee no later than 26 April to consider and approve the report of the working group, which would then be submitted to the fifty-first session of the General Assembly.

The Committee Chairman, Mr. Gambari (Nigeria) said that prolonged negotiation over the report text may have been at expense of a discussion of the issues themselves. Therefore, it was decided that specific sessions of the working group would be allocated to the discussion of specific issues, and those sessions would be issue-oriented, rather than a drafting exercise.

A Vice-Chairman, Mr. Karsgaard (Canada) said he welcomed the fact that the Security Council in recent years effectively determined that an intra- State conflict could constitute a threat to international peace and security. It would be unfortunate if, for whatever reason -- lack of resources or capability, or "peace-keeping fatigue" -- the Member States were to retreat from that advance. He encouraged the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) to come to an early agreement for putting the Department of Peace-

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keeping Operations on a more stable, predictable, financial footing so as to ensure the maintenance of its core functions on a continuing basis.

The representative of Thailand, speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, said the Movement had noted the good intentions of some Member States in funding their own personnel to work in the Department of Peace- keeping Operations, but due regard must be paid to the importance of recruiting staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. He requested the Secretariat to provide the Committee with a comprehensive list of Department personnel, giving full details of those on secondment, those on regular contract, nationalities, designations, levels and responsibilities.

The representative of Italy, speaking on behalf of the European Union, said the contribution of its members to United Nations peace-keeping amounted to 20 per cent of the troops and other personnel,37 per cent of the budget, and more than 50 per cent of the available cash-flow in that budget. The scale of that contribution was testimony to its view that, whatever criticism might be fashionable in some quarters, United Nations peace-keeping remained vital in the international community's array of tools for crisis management.

Also speaking during the general debate were the representatives of China and Brazil. In addition to speaking as Chairman, Mr. Gambari spoke in his capacity as representative of Nigeria.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. Tuesday, 2 April.

Special Committee Work Programme

The Special Committee on Peace-Keeping Operations met this morning to begin its 1996 session. It was scheduled to hear a statement by the Under- Secretary-General for Peace-keeping Operations, Kofi Annan, followed by statements from three of the Bureau members -- Nigeria, Canada and Japan. It would then begin its general debate with statements from Italy, Brazil, Thailand and China.

Under the mandate entrusted to it by General Assembly resolution 50/30 of 22 December 1995, the Special Committee was to continue its efforts to make a comprehensive review of the whole question of peace-keeping operations in all its aspects. It was to review the implementation of its previous proposals and consider new proposals so as to enhance the capacity of the United Nations to fulfil its peace-keeping responsibilities.

The Committee's debate would be held in the context of the aforementioned resolution, as well as of three other documents: the final report of the 1995 session of the Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations (document A/50/230); the report of the Secretary-General on improving preparedness for conflict prevention and peace-keeping in Africa (document A/50/711); and the report of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) on the "Military component of United Nations peace-keeping operations" (document A/50/576).

The General Assembly resolution urged Member States, the Secretariat and relevant United Nations bodies to implement the recommendations contained in the 1995 report of the Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations. Those proposals include the improvement of the safety and security of peace-keepers, the strengthening of peace-keeping training programmes, the completion of a code of conduct for peace-keepers, further progress on stand-by arrangements, and the development of a rapidly deployable Headquarters team of personnel skilled in essential military and civilian functions. The Assembly recommended that additional costs resulting from any of the proposals be accommodated within appropriation levels approved for 1994-1997, in accordance with the Organization's financial rules and regulations. The Special Committee was also asked to consider expanding its membership.

In addition to making the proposals outlined above, the report of the Special Committee discusses the definition and implementation of peace-keeping mandates; consultation with troop-contributing countries; command and control; and safety and security for peace-keepers. The section on enhancing the capacity of peace-keeping operations examines planning, organization and effectiveness; training; rapid deployment and stand-by arrangements; public information; finances; and cooperation with regional organizations.

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While peace-keeping remained one of the key United Nations instruments for solving conflicts and maintaining international peace, the Organization could and should make more use of preventive diplomacy and peacemaking on a case-by-case basis, the report states. It invites the Secretary-General to continue to develop and promote a system of stand-by arrangements, saying special attention should be given to improving the capacity to respond rapidly and effectively to emergency situations in Africa. The report also underlines the importance of the Secretary-General's efforts and action by Member States to reform budgetary procedures and methods for managing and providing logistic support for peace-keeping operations. The importance of implementing streamlining procedures to help reduce delays in reimbursements of troops is stressed.

The report of the Secretary-General on improving preparedness for conflict prevention and peace-keeping in Africa discusses issues related to preventive diplomacy, peacemaking, peace-building, and peace-keeping in Africa. The section on peace-keeping covers such areas as personnel and training and stand-by arrangements, planning and financing, and cooperation with the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and subregional organizations. The report also contains proposals to enhance the capacity for conflict prevention and peace-keeping in Africa.

In the report, the Secretary-General states that the key to enhancing preparedness to prevent conflict in Africa "lies first and foremost with the countries of the continent". Member States outside the region could assist, especially if practical solutions and the resources required to implement them were clearly identified. Africa's preparedness for peace-keeping depends initially on the willingness of African governments to contribute troops. The next step is to identify any gaps in the areas of training and equipment and the third step is for the international community to assist in meeting those requirements. African governments should make known their capacity and needs through the stand-by arrangements system.

The Secretary-General calls for the strengthening of the capabilities of the OAU and the institutionalization of mechanisms to increase cooperation with the United Nations. The report contains four proposals to accomplish this: the posting of a United Nations liaison officer at OAU headquarters to help ensure effective coordination of the efforts of the two organizations; sending a technical team on a short-term visit to assist the OAU Mechanism for Conflict Prevention in organizing a situation room; establishing a staff exchange programme to assist the OAU to strengthen its mechanism and to reinforce collaboration between the two organizations; and routine sharing of peace-keeping training information from United Nations Member States.

For peace-keeping to be effective and lead to lasting conflict resolution, the Secretary-General continues, it must frequently include components of economic and social development, the promotion and protection of

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human rights, and good governance and institution-building. To achieve that goal, the report lists a series of recommendations, including the strengthening of African participation in United Nations stand-by arrangements and the compilation of the specialized and heavy equipment needs of African participants; the promotion of bilateral "partnerships" to match troops with equipment; and the sharing of information by concerned States, with their agreement, regarding their participation in the stand-by arrangements with the OAU.

The report of the JIU on the "Military component of United Nations peace-keeping operations" focuses on three topics: the managerial aspects of peace-keeping mandates; the availability of troops and equipment; and the capacity of the United Nations Secretariat to cope with the tasks entrusted to it. Regarding the first topic, the inspectors of the JIU emphasize the importance of consultations among the parties involved in the decision-making process, as well as with those parties involved in the conflict. The necessity of unity of command and control was underscored.

Concerning the availability of troops and equipment, the JIU report offers possible solutions to two major problems -- the readiness of troops to participate actively in peace-keeping operations and the timely deployment of troops. The inspectors discuss some of the ongoing efforts to improve the effectiveness of United Nations peace-keeping operations: a rapid reaction force, stand-by arrangements and rapid reaction capability, as well as related matters such as the rotation of troops, safety and security of personnel, death and disability benefits, reimbursement for and procurement of equipment.

The report notes that, as of 8 May 1995, there had been 1,289 fatalities among United Nations peace-keepers, 841 of which had occurred during missions currently in operation. It cites an Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) report (document A/49/664) that indicates that death compensation rates had varied from $19,500 to $85,300, and the range for disability compensation was $1,500 to $224,200.

In discussing the capacity of the United Nations Secretariat to manage peace-keeping operations, the inspectors deal with the functioning and recent restructuring of different departments, especially the Department of Peace- Keeping Operations. They concentrate on certain elements such as planning, legal arrangements, training, information and logistic support services.

Regarding information, the inspectors cite the Secretary-General's "Supplement to An Agenda for Peace" (document A/50/60-S/1995/1) in which he states that an effective information capacity is required, particularly so that missions operating in difficult circumstances can explain their mandate to the population and, by providing a credible and impartial source of information, counter misinformation disseminated about those missions. "The influence of the media on the success or failure of peace-keeping is

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significant", the JIU report states. "Reports by former United Nations Force Commanders indicate that international media reporting is sometimes aligned to the propaganda of one party or distorts the situation." Such factors can seriously affect a peace-keeping operation unless offset by an independent information management by the United Nations.

Based on interviews, research and consultations with the representatives of Member States and officials in the United Nations, the JIU advances 10 recommendations. Those include a recommendation that the operational authority of the Secretary-General or his representative in the field be respected in United Nations peace-keeping operations and within specific mandates given by the Security Council. The chief of the mission should ensure that national contingent commanders are involved in the operational planning and decision-making, especially where their national contingents are concerned.

One recommendation proposes that the General Assembly appoint a group of high-level governmental experts to prepare a report on a more effective and reliable system of response by the United Nations to emergencies, building on the best aspects of a stand-by arrangements system and a rapid reaction force. Another proposal urges the Secretary-General to respond expeditiously to the General Assembly's call for standardization of death and disability benefits and submit at an early date his views on a comprehensive insurance scheme to cover those benefits. He is also urged to continue his implementation of the report of the High-level Expert Procurement Group and in the process to give particular attention to the transparency and specificity of procurement information.

In another recommendation, the Secretary-General is urged to enhance the planning and operational capacity of the Department of Peace-keeping Operations, including the translation of the peace-keeping mandate into a detailed and specific operational plan comprehensible to all and by establishing within the department "classical general staff". The Secretary- General is also urged to ensure that the Department of Peace-keeping Operations build up skilled military and civilian personnel so that a rapidly deployable temporary Headquarters team can be dispatched to the field at short notice.

KOFI ANNAN, Under-Secretary General for Peace-Keeping Operations, opening the meeting, said there were currently some 28,000 military and civilian personnel serving under the United Nations flag in 16 operations worldwide. That number might very well decline in the medium term with the closing of one or two operations, he said, adding that given the unpredictability of world politics, the number could also increase. In either case, the types of conflicts and circumstances in which peace-keepers were deployed were not likely to change. Most of today's conflicts were within States, and were sometimes marked by the collapse of state institutions and a

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breakdown of law and order. Humanitarian emergencies were commonplace. Negotiated peace settlements, when accomplished, should cover a wide range of military, political, humanitarian and other civilian matters. For the settlements to endure, long-term programmes were required to address the root cause of conflicts and to promote national reconciliation.

He said peace-keeping as a primary activity of the United Nations would not end: many existing operations would continue, and the Security Council might well find it necessary to mandate new ones. In that respect, the Organization would continue to require the capacity to launch, support and manage peace-keeping operations with demanding mandates to carry out multiple tasks, requiring active collaboration with a broad range of international actors. What had been gained in recent year should not be sacrificed.

Reviewing the fruits of those efforts, he said the Department of Peace- keeping Operations had been organized into two offices, each headed by an Assistant Secretary-General: an Office of Operations, responsible for day-to- day executive direction of peace-keeping operations; and an Office of Planning and Support responsible for all technical matters, including staffing, finance, logistic and procurement. He said a Mission Planning Service had been established to design integrated (civilian and military) plans for complex, multidimensional operations in coordination with other Departments. The capacity to respond quickly in emergencies was being developed further with plans to establish a "rapidly deployable headquarters" in the Secretariat as part of the stand-by arrangement system.

Also established and developed were: the Situation Centre, operating around the clock, to augment communication with United Nations operations around the world; the nucleus of a Policy and Analysis Unit to provide in- depth research and analysis of a policy questions within the Department's sphere of responsibility, and a Lessons Learned Unit. A small Training Unit had been established, and management improvement measures introduced. He also said that, together with Member States, the process of consultations among the Security Council, troop-contributing countries and the Secretariat had been developed.

Mr. Annan also mentioned several improvements that had been made in the area of preparedness since last year. The Department of Peace-keeping Operations had now established a comprehensive assets management project which would prepare a report for the resumed session of the General Assembly. There was also a need for the United Nations to be able to deploy peace-keeping operations more quickly. Work on that was far advanced. In response to the Committee's recommendations of last year, the Secretary-General had made proposals to enhance the preparedness for conflict and peace-keeping in Africa. The Department had also made significant progress in developing standardized procedures for many aspects of its work.

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The Special Committee elected the following representatives to its Bureau: Ibrahim A. Gambari (Nigeria), Chairman; Emilio J. Cardenas (Argentina), David Karsgaard (Canada), Yukinari Hirose (Japan) and Zbigniew Matuszewski (Poland), Vice-Chairmen; and Abderahman S. Abderahman (Egypt), Rapporteur.

Chairman Gambari said that, by resolution 50/30 of 22 December 1995, the General Assembly had decided that the Special Committee should continue its efforts towards a comprehensive review of the whole question of peace-keeping operations in all their aspects.

The Committee agreed to requests for observer status from delegations of the following Member States and organizations: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Central African Republic, Chile, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Finland, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakstan, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Libya, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Slovak Republic, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, Viet Nam, Zimbabwe, as well as the European Commission.

As a programme of work, the Chairman proposed that, starting today and continuing through Wednesday, 3 April, a maximum of six meetings be allocated for general debate. The Committee would then establish an open-ended working group which would, under the chairmanship of Mr. Karsgaard, consider the substance of the Committee's mandate and would submit a report to the Committee for its consideration and possible approval.

He said that in past years, that working group's efforts had been devoted almost entirely to negotiations over the precise language of a working paper, which went through a series of drafts. "The prolonged negotiation over the text may at times have been at expense of a discussion of the issues themselves." For the current working group, he proposed the compilation of a list of issues to be reviewed. Specific sessions of the working group would be allocated to the discussion of specific issues, and those sessions would be issue-oriented rather than a drafting exercise. On the basis of those discussions, the Bureau would prepare a draft report for the working group's consideration.

The Chairman also proposed that the working group hold its meetings between 9 April and 24 April. Following the completion of the substantive work of the working group, there would be a meeting of the Special Committee, no later than 26 April, to consider and approve the report, which would then be submitted to the fifty-first session of the General Assembly.

The proposed programme of work was approved to by the Committee.

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IBRAHIM A. GAMBARI (Nigeria)) said there was a near certainty that additional peace-keeping operations would be required in the future, and efforts during the current session of the Committee should lead to finding solutions to the problem of United Nations peace-keeping operations in the areas of training, rapid deployment, financing and chain of command. Turning to contributions to peace-keeping operations, he said the selective payments by some Member States was contrary to the Charter and hampered the ability of the Organization to carry out its mandate. Refusal to pay shifted the burden of peace maintenance to those countries which dispatched their personnel at the request of the United Nations to keep the peace in troubled areas. Many countries, including his own, were owed years of reimbursement for expenses incurred.

He said his delegation had voiced its concern on the current system of death and disability benefits which did not take into account the selfless sacrifice without regard to nationality. He welcomed the Secretary-General's proposal for the standardization of the rates of death and disability benefits for troops serving in United Nations peace-keeping operations. He hoped the proposal would be adopted by the General Assembly without delay. In the meantime, his delegation welcomed the new proposals for reimbursing contingent-owned equipment to Member States and looked forward to its early implementation. Although United Nations peace-keeping operations had proved their usefulness, he said lessons from some of the recent operations showed that the reaction time might be crucial to the eventual success of an operation. His delegation welcomed ongoing discussion aimed at shortening the time lag between a Security Council decision authorizing a peace-keeping operation and actual deployment.

Membership of the Special Committee should be expanded and carried out in a way that did not undermine its effectiveness, he concluded.

DAVID KARSGAARD (Canada) proposed that, before trying to reach agreement on recommendations, the Committee hold real discussions on two issues: the scope and nature of the United Nations peace-keeping efforts in a time of political and financial restraint, and how those efforts should be managed. In other words, the Committee should examine structure and focus of the Department of Peace-keeping Operations.

He welcomed the fact that the Security Council in recent years effectively determined that an intra-State conflict could constitute a threat to international peace and security. It would be unfortunate if, for whatever reason (lack of resources or capability, or "peace-keeping fatigue"), the Member States were to retreat from that advance. The Council was also increasingly resorting to the use of multinational coalitions of the willing States, particularly when there was an enforcement element involved in the operation. Canada believed that such operations should not only be authorized by the United Nations but also led and conducted by the United Nations. He

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was pleased that procedures for Council consultations with troop contributors were being enhanced.

Regarding financing, he encouraged the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) to come to an early agreement for putting the Department of Peace-keeping Operations on a more stable, predictable, financial footing so as to ensure the maintenance of its core functions on a continuing basis. The Department must possess a core capacity that represents the staffing requirements of the Department regardless of the number and size of operations actually deployed. There was also a need for an operational-level headquarters capable both of conducting contingency planning and of deploying rapidly to crisis areas.

As for the question of expanding the membership of the Special Committee, he said the increase in recent years in the number of Member States contributing troops to United Nations peace-keeping operations had not been matched by any change in the Committee's membership. All troop contributors, past and present, should be given the opportunity to become members of the Committee if they wished.

MASAKI KONISHI (Japan) said whenever the use of force might be necessary, it was preferable to establish a multinational force -- as in Bosnia and Herzegovina -- instead of launching a new peace-keeping operation. To enhance the capabilities of peace-keeping operations, the United Nations needed to be provided with rapid-reaction capabilities and peace-keeping training -- in particular, the training of civilians, such as peace personnel, was essential. Japan welcomed the activities of the Lessons Learned Unit of the Department of Peace-keeping Operations.

.0 He was particularly concerned about the possible reduction in the size of the Department of Peace-keeping Operations' staff in New York. The Department had an enormous responsibility for long-range planning. Efficiency should be sought, but the Department's effectiveness should not be diminished.

He was encouraged by the dynamic initiatives that had been undertaken for conflict prevention and peace-keeping in Africa, particularly through cooperation between the United Nations and the OAU. Japan had contributed $600,000 for the implementation of the programme of work of the Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa. The possible division of roles among the United Nations, regional organizations (such as the OAU) and subregional organizations (such as the Economic Community of West African States) should be sought prior to launching a peace-keeping operation.

ASDA JAYANAMA (Thailand), speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, said he strongly felt that the Committee should expand its membership during the current session. Recruitment of personnel for the Department of Peace-keeping Operations should truly reflect the principle of

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equitable geographical representation. The Non-Aligned Movement had noted the good intentions of some Member States in funding their own personnel to work in the Department, but he called the Committee's attention to Charter Articles 100 and 101. [The former states that the Secretary-General and the staff should not seek or receive instructions from any government, the latter that due regard should be paid to the importance of recruiting staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.] The Non-Aligned Movement requested the Secretariat to provide the Committee with a comprehensive list of Department personnel giving full details of those on secondment, those on regular contract, nationalities, designations, levels, responsibilities, and so forth.

He said the Non-Aligned Movement was also concerned with the increasing imbalance between the expenses of the large number of existing peace-keeping operations and the resources available for development activities. The Movement strongly believed that funding for peace-keeping operations must not be at the expense of development activities.

The inordinate delay in reimbursement was a server strain on developing countries in particular, he continued. It also discouraged developing countries from future participation in peace-keeping operations. The Movement supported reform of the procedure for determining reimbursement to Member States for contingent-owned equipment.

There was an urgent need to establish a uniform United Nations scale of compensation for death and disability for peace-keeping personnel, he said. Proposals for enhancing the capacity for rapid deployment of peace-keeping operations should be carefully examined. The Movement welcomed the Security Council President's 28 March statement on meetings with troop contributors. It was a new stage in the process of improvement and institutionalization of consultations between the Council and troop contributors.

F. PAOLO FULCI (Italy), speaking on behalf of the European Union, said the contribution of its members to United Nations peace-keeping amounted to 20 per cent of the troops and other personnel, 37 per cent of the budget, and more than 50 per cent of the available cash-flow in that budget. The scale of that contribution was testimony to the Union's view that, whatever criticism might be fashionable in some quarters, United Nations peace-keeping remained vital in the international community's array of tools for crisis management.

Expressing deep concern at the financial situation of the United Nations he said the European Union considered that unilateral decisions adopted by any Member State contradicting the fulfilment of its financial obligations were not acceptable. Every Member State should pay its financial contributions to the Organization promptly, in full and without conditions.

He said the Union attached the utmost importance to the definition and implementation of mandates, which should be linked to overall political goals

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that should be translated into clearly formulated military aims. He noted that past experience had shown the necessity for realistic and achievable mandates, implemented without sufficient resources and personnel. Public support for participation in United Nations operations could be reinforced if the security and safety of those who served under the United Nations flag was increased. Ratification of the Convention on United Nations personnel adopted by the General Assembly in resolution 49/59 should be encouraged. The Organization should ensure that all personnel deployed in the field were trained and equipped in a manner that maximized their safety and security.

He appealed to troop-contributing countries and to Security Council members to actively participate in the implementation of the procedures for meetings announced last week by the President of the Council. He said that in making the Secretariat efficient and cost-effective, certain key concepts should be followed, including insuring effective and timely coordination between the Departments of Political Affairs, Peace-keeping Operations and Administration and Management. The United Nations must improve its ability to deploy peace-keeping operations rapidly. One key means to that end would be more effective planning of operations, including the gathering of information on the situation on the ground.

He said the civilian police component had proven to be an increasingly important element in many peace-keeping operations. Efforts should be made to overcome the difficulties of building up an adequately trained local civilian police. Such efforts should be developed in close cooperation with other peace-building activities and be provided with the necessary resources. The Union again reaffirmed the importance of an effective public information capacity as a condition of success for United Nations peace-keeping operations. The United Nations approach must be active and should be primarily addressed to the local populations.

CELSO L. N. AMORIM (Brazil) said the provisional measures provided for under Chapter VII should be allowed time to produce the desired effect. Those measures might include an embargo on arms sales and ultimately economic sanctions. Only when those measures had proven ineffective should force be seriously contemplated, in accordance with a clear, achievable mandate from the Security Council. The use of force should be envisaged only under truly exceptional circumstances, when a humanitarian catastrophe appeared inevitable.

In taking such an extreme step, he said due attention should be paid to the views of the countries of the region and regional organizations concerned. He said action by a regional alliance might prove to be a viable means to secure compliance with relevant Security Council resolutions and to ensure the safety of United Nations personnel. "It is ultimately up to the United Nations itself, however, to find the means to enforce its decisions", he said.

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"There is simply no substitute for the legitimacy which only effective United Nations control can provide."

He said that peace-keeping operations involved expenditures to be borne by Member States. No significant change in the decision-making process for the launching of such operations had taken place to justify a call for a revision of the special responsibility of the permanent members of the Security Council. He supported the system of stand-by arrangements as a means to ensure the reliability and speed of response required in such emergencies. It shared the goal of ensuring a rapid-reaction capability for the United Nations, on the understanding that no forces should be deployed without the prior consent of the parties. It believed, however, that the time had not come to provide the United Nations with a permanent strategic reserve for deployment in emergencies.

WANG XUEXIAN (China) said peace-keeping operations should follow several guidelines, including respect for State sovereignty, non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries and use of peaceful means to settle disputes. One or a few Security Council permanent Member States should not be allowed to carry out military intervention in the name of the United Nations. Furthermore, the financial difficulties of the United Nations should not be used as a pretext for "double standards". In other words, there were cases where the United Nations was either reluctant or slow in deciding on badly needed peace-keeping operations, though in other instances mandates that had been apparently completed were extended again and again.

A distinction must be made between peace-keeping and peace-enforcement, he said. Resorting to force in peace-keeping operations would often turn the United Nations into a direct party to the conflict, thereby defeating both the purposes and objective of such operations. The United Nations should be extremely cautious with regard to the issue of developing rapid deployment capabilities. China supported various regional organizations in their endeavours to strengthen cooperation with the United Nations. However, as partners of the United Nations in peace-keeping operations those organizations must abide by the United Nations Charter.

"Peace-keeping operations are not a panacea for all diseases, still less for underdevelopment", he continued. The United Nations should give top priority to addressing the underlying causes of conflicts. The United Nations should also strengthen its coordination and consultation with Member States, troop-contributing States in particular. And the Committee itself should be open to all Member States.

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