UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING REMAINS CRUCIAL, IN VIEW OF EFFECTS OF CONFLICTS ON NEIGHBOURING STATES, FOURTH COMMITTEE TOLD
Press Release
GA/SPD/118/
UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING REMAINS CRUCIAL, IN VIEW OF EFFECTS OF CONFLICTS ON NEIGHBOURING STATES, FOURTH COMMITTEE TOLD
19971114 CORRECTIONOwing to a technical error, the statement attributed to China on pages 8 and 9 of Press Release GA/SPD/118 of 10 November also included portions of the statement by India. The statement by Niger, which came between them, was omitted. The summary of the three statements should read as follows:
QIN HUASUN (China) said that although peacekeeping operations had increasingly dealt with countries' internal conflicts in recent years, that should not be used as an excuse to interfere in the internal affairs of those countries. The Security Council should strengthen its guidance and supervision over multinational forces, to prevent and stop any act that went beyond the mandate given by the Council and jeopardized the reputation and image of the United Nations.
A necessary and stable financial basis was essential to the success of any peacekeeping operation, he said. The withholding of peacekeeping assessments by Member States, in particular some major contributors, had seriously dampened the enthusiasm of troop-contributing countries. Concerned countries were called upon to rapidly clear their arrears, in full and without conditions.
Enhancing the rapid-deployment capacity of peacekeeping operations was important in effectively implementing the relevant resolutions of the Council and preventing situations from getting out of control, he said. China supported the United Nations efforts to enhance stand-by arrangements and had announced its readiness to participate in them. The recent measures taken by the Peacekeeping Department to improve the efficiency of operations were also appreciated.
He said the Special Committee's decision to apply uniform death and disability compensation to personnel from developing countries was welcome and should be executed by the Secretariat at an early date. However, the continued use of gratis personnel in peacekeeping operations was regretted. It was hoped that the Secretary-General's plan to phase out their use would be introduced soon.
Fourth Committee - 2 - Press Release GA/SPD/118/Corr.1 14th Meeting (AM) 14 November 1997
Peace and development were the two major issues in today's world, he said. While attaching importance to peacekeeping operations, the United Nations should also attach importance to lifting developing countries out of poverty. That was the only way to prevent conflicts and secure a global environment of long-term stability and peace.
AMADOU SOUNNA (Niger) said that since the end of the cold war, United Nations peacekeeping activities had increased. Between 1988 and 1992, there had been 12 new operations involving the dispatch of peacekeeping troops -- as many as there had been over the preceding 40 years. That reflected the effectiveness and credibility of the Organization.
Niger had always offered its services in alleviating tense situations throughout the world, he said. In 1991, a contingent from Niger had participated in Operation Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia. Its military observers had also been sent to Burundi. Nevertheless, lasting and sustainable peace would be achieved through economic and political development.
BHUVNESH CHATURVEDI (India) said his country's commitment to United Nations peacekeeping was an act of faith. Nevertheless, durable peace required the elimination of inequalities and inequities. Peacekeeping operations could not replace sustained economic growth and development. Peacekeepers neither made peace nor did they enforce it. Rather, they kept the peace. Therefore, peacekeeping mandates were predicated on the consent of the parties and the need to be non-intrusive and non-interventionist. They could not substitute for negotiated political settlements.
The proposed expeditious phasing out of gratis personnel was welcome, he said. It was hoped that the anomalous situation which had prevailed during the past few years was now forever a thing of the past. Also appreciated was General Assembly resolution 51/128, which provided for uniform death and disability compensation for United Nations troops. Security Council resolution 1121 (1997), which established the Dag Hammarskjold Medal for all who have lost their lives while serving in peacekeeping operations, was also a historic step.
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