IMPROVED SECURITY COUNCIL TRANSPARENCY WELCOMED, BUT MORE REFORM URGED AS ASSEMBLY OPENS CONSIDERATION OF REPORT OF COUNCIL'S ACTIVITIES

21 October 1998

Press Release
GA/9482

IMPROVED SECURITY COUNCIL TRANSPARENCY WELCOMED, BUT MORE REFORM URGED AS ASSEMBLY OPENS CONSIDERATION OF REPORT OF COUNCIL'S ACTIVITIES

19981021 Germany Calls for More Efficient Preparation of Annual Report, Brazil Urges Final Agreement on Shape of Expanded and Modernized Council

The Security Council had worked to enhance the transparency of its work, and the way it reports and records its activities, Council President Sir Jeremy Greenstock (United Kingdom) told the General Assembly this morning as it began review of the Report of the Security Council, covering from June 1997 to June 1998.

Last June, the then Council President had established new guidelines for the content of the annual Report to the Assembly intended to provide an easier to use, more comprehensive report which contained more details, he said. This year's Report reflected those changes, along with a new section containing brief assessments of the Council's work prepared by past Council Presidents.

Many speakers this morning welcomed the innovations, but stated that more changes were needed. The representative of Germany said the Report undoubtedly had its merits as a document of reference. However, he asked whether the preparation of the annual Council Report could not be done in a more comprehensive, more effective and less time- and paper-consuming manner.

The representative of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea said the Report lacked information needed for assessing the Council's work correctly. The Report should give a substantive and analytical account of the Council's work, so that positive and negative aspects of the Council's work could be differentiated. For the Council to make a real contribution to the maintenance of peace and security, it should discard its thinking and working methods inherited from the cold war era.

Regarding Security Council reform, the representative of Nigeria said there was an urgent need to democratize the Council's working methods and procedures. Its membership should be expanded, in both the permanent and non- permanent categories. It was unacceptable that Africa -- with 53 Member States in the Organization -- had no permanent seat in the Council. Africa deserved two permanent seats in a reformed and expanded Council.

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The representative of Brazil said it would be disheartening if the post- cold war period, instead of setting the stage for greater international cohesion, led to a time characterized by new patterns of fragmentation and spheres of influence. To ensure that the Council maintained its role in promoting peace in the future, Member States must finalize United Nations reform by agreeing on the shape of an expanded and modernized Council.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Malaysia, New Zealand, Colombia, Ukraine, Mexico, Norway, Myanmar, Egypt, Costa Rica and China.

Also this morning, Assembly President Didier Opertti (Uruguay), along with announcing the dates of forthcoming pledging conferences, said that the General Committee will meet on Friday, 23 October, at 9 a.m., to consider requests for the inclusion of two new items on the Assembly's current agenda.

The Assembly will meet again at 3 p.m. to continue its consideration of the Report of the Security Council.

Assembly Work Programme

The Assembly met this morning to consider the report of the Security Council covering the period from 16 June 1997 to 15 June 1998. The report (document A/53/2), produced as a guide to the Council's activities during the 12-month period, was submitted to the Assembly in accordance with provisions of the United Nations Charter.

During the year under review, the Council held 103 formal meetings, adopted 61 resolutions and issued 41 statements by the President. In addition, Council members held consultations of the whole, totalling some 588 hours. The Council considered over 92 reports of the Secretary-General and reviewed and processed more than 1,079 documents and communications from States and regional and other intergovernmental organizations.

Part I of the report deals with the questions considered by the Council under its responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. In open meetings, the Council devoted much of its attention to conflicts on the continent of Africa. The situation in the former Yugoslavia continued to be a prime concern of the Council as did Iraq and Kuwait.

The Council met most frequently on the following:

Situation Meetings Resolutions Statements

Former Yugoslavia 16 12 5 Iraq and Kuwait 14 8 6 Angola 10 8 2 Sierra Leone 10 4 5 Central African Republic 5 5 0 Africa 4 1 1 Western Sahara 4 4 0 Middle East 4 4 4 Tajikistan 4 3 1 Georgia 4 2 2

The Council also met on Afghanistan, Albania, Cambodia, Republic of the Congo, Cyprus, Haiti, Liberia, Rwanda and Somalia.

In addition, the Council considered items related to peacekeeping operations, including civilian police in peacekeeping operations, and the establishment of the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal as a tribute for the sacrifice of those who had lost their life as a result of service in United Nations peacekeeping operations; protection for humanitarian assistance to refugees and others in conflict situations; letters dated 20 December 1991 from France, the United Kingdom and the United States concerning responsibility for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, and the bombing of Union de Transports Aeriens flight 772; a letter dated 31 March 1998 from

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Papua New Guinea transmitting the text of a ceasefire agreement signed by the parties to the nine-year conflict in that country; and the responsibility of the Council in the maintenance of international peace and security.

Part II of the report deals with other matters considered by the Council, such as the consideration of the draft report to the General Assembly and matters relating to documentation and working methods and procedures of the Council. Part III covers the work of the Military Staff Committee while Part IV lists communications on matters brought to the Council's attention.

Part V reviews the work of the subsidiary organs of the Council. It states that the period covered by the present report had been one of the most challenging with regard to the relationship between Iraq and the United Nations Special Commission established by Council resolution 687 (1991) to monitor the elimination of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.

Other subsidiary organs which were active during the year included the Governing Council of the United Nations Compensation Commission, the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and for the Former Yugoslavia; and Security Council Committees concerning Iraq and Kuwait, Libya, Somalia, Angola, Rwanda, Liberia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, including Kosovo.

Regarding the Council's membership, the report recalls that, on 14 October 1997, the General Assembly elected Bahrain, Brazil, Gabon, Gambia and Slovenia to fill the vacancies resulting from the expiration on 31 December 1997 of the terms of office of Chile, Egypt, Guinea-Bissau, Poland and the Republic of Korea.

Statements

Sir JEREMY GREENSTOCK (United Kingdom), President of the Security Council, introduced the Council's annual report. The Council had another busy year, which did not demonstrate high productivity, but rather reflected the many problems related to the maintenance of international peace and security with which the Council had to deal with. The situation in Africa occupied much of the Council's time and was considered as a general item in its own right. The Council had also considered certain aspects of peace and security from a global perspective including its consideration of protection for humanitarian assistance to refugees and others in conflict situations, and of the role of civilian police and other aspects of peacekeeping operations. He was sure today's debate -- an important part of the dialogue between the Assembly and the Council -- would deal not just with the history and statistics, but also with the substance of some of those issues.

Council members had taken note of the need to enhance the transparency of the Council, a concept which applied not only to the way in which it carried out its work, but also to the way that work was reported and recorded,

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he said. The then president of the Council set out new guidelines for the content of the annual report in June 1997. That decision was reflected for the first time in the present report. For each item of substance, the report now included: a description in chronological order of the consideration by the Council of the subject; the actions taken by the Council on that item, including descriptions of the decisions, resolutions and presidential statements; and a list of communications received by the Council and reports from the Secretary-General. It also included information: on the dates of formal meetings and informal consultations; of which subjects were discussed; on the work of subsidiary organs, including the Sanctions Committees; on the documentation, working methods and procedures of the Council; and on matters brought to the Council's attention but not discussed by it in the period covered. The appendices now contained full texts of all the resolutions, decisions and statements adopted or voted on by the Council during the year, together with information about meetings with troop-contributing countries. All in all, the intention of those changes was to make the report more comprehensive and easier to use, and to set out a more detailed record of the Council's work.

Another significant development was the inclusion, for the first time, of brief assessments of the Council's work prepared by representatives who had completed their functions as President of the Council, he continued. Those assessments did not represent the views of the Council as such. Thus, each report reflected in some respects the individual perceptions of each President. Although the report was fuller than in previous years, it was not intended as a substitute for the Council's official records, which provided a more substantive account of its deliberations. The report should be read in conjunction with other official Council documents, to which it constituted a reference guide.

DIETER KASTRUP (Germany) said that the report was the result of enormous efforts by the Secretariat to give the general membership more than a rough idea of the work of the Council and the issues it dealt with. At the same time, it seemed to give a strong indication that more efforts were needed to bring about a comprehensive reform of the Organization. The report reflected an enormous recent workload of the Council, and the document itself had grown considerably. He wondered how many delegates had read every single page of the 311-page report, or at least selected substantial parts of it. The report undoubtedly had its merits as a document of reference, but the question remained: could it not be done in a more comprehensive, more effective and less time- and paper-consuming manner?

The innovative elements in this year's report were the monthly assessments of the work of the Council, he continued. It was a new effort to add life to a routine exercise and, like many new efforts, it had a rather slow start. The assessments of the 12 respective Presidents of the Council could have been more explicit and less formal. In fact, they remained almost entirely formal and descriptive. His delegation would also like to see

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improved information and participation to take place, not in the aftermath of events, but at the time of their occurrence. Germany believed that, in addition to more transparent working methods, the composition of the Security Council had to be changed to reflect the realities of the world.

HASMY AGAM (Malaysia) said his delegation found the report of the Security Council a great improvement to those of the past. In terms of its coverage of the decisions of the Council, the present report was more descriptive and, therefore, served as an important and much needed tool for analysis by Member States which were not members of the Council.

He said the issue of sanctions was very important to his delegation. While such measures were a legitimate instrument of enforcement and did serve specific purposes, they should be an instrument of last resort when all other means had failed. They should be imposed only if absolutely necessary. They should have clear and specific objectives and parameters. They should also be clearly targeted, and have specified time-frames and appropriate review mechanisms that were based on a fair and objective evaluation of the effects and effectiveness of the sanctions. That was important in order to ensure the credibility of the Council. While the decision to impose sanctions could easily be taken through the passage of a simple Council resolution, their implementation usually raised a large number of problems for the international community, including neighbouring States.

He said sanctions could have enormous negative effects on innocent and blameless civilians, including women, children, the aged and the infirm before they achieved their objectives. Unless they were perceived as being fair and effectively carried out through the strong and consistent support of the international community, sanctions could run the risk of being challenged, thereby undermining the prestige and the credibility of the United Nations itself. It was extremely important that sanctions were not perceived as punitive instruments in the hands of one or two Council members who were intent on punishing a particular country or countries which they did not like.

MICHAEL POWLES (New Zealand) said that a question of special significance to his delegation was the consideration of the United Nations' role in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. His country was grateful to those members of the Council who took a particular interest in the matter and contributed to the positive outcome, which led to the establishment of a small United Nations political office in Bougainville to monitor the peace process.

The Council also devoted a good deal of effort to the situation in Africa, he said, and played a crucial role in giving expression to the international community's condemnation of nuclear testing by India and Pakistan. However, the relatively low turnout for the open meeting on the nuclear testing was attributable to the fact that notice of that Saturday meeting was provided to missions long after the close of business on the preceding day. Many non-members of the Council who had taken part in the

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meeting, were given further cause for concern when the Council proceeded to adopt the relevant resolution before permitting them to speak.

Among some distinct improvements in this year's report were the monthly assessments done by the former Presidents of the Council, he continued. He was also pleased to see the return to the practice of informing the Member States about the number of informal consultations held on each question before the Council. However, the imbalance between open meetings of the Council and the far more frequent use of informal consultations for taking decisions was a problem. Meetings held in private should not have been permitted to become the normal modus operandi for any part of the Organization. When it came to the issues of international peace and security, people around the world wanted to know what their diplomats and governments were doing in their name. It was very worrying, therefore, that the Security Council continued to cling to the habit of secrecy in decision-making.

ALFONSO VALDIVIESO (Colombia) said the Charter, whereby the Assembly received and considered the reports of the Council, established a link of great importance for the performance of the United Nations. Thus, when the Council acted in conformity with the Charter, it did so on behalf of all Member States. The Assembly, which represented all Member States, was vested with an ample mandate over all issues and questions within the framework of the Charter.

Addressing the Council's report, he encouraged efforts to prepare a more analytical, material and substantive account of its work, he said. Given the importance of understanding the process that preceded the adoption of Council decisions to increase the flow of information from the Council to all Member States, the inclusion of consultations of the whole constituted an important step. It was desirable to continue broadening and developing that practice. The same could be said for the decisions and recommendations of the subsidiary organs of the Council, in particular the sanctions committees. He said that the most noteworthy and positive development regarding the report came from the addition of the monthly evaluations by ex-Presidents. Even when such evaluations were included as an informative tool and did not represent the opinions of the Council, they constituted an important step towards enhancing transparency and enabled more objective evaluations of the Council's work by the Assembly.

VOLODYMYR YEL'CHENKO (Ukraine) said the time had come for the Council to make a quantum leap in elevating its relationship with all the constituents which, together, made up the international community. Primary attention had to be focused on relationships of the Council with the Member States, from whom it derived all its power and responsibility. All the valuable efforts made so far in increasing the Council's openness and transparency could not substitute for genuine interaction with the membership of the United Nations, who were not members of that organ. Ukraine was convinced that the cornerstone for such relationships was laid down in the Charter, which implied

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that non-members of the Council were provided with the same rights to influence its decisions as its members, except regarding voting. What his country would like to get rid of was the current modus operandi, under which the overwhelming majority of Member States were practically excluded from the decision-making process of the Council, which was acting on their behalf.

The relationship of the Council with other principal organs of the Organization was another area where Charter provisions could strengthen international cooperation in dealing with traditional and new threats to global stability, he said. The Council's interaction with the Assembly should not be limited to discussion of the Council's report. A step to elevate interaction would be if the Council reviewed its right, enshrined in the Charter, to request the Assembly to make recommendations regarding situations threatening international peace and security. He once again reiterated Ukraine's call to establish a United Nations economic security council. Also, to avoid situations where regional action -- instead of being part of the solution, became part of the problem -- it was imperative to keep the activities of regional organizations under effective control. It was also important to emphasize that, under the existing norms of international law, the relevant decisions by the Council constituted the only grounds for enforcement measures which might be taken by regional organizations.

MANUEL TELLO (Mexico) said his Government was gratified to see that the members of the Security Council were sensitive and responsive to United Nations membership with regard to receiving information of the daily activities of that organ. However, the battle was far from won when expecting a detailed, analytical report. The Assembly delegated the responsibility for the maintenance of peace and security to the Council. It was from the Assembly that it received its mandate and to the Assembly that it was responsible. It was the duty of Council members to keep others properly informed about matters it was considering and decisions to be taken, to which everyone was bound to carry out. The monthly assessments by Council presidents were useful because they were more comprehensive and analytical than sections pertaining to that in the report. Mexico was grateful to Costa Rica for issuing their assessment as an official document of the Council. The annex on working methods was also encouraging because it showed the Council's recognition to improve its working methods.

In preparing its annual report, Council members had to take into account resolution 51/193 adopted on 17 December 1996, particularly the measures in paragraph 4, he said. The Assembly had to have information on what happened during the informal consulations, "mysterious enclaves", during which decisions were taken that affected everyone. Transparency could only be attained with the cooperation of Council members. Efforts must be redoubled, taking into account the recommendations of the Assembly, from which it derived its authority and jurisdiction. There was a need to know the legal and political foundations underlying decisions taken by the Council. Mexico would

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participate actively in the deliberation of issues in the Open-ended Working Group on equitable representation and increasing Council membership.

Assembly President DIDIER OPERTTI (Uruguay) announced the following activities:

The 1998 United Nations/Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Pledging Conference for the World Food Programme (WFP) would take place in the afternoon of Tuesday 3 November; the 1998 United Nations Pledging Conference for Development Activities would be held during the mornings of Wednesday and Thursday, 4 and 5 November; and both Pledging Conferences would be opened jointly in the afternoon of Tuesday 3 November.

The announcement of voluntary contributions to the 1999 programmes of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) would take place on Friday 13 November, in the morning, he said.

The announcement of voluntary contributions to the 1999 programmes of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) would take place on Thursday 3 December, in the morning.

He also announced that in regard to the agenda item entitled "Strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance of the United Nations, including special economic assistance", he had requested Jorgen Bojer (Denmark) to coordinate informal consultations on the related draft resolutions. The first meeting of the informal consultations would be held on Wednesday 28 October at 3 p.m., in Conference Room 8.

OLE PETER KOLBY (Norway) said that efforts to make the report more user-friendly and analytical demonstrated the willingness of the Council to acknowledge the requests for better information made in previous years. While the Council's primary responsibility for preventing conflict and maintaining international peace and security was essential, it must be recognized that, at the same time, questions of peace and security, and conflict prevention and resolution were closely connected to issues that were the responsibility of the General Assembly. The activities of the Assembly were important to combat the root causes of conflicts and to promote an international environment conducive to peaceful cooperation and development. Close cooperation and coordination between the two bodies must be emphasized.

He underlined the need for greater transparency in the work of the Council. The regular briefings by the President were helpful as were the informal briefings given by several members of the Council to members of delegations waiting outside the Council's room hoping to pick up information. The Council should consider the possibility that meetings largely informative in nature -- such as briefings by the Secretariat or by the Secretary- General's Special Representatives -- be organized as open meetings rather than

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consultations of the whole. That would not preclude closed Council consultations after such briefings. His country further welcomed the principle of open-orientation debates on different issues on the Council's agenda so that the views of the membership at large could be taken into account in the Council's own deliberations.

Openness and transparency in the Council, he said, were particularly important when peacekeeping operations were considered. When mandates for new operations were to be considered, all potential troop-contributing countries should be given the opportunity to present their views. He welcomed the mechanisms established for that purpose and urged all Council members and troop-contributors to make full use of such mechanisms. Transparency was also important for regional and subregional organizations that cooperated with the Organization in the areas of peace and security, such as the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Better unity of purpose and integration of United Nations peacekeeping efforts with those of other stakeholders should be the Organization's goal. As Norway would assume the chairmanship of the OSCE in January of next year, it would further refine the already well-established working relationship between the OSCE and the United Nations.

WIN MRA (Myanmar) said the consideration of the Council's report by the Assembly was an occasion for the general membership to look at how effectively the Council was fulfilling its obligations, and for non-Council members to present their views.

Although the Council had the right to take the necessary measures when international peace and security were threatened, it should resort to sanctions only after other measures had been exhausted, he said. In addition, humanitarian crises should not be used as pretext to invoke Chapter VII measures. Frequent use of sanctions by a unique organ like the Council -- where democracy was conspicuous by its absence -- might be perceived as a coercive political tool of a few powerful countries on the Council, rather than a useful international policy tool to deal with threats to international peace and security. Experience showed that sanctions were sometimes difficult to lift, thereby prolonging the misery of the country concerned, as well as third countries which were required to implement the sanctions. Despite the new trend concerning sanctions taking shape in the Council, that should not encourage a tendency to resort to sanctions at the first opportunity.

The situations requiring the application of sanctions regimes were very few, he continued. Their implications for regional peace and security, however, were always serious enough to warrant special arrangements for the smooth flow of up-to-date information to the general membership on Council decisions and activities concerning sanctions regimes. Special reports and special briefings by the Council to the Assembly would facilitate the smooth flow of information to the general membership. The Council should submit special reports to the Assembly on specific situations. That would promote

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and enhance the interactive relationship between the two principal organs of the United Nations.

IBRAHIM A. GAMBARI (Nigeria) said the Council's report would enhance cooperation between the two principal organs of the Organization. That was essential because the Council executed its mandates on behalf of the whole membership of the United Nations. His delegation attached great importance to Council's activities in Africa, as conflicts on the continent had generated serious apprehensions on the part of the international community. He was pleased that the Council was currently giving special consideration to the root causes of Africa's problems with a view to finding appropriate mechanisms to resolve them. He emphasized the important link between peace and development and called on the international community to review its commitment to reinforcing that link.

His country believed that there was an urgent need for reform and democratization of the working methods and procedures of the Council, he said. Its membership should be expanded in both the permanent and non-permanent categories. It was unacceptable that Africa, with 53 Member States in the Organization, had no permanent seat in the Council. It deserved two permanent seats in a reformed and expanded Council.

Closer cooperation, coordination and more regular consultations between the Council and the Assembly were needed to enhance the overall effectiveness of the Organization, he added. The Assembly should play a more active role in the maintenance of international peace and security, a domain that had, so far, been dominated by the Council. The Council had primary, but not exclusive, responsibility in that area. It was obvious that the Council depended on the initiatives of regional institutions as a necessary part of efforts to maintain international peace and security. Such initiatives stood a greater chance of success if adequately and promptly supported by the Council. For example, the Council should provide the Economic Community of West African States' Monitoring Observer Group (ECOMOG) with the technical and logistical support that it required to execute its ongoing mandate in Sierra Leone. Much more needed to be done to strengthen cooperation in concrete terms between the United Nations and subregional and regional organizations in their complementary role in the maintenance of global peace and security.

NABIL A. ELARABY (Egypt) said the report of the Security Council to the Assembly represented a link between the two bodies on the issue of peace and international security. The present report was a major improvement over past ones. It was more coherent and user-friendly. However, there was still room for improvement. The report was still being prepared in a narrative style. His delegation believed that it should be structured in objective, analytic and descriptive parts. For the report to bear fruit, the Assembly should be able to make decisions on specific issues covered, or at least make specific recommendations on issues to the Council. So far, the report still seemed

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like a compendium of documents which had already been circulated to Member States -- that was a waste of time and money.

He said the descriptive parts of the report should contain a factual summary of meetings held in private, since the bulk of the Council's work was done in that way. While the assessment made by the President did represent progress, it did not express the opinions of the Council's members. The report should also provide an objective portrayal of deliberations. In addition, it did not have an analysis of the reasons behind the imposition of sanctions. Such an evaluation was necessary to gauge the successfulness and effectiveness of such measures and to determine how instrumental they were in bringing about change. The Council should think about allowing Member States on which sanctions were going to be imposed to express their views to the Council prior to the imposition.

The Council should also invite troop-contributing countries to participate in its deliberations. Outside of the annual report, special reports should also be submitted to the Assembly on specific issues. He hoped the Council would heed the call to take a fresh look into its working methods.

CELSO L.N. AMORIM (Brazil) said current trends did not "allow us to feel entirely confident that the world is becoming a safer place or that the Security Council's authority is not at risk". It was also unsettling to witness the commonly accepted basis for legitimate international action in the field of peace and security -- the Organization's Charter -- being circumvented for whatever reasons. Without going into the individual merits of specific actions by regional organizations and other non-universal bodies, those "waivers" -- proclaimed outside the United Nations legal standard -- were symptomatic of a lack of confidence in the Council's judgement. That should be a matter for deep reflection by Member States. It would be disheartening if the post-cold war period, instead of setting the stage for an era of greater international cohesion, were to degenerate into new patterns of fragmentation and spheres of influence, to the detriment of the principles and objectives of the Charter.

He said to ensure that the Council did maintain its role in promoting peace in the future, it would be essential for Member States to confront the urgent need to finalize the process of United Nations reform by agreeing on the shape of an expanded and modernized Council. The elements of reform involved expansion of the two categories of members, permanent and non- permanent, with the presence of developing countries in both of them. That should be done on a non-discriminatory basis vis-à-vis developed nations.

Reform also implied transparency, both within the Council and in its relations with other bodies, notably the Assembly. The gradual erosion of the legitimacy and credibility of the Council was not a risk for the distant future. It was a process that had already started. It was therefore incumbent upon Member States to stop that process and reverse it. Reform was

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not a panacea. While it would not magically change the old thinking of some and the diffidence of others, it was, however, an indispensable requirement.

MELVIN SAENZ BIOLLEY (Costa Rica) said that for the last 22 months, as one of the elected members of the Security Council, his delegation had been honoured to represent the regional Group of Latin American and Caribbean countries. Addressing the most sensitive international issues and seeking for lasting solutions to world crises, the Council should strictly observe the principles of sovereignty and equality of States. New causes of conflicts -- poverty, underdevelopment, massive flows of refugees, ethnic civil wars, terrorism and trafficking of drugs -- had become items on the world security agenda. New proposals and mechanisms should be developed to solve those problems, for they could not be addressed by military means alone. Only a comprehensive approach could present a solution. It should include promotion of human rights and democracy, creation of confidence, promoting economic development and monitoring elections.

The activities of the Security Council could not be kept secret from Member States of the Organization, he continued. Some secrecy was required only on exceptional occasions. More effective work of the Council necessitated strict application of Articles of the Charter permitting non-members to participate in the work of the Council, without the right to vote. Some of the key proposals on improving the working methods of the Council still needed to be implemented. Open meetings should be the norm. The Secretary-General and his representatives should submit reports to the Security Council more frequently in open meetings, for the majority of the membership should have access to that information. He welcomed the incorporation in the report of monthly assessments by Presidents of the Security Council.

Turning to the issue of sanctions, he said that they should be imposed in strict adherence to international law, and any measure entailing the use of force must involve satisfying all the legal, political and strategic requirements. The authorization of the Council was required for any military intervention. Any measure adopted by the Security Council must have clear goals and specific descriptions of subsequent actions. Sanctions should not be tools for intervening in matters under the domestic jurisdiction of States. Humanitarian exceptions were a vital element of any sanctions regime, and human rights of the population should be respected.

Sanctions should have clear-cut and objective conditions for their lifting, he said. They should be part of an overall strategy designed to find a peaceful solution of the situation. Costa Rica supported a comprehensive review of sanctions on Iraq once that country resumed its cooperation with the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) on the disposal of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

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LI HYONG CHOL (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) said it was essential for the Council to ensure impartiality and transparency in all its activities. What was important was for the Council to decisively improve the quality of its annual report. The report presented to the Assembly lacked information needed for assessing the annual work of the Council correctly. It was of procedural nature, only containing the dates of meetings and resolutions. Accordingly, it was of no help for having a proper understanding of the Council's activities.

The annual report should give a substantive and analytical account of its annual work, not simply remind members of the already public records of the meeting, he said. Members must be able to differentiate the positive and negative aspects of the Council's work. Therefore, it should include detailed information concerning the process of adoption of resolutions, informal consultations and activities of the Council's subsidiary organs. For the Council to make a real contribution to the maintenance of peace and security through just activities, it should discard its thinking and working methods inherited from the cold war era. If the Council continued to deal with matters in a biased manner, ignoring views of parties concerned by operating mostly through informal consultations, positive results could not be expected. Rather, it would fuel confrontation among parties concerned, further aggravating disputes.

His country opposed the current working method of the Council in which some big Powers were depicted as "defenders of peace" and weak countries as "breakers of peace" through informal consultations, he said. That was manifested most recently by Japan, who brought the issue of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's satellite launch to the attention of the Council. That was an issue which was not to be discussed in the Council, in light of its nature. The Council took up the issue, even though it was not a matter to be dealt with in the Council. After considering the matter in private a "press statement" was issued, which was described as if it represented the view of the international community. That clearly showed how impartiality was being ignored and how the view of the international community fabricated in a closed setting of the Council. It also showed how the Council was being abused by some countries for their political purposes, instead of fulfilling its mission to maintain international peace and security.

SHEN GOUFANG (China) said the functions and role of the Security Council should be further strengthened. Practices over the last year had shown that its role in maintaining world peace was irreplaceable. The United Nations should also enhance and expand its cooperation with regional organizations in maintaining world peace and security. China favoured a constructive role for regional organizations and called on the United Nations to provide meaningful support to regional entities such as the OAU.

He said that over the past year, the Council had been more, rather than less, involved in the internal conflicts of some countries. China was not in

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favour of such interference in a country being carried out in the name of alleviating humanitarian crisis, or the use of military threat or intervention through the invocation of Chapter VII of the Charter. China was also opposed to putting all the problems in the conflict areas on the agenda of the Council. That did not conform to the principles guiding the division of work between the various organs of the United Nations, nor did it facilitate the effective functioning of other entities of the Organization, especially the General Assembly. Such a practice could overwhelm the priority issues before the Council and affect its functioning.

He said the wilful and frequent resort to sanctions would not help resolve conflicts or disputes. On the contrary, it would only further complicate the matter, inflict sufferings on the people of the country and result in economic losses to third States. When sanctions were inevitable, specific targets, range and duration should be clearly defined and sufficient concern should be given to humanitarian concerns. His country did not favour the current situation where it was all too easy to impose sanctions, but difficult to lift them.

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