PRESS BRIEFING BY UNITED NATIONS RESIDENT COORDINATOR AND HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR IN TAJIKISTAN

Press Briefing

PRESS BRIEFING BY UNITED NATIONS RESIDENT COORDINATOR AND HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR IN TAJIKISTAN

The complexity of the peace and reconciliation process in Tajikistan was much greater than had been anticipated when the peace agreement had been signed in Moscow in June 1997, Paulo Lembo, United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Tajikistan, told correspondents today. Mr. Lembo, guest speaker at today's daily press briefing of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General, said that peace agreement had ended five years of civil war in Tajikistan, during which over 50,000 died.

The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Tajikistan, Jan Kubis, was concerned about the pace of the peace process, Mr. Lembo continued, and he presumed that, at his latest meeting with the Tajik President, Emomali Rakhmonov, Mr. Kubis would have reiterated that concern.

While for all those working to support the implementation of the agreement, including the United Nations, it had been a more exacting task than envisaged at the beginning, it would be unfair not to acknowledge the many achievements that were on the table, Mr. Lembo said. The simple fact that the war had been brought to an end was a remarkable achievement, as was the fact that -- given how bitter and violent the civil war had been in Tajikistan -- a member of the United Tajik Opposition had been appointed as a Minister in Tajikistan's Government.

The Opposition -- perhaps they should now be called the former Opposition -- and the Government were engaged in a constructive dialogue, he said. There were still difficulties, related in part to the appointment of new United Tajik Opposition candidates to important governmental positions. However, an ongoing political dialogue was taking place. When political crises emerged, and of course they still emerged frequently, they were resolved by political means, rather than by Kalashnikovs.

This year, he believed, was particularly important for Tajikistan, as elections for the President and the Parliament, and a referendum on the constitution were imminent. The United Nations would certainly continue to support consolidation of the gains of the peace agreement, and implementation of the various protocols envisaged in the agreement. The protocol on demobilization was of particular concern, as there were still thousands of armed people in the country. It would be difficult to talk about peace and stability until they were demobilized.

The elections were important to consolidate the peace agreement, he continued, but also to demonstrate that it was possible to establish a fully mature democracy in the heart of Central Asia. It was possible, of course, and the importance of the efforts of the United Nations system in that country had a symbolic value that went beyond Tajikistan. It was an attempt to establish a political architecture inspired by truly democratic principles, in which a

Tajikistan Briefing - 2 - 27 January 1999

voice was successfully given to everyone. That would be an important model in Central Asia.

He acknowledged a certain regret at how the international community had neglected the efforts taken in Tajikistan to pursue such a model. The international community appeared to have failed to notice the links between Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and the region. Without peace and stability in Tajikistan, it would be difficult to have peace and stability elsewhere in Central Asia. He hoped that he would have more moral and financial support for the process from the international community, to allow for greater implementation of the process.

In response to a suggestion from a journalist that the leaders of the Central Asian States that had been part of the Soviet Union were still the same -- the "old guard" from the Soviet Union -- Mr. Lembo explained that it was unrealistic to believe that a change in the political establishment could occur in one season. The Soviet Union had collapsed only a few years ago, he said. A gigantic process was taking place, with many visible signs of progress. Who would have thought two years ago that a Minister in the Government would be a United Tajik Opposition representative? he asked.

Modes of thought and behaviour of the political classes were changing, he said. It was now acknowledged, for example, that those with different opinions or ideas were not necessarily to be considered enemies. However, he would prefer that change take place at a much greater pace, and for that reason he sought more resources from the international community to support rapid implementation of the peace process.

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