ATTEMPTS TO BYPASS SECURITY COUNCIL BY RESORTING TO UNILATERAL INTRUSION COULD HAVE GLOBAL IMPLICATIONS, SPECIAL PEACEKEEPING COMMITTEE TOLD

Press Release
GA/PK/158

ATTEMPTS TO BYPASS SECURITY COUNCIL BY RESORTING TO UNILATERAL INTRUSION COULD HAVE GLOBAL IMPLICATIONS, SPECIAL PEACEKEEPING COMMITTEE TOLD

Attempts to bypass the Security Council by resorting to unilateral intrusion contradicted the very basis of the existing system of international relations and could have implications of a global character, the representative of the Russian Federation told the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations this afternoon.

As the Committee continued its general debate, he expressed concern at the recent trend to resort to measures of coercion, sometimes disregarding available peaceful means. The issue of "operations carried out by coalitions" was especially urgent now, he said. If the deployment of major troop contingents was involved, the participation of such closed-type regional organizations as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) could take place only if sanctioned by the Security Council.

While recognizing that the Security Council would issue the decision for or against a peacekeeping operation, the representative of the United States said that the General Assembly's role must also be recognized in ensuring the peacekeeping structure and capacity to respond. Chapter I of the United Nations Charter clearly stated that the Organization would take "effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to peace", and the Special Committee's job must be to make sure that the Secretariat had the necessary guidance to remain effective and ready to act when called.

Pakistan's representative said there was a dire need to rationalize the extent of sub-contracting peacekeeping to regional organizations. No erroneous impression must be given that certain regions were of lesser interest to the United Nations. In fact, the credibility of the Security Council was undermined every time it ignored a conflict and left it to the regional players for resolution.

Regarding the phasing out of gratis personnel, several delegations agreed that its ultimate effect remained to be seen. However, they underlined the need to retain the expertise and role of the Department of Peacekeeping

Peacekeeping Operations Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/PK/158 152nd Meeting (PM) 24 March 1999

Operations. The representative of Egypt said that the Secretary-General's report seemed to blame the General Assembly and the Special Committee for problems encountered after the phase-out. That was unacceptable, as the Secretariat had had ample time to work out the transition. Imprecise implementation of the Assembly recommendations on that subject was the reason for the poor performance of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Uruguay, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Kazakhstan, Singapore, Argentina and the Philippines.

Also today, the Special Committee admitted the following to participate in its work as observers: Angola, European Union, Iceland, Latvia, Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Switzerland, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Viet Nam, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The Committee will continue its general debate at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 25 March.

Special Committee Work Programme

The Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations met this afternoon to continue its general debate. (For background on documents before the Committee see Press Release GA/PK/157 of 24 March.)

Statements

AHMAD KAMAL (Pakistan) said that there was a need for a fundamental reappraisal of the capacity of the United Nations to deal with the present-day challenges. Unfortunately, peace in South Asia remained as elusive and distant as ever. The failure of the international community to fulfil its commitment to the people of Jammu and Kashmir had brought India and Pakistan to a flash point the year before. Although the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) had been established 50 years before, no determined and sustained efforts had been made by the United Nations to resolve the root cause of the conflict.

Pakistan considered it important for the United Nations to act before the outbreak of a conflict, rather than intervene once a conflict had already erupted. There should therefore be a more sustained attempt at achieving a political solution to disputes by more frequent recourse to Chapter VI of the Charter. Preventive diplomacy and deployment should not be conditional upon the consent of the parties to a conflict, nor should peacekeeping operations be predicated simply on the criteria of resource availability. Peacekeeping operations must have a clear political direction and mandate, effective command and control structure, as well as clearly defined uniform rules of engagement. The goal of peacekeeping should be to resolve the root causes of the conflict.

The role of regional organizations should be strictly in accordance with Chapter VIII of the Charter, he said. There was a dire need to rationalize the extent of sub-contracting peacekeeping to regional organizations, and no erroneous impression must be given that certain regions were of lesser interest to the United Nations. In fact, the credibility of the Security Council was undermined every time it ignored a conflict and left it to the regional players for resolution. Turning to peacekeeping in Africa, he said the United Nations needed to fully prepare for any future emergencies in that continent by developing an efficient early-warning system and building appropriate capacities to effectively respond to simmering crises.

The phasing out of gratis personnel from the Department of Peacekeeping Operations had become possible due to collective efforts and cooperation from the Secretariat, he continued. Nevertheless, he remained concerned that the Secretariat had now made an attempt to project an impression that the phasing out was responsible for its inability to achieve progress in important areas. That was not a defendable attitude, as the Secretariat had been repeatedly urged to incorporate into the phase-out plan detailed transitional

Peacekeeping Operations Committee - 3 - Press Release GA/PK/158 152nd Meeting (PM) 24 March 1999

arrangements, and the blame for any shortcomings in the finalization of the transitional arrangements must be borne by the Secretariat, and not by Member States.

Reimbursement for troop-contribution and contingent-owned equipment remained a slow process, he said. The delay in payment caused hardship to all the troop- and equipment-contributing countries. In that respect, the Secretariat must ensure implementation of recommendations of the working group on the reimbursement of contingent-owned equipment. The transparency of the procurement procedures needed to be enhanced, and the imbalance of the procurement structure must be rectified in order to ensure equitable participation by all geographical regions. Also, the organizational structure and working methods of the Special Committee must be streamlined.

RICHARD SKLAR (United States) said that, while recognizing that the Security Council would issue the decision for or against a peacekeeping operation, the role of the General Assembly must also be recognized in ensuring the existence of the peacekeeping structure and capacity to respond. The Secretariat must be prepared to respond rapidly when a decision was made to initiate a peacekeeping operation. Chapter I of the United Nations Charter clearly stated that the Organization would take "effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to peace". The Special Committee's job must be to make sure, through its report, that the Secretariat had the necessary guidance to remain effective and ready to act when called upon.

He said that a comprehensive review by the Secretariat of the peacekeeping backstopping function in New York was necessary and consistent with the Secretary-General's reform programme for the entire Organization, which Member States had endorsed. To date, the Secretary-General's response had been unsatisfactory. While applauding the successful role of the Executive Committees in enhancing cooperation and coordination among the various departments involved in peacekeeping policy issues -- cited in the Secretary-General's report -- that same method should be applied to a comprehensive review of the entire peacekeeping structure at Headquarters. Such a review was necessary to ensure the continued credibility and relevance of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the overall peacekeeping function at Headquarters.

The Committee must focus on the Department's overall readiness in the areas of planning, operations and logistics, he said. Early warning remained an essential component of readiness, and one that was important beyond the boundaries of the Department, as it affected other United Nations agencies and their field operations. It was important that the Secretariat take the necessary steps to ensure that early warning remained a priority. Doing so would ensure that Member States were ready to respond when the time came and that their personnel were protected during their operations in the field. Planning, in order to realistically address complex crises, required a

Peacekeeping Operations Committee - 4 - Press Release GA/PK/158 152nd Meeting (PM) 24 March 1999

holistic approach drawing on all the resources of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations as well as expertise from outside the Department.

ANDREI E. GRANOVSKY (Russian Federation) expressed concern at the trend to resort to measures of coercion, including means of military leverage, sometimes disregarding still available peaceful means. The United Nations was empowered to use such means only under exceptional circumstances, when all other peaceful means had been exhausted. Even more dangerous were attempts to bypass the Security Council by resorting to unilateral intrusion. Such attempts contradicted the very basis of the existing system of international relations and could have implications of a global character. Success of modern multidimensional peacekeeping operations primarily depended on establishing multifaceted interaction between every phase of the peacekeeping process, coordination of the activities of all international organizations, including non-governmental ones. The Russian Federation was convinced that the United Nations was a universal mechanism that would be able to solve those tasks.

The necessity to enhance the central role of the United Nations in peacekeeping provided for the importance of strengthening its rapid-response capability, he said. His delegation believed that the most effective means of reaching that goal should be the emerging system of standby arrangements. Enhancing the role of civil police was yet another objective reality. Besides the implementation of the task of preventing violence and strengthening mutual confidence and sense of security, civil police contingents were able to ensure a smooth exit of peacekeeping operations. The functions of civilian police should not intermingle with military components. Also, the importance of keeping the population of the region of conflict informed regarding the peacekeepers' goals could not be overestimated.

Regarding safety and security, he said that all attacks against humanitarian personnel should be thoroughly investigated. However, caution should be exercised concerning the use of force to provide the security of peacekeepers. The rules of engagement should be precisely formulated in the mandates of operations issued by the Security Council and compliance with them should be monitored by it. The attempts of both expansionist interpretation of those mandates to suit a political conjuncture, or creeping revision of the decisions of the Council were unacceptable.

The issue of "operations carried out by coalitions" was especially urgent now, he said. It had to be stressed that the participation of closed-type regional organizations such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in peacekeeping operations, especially if the deployment of major troop contingents was involved, could take place only if sanctioned by the Security Council and only under conditions of observance of the internationally recognized principles of the peacekeeping operations, such as transparency and monitoring by the Council. For Russia the interaction

Peacekeeping Operations Committee - 5 - Press Release GA/PK/158 152nd Meeting (PM) 24 March 1999

between the United Nations and regional organizations was of special importance.

JULIO BENITEZ SAENZ (Uruguay) said that the mandates of peacekeeping operations should be clear and realistic within the framework of the appropriate traditional principles of sovereignty, impartiality, consent of the parties, non-interference in domestic matters and the non-use of force except in self-defence. He said that, apart from the different stages of peacekeeping, ranging from the disarming of combatants to their reintegration into society, a process for the elimination of weapons taken from conflicting parties should also be included in the mandates of all future peacekeeping operations.

Regarding the safety and security of United Nations personnel, he said Uruguay would like to see the establishment of a code of conduct in situations of crisis or conflict. That code would strengthen the negotiating position of the United Nations in the eventuality of hostage-taking or similar situations. The delegation of Uruguay welcomed the consultations between the Security Council and troop-contributing countries, he said. But there should be more immediate and direct provision of information to the permanent missions and to troop-contributing countries.

On the issue of gender, he said the integration of women into missions by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations should follow the evolution and realities of the armed forces and the civilian police of those countries contributing such personnel.

ALOUNKEO KITTIKHOUN (Lao People's Democratic Republic), associating himself with the statement made on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, said that peacekeeping operations, when conducted in full observance of the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, continued to play a crucial role in preventing the escalation of conflicts and creating conditions for their peaceful settlement. However, peacekeeping operations should remain a measure of last resort and not become a substitute for a permanent solution or political settlement of disputes.

He stressed the need for Member States, especially the developed ones, to honour their Charter obligations in full, on time, and without conditions. When those payments were in arrears, the reimbursement to Member States for troops and contingent-owned equipment inevitably became delayed, imposing hardship on the countries concerned and adversely affecting their capacity to further contribute to peacekeeping operations. In that regard, there was a need for the United Nations to undertake effective planning and budgeting, and to explore ways for a better administration of peacekeeping operations. However, the whole exercise, though important, should not be at the expense of resources for the Organization's development activities.

Peacekeeping Operations Committee - 6 - Press Release GA/PK/158 152nd Meeting (PM) 24 March 1999

Another concern to his delegation was the question of the enhancement of United Nations capacity to respond in good time to international crises, he said. The United Nations standby arrangements system was an important tool for the increased effectiveness and rapid deployment capacity of peacekeeping operations. Any effort aimed at enhancing United Nations capabilities should be based on further development of that useful system, rather than on starting others that did not command agreement among Member States.

AKMARAL ARYSTANBEKOVA (Kazakhstan) said that one of the main tasks in the area of peace-building continued to be the need for a comprehensive mechanism to avert local conflicts and prevent them from spilling over into the international arena. It was necessary to continue to seek and adopt means of responding effectively to complex conflicts that emerged under present-day conditions, which often required simultaneous action to address peacekeeping and development needs. Her delegation fully supported the efforts to implement a new holistic concept of security at the field level, which would cover a wide range of issues, from human rights and efforts to reduce poverty to promotion of development and democratization.

The potential of standby arrangements was demonstrated by the fact that the number of participants in the standby arrangements system had increased and currently included over 80 States, 61 of which had already indicated their readiness to contribute troops through that system. At the same time, in view of the existing human resources and logistic potential of the States that had recently joined the system, her delegation believed that the capacity of the standby arrangements system to improve the effectiveness of the Organization's rapid response and its potential in the area of procurement had not been fully utilized.

Owing to financial constraints, representatives of her country had not been able to participate in the peacekeeping seminars conducted by the Training Unit last year, she said. Kazakhstan would be grateful if the United Nations and donor countries could provide the necessary financial support to enable its peacekeepers to participate in the training. As a participant in the standby arrangements system, Kazakhstan already had practical peacekeeping experience. It remained firmly committed to its peacekeeping obligations.

KAREN TAN (Singapore), associating her delegation with the statement made on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, said the surge in peacekeeping activities in the initial post-cold war years had been attributed to the new international climate for multilateral cooperation. However, it had also been very much the result of the "CNN effect", whereby intensive media footage of conflict zones around the world had led to intense public pressure for United Nations involvement in areas which needed interventions but which were not yet ready for peace. In attempts to utilize peacekeeping for more far-reaching objectives -- from conflict management to conflict resolution -- mandates for United Nations peacekeeping operations had become more complex, and sometimes too ambitious to fulfil.

Peacekeeping Operations Committee - 7 - Press Release GA/PK/158 152nd Meeting (PM) 24 March 1999

She said that the same media scrutiny of the difficult situations in Somalia and the former Yugoslavia had then made it politically forbidding for some countries to commit troops and resources to peacekeeping operations. That had led to greater caution in passing or renewing mandates for future or ongoing peacekeeping operations. The scope and complexity of today's United Nations peacekeeping operations had increased. Apart from supervising a peace settlement or ceasefire agreement, peacekeepers now took on tasks ranging from disarming and demobilizing former combatants, providing electoral assistance, clearing mines and other forms of national reconstruction. However, as witnessed in Mozambique and Guatemala, those multiple objectives could be achieved as long as they were matched by the same level of political commitment and resources, both human and financial.

As long as the United Nations and the Security Council provided clear and achievable goals, force commanders at Headquarters and in the field would be able to translate those goals into precise and implementable mandates, she said. At the same time, it must be recognized that there were no hard and fast rules to approaching peacekeeping rules. Each operation had its own idiosyncratic set of political, historical and cultural circumstances; each conflict its own matrix of root causes and protagonists. Member States would do well to continue learning and reviewing from past experiences and operations, and adjusting the peacekeeping operations to suit the particular circumstances.

GABRIELA MARTINIC (Argentina) said that the changes in the world had demonstrated that any local conflict had political and economic consequences, which affected all countries. The central role of peacekeeping operations in the work of the Security Council could not be questioned. The need to respond to threats to international peace and security emphasized the importance of early alert. While present-day operations required fewer people, the level of involvement was not smaller than before. Civilian police, medical personnel, election monitors, mine-clearance specialists and engineers played an important role in modern peacekeeping operations.

Argentina agreed with the need to guarantee safety of humanitarian personnel, she continued. Mandates must be brought in line with the objectives of peacekeeping operations. She urged all countries to ratify, as soon as possible, the Convention on the safety and security of the humanitarian personnel, for it contained machinery to protect people in the field and to enhance their safety. All the countries using peacekeepers should also become parties to that Convention. Also, training for specific tasks was of increasing importance, and Argentina participated in the training and instruction of personnel for peacekeeping operations. As lasting peace required contingents from the United Nations, Argentina supported the standby arrangements.

MAGED ABDELAZIZ (Egypt) said that the Secretary-General's report seemed to blame the General Assembly and the Special Committee for problems encountered after the phasing out of gratis personnel. That was unacceptable, as the Secretariat had had ample time to work out the transition. Imprecise

Peacekeeping Operations Committee - 8 - Press Release GA/PK/158 152nd Meeting (PM) 24 March 1999

implementation of the Assembly recommendations regarding the phase-out was the reason for the poor performance of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

He said that although he was aware of the financial crisis affecting the United Nations, the Egyptian delegation was concerned by the delay in payments to troop-contributing countries. The Organization was requested to treat the reimbursement of troop contributors as a priority so that delay in payment did not adversely affect peacekeeping operations.

Egypt was dissatisfied with the manner in which the Secretariat had dealt with flight 806 in Angola last year, he said. That tragedy could have been avoided if the Department of Peacekeeping Operations had not insisted that the aircraft overfly a known combat area. The repetition a few days later of a similar incident was further proof of the need to study in depth the nature of conflicts. In addition, the Secretariat's dealings with families that had lost loved ones in those incidents had gone beyond what was required.

He added that Egypt adhered to the principle contained in the statement of the Non-Aligned Movement with regard to distinguishing between peacekeeping and humanitarian operations.

MARIA LOURDES V. RAMIRO LOPEZ (Philippines) said that the Non-Aligned Movement had made a comprehensive effort to make a valuable contribution to the work of the Special Committee. Her delegation hoped that the members of the Committee would weigh the Non-Aligned Movement positions and consider them favourably. The Movement had expended a considerable effort to contribute to a clearer understanding of particular issues of concern to the Committee.

The financial affairs of the United Nations remained in an unsatisfactory state, she continued, and many of those financial difficulties stemmed from non-payment of owed contributions to the United Nations. Failure to meet financial obligations had hampered the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations. The achievement of goals of the Committee had also been adversely affected by the lag before its recommendations were considered and approved by the General Assembly in autumn. A huge chronological lacuna in the work of the Special Committee, on which the Secretariat based its actions on peacekeeping, should not be allowed.

Her country was saddened by the decision of the Secretariat to permit United Nations overflights in the region of Angola where the Philippines had lost three lives in the two ill-fated United Nations Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA) chartered flights, she said. That situation had not been helped by the tardiness of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations Situation Centre to process the information relating to that incident for the benefit of concerned missions. Her delegation also joined the call for more transparency of peacekeeping procurement and urged the Secretariat to adhere to the Committee's request to make available detailed reports on peacekeeping procurement and to improve procurement procedures.

* *** *