SECURITY COUNCIL CRITICIZED FOR SECRECY, SLOW RESPONSE IN AFRICA AS GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONTINUES CONSIDERATION OF COUNCIL"S REPORT

Press Release
GA/9638

SECURITY COUNCIL CRITICIZED FOR SECRECY, SLOW RESPONSE IN AFRICA AS GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONTINUES CONSIDERATION OF COUNCIL’S REPORT

While the Security Council's own rules required it to meet in public, the option to meet privately had become the rule rather than the exception, the representative of Mexico told the General Assembly this afternoon, as it continued its consideration of the Council's annual report.

He said he was particularly concerned over the lack of information issued about the Council's informal consultations. Under the Charter, it was necessary for the Assembly to know the substance of those consultations. He called on the Council to conduct its substantive work in public. Its lack of transparency kept it from playing an active role in seeking solutions to conflicts.

The representative of Germany said while there were understandable reasons why the Council needed to come together from time to time in a confidential format, the fundamental question was: How could third parties with vital interests participate in informal Council meetings? In turn, how could practical procedures be found which would take into account the need for involved parties to be informed, while at the same time addressing the occasional need for the Council to proceed confidentially? And which types of procedures would be flexible enough to be available in individual cases and yet not appear arbitrary?

The Council should consider more transparent procedures and decide whenever possible on a more open format, he added. What was important in that respect was that no article of the Charter needed to be changed or amended. The Council was master of its own procedures and it was, therefore, just a question of political will.

The representative of India said an inadequate and unsatisfactory reporting system was aggravated by the secrecy of the Council. In extraordinary circumstances, a closed meeting might have some justification. However, it was a problem when it became a habit, because it violated the principle of transparency and openness. The structure and composition of the Council were no longer capable of meeting the expectations of the international community. The inclusion of developing countries in its permanent membership would make the Council more representative and effective, by engaging a much broader spectrum of the community in its work.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Nigeria, Dubem Onyia, said while the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Economic

General Assembly Plenary - 1a - Press Release GA/9638 36th Meeting (PM) 20 October 1999

Community of West African States' Monitoring Observer Group (ECOMOG) had developed a unique mechanism for conflict prevention, management and resolution, regrettably there was a lack of uniform standards when responding to outbreaks of conflicts worldwide. The Council was slow to respond to crises in Africa and, where it had responded on time, it had not shown adequate commitment in addressing the problems. Also, the fact that Africa did not have permanent representation on the Council was unacceptable, he added

The representative of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea said the Council had persisted in actions that were in disregard of the purposes and principles of the Charter. He called on it to refrain from taking measures that might infringe on the sovereignty of Member States, and suggested the adoption of a system which would give the Assembly the power to endorse or veto Security Council resolutions on such issues as the use of force or economic sanctions. A review of all past Council resolutions was also necessary, and those which contravened the Charter should be eliminated.

The representative of Canada said that trust funds established to finance multinational forces, authorized by the Council to replace United Nations peacekeeping missions, simply did not work. Citing Sierra Leone as one such example, he said only $2 million was deposited into the trust fund for that country -- which did not cover three days of operations of ECOMOG. In the case of East Timor, while Japan’s generous contribution of $100 million was significant, it would only go a limited way towards meeting the huge cost of the peacekeeping operations in that country.

Statements were also made this afternoon by the representatives of Malaysia, Tunisia, Brazil, Venezuela, Senegal, Namibia, South Africa, Norway, Iran, Argentina, Myanmar and Italy.

The Assembly will meet again at 10 a.m., Thursday, 21 October, in Conference Room 3 to continue its consideration of the report of the Security Council.

Work Programme

The General Assembly met this afternoon to continue its consideration of the Report of the Security Council (document a/5412). (For background, see Press Release GA/9637 issued 20 October.)

Statements

HASMY AGAM (Malaysia) said the improved transparency in the Council’s work had enhanced its credibility with the Member States of the United Nations. There had been discussions in the Council and in the working group on its reform and restructuring. At the core of those talks was the importance of enhancing the process of consultation between the Council and States that were directly involved in particular issues before the Council. The Council needed to obtain direct information from the parties involved in particular issues and, thus, the presence of ministers and other senior representatives of concerned States would enrich its consultation process and decision-making.

He was concerned about the Council’s paralysis on some important issues, he said. It could not be denied that much of the paralysis was due to the use, or threat of use, of the veto by permanent members. For example, that was at the core of its inaction in the face of the Rwanda genocide and Kosovo tragedy, which prompted the use of force without the authorization of the Council. It was clear that the issue would have to be addressed. Invoking Charter rights alone in defence of the veto was not enough. Rather, a creative way of managing the matter of the veto would have to be found and supported by the permanent members of the Security Council.

Also, on the question of sanctions, he was particularly concerned about the debilitating effect of comprehensive sanctions, such as those imposed on Iraq. The international community, particularly the Council, bore a heavy responsibility to help ameliorate the suffering of the Iraqi people. Countries affected by sanctions must be given a fair hearing by the Council. He would encourage the chairmen of the sanctions Committees to visit targeted countries whenever appropriate. Also, he would urge that the Council lift sanctions as soon as they are no longer necessary, as in the case of Libya.

As a troop-contributing country, Malaysia was pleased with the increased and regular interaction with the Council on peacekeeping missions in which it was involved, he said. A matter of continuing concern, however, was the delay in reimbursing peacekeeping costs. If that was not corrected, it would hamper the capacity and willingness of developing countries to contribute troops. It was also equally important for missions to be established expeditiously in response to crisis situations. He was concerned that Council deliberations were sometimes stymied by narrow and short-term budgetary approaches. That sent the wrong message of a lack of concern. As the Council considered a number of peacekeeping operations in Africa, it was important to dispel such perceptions.

ALI HACHANI (Tunisia) welcomed the introduction of the sanction committee in the report of the Security Council. The innovation of publishing brief summaries on the work of the Council to provide supplementary information about its proceedings and its informal meetings was also appreciated. However, despite its improvement, the report was still a general document and not informative enough, in particular with regard to the informal meetings of the Council. Therefore, to be a real tool for a more interactive dialogue between the Security Council and the General Assembly, the report should be more analytical.

He underlined the consideration that the report gave to African conflicts. In that regard, it was important to improve the capacity of Africa in the field of peacekeeping missions. The report highlighted the ongoing importance of peacekeeping operations. Turning to the theme of sanctions, he reiterated some parameters that should be taken into account when imposing sanctions, such as the fact that sanctions should be the last resort and that it was important to limit their duration.

DIETER KASTRUP (Germany) said there were understandable reasons why the Council needed to come together from time to time in a confidential format. The question, however, was a fundamental one -– how could third parties with vital interests participate in informal Council meetings? That question in turn raised others. How could practical procedures be found which would take into account the need for involved parties to be informed, while at the same time addressing the occasional need for the Council to proceed confidentially? And which types of procedures would be flexible enough to be available in individual cases and yet not appear arbitrary.

A broader base in the Council’s deliberations would strengthen the democratic legitimization of that body’s decisions and resolutions, he continued. The Council should consider, in a pragmatic format, more transparent procedures and decide whenever possible on a more open format. What was important in that respect was that no article of the Charter needed to be changed or amended. The Council was master of its own procedure and it was, therefore, just a question of political will.

He said it was not enough to just present an industrious and labour-intensive report on the Council’s activities. There was no mention of the challenges the Council was facing, let alone the difficulties in mastering those challenges. According to the Charter, the Council had primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. However, was it up to that task considering its present composition and working methods? The Kosovo conflict represented a turning point. In order to avoid a Kosovo-type intervention in the future, “we have to finally carry out the long overdue substantial reform of the Council”. Without a reform of the Council, its legitimacy -- and ultimately that of the United Nations system -- ran the risk of erosion.

GELSON FONSECA (Brazil) said the year had been busy for the Council, but that was no cause to rejoice. On the contrary, it was an eloquent sign that the international community had not been able to establish the peaceful, prosperous society envisaged by the drafters of the Charter. Massive killings and widespread destruction were sad reminders of the dark side of the twentieth century.

He reviewed a number of conflict areas that, he said, had been on the daily agenda of the Security Council, including Angola, Kosovo and East Timor. Yet, he added, while the overall picture was worrisome, the Council had been capable of addressing some questions, within the limits of its responsibilities. He cited, as examples, the recent presidential elections in the Central African Republic, preparations for elections in Guinea-Bissau, and possible peacekeeping operations in Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Council was also preparing to administer East Timor’s transition to independence, which bore testimony to the many lines of action available to the international community within the Charter.

He said that during the period in question a number of attempts had been made to sidetrack the Council. The Secretary-General had identified what he called a “regrettable tendency” for the Security Council not to be involved in efforts to maintain peace and security. He deplored all instances in which enforcement action had been decided upon irrespective of Council authorization. Whenever that occurred, the very foundations of international law were shaken. The alternative to the legitimacy provided by the Charter was an unstable international order, where might prevailed over right.

NORMAN MONAGAS-LESSEUR (Venezuela) said his country was pleased to note the efforts being undertaken by the Security Council while exercising its responsibility to improve its transparency. Those efforts underscored the importance of further discussions currently being held on the question of Council expansion and reform. At the same time, Venezuela thought there was a legitimate need for the Council to strengthen its ability to oversee global peace and security.

The United Nations must encourage preventive measures in conflict situations, he stated. His country supported the work it had been doing so far. However, the direction it had recently taken in handling such situations, particularly during the past year, had created a precedent that could only weaken the Council’s functions in the future. His country was also following with great interest efforts to create a dialogue with troop-contributing countries. Such a dialogue would be a positive step in the direction of transparency.

Turning to the issues addressed in the report, he noted that while Africa received due mention, Venezuela would like to see greater focus on that continent. Venezuela would also like to hear more about what was being done in the Council itself, as well as in related bodies like the Sanctions Committee. His Country also supported the General Assembly’s efforts to foster greater transparency of the Security Council.

LI HYONG CHOL (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea) warned that if the principle of respect for sovereignty was disregarded in relations among countries, inter-state confrontations would inevitably occur. He said that sovereignty was the lifeline of every country, and the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of a State should never be violated.

He noted with regret that –- more than 50 years after it had assumed responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security -– the Security Council had persisted in actions which disregarded the purposes and principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter. He called on the Council to refrain from taking measures that might infringe on the sovereignty of Member States, and suggested the adoption of a system which would give the General Assembly the power to endorse or veto Security Council resolutions on issues such as the use of force on economic sanctions. A review of all past Council resolutions was also necessary, he said, and those which contravened the United Nations Charter should be eliminated.

IBRA DEGUENE KA (Senegal) said access to information for non-members of the Council, the use of public debate, and formal public meetings on specific issues of concern to the international community, were all positive initiatives. He noted that the report of the Council also gave a prominent place to the various crises affecting Africa, where a great number of the world‘s conflicts were taking place. Since the Secretary-General’s report on the causes of conflict in Africa, the instability on that continent had prompted the Council to consider the various crises besetting Africa, as well as the proposals emanating from its ad hoc working group, which had later been adopted as resolutions and Presidential statements.

“We must remain ever vigilant” he said, and bear in mind that Africa needed real action not fine-sounding resolutions. In several situations, the Council’s hesitation and failure to act had led to great frustration on the part of African States. The Council must support efforts by Africans to strengthen their peacekeeping activities. There was also a tendency on the part of the Council to allow situations to deteriorate, sometimes resulting in large-scale humanitarian disasters. It must strive to anticipate events and take adequate preventive action. The inclination to react too late must to be replaced by a willingness to act quickly.

To prevent such failures and limit damage to the Council’s credibility, reform was essential. There was already broad consensus on some areas, such as participation by non-members in the work of the Council. Nevertheless, more was needed. The promotion of international peace and security should be in the hands of a revitalized and more transparent Council. The tendency to sideline the Council must also be halted. States could not act outside the Council, either in groups or unilaterally.

DUBEM ONYIA, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Nigeria, commended the Security Council for the role it had played, especially since the end of the Cold War, in resolving conflicts. However, the Council still needed to demonstrate more commitment and decisiveness in resolving conflicts in some African States, as it had done in other regions. It had become clear during the Council meetings at the ministerial level on the situation in Africa that a lasting solution to those conflicts required far-reaching initiatives and solutions that linked peace, security, good governance, respect for human rights and sustainable development.

He underscored the importance of the role of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Economic Community of West African States' Monitoring Observer Group (ECOMOG) as contributors to international peace and security. Their successes proved that if there was support from the Security Council, such endeavours stood a good chance of success. The ECOWAS had developed a unique mechanism for conflict prevention, management and resolution. However, the Council was slow to respond to conflicts in Africa and, when it had responded on time, it had not shown adequate commitment to deal with the problems.

He reiterated the urgent necessity of reforms to enhance the Council’s transparency, legitimacy and effectiveness. The fact that Africa did not have permanent representation on the Council was unacceptable. To achieve reform, Nigeria urged the United Nations to adopt a more holistic strategy.

MANUEL TELLO (Mexico) said the report’s chronology of meetings and compilation of resolutions made it a valuable tool. However, it would be more important to have an analysis of what had occurred during the Council's deliberations. He said that under Article 48 of the Council's Provisional Rules, the organ had to meet in public, unless a decision were taken to the contrary. Practice had converted the exception into a general rule. During the period of the Report, only 121 meetings had been held publicly as compared to 239 private sessions. Public meetings represented the only opportunity for the 173 States that were not members of the Council to express their voice. It was also inexplicable that there was no information issued about the informal consultations. Under the Charter, it was necessary for the General Assembly to know the substance of those consultations. The silence of the report regarding the Kosovo crisis was eloquent. Everyone knew what happened during the Council's public deliberations, but did not know what had led to the total marginalization of the Council. He therefore called on the Council to conduct its substantive work in public. The lack of transparency in the Council had made it not a protagonist in seeking solutions to conflicts, but rather a politically correct observer.

The Security Council was not a deliberative body, he said. He expressed concern about a trend in the Security Council towards declarations of a general nature meant to legitimize its actions. It was up to the General Assembly to set forth principles, and it was up to the Security Council to act in cases of crisis. He reiterated that access to information was a right of the Member States, not a privilege. Therefore, he called on the Security Council for openness, transparency and reform.

ROBERT R. FOWLER (Canada) has said that trust funds established to finance multinational forces, authorized by the Security Council to replace United Nations peacekeeping missions that were funded through accepted assessment mechanisms, simply did not work. Citing Sierra Leone as one example, he said that only $2 million was deposited into the trust fund for that country and that did not cover three days of Economic Community of West African States' Monitoring Observer Group operations. In the case of East Timor, he said that while Japan’s generous contribution of $100 million was significant, it would only go a limited way towards meeting the huge cost of the peacekeeping operations in that country.

The reality of restraints and constraints on government financing in almost every part of the world was such that the enormous costs of peacekeeping could not be met by voluntary contributions, he said. Peace and security were fundamental, core responsibilities of the United Nations and should, therefore, not be sub- contracted or farmed out to regional associations or ad hoc groups of countries. While regional organizations and key regional players would continue to play fundamental roles in peacekeeping operations, the goal of a United Nations mandate remained of paramount importance to the principles on which the United Nations was founded and should remain the organization’s objective in all situations where collective action to maintain peace was needed.

He said that, as a result of the Secretary-General’s statement on peace and security during this year's general debate, Member States were now discussing essential questions relating to the mission and mandate of the United Nations generally and the Security Council, in particular. His country shared the vision that placed human security at the centre of the work of the United Nations. The key challenge of knowing when and where to intervene to protect civilians in armed conflict was one which the organization should be ready to meet.

On the issue of broader scrutiny of the Council’s working methods, he said that Canada and other elected members had done their part for greater transparency and less secrecy. He added that his country and others believed that, in order to enhance the Council’s effectiveness, there should be greater scope for the participation of non-members in formal and informal deliberations. He concluded that the Council’s decisions and procedures must reinforce the search for peace.

MARTIN ANDJABA (Namibia) said that, despite the fact that from its report the Security Council had devoted a lot of time to African issues, the continent continued to be compounded by mounting and pressing problems, which required the concerted efforts of the Security Council and the entire international community.

He noted that while the Council had been supportive of regional efforts at conflict resolution in Africa, these problems should not be the sole responsibility of Africans. The Council, he said, should take responsibility and not relegate it to subregional or regional groups, if the credibility of the United Nations was to be preserved. In the aftermath of conflicts, it was important to embark on post- conflict peacebuilding measures with the same emphasis that had been placed on prevention and minimizing recurrence.

He said that Africa was determined to promote the use of peaceful means in conflict resolution on the continent and that the Organization of African Unity (OAU) mechanism for conflict prevention, management and resolution was a valuable asset that must be nurtured, supported and consolidated. He added, however, that the OAU would need the full cooperation of Member States.

On the subject of peacekeeping in Africa, he said that the Council had taken the first steps toward addressing the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by adopting resolutions 1234 and 1258. He looked forward to the full deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping operation to facilitate the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. On Sierra Leone, he said the imminent deployment of 6,000 United Nations troops would stabilize the situation and give peace a chance.

DUMISANI S. KUMALO (South Africa) said the report showed that the Council’s ability and willingness, to address conflicts consistently and impartially had been sorely tested. That deficiency, as stated by the Secretary-General during the general debate, was nothing less than a reflection of “our inability” to reconcile the need for universal legitimacy with the need to effectively defend human rights. It was, therefore, understandable, given the past record of collective failures, most notably in places like Angola, Rwanda and Somalia, that some events over the course of the year would have led many, if not most Member States, to expect the worst. At the same time, the Council continued its attempts to expand the transparency of its work by, among other things, holding more open meetings on a range of important issues.

For that trend to be meaningful, he continued, the Council would have to move beyond focusing on thematic issues in open debate and toward regular open discussions focused on practical ways to address specific conflicts and potential conflicts. In short, the Council needed to consult regularly with the membership of the United Nations. The alternative, the continuation of the “business as usual approach”, did not look good. In that context, over the past year the many instances, in which the Council appeared unable to cohesively address conflict, “gave us little confidence”. More recently, there had been some promising signals, citing the positive developments and accomplishments in Kosovo and East Timor.

Those developments had been accompanied by further encouraging signs that the Council could approach other conflicts, especially in Africa, with the necessary level of attention, determination and an appropriate mandate, which recently proved so critical in addressing the questions of Kosovo and East Timor. That positive new trend on the part of the Council, if allowed to progress beyond words into action, was in itself a constructive and appropriate response to an equal determination on the part of Africa -- to take charge of its destiny through regional interventions to resolve conflicts. “All that we ask, not unreasonably, is that the United Nations support these indigenous endeavours collectively, by taking appropriate and meaningful action at the appropriate time, and as determined by the continent”, he said.

OLE PETER KOLBY (Norway) said the division of labour between the General Assembly and the Council established in the Charter must be respected. While nothing must be done to hinder the Security Council from carrying out its function, it was clear that questions on peace and security were closely connected to issues that were the responsibility of the General Assembly. Those issues, including poverty reduction, development assistance and peace-building, were crucial to understanding and tackling the root causes of conflicts. He stressed the need to develop a comprehensive approach, with cooperation between the General Assembly and the Council.

On the topic of improving the transparency and openness of the Council’s work, he noted that there had been some progress. He appreciated the holding of open orientation debates on issues on the Council’s agenda. It also welcomed the practice of sharing information with non-members. His country supported the idea that informational meetings, such as briefings by the Secretary-General or his special representatives, be organized as open meetings, rather than consultation of the whole. That would not preclude the possibility that the Council, after those briefings, would conduct closed consultations on the particular issue being discussed. Transparency and openness were especially important in peacekeeping operations and, in advance of considering mandates for those operations, all potential contributors should be given the opportunity to give their views.

HADI NEJAD HOSSEINIAN (Iran) said that the report only informed the Assembly of what the Security Council had done. There was very little analysis or lessons- learned element in the report, despite repeated calls by the general membership, who only wished to be better informed. Therefore, it continued to be largely a compilation of documents. It needed to contain information on informal consultations of the whole, where most important decisions were made. The report should not only include the dates and subjects of each informal consultation, but a brief account of discussions.

Informal consultations normally constituted the foundation of Security Council resolutions and statements, with very little input from the wider membership, he said. It was important to recognize the need for promptness and, at times, confidentially of Security Council decision-making, but those considerations might not justify a very narrow interpretation of Article 31 of the United Nations Charter where interested Member States were excluded from contributing to the decision-making process of the Council, or be denied access to meaningful information concerning the Security Council decisions and their formulation and implementation processes.

He said informal briefings at the end of each informal meeting by the Presidency of the Council for States not members of the Council was a commendable step. That positive step might be strenghtened and become more useful, if it was given some structure and uniformity. The informal briefing by the President of the Council should be issued as a press release on the same day or the day after, and a cross-conference should be made to them in the annual report of the Council.

He stated that the human tragedy in Kosovo had presented the test of the changing world to the Security Council. The general membership of the United Nations by and large felt that the Security Council had failed to perform its responsibility and forfieted it to a regional military alliance. That should be a wake-up call that if the Security Council was not democratized, then the concept of collective security in the United Nations Charter was bound to be compromised over and over again in the future. As such, the Security Council was incapable of carrying out the responsibility that the Member States of the United Nations initially had intended to confer upon it. The crux of the problem was in the anachronistic and undemocratic practice of the veto.

Concluding, he said that the Council’s experience in Kosovo warranted a special report to the Assembly, under Article 15 of the Charter. Such a report should review the problems the Council was faced with, the deadlock and what it intended to do to resolve a similar situation in the future. As for the idea of humanitarian intervention, care should be taken that the idea was not considered in an atmosphere that could not accommodate a truly deliberative process.

L.M. SINGHVI (India) said an inadequate and unsatisfactory reporting system was aggravated by the secrecy of the Security Council. In extraordinary circumstances, a closed meeting might have some justification; however, it was a problem when it became a habit, because it violated the principle of transparency and openness. The structure and composition of the Council were no longer capable of meeting the expectations of the international community. The inclusion of developing countries in its permanent membership would make the Council more representative and effective by engaging a much broader spectrum of the community in its work.

He said the Security Council must demonstrate the political will to address and fight the problem of organized terrorism, which sought to destabilize other countries and was in violation of international law. The international community must prepare a global convention against it and a blueprint for its destruction, as well as to facilitate extradition and punishment. Afghanistan remained a problem in that regard. India hoped the Council would give that country's situation the priority consideration it deserved.

While regional organizations had a role in peacekeeping, in many cases, they did not have the resources, the mandate or the truly international outlook for such activities, he said. Therefore, the Council's role in authorizing and undertaking peacekeeping operations must be strengthened, and its ability to constrain wanton acts of violence repaired. India welcomed the Council's debate on Africa. It would support and participate in operations in Sierra Leone and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Africa's problems demanded a comprehensive solution, with inputs and contributions from various United Nations organs. The maintenance of peace and security on that continent depended on a comprehensive preventive effort, constructive multilateral diplomacy and a strong developmental perspective.

FERNANDO PETRELLA (Argentina) said the responsibility of the President of the Security Council to brief Member States and the media, as well as to produce monthly assessment reports gave additional guarantees of the Council’s transparency. He said that the five permanent members of the Security Council had pointed out that any attempt to restrict or curtail their right to veto would not be conducive to the process of reform of the Council. However, those countries must understand that the practice was incompatible with the will of United Nations Member States. If that were their position, the Council’s elected members would have to assume the responsibility to adopt more democratic and transparent working methods.

Argentina accepted the usefulness of informal consultations, he noted. He thought they were important enough to justify minimal rules for their proceedings to guarantee their proper functioning. He suggested that closed formal meetings could be valuable in allowing the participation of countries that were not members of the Council. He wished to reiterate his reluctance to use other kinds of formulas in Council communications with government representatives. The Arria formula was not the proper one for that purpose. The Arria formula was an innovative and useful initiative that allowed the Council to establish truly informal and off-the-record contacts with individuals and organizations with relevant issues on the Council’s agenda.

U WIN MRA (Myanmar) welcomed the inclusion in the report of the new appendix concerning the sanctions committees and of the monthly assessments prepared by the former Presidents of the Security Council. Those assessments provided a useful and valuable insight into the informal consultations of the Council. Moreover, the inclusion of statements to the press made by the President following consultations of the whole of the Council would add to the value of those assessments. Therefore, those assessments should be compulsory.

Some developments in certain areas of the world had tested the effectiveness and the credibility of the Council. In those developments the Council had been marginalized and prevented from playing its proper role in the maintenance of international peace and security. He also expressed his concern about the unique pattern of finding a solution to an unfolding crisis in the Balkans through the mechanism of a regional organization. In that context, the actions of regional organizations must be clearly mandated and should not bypass the Security Council, if the multilateral system of the maintenance of internal peace and security was to be effectively maintained.

He said that debates on themes other than crisis situations as part of the work of the Council was a healthy trend. He hoped that those thematic debates would enhance the capacity of the Council to deal with the complex causes of crises that were on the agenda. He, therefore, welcomed the inclusion of those debates in the Council’s agenda, particularly concerning threats to peace and security by international terrorist acts. However, that did not necessarily mean that those debates should allow the Council to move into the area of issues or concerns not envisaged for it in the United Nations Charter. In discharging its cardinal duties, the Council would refrain from stretching its mandate beyond what was defined in the Charter and continue to focus on the maintenance of international peace and security.

PIER BENEDETTO FRANCESE (Italy) said the report deserved praise as a useful reference tool, but it was much more difficult to affirm that it provided the Assembly with an instrument for assessing the Council's work. To make that possible, it should summarize Council debates on crisis areas, regional tensions and humanitarian emergencies, among others that were crucial to human security, as well as global and regional stability. On the issue of transparency, he said that, as a general rule, the Security Council should convene in a public formal session. Furthermore, briefings and reports by the Secretary-General and other high representatives of the Secretariat should be delivered in meetings open to all Member States. There had been an increase in formal meetings during the current reporting period, but measures still needed to be taken to ensure that similar meetings held in the future were not dedicated to ritual improvements of documents or to debate less urgent matters. He noted that more than 170 countries were notified only after Council discussions had taken place. Also, he added, Council members, both permanent and non-permanent, should be held accountable for the positions they took on important issues that they had been mandated. That accountability could be better determined, if the report had a more analytical format.

Turning to the events in Kosovo, he pointed out that they indicated a lack of unity among Council members that had prevented the United Nations from playing a significant role in a major humanitarian crisis. As Italy's Foreign Minister had said in his address to the Assembly, that “stalemates and paralysis of intersecting vetoes must be avoided by anchoring even the strongest States to a system of rules and principles”.

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