PRESS CONFERENCE BY MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF JAMAICA

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE BY MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF JAMAICA

Against the backdrop of the many conflicts burdening the Security Council, Jamaica placed the issue of conflict prevention at the top of its thematic priorities for the month of its presidency, Jamaican Foreign Minister Paul Robertson told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference this afternoon. (Jamaica assumed the presidency of the Security Council for the month of July.)

Dr. Robertson said that the dramatic initiative by the forces of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) to rescue trapped peacekeepers -- which coincided with his arrival this week as President of the Council -- was a most welcome development. He commended the United Nations forces for their skill and bravery, and extended his sympathy to the family of Sergeant Kumar of the Indian contingent, who lost his life in the course of the important mission.

"The significance of this initiative should not be overlooked", Dr. Robertson said. It demonstrated to the rebel forces in Sierra Leone that United Nations peacekeepers could not be molested with impunity. The initiative was also a model of cooperation between forces acting with common purpose against significant odds. The Council must move to give UNAMSIL forces and others engaged in difficult missions the means to accomplish the tasks it asked them to perform under the Charter. He was optimistic that all the members of the Council would recognize the need for robust action to restore and preserve the peace where threats to international peace and security and grave crises demanded it.

Jamaica was convinced that the way forward lay increasingly in the Council's capacity to prevent deadly conflicts. "Without diluting our commitment to traditional peacemaking and peacekeeping objectives, the Security Council and the international community at large must redouble efforts to create a culture of peace", the Foreign Minister said. That was not simply a noble ideal, but a practical one.

Firstly, the deadly mistakes of the last century must not be repeated and the lives of millions sacrificed and squandered, Dr. Robertson said. Moreover, at a time when the international community was seeking to address serious disparities in development, to eradicate poverty and to fight deadly disease, it could ill afford the deadly luxury of war. The war-related costs of the 1990s -- some $199 billion -- dwarfed the $191 billion spent over a similar period by the World Bank for development projects. "A reordering of priorities in this respect is indeed in order", he said.

As a corollary to the thematic focus on conflict prevention, the Security Council would also address the issue of children in armed conflict in a second thematic debate, Dr. Robertson said. In doing so, the Council would draw attention to the most vulnerable of the victimized in war. Jamaica wished to see useful discussions on how to better prevent the engagement of children in armed conflict and to address the consequences of war that uniquely affected them.

Following the Security Council's meeting on peacekeeping and HIV/AIDS yesterday, Dr. Robertson said that Jamaica took that issue seriously. All sectors

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of the international community must address the HIV/AIDS issue. Leadership must come from the body seized with primary responsibility for the issue, and he strongly supported the convening of a special session of the General Assembly on the topic. Jamaica commended the work of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and other bodies which dealt with the pandemic, and joined in the call for aggressive research not only to find a cure for the disease, but also a vaccine that would be easily available on the basis of need.

The Foreign Minister said that he would have the opportunity during the week to meet with the Secretary-General and exchange views on issues of concern to the international community. He would also take the opportunity to engage members of the Council in discussions on the issues that Jamaica had placed on the table as its priorities during the month of its presidency, as well as matters that arose for consideration and action by the Council. Actions on Sierra Leone, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Haiti, Afghanistan, Guinea-Bissau, the Central African Republic and Prevlaka had been taken during Jamaica's presidency. The Council would also review the mandates of the missions in Western Sahara, Georgia and Lebanon during the final week of July.

A correspondent asked why the issue of HIV/AIDS had not been addressed. Dr. Robertson reiterated that the issue had been addressed yesterday, when the Council unanimously adopted a resolution presented by the United States on HIV/AIDS.

Why were issues specific to the Caribbean region not addressed during Jamaica's Council presidency? a correspondent asked. Dr. Robertson said that although a number of ongoing issues of interest to the Caribbean were being dealt with, Jamaica had identified for open debate the issues that it considered of great importance.

Another correspondent asked the Foreign Minster for a preview of the Council's open meeting on conflict prevention on Thursday, 20 July. Dr. Robertson said that the Council had already taken up the matter and had indicated at that time that further discussion would be necessary. On the issue of conflict prevention, Jamaica was seeking to advance discussions to the point where the Secretary-General or the Council President could bring clear recommendations to the Security Council. There was a need to establish early warning systems to identify the causes of conflict. The idea of preventive diplomacy must be taken seriously, as well as rational utilization of people and institutions useful for preventive diplomacy.

The issue of preventive deployment must also be considered, he said. In regard to the sovereignty of nations, such deployment would require the agreement of the country to which personnel were being deployed. How to impose restrictions on the flow of arms was another important issue that required careful consideration. The attendant question of post-conflict peace-building also needed to be addressed.

Would he bring up the issue of Haiti and its elections? a correspondent asked. Dr. Robertson said that the Council had discussed the matter last week and issued a presidential statement. That statement spoke not only to the positive

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developments in Haiti, but also sought to ensure that the follow-up elections would be handled with a high level of democracy and participation. The Council had commended the leadership role played by the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

As the Foreign Minister of Jamaica, what regional issues would he like to see addressed at the forthcoming Millennium Assembly? a correspondent asked. A number of issues were of concern to Jamaica, Dr. Robertson said, including the need for the United Nations system to redouble efforts for its development mandate. "Perhaps that mandate had slipped somewhat", he said.

The United Nations was built on the notion of the sovereign equality of States, he added. Sometimes there was a contradiction in that concept, and now might be the time for some level of reform. Questions of expansion of the Security Council, the addition of new permanent members, the veto issue were all matters that could usefully be discussed in connection with the Millennium Summit.

Having presided over the Council, did the Foreign Minister think a larger Council would be manageable? a correspondent asked. As a member of the Non- Aligned Movement, he said, Jamaica supported the idea of expansion and an increase in the number of permanent members. "We do not think moving to somewhere around 25 members would make it unmanageable at all", he said. "We do think that there are significant regions which could be properly represented in the Security Council."

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