November 26, 1996
Mr. President,
I wish to begin by thanking the Permanent Representative of Indonesia for his presentation of the Report of the Security Council to the General Assembly and express our appreciation for his personal contribution to the enhancement of the Council's transparency and accountability. All those in this Assembly who try to follow the Council's deliberations closely from the outside have greatly benefited from Ambassador Wisnumurti's professionalism and integrity, and I take this opportunity to congratulate him and his collaborators for their work.
Mr. President,
2. The Report before us reflects an intensity in the Security Council's activity which has become the norm in recent years. The fact that a multiplicity of questions are being brought to the Council's attention is first of all a matter for concern, as it points to the persistence of various sources of instability in different parts of the world. Contrary to the initial expectations raised by the end of the bipolar world and the apparent reduction in the risk of a global war, resort to force in international relations continues to prevail in large measure.
3. On the other hand, the Security Council has been instrumental in the promotion of peace in regions that had become involved in conflicts with an east-west component -as was the case in Central America, Cambodia and Mozambique. But there are still tensions in today's international environment which resonate with echoes from a previous era in defiance to the Council's capacity to act, as is the case in the Middle East, in the Korean Peninsula or even Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the redrawing of boundaries in Eastern Europe and the former USSR has become as much associated with freedom and democracy as with intolerance and cruelty. In Africa, the plight of millions of people ravaged by poverty and war confronts the international community with an often intractable combination of political, humanitarian and economic problems.
4. At the same time, the Council's heavily charged Agenda can be interpreted as a sign of renewed trust in the possibilities offered by the Charter for the settlement of international disputes, or as testimony of growing confidence in the advantages of multilateralism. The present international context seems indeed more conducive to improved cooperation for the promotion of a safe and peaceful world, with a central role being ascribed to the Security Council.
5. However, if we take a critical look at the Security Council's present standing, a number of paradoxes emerge. The Security Council seems to have gained in authority, but there are important international issues which are not brought to it for decisive deliberation. The Council appears to have acquired greater influence, but several of its decisions and recommendations have been - and still are - disregarded. Its working methods have undergone changes that have been hailed as positive, yet its decision making process is still viewed by many as non-transparent. It has become more active, even if its wisdom has not gone unchallenged.
6. The examination of the Security Council's Report provides the General Assembly with an occasion for a debate on the Organization's role in the promotion of peace and security that can be of great value. Our objective today should be to assist the UN to fully tap the possibilities created by the end of the Cold War, through an open dialogue involving the membership at large on the Council's work.
7. As a small step to encourage constructive interaction between the Council and the General Assembly, I would propose that the President of the GA should take part in consultations among Council members and the Secretary General that are of particular interest to the Organization as a whole.
8. Additionally, it might be worth reflecting on the relationship between the Secretary-General and Council members. Most of the decisions taken by the Security Council are based on Reports by the Secretary-General, which places enormous responsibility on the person who clears such texts for distribution as well as on their drafters. Reports must reflect a balanced diversity of viewpoints in the presentation of information and propose options that are in conformity with the philosophy of the Charter.
9. In debating such Reports Members of the Council should bring into play all other inputs that will bear relevance to the situation under scrutiny. In addition to issuing Presidential Statements or proposing resolutions for adoption, the Council can enhance its own role as mediator through closer contact with representatives of the conflicting parties or fact-finding missions to the field. Diplomacy and confidence-building must take precedence over precipitate action, just as mediation must take precedence over intervention, and peaceful settlement over coercion.
10. Decisions involving reference to Chapter VII, whether of a military action or not, can only be considered with utmost caution. Much reflection on the subject of sanctions has taken place within the Subgroup chaired by Brazil of the Working Group on a Agenda for Peace. Particular attention was given to their adverse effects on vulnerable segments of the population and possible ways of minimizing their suffering. The basis for imposing and lifting sanctions constituted a central concern, and the time-frame for their application was also debated. But the many legal, political, humanitarian aspects of the question require further thought, as does the need to give an operative meaning to the provisions of Article 50. Meanwhile the conceptual and procedural improvements that are being attempted deserve to be acknowledged, and so does the increased transparency of the Sanctions Committees. A special word of praise should go, in this regard, to Ambassador Tono Eitel of Germany for his diligence as Chairman of the Committee established by resolution 661.
11. The International Tribunals established by the Security Council are still struggling to bring to justice alleged violators of International Humanitarian Law in the former Yugoslavia and in Rwanda. As negotiations on an independent International Criminal Court acquire a sense of urgency, a new consciousness with respect to the link between justice and peace is being formed, which will hopefully produce a tangible deterrent effect.
12. Other decisions involving reference to Chapter VII, such as the ones which are at the origin of present arrangements for the implementation of the Dayton Agreements in the Former Yugoslavia, should continue to be closely monitored. The fact that the parties to the conflict have authorized the use of force by the Implementation Force which substituted UNPROFOR brings into existence a curious blend of coercion with consent of the parties that does not stem either from the logic of traditional peace-keeping or from a strict reading of Charter provisions. Whether or not this is a paradigm that can be applied again is a matter that should require detained analysis.
Mr. President,
13. We are satisfied to note that democracy and national reconciliation continue to make inroads in many regions previously under civil strife. Central America is a case in point. With the recently announced conclusion of the last phase in the negotiations between the Guatemalan Government and the URNG the entire region can hope for a future free from violence.
14. The tide of democracy and reconciliation has spread less evenly to Africa. Brazil is especially happy to see that the sister nation of Mozambique has been able to find a path of political stability, which is essential for its economic and social development. Notwithstanding this and other examples, most notably the one provided by the peaceful transition to majority rule in South Africa, and its positive impact on many parts of the continent, the frequent setbacks in the implementation of the Lusaka Protocols in Angola and the recent deterioration in the evolving Great Lakes crisis demand international vigilance. In the case of Angola, it is disturbing to note that the appeals of the international community and even the decisions of the Security Council go unheeded by UNITA. It is our belief that the Organization of African Unity and other subregional African groups retain an essential role in the articulation of focused international responses.
15. The proliferation of humanitarian emergencies calls for the definition of a collective responsibility in face of phenomena such as mass starvation, disease or brutality. Not all such emergencies include a security component. Member States should try to evolve a common understanding as to whether the necessary international response should be left to the General Assembly or Specialized Agencies, or whether the Security Council needs to be activated in a particular emergency because of security aspects.
16. In this context, appropriate criteria may have to be developed sooner, rather than later, to determine under what conditions a situation is deemed to threaten international security or likely to endanger international peace, and when can a situation be dealt with by other organs - as for instance the General Assembly - either in coordination with the Security Council or on their own. If international security appears to be under threat -but the situation is not clear-cut- objective parameters may have to be established to determine when are coercive measures not admissible. And even when coercion is contemplated -and there would be no formal need to obtain the consent of the parties- their cooperation should still be sought as a matter of principle, as little success can be achieved without it.
Mr. President,
17. As a country with a long tradition of tolerance among people of varied backgrounds and more than a hundred years of peaceful relations and close cooperation with its many neighbors, Brazil is strongly committed to the peaceful settlement of disputes, and to multilateralism. These values are indeed shared by our entire region and are in perfect tune with the letter and the spirit of the United Nations Charter. As democracy takes on stronger roots and economic development gains ground in Latin America, its capacity to extend solidarity and seek sound, legitimate solutions for world problems can only increase. May I take this opportunity to congratulate the countries of the region which have participated in the Council's work during the period covered by this report - namely Argentina, Chile and Honduras - for their contribution to its activity during particularly strenuous and challenging times.
Thank you.
