The China Presidency
March 1999
Introduction
During the month of March, the Council adopted two resolutions in two formal meetings, extending the mandate of UNOMSIL and MINURSO, and held one open debate on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as well as one formal session concerning the letter dated 24 March from the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the President of the Council (S/1999/320). The President also convened 16 informal consultations of the whole and issued a number of statements to the press on behalf of Council members. Two troop contributor meetings were held during the month. The President briefed the President of the Genera l Assembly and chairmen of the regional groups on t h e programme of work of the Council. The President also briefed Member States that are not members of the Council on days on which informal consultations were held.
Africa
Angola
Council members were briefed by the Secretariat on 25 March on the situation in Angola after the mandate of MONUA expired the previous month. The members of the Council expressed their concerns at the s ituation in that country and the difficulties in the relationship between Angola and Zambia and expressed support for the Secretary-General's consultation with the Government of Angola regarding a future United Nations office in Angola. Following the consultation, the President made a nine-point statement that was circulated as an official press statement by the Council.
Central African Republic
On 17 March Oluyemi Adeniji, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Central African Republic, briefed Council members on the latest situation in the Central African Republic. Following the meeting, a statement was made to the press by the President in which the Council members stated that they expected President Patassé to honour his commitments to implement the Bangui Agreements and the National Reconciliation Pact and called upon all politic a l leaders of the Central African Republic to work jointly for its f ull implementation. Council members also called upo n t h e Government, in collaboration with all political parties, to take concrete steps to establish the new electoral commission for the presidential elections and encouraged the Government to continue its efforts in restructuring its security forces.
Eritrea and Ethiopia
On 4, 10, 15 and 18 March Council members discussed the situation concerning the border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea and heard briefings from Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Ibrahima Fall, Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Kieran Prendergast. Upon the request of the Council members, the President made a press statement in which the members expressed grave concern over the heavy losses on both sides of the conflict, reaffirmed their support for a peaceful solution of the issue and, in this connection, reitera ted their endorsement of the OAU Framework Agreement. Council members also encouraged mediation efforts by the United Nations Secretariat as a supplement to the existing mediation and called upon the two States to cooperate with OAU as well as the United Nations to work out a solution as soon as possible.
Guinea-Bissau
On 24 March Council members were briefed by Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Alvaro de Soto on the report of the Secretary-General on Guinea-Bissau (S/1999/294). The President was asked to make a statement to the press in which Council members welcomed the establishment of the National Unity Government of Guinea-Bissau and endorsed the decision of the Secretary-General to create a United Nations peace-building support office in that country. Council members also commended the constructive role played by ECOWAS and ECOMOG. A draft resolution was submitted to the Council on 31 March by the Group of Friends of Guinea-Bissau.
Liberia
On 11 March Council members were briefed by Felix Cyril Downes-Thomas, Representative of the Secretary-General in Liberia and Head of the United Nations Peace-building Support Office, on recent developments in Liberia. Mr. Downes-Thomas called upon States to provide Liberia financial and other support to facilitate the rehabilitation process in the country. Council members expressed appreciation for the efforts of the Representative and the Peace-building Support Office. While taking note of the statements of the Liberian Government, they also expressed their grave concern at the continuing allegation of involvement by Liberians in violations of the United Nations sanctions against rebel forces in Sierra Leone, especially arms trafficking. The members urged the Liberian Government to fulfil its obligation to comply strictly with the relevant sanctions imposed by the Council against the rebel forces in Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone
On 8 March Council members discussed the report submitted by the Secretary-General on Sierra Leone (S/1999/237) and heard a supplementary briefing by Francis Okelo, Special Representative of the Secretary-General. Council members supported the recommendation of the Secretary-General to extend the mandate of UNOMSIL. A draft resolution was introduced by the United Kingdom, which yielded favourable responses from other members of the Council. A troop contributor meeting was held on the same date. Subsequently, the Council held a formal session on 11 March and unanimously adopted resolution 1231 (1999) in which it extended the mandate of UNOMSIL until 13 June.
Somalia
On 23 March Mr. Prendergast briefed Council members on the latest situation in Somalia. Council members expressed their dissatisfaction at the lack of major progress in the national reconciliation process and appealed to the international community to continue to provide adequate humanitarian assistance to the Somali people. They noted that the next ambassadorial meeting of external actors on Somalia would be convened in April.
Western Sahara
On 26 March Council members heard a briefing from Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Bernard Miyet and discussed the report of the Secretary-General on MINURSO (S/1999/307). The members endorsed the recommendation put forward by the Secretary-General to extend the Mission's mandate and, in this regard, supported the draft resolution tabled by the United States on behalf of the Group of Friends of Western Sahara. On 30 March the Council held a formal session and unanimously adopted resolution 1232 (1999), in which it extended the mandate of MINURSO to 30 April. A troop contributor meeting was held on 25 March.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
At the request of the Permanent Representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Council met on 19 March to discuss in open session the peaceful settlement of the dispute in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. All Council members and 17 other States Members of the United Nations participated in the debate.
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
On 23 March members of the Council discussed a letter dated 19 March from the Foreign Minister of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to the Secre tary-General (S/1999/311), indicating that the two suspects in the Lockerbie case would be available for the Secretary-General to take custody of them on or before 6 April. Following the informal consultations, the President made a statement to the press in which the members of the Council welcomed the above-mentioned letter, reaffirmed the existing Council resolutions as the basis to bring about a full and final resolution of the situation, looked forward to the implementation of that handover in accordance with the agreed arrangements and, taking into account also the information provided by the French authorities regarding the UTA 772 case, looked forward to the immediate suspension of the sanctions with a view to lifting them as soon as circumstances permit, thanked the Secretary-General for his efforts in reaching an understanding with the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1192 (1998) and expressed appreciation for the positive actions taken by the Governments of South Africa, Saudi Arabia and other countries in support of those efforts.
Asia
Afghanistan
On 17 March members of the Council were briefed by Mr. Prendergast on the progress made at the direct inter-Afghan talks, which took place from 11 to 14 March in Ashgabat with the facilitation of the United Nations. In a statement by the President to the press following the informal consultations, Council members welcomed the direct inter-Afghan talks as a step in the right direction; expressed the hope that the parties would continue their negotiations in order to reach agreement on specific questions relating to an inter-Afghan settlement, in particular on a ceasefire, and on the creation of a broad-based and fully representative government acceptable to all Afghans; reaffirmed their support for the efforts of the United Nations to promote a political settlement of the Afghan conflict on the basis of the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council; and stated their belief that the contacts held between the Afghan parties in Ashgabat were an important element of the joint peace efforts of the Group of Neighbours and Friends of Afghanistan (the "six plus two" group) under the aegis of the United Nations. They welcomed the intention of the Secretary-General to calibrate the gradual limited return of United Nations staff to Afghanistan in accordance with the security situation and noted the importance of distributing humanitarian assistance equally among the population of all the regions in Afghanistan to the extent permitted by security conditions.
Papua New Guinea
On 16 March the Secretariat briefed Council members on the situation in Bougainville. In a statement to the press after the informal consultations, the President expressed support for the United Nations Political Office in Bougainville, and satisfaction with the smooth development of the peace process and the maintenance of the ceasefire, expressed the hope that the parties concerned would continue their efforts to establish a reconciliation government in Bougainville in accordance with the Lincoln Agreement, and expressed the hope that the disarmament process could be accelerated.
Europe
Kosovo, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
On 16 March members of the Council were briefed by the Permanent Representative of France, Ambassador Alain Dejammet, on the second phase of the negotiations in Paris concerning the peaceful solution of the question of Kosovo. Following the informal consultations, the President made a statement to the press expressing Council members' hope for a successful result of the negotiation and their support for the efforts of the Contact Group in that regard.
Committee established pursuant to resolution 1160 (1998)
On 16 March, the representative of the Chairman of the Committee established pursuant to Council resolution 1160 (1998) introduced the report of the Committee (S/1999/216) during informal consultations. In a statement by the President to the press, Council members end orsed the report of the Committee and the rec ommendations contained therein, expressed gratitude to the Committee and its Chairman for their work, reiterated the importance of effective international monitoring of the arms embargo established by resolution 1160 (1998), reminded all States of the need to strictly implement the arms embargo and to submit to the Committee the necessary information on violations of the embargo, and reiterated their full support for the enhancement of the effectiveness of the Committee.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
On 23 March the members of the Council were briefed by Mr. Miyet on the recent developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the work of UNMIBH, including the International Police Tas k Force. Mr. Miyet told Council members that following the announcement of the arbitration award on Brcko and the decision of the High Representative to dismiss the President of Republika Srpska, Nikola Poplasen, from his post, political tensions in that entity remained high. Following the informal consultations the President made a statement to the press reaffirming support for the work of UNMIBH, welcoming the progress in police restructuring and reform as well as in the establishment of the rule of law in both entities and reminding the leaders of both entities of their obligation to fulfil the provisions of the Dayton Agreement and to ensure the functioning of common institutions in the country.
NATO military action against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
On 24 March the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation, through a letter to the President of the Council (S/1999/320), requested the convening of an urgent meeting of the Council to consider the situation caused by military action of NATO against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The Council held its 3988th meeting accordingly. On 26 March the Council held its 3989th meeting to resume its consideration of the matter and voted on a draft resolution demanding an immediate cessation of the use of force against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia submitted by Belarus, India and the Russian Federation (S/1999/328). The draft was not adopted since it did not obtain the required majority.
On 26 March Council members discussed in informal consultations a letter of the same date from the Perman e n t Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the President of the Council (S/1999/341), following which the President made a statement to the press expressing the concern of Council members over information contained in the letter and requesting further information on the matter. On 30 March Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hédi Annabi gave a further briefing on this matter and updated members of the Council on the intensified situa tion in the Republika Srpska of Bosnia and Herzegovina since the NATO strike against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
The Americas
On 4 March Mr. Annabi briefed Council members on the recent developments in Haiti. The President made a statement to the press in which Council members expressed their continued concern at the political and electoral impasse in that country and urged all the political leaders of Haiti to work jointly to create the basis for a free and fair election. On 16 March Council members were briefed by Mr. Annabi on the tragic helicopter accid ent in Haiti on the previous day, which claimed the lives of all 13 people on board. A statement was made to the press by the President expressing deep sorrow and urging an investigation of the cause of the accident.
Informal working group of the Security Council concerning the Council's documentation and other procedural questions
On 17 March the informal working group of the Security Council concerning the Council's documentation and other procedural questions held a meeting to discuss a draft note put forward by the delegation of the United Kingdom. Members of the working group would continue to discuss the paper.
Other matters
In his capacity as President of the Economic and Social Council, Ambassador Francesco Paolo Fulci of Italy addressed a letter to the President of the Security Council on 16 February (E/1999/7–S/1999/170) in which, he seeks advice from the Council as to whether the Economic and Social Council had been formally requested by resolution 1212 (1998) to contribute to the designing of a long-term programme of support for Haiti. On 4 March Council members had an initial discussion on this matter and the President, upon the Council's decision, met with Ambassador Fulci on 12 March. Subsequently, Council members discussed the issue and a draft reply to the President of the Economic and Social Council was formulated by the President for the considera tion and approval of the Security Council. However, following consultations among Council members, the President concluded that the issue needed to be discussed further.
