During the month of January 1998, the Security Council held 6 official meetings and 11 consultations. The Council adopted five resolutions and endorsed two statements by the President. It extended four United Nations peacekeeping mandates. At the end of each meeting at which consultations were held, the President of the Council briefed the press, and an account of the meeting was provided to the States that were not members of the Council.
Africa
Angola
On 22 January, the members of the Council considered the report of the Secretary-General dated 12 January 1998.
The Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Angola informed the members of the Council of the developments that had taken place since 12 January, in particular with regard to the implementation of the timetable approved at the meeting of the Joint Commission on 9 January 1998 in order to complete the implementation of the tasks of the Lusaka Protocol by the end of February 1998.
The members of the Council welcomed that important step, which marked the beginning of the final stage of the peace process in Angola, and they stressed the need for the parties to implement that agreement and that special attention should be given to the completion of the demobilization process and the monitoring of the human rights situation. The members of the Council underscored the importance, in this context, of the planned meeting between President dos Santos and Mr. Savimbi.
The members of the Council considered it necessary to extend the mandate of MONUA for three months in accordance with the Secretary-General's recommendations. They discussed ways in which MONUA could modify its contingent in response to developments in the situation in Angola, in particular in order to meet the growing needs for civilian police in connection with the extension of State administration. It was recognized that the components of MONUA should be modified in the light of the implementation of the commitments undertaken by the parties.
On 26 January, the members of the Council considered a draft resolution in which the Council decided to extend the mandate of MONUA for three months; requested the Secretary-General to submit no later than 13 March 1998 a report on the situation in Angola, especially in regard to the implementation of the timetable approved by the Joint Commission, with recommendations regarding the possible reconfiguration before 30 April 1998 of the components of MONUA, as well as preliminary recommendations regarding the United Nations presence in Angola after 30 April 1998; and requested the Government of Angola and UNITA to implement all the provisions of the signed agreements and to cooperate with MONUA.
Council resolution 1149 (1998) was unanimously adopted at an official meeting of the Council held on 27 January.
Central African Republic
On 8 January, the members of the Council considered the second periodic report on MISAB, submitted by the International Monitoring Committee pursuant to Council resolution 1136 (1997) of 6 November 1997. The members of the Council noted with satisfaction the way in which MISAB was continuing to carry out its mandate and once again commended the activities of MISAB and the International Monitoring Committee. Progress in the implementation of the Bangui Agreements and in the recovery of heavy weapons had continued. However, efforts should be continued to implement the Agreements in their entirety. The members of the Council considered that lasting stabilization and an improvement in the situation in the Central African Republic could be achieved only through the full implementation of all aspects of the Agreements, the restructuring of the armed forces and a comprehensive solution to the financial crisis.
The Secretariat reported that a mission led by Mr. Annabi, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, was in Bangui in order to prepare the report that the Secretary-General had been requested to submit to the Council before the end of January 1998 pursuant to Council resolution 1136 (1997).
On 30 January, the Council considered the report of the Secretary-General dated 23 January 1998 (S/1998/61). On the whole, the members of the Council reacted favourably to the Secretary-General's analysis and recommendations. They considered that, once MISAB had completed its work, the lack of an international presence in the Central African Republic could be dangerous, given the precariousness of the situation, and especially in the light of the legislative elections scheduled for August-September 1998. They agreed that the results achieved over the period of a year thanks to the work of MISAB and the International Monitoring Committee should be consolidated. They stressed the need for the Central African Republic to implement all the provisions of the Bangui Agreements and the commitments made by the President of the Central African Republic in his letter to the Secretary-General, which was annexed to the Secretary-General's report. The members of the Council expressed their readiness to extend the provisions of Council resolution 1136 (1997) for several additional weeks and to consider further proposals by the Secretary-General concerning the establishment of a peacekeeping operation in the Central African Republic, which could take over after MISAB completed its work.
Western Sahara
On 20 January, the members of the Council considered the report of the Secretary-General dated 15 January 1998 (S/1998/35), concerning progress in the identification process.
Mr. Annabi noted that, between 3 December 1997, the day on which the identification process was resumed, and 19 January, nearly 17,700 persons had been identified. He reiterated his request that the necessary measures should be taken to deploy the military component.
The members of the Council reaffirmed their support for the Secretary-General's efforts and welcomed the appointment of Mr. Charles Dunbar as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara. They expressed their satisfaction that the settlement process had been reactivated, and stressed that the full cooperation of the parties was essential. They discussed ways of modifying in an appropriate manner the strength and components of MINURSO as progress was made in the implementation of the timetable submitted by the Secretary-General in his report of 13 November 1997 (S/1997/882). It was stressed that the financial difficulties must be overcome and should not jeopardize the success of the settlement plan or the Houston agreements. The members of the Council declared that they were ready to adopt a resolution approving an increase in the strength of MINURSO.
On 21 January, the members of the Council considered a draft resolution in which the Council approved the deployment of an engineering unit required for demining activities and of the additional administrative staff; expressed its intention to consider positively the request for the remaining additional military and police assets as soon as the identification process had reached a stage which made the deployment of such assets essential; and called upon the parties to cooperate with the Special Representative and the Identification Commission so that the identification process could be completed.
Security Council resolution 1148 (1998) was unanimously adopted at an official meeting held on 26 January.
Somalia
Mr. Fall, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, reported on the developments that had taken place since the signing of the agreement in Cairo on 22 December 1997 and the holding of the conference in Addis Ababa on 8 January 1998 and in the light of prospects for holding the National Reconciliation Conference in Baydoa on 15 February 1998.
It was noted that no action on the part of the Council was required prior to the convening of the Conference.
Asia
Afghanistan
At their informal consultations of 8 January, the members of the Council heard a briefing by Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan.
Mr. Brahimi drew the attention of the members of the Council to the virtual blockade on food supplies for the Hazarajat region. He had noted a hardening in the attitude of the Taliban towards the United Nations. He reported on the consultations held in conjunction with the Islamic summit meeting in Tehran and on the initiatives undertaken by several countries of the region, especially Pakistan.
In the ensuing discussion, the members of the Council stressed that the bombardment of Bamyan airport and the attacks on United Nations personnel engaged in humanitarian tasks were unacceptable. They expressed support for the Secretary-General's appeal to the Taliban to allow humanitarian assistance to proceed without obstruction and to put an end to all actions that endangered the security of humanitarian personnel.
Iraq
On 13 January, Mr. Butler, Executive Chairman of the United Nations Special Commission, informed the members of the Council of the latest developments and, in particular, of the fact that the Special Commission inspection team (team 227) had found it impossible to conduct inspections of the designated sites. He gave details of the composition of the team. He confirmed his intention to travel to Baghdad on 19 January. The members of the Council unanimously deplored the Iraqi decision and invited Mr. Butler to explore this issue during his forthcoming visit to Baghdad.
On 14 January, Mr. Butler reported on the implementation of the recommendations contained in the report of the Special Commission on its emergency session of 21 November 1997, with particular reference to the additional equipment to be requested from Member States, additional reconnaissance aircraft and the recruitment of experts of more diverse geographical origins.
In a presidential statement adopted on 14 January, the members of the Council found it necessary to recall previous demands that Iraq should comply with the resolutions of the Security Council and cooperate fully, immediately and without conditions with the Special Commission; reiterated their condemnation of Iraq's decision to try to dictate the terms of its cooperation with the Special Commission; and expressed their full support for the Executive Chairman of the Special Commission in the context of his forthcoming visit to Baghdad, and encouraged him to continue his efforts.
On 22 January, the members of the Council, having received the report of 14 January 1998 on the visit by the IAEA technical team to Iraq from 19 to 21 December 1997, heard Mr. Garry Dillon, leader of the IAEA Action Team on Iraq, who summarized the major points of the report.
A discussion took place among the members of the Council on the conditions and timing for the nuclear area to be left solely to ongoing monitoring, given the progress already made and the nature of the few issues still pending.
On 23 January, the members of the Council, having received on 22 January the report on the visit to Baghdad by Mr. Butler, Executive Chairman of the Special Commission, were given a briefing by him. Mr. Butler supplemented his written report by oral observations on the climate in which his talks in Baghdad had taken place and the principal difficulties encountered by the Special Commission in the three disarmament areas under its jurisdiction. In the course of the discussions that followed the presentation, the members of the Council stressed the importance of the access issue, not only for the tasks of inspection, but also for the proper functioning of ongoing monitoring. The members of the Council agreed that the idea of a moratorium on inspections of certain categories of sites was unacceptable. They decided to continue their consultations.
Lebanon
The report of the Secretary-General of 20 January 1997 on UNIFIL was considered on 27 February. The members of the Council paid tribute to UNIFIL civilian and military personnel and expressed concern at the increased number of incidents that particularly affected the civilian population. They felt that this situation provided additional justification for the maintenance of UNIFIL. They noted the assistance provided by the United Nations to the monitoring group for southern Lebanon. Consensus was reached to renew the mandate of the Force.
On 30 January, the Council unanimously adopted its resolution 1151 (1998), renewing the mandate of UNIFIL, and a presidential statement in terms identical to those of the corresponding texts adopted in July 1997.
Europe
Croatia
On 8 January, the members of the Council considered the report of the Secretary-General of 30 December 1997 on UNMOP. During the discussion, attention was drawn to violations of the demilitarization regime and the need for the parties to commit themselves resolutely to solving the problem.
On 13 January, the members of the Council drew up a draft resolution extending the mandate of UNMOP until 15 July 1998 and urged the parties to abide by their mutual commitments and take concrete steps towards a negotiated settlement of the disputed issue of Prevlaka.
Resolution 1147 (1998) was adopted unanimously during an official meeting on 13 January 1998.
Georgia
On 27 January, the members of the Council considered the report of the Secretary-General of February 1998 on the situation in Abkhazia, Georgia. They heard a statement by Mr. Bota, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Georgia.
Mr. Bota explained the reasons which seemed to him to form the basis for the constructive attitude shown by the parties during the most recent negotiations held under the aegis of the United Nations. Mr. Bota informed the members of the Council about his priorities in the months to come, in particular the adoption of confidence-building measures, a technical evaluation of the main political problems and an agreement on the return of the refugees.
On 30 January 1998, the Council unanimously adopted resolution 1150 (1998), under which it extended the mandate of UNOMIG until 31 July 1998; encouraged the Secretary-General and his Special Representative to continue their efforts; emphasized the primary responsibility of the parties to make use of the framework for negotiations set up under the aegis of the United Nations in order to make progress towards a settlement; condemned the activities of the armed groups in the Gali region; and welcomed the steps taken by the Secretary-General to improve the security conditions of UNOMIG personnel.
Working methods of the Security Council
The Security Council's informal working group on documentation and other procedural matters met on 19 January. It considered the proposals on the working methods of the Security Council submitted in December by 10 Council members.
