24 September 1999


 
Text: Statement by UN Security Council's Perm Five, September 23, 1999
 
(Five ministers pledge to ensure that Iraq completes disarmament)
(4790)

United Nations -- The five permanent members of the Security Council
September 23 issued a statement affirming their desire to adopt a
comprehensive resolution dealing with Iraq's disarmament and
humanitarian issues.

The five members, which hold veto power in the Council, have been
working for months on a stalled resolution to replace those adopted at
the end of the Persian Gulf war requiring Iraq to eliminate its
weapons of mass destruction and imposing an economic embargo on
Baghdad until the disarmament is completed. While the ministers were
not able to break the deadlock on the nature of the remaining
disarmament activities and the timing of the lifting of sanctions, the
ministers included in their omnibus statement on pressing
international issues a section on Iraq.

"The ministers affirmed their wish to see a way forward, drawing on
work already done in the Security Council and progress made by their
senior officials, and underlined the need for the adoption of a new,
comprehensive resolution, based upon the disarmament and humanitarian
objectives of the Council," the statement said. "The ministers
instructed their representatives to continue consultations to resolve
the remaining differences...."

The statement also welcomed the "significant progress" in getting the
Libyans suspected of bombing Pan Am 103 to The Hague for trial,
welcomed the signing of the Lome Peace Agreement by Sierra Leone and
rebel groups, reiterated the need for universal adherence to the
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), condemned
the violence in East Timor, hailed the signing of the Sharm el-Sheikh
Memorandum between Israel and the Palestinians, and expressed their
concern at the still volatile situation in Kosovo.

The statement was issued by Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan,
French Foreign Minster Hubert Vedrine, British Foreign Minister Robin
Cook, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, and U.S. Secretary of
State Madeleine Albright after the five met privately with Secretary
General Kofi Annan.

Following is the UNSC text of the statement:

(begin text)

Statement issued on 23 September 1999 by the Ministers for Foreign
Affairs of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council
following a meeting with the UN Secretary-General

1. On 23 September 1999, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Five
permanent members met the Secretary-General of the United Nations,
H.E. Mr. Kofi A. Annan. H.E. Mr. Tang Jiaxuan, Minister for Foreign
Affairs, represented the People's Republic of China; H.E. Mr. Hubert
Vedrine, Minister for Foreign Affairs, France; H.E. Mr. Igor Ivanov,
Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Russian Federation; H.E. Mr. Robin
Cook, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; and H.E. Ms.
Madeleine Albright, Secretary of State, the United States of America.

2. The Ministers reaffirmed their strong support for the United
Nations and for comprehensive United Nations reform. They welcomed the
Secretary-General's Track One and Track Two reform packages and
relevant resolutions of the General Assembly. They expressed
appreciation with the work undertaken by the Economic and Social
Council on enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of its
functional and regional commissions and other subsidiary bodies.
During the Fifty-fourth session of the General Assembly, they will
strive to complete implementation of measures already approved and to
pursue further Track Two measures that remain under consideration. The
Ministers affirmed their determination to resolve the serious
financial problems confronting the United Nations. In this regard,
they stressed that all Member States should pay their contributions in
full and on time.

3. The Ministers reaffirmed their support for reforming the Security
Council with a view to broadening its representation and preserving
and enhancing its efficiency and effectiveness. They also emphasized
that any attempt to restrict or curtail their veto rights would not be
conducive to the reform process.

4. The Ministers stressed the primary responsibility of the Security
Council under the Charter of the United Nations for the maintenance of
international peace and security. They expressed the view that it is
in the interests of all Member States to safeguard the leading role of
the United Nations in international affairs and the authority of the
Security Council. They also reaffirmed that the Organization must
further improve its ability to act quickly and effectively to address
threats to international peace and security. They indicated their
determination to continue to help develop the capacities of the United
Nations in preventing and resolving conflicts including through
conduct of peacekeeping operations. They stressed the need to ensure a
smooth transition between peacekeeping operations and post-conflict
peace-building actions and a close coordination of all United Nations
bodies and agencies in that regard. They emphasized the need for the
Security Council to take into account humanitarian implications when
taking decisions on sanctions. They underlined the importance of full
implementation by all Member States of sanctions agreed by the
Security Council. The Ministers welcomed the growing cooperation
between the United Nations and regional organizations in maintaining
international peace and security. They believed that activities of
regional organizations in this regard should be carried out in
accordance with the purposes and principles and relevant provisions of
the Charter of the United Nations. They expressed concern at
increasing incidents of violence and interference with United Nations
personnel and personnel of international humanitarian organizations.
The Ministers called on Member States to safeguard the safety and
security of all personnel of the United Nations and international
humanitarian organizations and to facilitate their freedom of access
in the implementation of their missions. They called for strict
respect for the principles of international humanitarian law and
expressed concern at the obstacles put to the delivery of humanitarian
assistance.

5. The Ministers stressed that the improvement of the international
situation based on full respect for the purposes and principles of the
Charter of the United Nations will facilitate disarmament and
nonproliferation efforts.

The Ministers reiterated the need for universal adherence to the
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and called
upon all States which have not yet done so to accede to the Treaty at
an early date. They reaffirmed their commitments to nuclear
disarmament and general and complete disarmament under Article VI of
the NPT and expressed their willingness to contribute to the
successful outcome of the 2000 Review Conference of the Treaty. They
urged all NPT parties concerned to bring into force the comprehensive
safeguards agreements required by the NPT as well as additional
protocols based on the IAEA model protocol, and called upon other
states which are prepared to accept measures provided for in the model
protocol to conclude additional protocols with the IAEA. They
expressed their intention to promote a further constructive review of
the NPT during the 2000 NPT Review Conference. They understood the
aspiration of the large number of non-nuclear-weapon states for
security assurances. They recalled their respective security assurance
commitments and that security assurances have been provided to all
non-nuclear-weapon states parties to the NPT, as set forth in Security
Council Resolution 984 (1995). Moreover, security assurances have been
provided to a large majority of such states which are parties to
existing nuclear weapon free zones established on the basis of
agreement reached by the countries of the region concerned, through
the relevant protocols attached to such treaties. In this context,
they reaffirmed their commitment to the 1995 NPT Review and Extension
Conference decisions. The Ministers believed that the Comprehensive
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) is a milestone in the process of
nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, and supported its early
entry into force in accordance with the treaty provisions. In this
connection, they hoped that the conference on facilitating the entry
into force of the CTBT, which will be convened in Vienna in October
1999, in accordance with article XIV of the Treaty would contribute to
accelerating the ratification process in order to facilitate the early
entry into force of the treaty. The Ministers expressed their concern
and disappointment over the failure of the Conference on Disarmament
to carry out substantive work in 1999, and called upon its member
states to reach consensus on a work program as soon as possible in its
next session.

The Ministers expressed their concern about the nuclear and missile
arms race in South Asia, and called upon India and Pakistan to
exercise restraint and refrain from taking any action that might
further escalate the tensions in the region. They urged both countries
to resume bilateral dialogue in the spirit of the Lahore Declaration
and resolve their differences through peaceful means. They also called
upon them to implement comprehensively and without delay all the
provisions of Security Council resolution 1172 (1998), in particular
signing and ratifying the CTBT and acceding to the NPT.

The Ministers called for continued efforts to strengthen the
Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and to preserve its integrity and
validity, so that it remains a cornerstone in maintaining global
strategic stability and world peace and in promoting further strategic
nuclear arms reduction. They stressed the need for universal and
comprehensive adherence to the Chemical Weapons Convention, urged its
States Parties to fulfill all their legal obligations and called upon
those states which have not yet acceded to the convention to do so at
an early date. They stressed the importance of strengthening the
effectiveness of the Biological Weapons Convention in a comprehensive
manner, and called upon the Ad Hoc Group of States Parties to
accelerate its negotiations in keeping with its mandate to complete
its work before the Fifth Review Conference in 2001. The Ministers
welcomed the fact that both the Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons and
the amended Protocol on Mines, Booby Traps and Other Devices to the
Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons entered into force in 1998,
stressed the need for universal and comprehensive adherence to these
protocols, and reaffirmed their support for the establishment of an Ad
Hoc Committee in the Conference on Disarmament to negotiate a ban on
the transfer of anti-personnel landmines.

The Ministers noted with concern the continuing increase in illicit
trafficking in small arms and light weapons, and their excessive and
destabilizing accumulations and circulation, in regions of conflict.
They pledged their support for enhanced international cooperation to
deal with the problem. They supported the proposal for an
international conference on the illicit arms trade in all its aspects
to be held no later than 2001 and looked forward to the forthcoming
report of the group of governmental experts on small arms to the 54th
General Assembly. They reaffirmed their support for completion of the
Firearms Protocol to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized
Crime by the year 2000.

6. The Ministers reaffirmed their determination to combat terrorism in
all forms, irrespective of motive, wherever and by whomever committed.
They emphasized the necessity to intensify the fight against terrorism
at the national level and to strengthen effective international
cooperation in the field. In this regard, the Ministers stressed the
need to oppose concessions to terrorist demands and to deny
hostage-takers any benefits from their acts. The Ministers expressed
their commitment to ensuring that terrorists are brought to justice.
The Ministers called upon all States to take steps to ensure that
their territory is not used as a safe haven for terrorists. They
agreed that those giving safe haven to terrorists are accountable for
the violent actions of those terrorists. They applauded continuing
diplomatic efforts to promote universal accession and adherence to the
eleven international anti-terrorist conventions. They welcomed the
on-going efforts to adopt effective and legitimate means and measures,
including new international instruments, in order to counter the
terrorist threat. They expressed the hope that the negotiation on
draft conventions on the suppression of nuclear terrorism and on the
suppression of terrorist financing can be concluded before the end of
the year. The Ministers adopted a separate statement on combating
terrorism.

7. The Ministers expressed deep concern at the persistence of
conflict, both within and between States, in many parts of Africa. The
Ministers reaffirmed that international peace and development are
interrelated. In this context, they underlined the necessity for the
United Nations system to give high priority to the needs and concerns
of Africa. They welcomed the efforts of the United Nations, in
partnership with the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and
subregional organizations and arrangements, to promote peace and
stability including adoption of confidence-building measures and to
settle conflicts by peaceful and political means. They also stressed
the importance they attach to assistance to African countries in their
efforts to enhance their capacities for peacekeeping and conflict
prevention.

The Ministers took note of the results of the 35th OAU Summit and
encouraged the OAU to continue its efforts to find solutions to the
conflicts and other challenges affecting the African continent. They
urged the international community, including relevant international
financial and development institutions, to increase assistance to
African governments.

The Ministers expressed deep concern at the deteriorating political
and security situation in Angola, which is primarily due to the
refusal by the Uniao Nacional Para a Independencia Total de Angola
(UNITA) to comply with its obligations under the Lusaka Protocol and
relevant Security Council resolutions. They emphasized the need to
tighten the enforcement of sanctions against UNITA, and in this regard
welcomed the establishment of two expert panels under the Security
Council Resolution 1237 (1999).

The Ministers remained concerned by the situation in Burundi and
welcomed the suspension of economic sanctions by regional countries.
The Ministers condemned attacks by the rebels on Bujumbura and other
localities of Burundi and called upon them to end all acts of violence
against civilians and to abide by international humanitarian law. They
called upon all parties to continue to ensure progress in the internal
dialogue and the all-party Arusha talks towards the conclusion of a
peace agreement.

The Ministers expressed their satisfaction with the work done by the
Mission of the United Nations in Central African Republic (MINURCA) in
maintaining peace in the Central African Republic. They called upon
the Government of the Central African Republic to fulfill its
obligations under the relevant Security Council Resolutions. They took
note of the result of the Presidential election on 19 September and
called upon the Government to speed up implementation of necessary
reforms.

The Ministers reaffirmed the sovereignty, territorial integrity and
political independence of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and
expressed concern over the fragile situation in the country. The
Ministers welcomed the Lusaka Peace Agreement signed on 10 July by the
relevant governments to the conflict and expressed their appreciation
for the regional and international mediation efforts. They urged the
parties to implement fully their commitments. The Ministers appealed
to the international community to provide assistance to the peace
process, which could, inter alia, take the form of a United Nations
peacekeeping operation. In the meantime, they welcomed the Security
Council decision to deploy military liaison officers.

The Ministers were deeply concerned at the continuation of the border
conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia. They reiterated their support
for the mediation by the OAU, and welcomed the acceptance by both
sides of the Framework Agreement and Implementation Modalities. They
urged both parties to continue to exercise restraint and to cooperate
fully with the OAU mediation in a flexible and practical manner in
order to resolve the conflict by peaceful means.

The Ministers welcomed the signing of the Lome Peace Agreement by the
Government of Sierra Leone and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF).
They commended the efforts made by the Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS) and its Military Observer Group (ECOMOG), and
all parties concerned in promoting the peaceful settlement of the
conflict. They emphasized the urgency and importance of the
implementation of the Agreement and called upon both the Government
and the RUF to ensure the provisions of the Agreement are fully
implemented. They commended the United Nations Observer Mission in
Sierra Leone (UNOMSIL) for its contribution in the peace process,
welcomed its provisional expansion authorized by the Security Council
Resolution 1260(1999), and looked forward to the Secretary-General's
recommendation on the mandate and structure of the enhanced United
Nations peacekeeping presence in Sierra Leone.

The Ministers remained deeply concerned by the situation in Somalia
and expressed their support for the continuing efforts by the
international community towards a comprehensive and lasting
settlement. They noted the Secretary-General's report on Somalia in
August 1999 and its recommendations, and expressed the hope that new
impetus could be brought into the peace efforts. They called upon the
Somalis to avoid any further actions that could contribute to
instability.

The Ministers expressed their support for efforts by the
Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD) to achieve a
peaceful settlement of the conflict in Sudan.

8. The Ministers expressed their continued support for the activities
of the Security Council, the Secretary-General and interested Member
States to promote a comprehensive settlement of the conflicts in both
Abkhazia, Georgia, and Tajikistan. They welcomed diplomatic efforts
and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) peacekeeping
contributions led by the Russian Federation and encouraged the further
close cooperation between these peacekeeping forces and the United
Nations Missions (UNOMIG and UNMOT) in helping to promote stability
and a comprehensive settlement of conflicts. The Ministers also
welcomed the efforts of the co-Chairs of the Minsk Conference of the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to promote
a resolution of the Nagorny Karabakh conflict.

The Ministers welcomed significant progress in the peace process in
Tajikistan due to the renewed efforts of the President and the
Opposition side. The Ministers encouraged the parties to continue
their efforts to ensure the full implementation of the General
Agreement and the successful holding of the elections. The Ministers
called upon the international community to provide assistance to Tajik
peace process including humanitarian assistance to the Tajik
population.

The Ministers took note of some positive developments in the
settlement of the conflict in Abkhazia, Georgia and underlined the
necessity for all parties to demonstrate political will and to
implement concrete measures in good faith in order to achieve
substantive progress on key issues. The Ministers considered
unacceptable and illegitimate the holding of self-styled elections by
the Abkhaz side.

9. The Ministers expressed their serious concern at the renewed
fighting in Afghanistan. They called upon the warring Afghan parties
to cease hostilities immediately and to resume political negotiations
under the auspices of the United Nations, in line with their
commitments expressed at the meeting of the 6 plus 2 Group in Tashkent
in July. They urged the Taliban to cease providing safe haven to
international terrorist groups based in territory they control. They
pledged their continued support for the central and impartial role of
the United Nations in achieving a peaceful resolution of the Afghan
conflict. They expressed their concern at reports of outside
interference in the affairs of Afghanistan and called for an end to
all external supply of arms and ammunition and the involvement of
foreign military personnel. They called on the neighboring States to
use their influence with Afghan factions to support the United Nations
peace efforts.

The Ministers are concerned about the suffering the fighting is
causing to the civilian population and about the deteriorating
humanitarian conditions of the increasing number of internally
displaced persons. They stressed the importance of cooperation by the
Afghan parties with the United Nations and other international
humanitarian organizations, in particular, the necessity of
guaranteeing their personnel safety and unhindered access in carrying
out their mandate. The Ministers called on all parties to the conflict
to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law
and to demonstrate full respect for the human rights of all civilians
in Afghanistan, in particular women and girls.

10. The Ministers welcomed the successful conduct of the popular
consultation of the East Timorese people of 30 August 1999. They
commended the role of the United Nations and expressed their
appreciation to the Government of Indonesia for its cooperation in the
process. The Ministers were appalled by the violence against and large
scale displacement of East Timorese people and condemned such acts of
terror. They expressed their support for the deployment of a
multinational force at the invitation of the Indonesian Government in
accordance with the Security Council Resolution 1264(1999) and looked
forward to all parties cooperating to fulfill its mandate. The
Ministers emphasized the urgent need for coordinated humanitarian
assistance and called upon all parties to cooperate so as to ensure
the safe return of refugees and displaced persons who desire to return
and the effective delivery of humanitarian aid. They thanked the
countries participating in the multinational force and looked forward
to a swift stabilization of the situation and the full implementation
of the Agreement of 5 May 1999.

11. The Ministers reaffirmed that the status quo in Cyprus is
unacceptable and that the Cyprus problem has gone unresolved for too
long. They reminded the parties involved of the need, in accordance
with the Security Council resolutions, to achieve a comprehensive
political settlement. They recalled their request to the
Secretary-General, in accordance with relevant Security Council
resolutions, to invite the leaders of the two sides to negotiations in
the autumn of 1999. They reiterated their call upon the two leaders to
give their full support to comprehensive negotiations under the
auspices of the Secretary-General, and to commit themselves to the
following principles:

-- no preconditions;

-- all issues on the table;

-- commitment in good faith to negotiate until a settlement is
reached;

-- full consideration of relevant United Nations resolutions and
treaties.

The Ministers recalled their request to the two sides, including
military authorities on both sides, to work constructively with the
Secretary-General and his Special Representative and others in support
of the efforts of the United Nations to create a positive climate on
the island that will pave the way for negotiations in the autumn of
1999.

12. The Ministers hailed the signing of the Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum
between Israel and the Palestinians as an important step forward in
the Middle East peace process. The Ministers expressed their belief
that the new agreement opens the way for a just, lasting and
comprehensive peace within a reasonable timeframe in the entire
region. They condemned vigorously all acts of terrorism and violence
in the region. They called upon all parties to implement in full their
commitments under existing agreements and to refrain from actions that
pre-empt the negotiations and worsen both the political and the
economic situation in the Palestinian territories, and to abide
scrupulously by their obligations under international law. They also
hoped the negotiations between Israel, the Syrian Arab Republic and
Lebanon could resume soon on a mutually agreed basis and in accordance
with the relevant Security Council resolutions. They urged all
interested parties to avoid an escalation of violence and tension in
South Lebanon and to continue to cooperate within the monitoring
group.

13. The Ministers met on 23 September 1999 to discuss the Iraq issue
with a view to ensuring the full implementation of the relevant
Security Council resolutions. The Ministers affirmed their wish to see
a way forward, drawing on work already done in the Security Council
and progress made by their senior officials, and underlined the need
for the adoption of a new, comprehensive resolution, based upon the
disarmament and humanitarian objectives of the Council.

The Ministers instructed their Representatives to continue
consultations to resolve the remaining differences, with the aim of
reaching agreement on a new resolution to be adopted by the Council as
soon as possible.

14. The Ministers welcomed the significant progress achieved in
settling the issue of Pan Am 103 and UTA 772 and the cooperative
approaches demonstrated by all parties concerned.

15. The Ministers welcomed the progress made in the implementation of
the Peace Agreement and the establishment of a united democratic,
prosperous and multi-ethnic Bosnia and Herzegovina. Nevertheless they
considered that much more remained to be done to make peace in Bosnia
and Herzegovina self-sustaining and this will require a continued
broad commitment of all authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to make
further progress in fulfilling their obligations under the Peace
Agreement. The Ministers reiterated the importance of full respect for
the rights of refugees and displaced persons to return to their homes
in safety. They emphasized the obligations of all parties to the Peace
Agreement to cooperate fully with the International Tribunal for the
former Yugoslavia. The Ministers commended the United Nations
contribution through its mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including
the International Police Task Force, to joint efforts to consolidate
the implementation of the Peace Agreement.

16. The Ministers emphasized the utmost importance of full and timely
implementation of all provisions of Security Council resolution
1244(1999). They expressed their concern at the still volatile
situation in Kosovo, in particular the violence against ethnic
minorities and stressed the urgent need to restore law and order
there. They expressed their support for the international civil and
security presence in Kosovo, the United Nations Interim Administration
Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and KFOR, and called on all concerned to
cooperate fully with them. They encouraged close cooperation among the
United Nations, the European Union, the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe and other international organizations in the
stabilization and reconstruction of Kosovo.

17. The Ministers emphasized the importance of maintaining an active
United Nations engagement in Haiti to follow up the work of the United
Nations Civilian Police Mission in Haiti and the International
Civilian Mission in Haiti, including through a comprehensive
development program.

18. The Ministers called for concerted efforts to tackle the causes of
movements of refugees and displaced persons, and expressed their
support for the work of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees. The Ministers welcomed the efforts of the Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to enhance inter-agency
coordination in humanitarian crises and expressed support for the work
of the Emergency Relief Coordinator. They expressed concern at the
lack of adequate resources, unbalanced distributions, and low response
for addressing humanitarian emergencies, and regretted the persistent
trend of low and uneven funding of the Consolidated Appeals. The
Ministers expressed concern at the attacks on humanitarian workers and
called for a comprehensive approach to the security of humanitarian
personnel.

19. The Ministers reaffirmed the determination of Governments at the
highest political level to overcome the world drug problem by an
integrated and balanced application of national, regional and
international strategies to reduce the illicit demand for, production
of, and trafficking in drugs. The Ministers commended the goals
contained in the Political Declaration of the 20th special session of
the General Assembly to establish the year 2003 as a target date for
new or enhanced drug demand reduction strategies and to achieve
significant and measurable results in the fields of demand reduction
and the elimination of illicit drugs by the year 2008.

20. The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to combat transnational
organized crime and welcomed the efforts to elaborate a convention
against transnational organized crime.

21. The Ministers noted the lessons learned from the global financial
crisis, and welcomed the broad strategies adopted by the international
community in dealing with the crisis and stabilizing the world
economy. They stressed the need to strengthen further the
international financial system, taking full account of the concerns of
countries most severely affected by the crisis. They also stressed the
importance of sound domestic policies, private capital flows and
appropriate functioning of markets, as well as a favorable and open
international economic environment, to overcome this crisis and
reverse the marginalization of some developing countries, in
particular the least developed ones. They underlined the need for
concerted action by the international community and, in this
connection, urged all countries to adopt policy measures that are
conducive to the stabilization of the situation and the revitalization
of economic development. The Ministers welcomed the increased dialogue
and cooperation between the United Nations and Bretton Woods
Institutions in solving problems brought about by globalization. They
also agreed on the need to strengthen the capacity for prevention and
to improve early-warning of emerging economic and financial crises.
The Ministers reaffirmed that economic development, social development
and environmental protection are interdependent and mutually
reinforcing components of sustainable development. In this regard,
they expressed the view that the United Nations is in a position to
play an even more important role in coordinating development
assistance to developing countries, in particular the least developed
ones, as well as to countries in transition, to promote their
integration into the world economy.

22. The Ministers thanked the Secretary-General for the traditional
exchange of views and believed that the continued close consultations
between the Foreign Ministers of the five permanent members of the
Security Council and the Secretary-General are very useful.

(end text)