S/PV.3172 Security Council

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on the agenda. The Security Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations. Members of the Council have before them the report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador, which is contained in document S/25006. Members of the Council also have before them letters dated 7, 26 and 29 January 1993 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council, contained in documents S/25078, S/25241 and S/25200 respectively. Following consultations among members of the Security Council, I have been authorized to make the following statement on behalf of the Council: "The Security Council welcomes with satisfaction the important progress made thus far towards the full implementation of the Peace Agreements for El Salvador and the cooperation shown by the parties to this end. The Security Council takes note of the report of the Secretary-General dated 23 December 1992 (S/25006) in which he indicates that the armed conflict between the Government of El Salvador and the Frente Farabuado Marti para la Liberacidn National (FMLN) was brought formally to an end on 15 December 1992. The Council emphasizes this event, which puts an end to more than 10 years of armed conflict, "However, the Security Council expresses concern at the observations made by the Secretary-General in his letter dated 7 January 1993 addressed to the President of the Security Council (S/25078), by which he reported on the situation with regard to the implementation of the recommendations of the Ad Hoc Commission concerning the purification of the.armed forces of El Salvador and, basically, at the fact that those recommendations have yet to be fully complied with despite prior assurances by the Government of El Salvador. The Security Council also expresses concern at the indication in the letter dated 29 January 1993 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council (S/25200) that FMLN, despite prior assurances, did not complete the destruction of its weapons by the agreed deadline and that it is therefore not yet in full compliance with its undertakings under the Peace Agreements. "In this connection, the Security Council emphasizes the solemn nature of the undertakings made by each of the parties when they signed the Peace Agreements and reaffirms the obligation of the parties to comply fully and in a timely fashion with those undertakings. "The Council welcomes with satisfaction the decision of the Government of El Salvador to request the United Nations to verify the forthcoming general elections and the intention of the Secretary-General, communicated in his letter dated 26 January 1993 (S/25241) to the President of the Security Council, to recommend to the Security Council that it accede to this request. "The Security Council strongly urges the parties to persist in their determination to complete the process of bringing peace and national reconciliation to El Salvador and to continue cooperating with the (The President) Secretary-General in the efforts that he is making to ensure that the Peace Agreements are implemented fully. To that end, the Council will follow closely the progress and results of those efforts". THe Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on the agenda. The meetins rose at 11.50 a.m,