S/PV.3227 Security Council

The Security Council will now begin consideration of the item on its agenda. The Security Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations. Members of the Council have before them document 8/25876, which contains the text of a draft resolution prepared in the course of the Council's prior consultations. Members of the Council also have received copies of a letter dated 2 June 1993 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council, which will be distributed as document §/25879. It is my understanding that the Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. Unless I hear any objection, I shall put the draft resolution (8/25876) to the vote now. There being no objection, it is so decided. A vote was taken by show of hands. In favour: Brazil, Cape Verde, China, Djibouti, France, Hungary, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Spain, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, Venezuela

There were 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 835 (1993). (The President) I shall now call on those members of the Council who wish to make statements following the voting. Mr. WALKER (United States of America): First, Mr. President, my delegation would like to welcome your leadership of the Council this month and to express its profound gratitude to the representative of the Russian Federation for his wise and excellent guidance of the Council's activities over the past month. The Secretary-General's Special Representative has stated that the conduct of the elections has been free and fair. My Government strongly shares and supports that judgement. To the naysayers who have focused on the problems of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), I say: these elections have been a resounding triumph for the Cambodian people, for the United Nations and for the principles of democracy. By turning out to vote in overwhelming numbers, the Cambodian people have spoken loudly and clearly of their desire for peace and democracy. In unanimously adopting this resolution, the Security Council has endorsed the conduct of the elections and has reminded all the parties of their obligation to respect fully the results. The United States calls on all Cambodian parties to emulate Prince Sihanouk's leadership and declare their intention to respect the outcome of the elections, so that Cambodia may now pursue peace and national reconciliation. The United States would again like to express its congratulations and appreciation to the dedicated men and women of UNTAC; to the Secretary-General‘s Special Representative, Yasushi Akashi; and to the Cambodian people for the inspiring success of these elections.

I thank the representative of the United States for the kind words he addressed to me. Mr. MERIMEE (France) (interpretation from French): My delegation is pieased to congratulate you, Sir, on your assumption of the presidency, and we would like to express our thanks to Ambassador Vorontsov for the manner in which he conducted the work of the Council last month. My delegation is very happy with the major success of the elections in Cambodia. This is a resounding achievement for the United Nations, which, for the first time, organized the entire electoral process in a country. My delegation once again wishes to pay tribute to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and the entire United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) team, who carried out their mission extremely well by making it possible to hold these free and equitable elections in a context that looked rather difficult. It is also a very great victory for the Cambodian people, who were able to express themselves freely on their own future and who fully spoke out for peace and democracy. It is appropriate to pay tribute to the determination and political maturity that they demonstrated on this occasion. The leaders of the parties must now understand the message addressed to them by the people. Democratic principles must be respected by all. (Mr. Mérimée, France) France recalls the commitment made by all parties to respect the outcome of the elections. We call upon Cambodians to draw the right conclusions from this vote and to establish, under the unanimously recognized authority of Prince Sihanouk, a broad coalition in a genuine spirit of national reconciliation.

I thank the representative of France for his kind words addressed to me. Mr. HATANO (Japan): Mr. President, allow me to express to you my warmest congratulations on your assumption of the presidency of the Council for the month of June. I also wish to convey the appreciation of my delegation to Ambassador Vorontsov for the exemplary manner in which he guided the business of the Council during May. That the election for the constituent assembly, which concluded last Friday, proceeded peacefully and has been declared free and fair is a source of profound satisfaction to my Government. That an overwhelmingly large majority of the Cambodian people, almost 90 per cent of those eligible, exercised their right to vote demonstrates their strong desire to restore freedom and democracy to their country. Japan appeals to all parties to respect the results of the election as a clear expression of the will of the Cambodian people for national reconciliation. The success of the election is due in no small part to the extraordinary efforts of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia under the direction of Special Representative Mr. Yasushi Akashi and his outstanding staff, and of those dedicated volunteers who came from every corner of the world to participate in this historic undertaking. Japan pays a high tribute and expresses its sincere appreciation to each and every one of them. (Mr. Hatano, Japan) As we are well aware, the election is not the end of the process but rather the first step towards the realization of peace and democracy in Cambodia. The path towards lasting peace in Cambodia will not be easy, and a number of uncertain factors remain. The efforts by the Cambodians to help themselves, led by His Royal Highness Prince Norodom Sihanouk, and the verdict they have given will be crucial in this process. At the same time, the international community and the United Nations can and must assist the efforts of the Cambodians to ensure that the election will lead to the next step, the formation of a constituent assembly, and ultimately to the achievement of lasting peace and national reconciliation.

I thank the representative of Japan for his kind words addressed to me. Mr. MARKER (Pakistan): Mr. President, permit me, first of all, to congratulate you on behalf of my delegation on your assumption of the presidency of the Council for the month of June. The task promises to be as arduous as it is important, but I have no doubt that, under your able and skilful diplomatic leadership, we will have a very successful period. Permit me also, Sir, to express my delegation's warm thanks and appreciation for the able and skilful manner in which Ambassador Vorontsov of the Russian Federation guided the work of the Council during the month of May. We are deeply grateful for his great diplomatic leadership and his unfailing courtesy. The Government of Pakistan has received with immense satisfaction the heartening report from the Secretary-General and the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) that the conduct of the elections in Cambodia has been successful, peaceful, free and fair. We pay a rich (Mr. Marker, Pakistan) tribute to the Secretary-General, his Special Representative Mr. Yasushi Akashi, the courageous UNTAC personnel and the heroic people of Cambodia for the success of this mission. My delegation would also wish to pay a rich tribute to the long, arduous and outstanding efforts of His Royal Highness Prince Norodom Sihanouk. The international community and the Cambodian people should be proud of their conscious choice of the democratic path and its successful fruition. The operation in Cambodia has demonstrated to the world that the cherished goals of democracy and freedom can be achieved with clarity of purpose and strong determination. The participation of some 88.14 per cent of the electorate in the polls is, I think, a record turnout and a model for any country, whether developing or developed, where elections are held. It is now incumbent on all parties to accept the result of the elections without any reservation, so that Cambodia can move smoothly to the next logical step: forming a democratic government, freely elected by the people of Cambodia. My delegation fully endorses UNTAC's plans to support the newly elected constituent assembly in the tasks before it in the post-electoral phase, namely, the formulation and promulgation of a constitution and the formation of a government. My delegation expresses the hope that all the leaders of the parties represented at the constituent assembly will undertake, under the unanimously recognized authority of His Royal Highness Prince Norodom Sihanouk, the formation of a broad coalition reflecting the expression of the sovereignty of the Cambodian people as demonstrated during the election.

I thank the representative of Pakistan for his kind words addressed *o me. Mr. LI Zhaoxing (China) (interpretation from Chinese}: The polling process for the constituent assembly elections in Cambodia, carried out in accordance with the Paris Agreements, has come to a conclusion. The Chinese delegation is very glad to see that, so far, the elections have been conducted rather smoothly. The elections that have now been held mark an important stage in the Cambodian peace process and have a direct bearing on the political future and destiny of Cambodia and its people. During the elections, the Cambodian people earnestly exercised their rights and fully expressed their patriotic enthusiasm and their aspirations for peace. This deserves high commendation. We have taken note of the declarations of the Secretary-General and his Special Representative stating that the conduct of the elections has been free and fair. We hope that, through the joint efforts of the various parties, the entire election process will be completed successfully. In order the better to prepare and organize these elections, the United Nations Secretary-General, his Special Representative and also the personnel of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia have all made tireless efforts, The Chinese delegation wishes to express its appreciation for their work. Cambodia is now at an important historic juncture. The Chinese delegation sincerely hopes that the various Cambodian parties will make the elections a turning-point by successfully completing their work of drafting the new constitution and by establishing the new Government. We attach great importance to, and highly respect the important role of Prince Sihanouk in the entire Cambodian peace process and, in particular, during and after the elections in the realization of genuine national reconciliation and national reconstruction in Cambodia. (Mr. Li Zhaoxing, China) The question of how to maintain peace in Cambodia after the elections still merits concern. China does not wish to see a recurrence of war in Cambodia. China has not supported, and never will support, any Cambodian party in civil war. We hope that the endeavours of the international community will be conducive to this end. Mr. O'BRIEN (New Zealand): First, Sir, may I say how pleased we are to see you assume the important functions of President. We are sure that during this month the Security Council will be in the very best of hands. May we also, through you, Sir, convey our deep admiration to Ambassador Vorontsov for the truly masterful way in which he conducted our affairs last month. New Zealand considers that the elections held last week in Cambodia are a victory for the people of Cambodia as well as for democracy. As a neighbour in the Asia-Pacific region, New Zealand is delighted that the elections have been held successfully. They represent a major positive step forward towards peace, stability and growth in Cambodia. The level of voting in the elections ~ nearly 90 per cent of registered voters ~ makes this unprecedented United Nations exercise an undoubted success, We salute the efforts of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) for this significant achievement. We pay particular tribute to Mr. Akashi, whose statement emphasizing the freeness and fairness of the elections is before us today, and the UNTAC personnel and United Nations volunteers, including those who gave their lives in order to ensure that the Cambodian people were able to undertake this demonstration of self-determination. Obviously, New Zealand derives satisfaction from the contribution that individual New Zealanders made through the efforts of military personnel, polling station observers, fingerprint experts and others working with the United Nations in Cambodia. All have undertaken their task unstintingly and sometimes at considerable risk to their personal safety. (Mr. O'Brien, New Zealand) The holding of the elections has been a great achievement. It is imperative that their results be respected by all the Cambodian parties. They must recognize that the Cambodian people have spoken out clearly in favour of democracy and peace. Efforts to cast doubt on the validity of the elections or to overturn their results must not be tolerated. The ball is now in the Cambodians‘ court. Once the results have been declared, the winning parties will need to get together and organize an interim consultative Cabinet, and write the Constitution so that a longer-term Government can be formed. That should set the country on a stable course to growth and development. New Zealand, in conjunction with the international community, will continue to support that process. In the end, however, responsibility for Cambodia's future prosperity lies primarily with the Cambodians themselves. We encourage the Constituent Assembly that is to be formed and all Cambodians to work and to cooperate to that end.

I thank the representative of New Zealand for his kind words addressed to me. Mr. VORONTSOV (Russian Federation) (interpretation from Russian): The Russian Federation welcomes the successful holding of elections in Cambodia, opening up a path to peace and national harmony in that country. An important step has been taken towards ensuring that the Cambodian people can freely and by the most democratic methods ~- at the ballot box - make their own choice as to what form of State structure they will have in order to establish a Government which must become the sole, sovereign power for all of Cambodia. The extremely high percentaye of Cambodians participating in the voting shows that they are ready for this. (Mr, Vorontsov, Russian Federation) We pay tribute to the outstanding efforts made by the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), which prepared for and held the elections in difficult circumstances. We also thank Mr. Akashi for his work in heading it. The elections were to a large extent possible thanks to the commitment and resolve of the members of UNTAC, despite the significant difficulties and risks involved in their work. We voted for adoption of the resolution as a necessary step towards consolidating the democratic process and ensuring national conciliation in the country. We believe that at this stage it is extremely important for the Security Council to give a signal to all the Cambodian parties as to the need to recognize, respect and abide by the results of the general elections, to show restraint and willingness to enter into dialogue and to establish a broad representative coalition Government. We believe that, given goodwill on the part of the Cambodian political forces, it is realistic to expect that the next stage of a settlement - the drafting of a Constitution and the formation of a new Government - can be accomplished. In advocating promotion by the international community of a political and economic reconstruction in Cambodia, we express our willingness to cooperate with all the parties to the Paris Agreements for the successful completion of the implementation of those Agreements. Sir David HANNAY (United Kingdom): May I first, Sir, congratulate you on having taken over the presidency of the Council, and through you give my thanks to the Ambassador of the Russian Federation for his remarkable presidency last month. We in this Council can perhaps best appreciate the nature of the events that have taken place in Cambodia in the last few weeks by asking ourselves (Sir David Hannay, United Kingdom} whether we could possibly have predicted such a good result. Could we have expected that level of turn-out - remarkably high, even by the standards of any of our countries that have democratic elections? Could we have predicted that the conduct of the elections would be so free of generalized violence? In fact, the violence during the election period was less than in the period leading up to it. Could we have predicted that the conduct of the elections would be, as the Secretary-General's Special Representative has said, free and fair? If we were honest, I think we would all have qualified any such predictions a few weeks ago. That is a mark of the astonishing success that this is - a success for the United Nations, a success for democracy and above all a success for the people of Cambodia, Clearly, great credit must go to the men and women of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), and in particular to the Special Representative, Mr. Yasushi Akashi, and to the Force Commander, General Sanderson. Now the task of all of us and of all Cambodians must be to consolidate that success and not to allow it to be frittered away or undermined. The resolution we have adopted today is designed to show that the Council intends to do everything in its power to back up the outcome of the elections and help the new Cambodia along the difficult path that lies before it. But it is above all for Cambodia's leaders and people to tread that path. The United Nations and this Council can assist, but they cannot and should not take the decisions for them. Those decisions are for the democratically elected representatives of Cambodia to take. They must be allowed to take them, and they must be encouraged to do so.

I thank the representative of the United Kingdom for his kind words addressed to me. There are no further speakers on my list. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on the agenda. The Security Council will remain seized of the matter. The meeting rose at 5.50 p.m.