S/PV.3292 Security Council

The Security Council will now begin its 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 S/26582, which contains the text of a draft resolution prepared in the course of the Council’s prior consultations. I should like to draw the attention of members of the Council to the following documents: S/26522, letter dated 1 October 1993 from the Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council; S/26543, letter dated 6 October 1993 from the Permanent Representative of Armenia to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council; and S/26556 and S/26577, letters dated 8 and 13 October 1993, respectively, from the Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council. 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 (S/26582) 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 874 (1993). I shall now call on those members of the Council who wish to make statements following the voting. Mrs. ALBRIGHT (United States): Through the resolution we have just adopted, the international community expresses its strong support for the vital, continuing efforts of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) Minsk Group to help resolve the conflict in the Nagorny-Karabakh region. In the spirit of this resolution and previous Council resolutions, the Minsk Group has developed a plan that envisages international monitoring of a phased cease-fire and negotiations among all the parties through early convocation of the Minsk Conference. The situation in the region has worsened considerably. Recent military actions have increased the possibility that the conflict could spread. The tide of refugees has swelled, just at the onset of winter, to more than 900,000. The international community and the parties to the conflict, working together through the Minsk process, must act to alleviate the human suffering and find a peaceful solution. We hope that the parties to the conflict, encouraged by all those who are working for a negotiated solution, will seize the key opportunity offered by the Minsk Group’s plan. To let it pass would be a tragic mistake. Mr. LADSOUS (France) (interpretation from French): My delegation welcomes today’s adoption by our Council of a resolution on the situation in Nagorny-Karabakh. In my Government’s view, this text, thanks to the Council’s support for a timetable of urgent steps proposed to the parties by the Chairman of the Minsk Group, ought to allow for decisive progress towards the settlement of the conflict. My delegation also notes that through this resolution our Council has reaffirmed its support for the process undertaken within the framework of the CSCE, a process to which France is particularly committed. This resolution addresses a clear message to the parties by asking them to agree to the timetable of urgent measures. My delegation hopes that they will grasp its meaning and soon inform Ambassador Raffaelli of their acceptance of the timetable, an essential step towards the negotiation which is to open under the auspices of the Minsk Conference. Mr. VORONTSOV (Russian Federation) (interpretation from Russian): The Russian Federation is making concerted efforts to assist in ending the Nagorny-Karabakh conflict. On 24 and 25 September in Moscow, on the initiative of the Government of the Russian Federation, important meetings were held among all the parties to the Karabakh conflict. It was agreed to continue direct contacts and to prepare an agreement on a full and universal cease-fire and on ending all military action. The cease-fire, despite isolated incidents, has been observed since the beginning of September and that is very important. Azerbaijan and Armenia turned to Russia for assistance in formalizing the fundamental agreement achieved during the Moscow meetings on extending the cease-fire in the Nagorny-Karabakh conflict for one more month. On 1 October, such a cease-fire was extended to 5 November. The Russian Federation attaches great significance to a complete cease-fire and end to military actions, but the main attention is on the most reliable machinery for making sure that fighting does not resume. The fact that just now it has been possible to cool down the military activities using a number of short-term cease-fires is too fragile a thing, and does not ensure (Mr. Ladsous, France) (Mr. Vorontsov, Russian Federation) that this necessary calm will last for a longer period. It is necessary to reach agreement as soon as possible on a firm cease-fire. In light of all the complexities of this problem, we feel that a constructive joining of efforts by all parties and all organizations is necessary, primarily those of the CSCE and its Minsk Group, who stand to gain from a rapid, peaceful solution to this long drawn out, bloody conflict. The Russian Federation is carrying out a consistent policy of harmonizing its own efforts in helping a settlement in the Karabakh conflict with actions taken by the CSCE Minsk Group. Moreover, Russia is focusing its efforts on ensuring a reliable end to military actions and on establishing genuine guarantees against a resumption of armed resistance. Our assumption is that in the concrete steps to settle the Nagorny-Karabakh conflict, the efforts of the CSCE Minsk Group and of the Russian Federation can be undertaken in parallel and mutually complement one another. Russia is also open to any other constructive joint efforts. The problem of Nagorny-Karabakh was given great attention at the meeting of the heads of State of the Russian Federation, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia in Moscow on 8 October. As a follow-up to the Moscow meeting, useful talks took place in Baku a day or two ago between the President of Azerbaijan, Mr. Heydar Aliyev, and the personal representative of the President of Russia, Mr. Anatoly Adamishin, First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. (Mr. Vorontsov, Russian Federation) During the discussion of ways to settle the Nagorny-Karabakh conflict, President Aliyev emphasized Azerbaijan’s desire to make use of the present opportunity to achieve a breakthrough towards settling this long-drawn-out conflict. On 13 October Anatoly Adamishin flew to Yerevan to meet with the President of the Republic of Armenia, Levon Ter-Petrosian, and the leader of the Armenians in Nagorny-Karabakh, Rodert Kocherian. The Russian delegation supported the resolution that we have just adopted, and we hope that that will promote the rapid achievement of the goal we all have. We attach special significance to the appeal in the resolution that the cease-fire, which is presently holding, be made a lasting one. That is indeed a priority task. Having solved that problem, we can get down to taking mutual, urgent measures to reach a full settlement to the conflict. We count on the parties’ heeding the appeal of the Security Council. The Russian Federation will do everything possible to bring that about.

There are no further speakers on my list. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda. The meeting rose at 6.55 p.m.