S/PV.3425 Security Council

I should like to inform the Council that I have received a letter from the representative of El Salvador in which he requests to be invited to participate in the discussion of the item on the Council’s agenda. In conformity with the usual practice, I propose, with the consent of the Council, to invite that representative to participate in the discussion without the right to vote, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter and rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure. There being no objection, it is so decided.

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The 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, document S/1994/1000. 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 has received the Secretary-General’s report of 26 August 1994 (S/1994/1000) on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador (ONUSAL), submitted pursuant to resolution 920 (1994). The Council is encouraged by the Secretary-General’s observation regarding El Salvador’s transformation from a country riven by conflict into a nation on the path to reconciliation. "The Security Council reaffirms the need to ensure that, under appropriate verification by ONUSAL, the police and public security provisions of the Peace Accords are scrupulously observed. In particular, the Council expects that the Government of El Salvador will accelerate the demobilization of the National Police, as foreseen in the Peace Accords and as announced by the President of El Salvador. "The Security Council also shares the Secretary-General’s concern at the limited progress of the land-transfer programme, delays and distortions in other reintegration programmes and the unresolved problem of the human settlements, which was originated in the course of the conflict. The Council calls for the removal of remaining obstacles and the prompt fulfilment of the programmes, in conformity with the timetable agreed by the parties. It calls upon States, as well as international institutions, to contribute promptly and generously in support of those programmes. "The Security Council reiterates the need for full implementation of the recommendations of the Commission on the Truth. In this regard, it welcomes the unanimous election of an independent Supreme Court of Justice as an important step in the process of reform of the judicial system. "The Security Council welcomes the steps taken by the Secretary-General to reduce the size of ONUSAL to the lowest possible level of personnel and to contain its costs, consistent with the effective performance of its duties. The Council reaffirms the commitment undertaken by the United Nations to verify the implementation of the Peace Accords and, in this context, expresses the hope that significant further progress will be made in implementing the Accords".