S/PV.3600 Security Council

I should like to inform the Council that I have received a letter from the representative of Croatia 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 Security Council have before them the report of the Secretary-General pursuant to Security Council resolutions 981 (1995), 982 (1995) and 983 (1995), document S/1995/987. Members of the Council also have before them document S/1995/994, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by Argentina, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America. Honduras has joined as a sponsor of the draft resolution contained in document S/1995/994. I should like to draw the attention of the members of the Council to document S/1995/951, which contains the text of a letter dated 15 November 1995 from the It is my understanding that the Security Council is ready to proceed to vote on the draft resolution before it. Unless I hear any objection, I shall put the draft resolution to the vote. There being no objection, it is so decided. I shall first call on those members of the Council who wish to make statements before the voting.

A significant breakthrough was recently achieved in the peace process in the region of the former Yugoslavia. The Government of Croatia and the local Serbian authorities signed a Basic Agreement. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia also initialled a Peace Agreement on the settlement of the question of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We warmly welcome these achievements. The signing of these agreements is in the fundamental interests of the peoples of the former Yugoslavia region. It is also conducive to peace and stability in Europe and the world as a whole. We hope that the parties concerned will abide by these agreements so that the various ethnic groups and countries of that region can live in peace and harmony, and so that peace and stability may soon be achieved in the former Yugoslavia. The United Nations peace-keeping operations in the region of the former Yugoslavia have worked hard to prevent the spread of conflicts. They have contributed to relief activities and deployed preventive operations, acquiring experience in the process. Now that progress has been made in the peace process in the former Yugoslavia, the Secretary-General has proposed to the Security Council that the mandate of the three United Nations peace-keeping operations — the United Nations Confidence Restoration Operation in Croatia, the United Nations Protection Force and the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force — be extended as appropriate so that studies may be conducted on ways and means for the United Nations to participate in peace- keeping operations in this region in the future. The Chinese delegation agrees in principle with the Secretary- General’s proposal and will vote in favour of the three draft resolutions before us. We have noted that the Basic Agreement and the Peace Agreement both contain requests for the implementation of peace in this region. The United Nations and the Security Council will undoubtedly have to shoulder important responsibilities, since these requests involve many complex political, legal, military and financial questions. The Security Council must therefore make a careful study of these matters and discuss them thoroughly so that a sound decision can be taken in the light of the current situation. People have been talking recently about the deployment of implementation forces in the region of the former Yugoslavia. That could be a major operation. If the Security Council has to take decisions to prevent these operations’ departing from the principles governing United Nations peace-keeping operations and avoid the abuse of force and involvement in the conflict, these operations should be placed under the control and guidance of the United Nations and the Security Council.

I shall now put to the vote the draft resolution contained in document S/1995/994.

There were 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 1025 (1995). 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.