S/PV.3856 Security Council

I should like to inform the Council that I have received a letter from the representative of Tajikistan, 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 progress report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Tajikistan, document S/1998/113. 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 considered the progress report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Tajikistan of 10 February 1998 (S/1998/113), submitted pursuant to paragraph 12 of its resolution 1138 (1997) of 14 November 1997. “The Security Council regrets that during the last three months work on the implementation of the General Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and National Accord in Tajikistan (S/1997/510) and the relevant activities of the Commission on National “The Security Council commends the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and the personnel of the United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT) for their work and encourages them to continue assisting the parties in the implementation of the General Agreement. It welcomes the results of the international donor conference in support of peace and reconciliation in Tajikistan convened by the Secretary-General in Vienna on 24 and 25 November 1997, and looks forward to the contribution of those results to consolidating the peace process in Tajikistan. “The Security Council reiterates its concern that the security situation in some parts of Tajikistan remains precarious. It reminds both parties that the international community is ready to continue assisting in the implementation of the General Agreement as well as in humanitarian and rehabilitation programmes, but that its ability to do so and also the ability of UNMOT to carry out its tasks more effectively are linked to improvements in security conditions. “The Security Council firmly condemns the hostage-taking of relief workers that took place in November 1997 and urges the parties to cooperate further in ensuring the security and freedom of movement of the personnel of the United Nations, the Collective Peacekeeping Forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States (the CIS Peacekeeping Forces) and other international personnel, and to take practical steps in this respect, such as those mentioned in paragraph 7 of the report of the Secretary-General. “The Security Council welcomes the presidential decree establishing a joint security unit with the task of providing security, including armed escorts, for UNMOT personnel and calls upon the parties to make the unit operational as soon as “The Security Council encourages the Secretary- General to continue the expansion of UNMOT to the strength authorized by its resolution 1138 (1997) as This statement will be issued as a document of the Security Council under the symbol S/PRST/1998/4. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on the agenda.