S/PV.4988 Security Council

I should like to inform the Council that I have received a letter from the representative of the Sudan, 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 the agenda. The Security 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 Sudan, document S/2004/453. Members of the Council also have before them document S/2004/473, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. 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 to the vote now. There being no objection, it is so decided.

The draft resolution received 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 1547 (2004). I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements following the voting. Sir Emyr Jones Parry (United Kingdom): The Security Council, in this vote, has demonstrated its unanimous support for the Naivasha peace process and for the statesmanlike role carried out by the parties. We very much look forward to seeing further progress and to that process coming to a successful conclusion. It is right that the United Nations should put itself in a position where it is able to give every support to that process and to support the Government of the Sudan in its efforts to bring an end to a conflict that has run for a very long period. So, progress, a special political mission and a readiness to consider a peace support operation are absolutely right at this stage. But, too, it is right that, in adopting this resolution, we should look to see similar progress throughout the Sudan, we should reinforce again the efforts of the Government of that country, which is responsible throughout the country for the well-being of its citizens, and we should pay particular attention to the situation in Darfur and ensure that all of us and the humanitarian agencies play our part to avert any humanitarian catastrophe in that area.

Germany welcomes the United Nations commitment to supporting the implementation of a future north-south peace agreement for the Sudan, which is highlighted in the resolution the Council has just adopted unanimously. This agreement, when truly implemented, will offer the possibility of finding an end to this long-lasting conflict, which has cost so many lives. While there has been significant progress in the comprehensive Sudanese peace process, which the text of this resolution explicitly recognizes, a lasting peaceful settlement for the whole of the Sudan will be possible only when all the conflicts in the countries have been resolved. That includes an end to the sweeping and widespread human rights violations in the conflict regions in the Sudan. The Secretary-General’s report (S/2004/453), which the Council expressly welcomed today with the resolution at hand, clearly refers to that fact. In that context, Germany expresses its support for the plan of action for the protection of human rights in Darfur presented by the Acting High Commissioner for Human Rights. We believed that it was indispensable that this overall context of the conflict should also be appropriately reflected in the resolution, and we therefore welcome the reference in the text of the resolution to the presidential statement of 25 May (S/PRST/2004/18), which directly addresses the conflicts in Darfur and in the western Upper Nile. We call upon the parties to the conflict to meet their obligations arising from the N’Djamena peace agreement.

I would just like to draw the attention of Council members to the statement issued yesterday by the leaders of the Group of Eight, in which they warmly welcomed the 26 May signing by the Government of the Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement of protocols on power-sharing, on Abyei, and on the two areas of the Southern Blue Nile and the Nuba Mountains. They urged the parties to reach a final and comprehensive agreement that includes a timetable and security arrangements as quickly as possible, and hoped that that agreement and its faithful implementation will end one of the world’s most painful conflicts and begin a new era of Sudanese peace and prosperity. They also expressed their grave concern over the humanitarian, human rights and political crisis in Darfur. They welcomed the N’Djamena ceasefire agreement of 8 April and the announcement on 20 May by the Government of the Sudan that restrictions on humanitarian access will be eased. However, there are continuing reports of gross violations of human rights, many with an ethnic dimension. They called on parties to the conflict to immediately and fully respect the ceasefire, allow unimpeded humanitarian access to all those in need and create the conditions for the displaced to return safely to their homes. They called especially on the Sudanese Government to disarm immediately the Janjaweed and other armed groups which are responsible for massive human rights violations in Darfur. They called on the conflict parties to address the roots of the Darfur conflict and to seek a political solution. They also supported the African Union as it assumes the leading role in the monitoring mission which is now being sent to the Darfur region to supervise the ceasefire agreement. They pledged their countries’ assistance in ending the conflicts in Sudan and in providing humanitarian aid to those in need, and called on all parties to the conflicts in Sudan to commit themselves to respecting the right of all Sudanese to live in peace and dignity. They concluded by looking to the United Nations to lead the international effort to avert a major disaster and to work together to achieve that end.

My delegation welcomes the recent conclusion in Naivasha, Kenya, of the three protocols to agreements that, along with those reached over the past two years, now pave the way to a peaceful settlement of the conflict that has gone on too long in the southern Sudan. While we welcome the efforts undertaken by the parties to the conflict and the regional and international mediators, which may lead to a restoration of lasting peace in the southern Sudan following the dashing of many earlier hopes, my delegation remains aware of the fragility of the process under way, the challenges confronting it, and the danger that it may be knocked off track at any moment. As the Secretary-General very clearly indicates in his report, the parties to the conflict and the international community must display unshakeable will and steadfast resolve if we are to bring the peace process in the southern Sudan to a conclusion. In order to thwart all those who would wish the process to fail in pursuit of their objectives and to avoid the various potential obstacles, significant human, financial and material means must be mobilized, keeping in mind the geographical, political, social and economic constraints. Such are the challenges to the implementation of the agreement protocols already concluded and of an eventual comprehensive agreement. At this critical phase, therefore, my delegation would call for a mobilization of resources and a focusing of energy to accompany the peace process in the southern Sudan so as to avert any possibility of failure. Without denying the importance of challenges in other regions in the immense territory of the Sudan, which also deserve a comparable mobilization effort and the full attention of the international community and of the Sudanese parties involved, my delegation should have liked the resolution to guarantee ongoing international mobilization to accompany the peace process under way in the southern Sudan. In that spirit, my delegation fully endorses the Secretary-General’s recommendations, particularly those pertaining to the deployment of an advance team, with the prospect of establishing a United Nations operation after the conclusion of a comprehensive peace agreement in the southern Sudan.

The civil war that has afflicted the Sudan for the larger part of its independent history is most unfortunate. Its consequences have been severe for the people of the country and for the region. Pakistan welcomes the progress made towards a negotiated and mutually acceptable settlement of the conflict. We welcome the engagement of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the African Union and the international community in helping the parties move forward towards peace. Pakistan especially welcomes the commitment of the United Nations to supporting the peace process. The main objective of the resolution we have just adopted is to welcome the recent progress in the Naivasha process and to enable the deployment of a United Nations advance team in the Sudan to prepare for the introduction of a United Nations operation intended to support the implementation of a comprehensive peace agreement to be signed by the parties. The cooperation of the parties is and will remain vital for the implementation of any peace agreement. It will be important, therefore, to keep the Government of the Sudan fully and constructively engaged in the process. The resolution refers to the problems in the Darfur and Upper Nile regions of the Sudan. In Darfur, there is a humanitarian crisis initiated by an armed rebellion and escalated by the response. What is important now is for the international community to respond generously to this humanitarian crisis. This response has been disappointing so far. Therefore, we welcome the reference in the resolution to the need for extensive funding in support of peace in the Sudan. The Sudan is an important member of the African Union, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the United Nations. As a United Nations Member State, the Sudan has all the rights and privileges incumbent under the United Nations Charter, including to sovereignty, political independence, unity and territorial integrity — the principles that form the basis of international relations. Long-term peace and stability and the unity of the Sudan are in the interests not only of its own people, but also of the international community. This should be the central objective of the Security Council. Finally, in closing let me say that it should be a matter of principle that a country concerned in any issue under discussion by the Security Council or the subject of a resolution should have the right to participate and to speak in the Council’s meetings. We have extended that right to other countries and we should not have denied it in this case.

There are no further speakers inscribed on my list. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.