The recent Summit meeting of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was an important milestone in the search for peace in Liberia. The outcome of the meeting reflects the unity of purpose of the States of the subregion and their resolve to help Liberians find a permanent political so…
The recent military usurpation of power from the democratically elected Government in Burundi completed what the Burundi Army had intended to do as far back as 1993. Several reasons, some contradictory, others self-serving, have been advanced to justify this coup. I believe that it is not difficult …
During the meeting at which resolution 1054 (1996) was adopted, on 26 April 1996, my delegation expressed the hope and the belief that the Government of the Sudan would comply fully with the demands of resolution 1044 (1996). We expressed confidence in the ability of the Sudan to avoid an escalation…
My delegation is grateful to you, Mr. President, for the timely initiative you have taken in choosing this very important subject for our orientation debate today. Anti-personnel mines are the scourge of human society in most, if not all, conflict situations. They are a cowardly and indiscriminate i…
The delegation of Botswana is deeply troubled by the large-scale fighting in Tajikistan. The parties are clearly unwilling to meet the conditions set out in the resolutions of the Security
My delegation will vote in favour of the draft resolution before us. UNMOT is doing a good job under very tryi…
Let me first of all convey to you, Sir, the congratulations of my delegation on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council this month. I wish you every success in your work. I also wish to thank Ambassador Qin Huasun of China for the excellent manner in which he guided the work of the…
The United Nations Preventive Deployment Force (UNPREDEP) has played a pivotal role in preventing the spread of the war into the southern region of the Balkans. UNPREDEP has thus been a major success as the first United Nations experiment in preventive diplomacy and it has contributed in no small me…
My delegation was deeply disturbed by the resumption of fighting in Liberia on 6 April 1996, which reversed in the cruellest and most brutal manner the gains of a promising peace process. The senseless bloodletting that has been visited upon Monrovia, which had been a safe haven for most of the six …
When the Security Council adopted resolution 1044 (1996) on 31 January 1996, my delegation expressed the hope that it would be the last resolution to be adopted by the Council on the question of the extradition to Ethiopia of the three suspects wanted in connection with the assassination attempt on …
The situation in the Great Lakes region is potentially explosive. It is a matter of paramount importance that the arms embargo imposed by the Security Council in resolutions 918 (1994), 997 (1995) and 1011 (1995) be effectively implemented.
We value the contribution of the International Commission …
The position of my delegation on the current situation in Lebanon was stated during the open debate held on Monday, 15 April 1996. We believe that the grave situation that now obtains in Lebanon could have been averted had the Security Council adopted a formal decision at the end of the orientation …
The Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements, signed in Washington, D.C., on 13 September 1993, and the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip signed in Washington, D.C., on 28 September 1995, made Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organi…
The Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1039 (1996) on 29 January 1996. That resolution extended the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for a further period of six months. This was yet another demonstration of the commitment of the international community to …
The “Fifteenth progress report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia” (S/1996/47) affords us an opportunity to consider such a report in a formal meeting of the Security Council. This is a positive response to the wishes of the Member States to bring about transp…
I would like to congratulate you, Sir, on your assumption of the presidency of the Council for the month of September. I wish to assure you of the cooperation of the delegation of Botswana. I also wish to thank Ambassador Wisnumurti of Indonesia for his excellent stewardship of the Council last mont…
The delegation of Botswana has carefully studied document S/1995/631, which contains a letter from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council and the report of Dr. Pedro Nikken on the proposal to establish an international commission of inquiry to investigate the facts …
It is a matter of public record that Security Council resolution 918 (1994), of 17 May 1994, was adopted at the height of one of the most tragic events in the history of Rwanda. The arms embargo was aimed at a Government which had planned, masterminded and presided over the mass execution of its own…
The conflict in the former Yugoslavia does not lend itself to easy solutions. Yesterday, the international community witnessed a human tragedy of epic proportions in Srebrenica and Zepa, in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, when the Bosnian Serbs drove innocent civilians in their thousands fro…
My delegation is seriously concerned by the reports that thousands of men and boys of military age have today not been accounted for in Bosnia and Herzegovina since the seizure of the enclaves of Srebrenica by the Bosnian Serb forces. The situation is further compounded by the fact that the Bosnian …
Let me at the outset congratulate you most warmly, Sir, on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the month of August. My delegation has full knowledge of the diplomatic skills and leadership qualities you have demonstrated in your capacity as Chairman of the Coordinating Bure…
