S/RES/898(1994) SC

RESOLUTION 898 (1994) Adopted by the Security Council at its 3338th meeting, on 23 February 1994 The Security Council, Reaffirming its resolution 782 (1992) of 13 October 1992 and all subsequent resolutions, Having considered the report of the Secretary—General on the United Nations Operation in Mozambique (ONUMOZ) dated 28 January 1994 (S/1994/89 and Add.1 and 2), and having completed the review of the status of ONUMOZ called for in its resolution 882 (1993), Commending the efforts of the Secretary-General, his Special Representative and the personnel of ONUMOZ in seeking to implement fully the mandate entrusted to it, Commending also the role played by the Organization of African Unity (OAU), through the Special Representative of its Secretary-General, in the implementation of the General Peace Agreement for Mozambique (S/24635, annex), Reiterating the importance it attaches to the General Peace Agreement, and to the timely fulfilment in good faith by all parties of their obligations under the Agreement, Noting that the people of Mozambique bear the ultimate responsibility for the successful implementation of the General Peace Agreement, Welcoming recent positive developments in the implementation of the General Peace Agreement, but concerned none the less at delays in its full implementation, Taking note of the request by the Government of Mozambique and RENAMO concerning the monitoring of all police activities and additional tasks set out in the agreements of 3 September 1993 (S/26432), and of the agreement of both parties to the general concept for the ONUMOZ police contingent, Stressing the necessity, in this as in other peace-keeping operations, to continue to monitor expenditures carefully during this period of increasing demands on peace-keeping resources, without jeopardizing their purposes, Noting with appreciation in this context that the Secretary-General, in proposing the establishment of a police component as an integral part of ONUMOZ, has at the same time stated his intention to present specific proposals for the phased reduction of the military component of ONUMOZ, without prejudice to the effective discharge of its mandate, in particular the tasks of its military component, Reaffirming its conviction that the resolution of the conflict in Mozambique will contribute to peace and security, 1. Welcomes the report of the Secretary-General of 28 January 1994; 2. Authorizes the establishment of a United Nations police component of up to 1,144 personnel as an integral part of ONUMOZ with the mandate and deployment described in paragraphs 9 to 18 of document S/1994/89/Add.1; 3. Requests the Secretary-General, as the police contingent is being deployed, to begin immediately preparing specific proposals for the drawdown of an appropriate number of military personnel with the objective of ensuring there is no increase in the cost of ONUMOZ without prejudice to the effective discharge of its mandate; 4. Further requests the Secretary-—General to prepare a timetable for (a) the completion of ONUMOZ's mandate, withdrawal of its personnel, and turnover of any remaining functions to United Nations agencies and programmes by the target date of the end of November 1994, by which time the elected government is expected to have assumed office, and in this context, for (b) the phased drawdown of military forces in the transportation corridors which should begin as soon as feasible and be completed when the new national defence force is operational, and (c) the withdrawal of military observers after demobilization is completed; 5. Welcomes recent positive developments in the implementation of the General Peace Agreement including the commencement of the assembly of troops and the dismantling of paramilitary forces, militia and irregular troops, the approval of the electoral law and the appointment of the National Elections Commission and of its chairperson; 6. Expresses its concern, however, at the continuing delay in the implementation of some major aspects of the General Peace Agreement, including the commencement of demobilization and the formation of a national defence force and calls upon the parties to work towards the elimination of further delays; 7. Calls upon the Government of Mozambique and RENAMO to comply with all the provisions of the General Peace Agreement, in particular those concerning the cease-fire and the cantonment and demobilization of troops, and commends in this respect the commitments made by both President Chissano and Mr. Dhlakama to implement the General Peace Agreement; 8. Further calls upon the Government of Mozambique and RENAMO to comply fully and promptly with the decisions of the Monitoring and Supervision Commission; 9. Encourages the Government of Mozambique to continue to fulfil its commitments in respect of the provision of logistic support and adequate food, and making outstanding payments, to the troops in the assembly areas and the training centres; 10. Notes the recent acceleration in the assembly of the troops of the Government of Mozambique, and calls upon the Government to redouble its efforts to achieve balance between the parties in the cantonment of troops and an expeditious and timely conclusion of this process as called for in the revised timetable; 11. Underlines the need for the troops of the Government of Mozambique and RENAMO to hand over all weapons to the United Nations at the assembly areas and for the parties to come to an immediate agreement on the transfer of all weapons to regional depots so as to ensure security in the assembly areas; 12. Reiterates the vital importance it attaches to the holding of general elections no later than October 1994 and to the early commencement of electoral registration and other electoral preparations, and urges the parties to agree promptly on a specific election date; 13. Appeals to the international community to provide the necessary financial assistance to facilitate the implementation of the General Peace Agreement and also to make voluntary financial contributions to the Trust Fund to be set up to support electoral activities of the political parties; 14. Notes the Secretary-General’s decision to explore the possibility of establishing a more effective mechanism for the provision of resources, disbursement under which is subject to the scrupulous and timely implementation of the General Peace Agreement, as described in paragraph 35 of his report of 28 January 1994; 15. Welcomes the proposal to extend the present severance payment scheme to facilitate the reintegration of demobilizing soldiers into civil society and encourages the international community to provide appropriate and prompt assistance for the implementation of this scheme as a complement to the existing efforts made in the framework of the humanitarian assistance programme; 16. Expresses its appreciation to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, France, Portugal and Italy for their offers of assistance in military training or in rehabilitating the training centres for the new army; 17. Notes also with appreciation the response of the international community to the humanitarian assistance needs of Mozambique and encourages the international community to continue to provide appropriate and prompt assistance for the implementation of the humanitarian programme carried out in the framework of the General Peace Agreement; 18. Urges all parties to continue to facilitate unimpeded access to humanitarian assistance for the civilian population in need, and also to cooperate with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other humanitarian agencies operating in Mozambique to facilitate the speedy repatriation and resettlement of refugees and displaced persons; 19. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure maximum economy in the operations of ONUMOZ, while remaining mindful of the importance of an effective discharge of its mandate; 20. Looks forward to the next report of the Secretary-General called for in paragraph 13 of resolution 882 (1993) on whether the parties have made sufficient and tangible progress towards implementing the General Peace Agreement and in meeting the timetable set out in paragraphs 3 and 10 of that resolution, on the basis of which it will consider the mandate of ONUMOZ; 21. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.