BackgroundThe Security Council met this morning to consider the situation in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea.
Following a decade of armed conflict over the issue of the independence of the island of Bougainville, the Government of Papua New Guinea and the Bougainville leaders signed, in 1998, the Lincoln Agreement on Peace, Security and Development of Bougainville and the Arawa Agreement Covering Implementation of the Ceasefire. The regional Truce Monitoring Team composed of monitors from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Vanuatu was transformed into a Peace Monitoring Group.
On 30 August 2001, the parties signed the Bougainville Peace Agreement and requested the United Nations and the Peace Monitoring Group to provide assistance in its implementation, which was provided by the United Nations Political Office in Bougainville (UNPOB). Among that Office’s mandate was to develop plans for the disposal of weapons. UNPOB’s mandate will expire on 31 December. The Peace Monitoring Group ended its operation on 30 June and was succeeded by the Bougainville Transition Team, comprised of monitors from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Vanuatu.
On 6 August, the Council was told that UNPOB had completed its second stage of the Weapons Disposal Plan. There was a deadline of mid-December to complete the third stage of the Plan, involving the final fate of those weapons. However, one obstacle to completion of the Plan was that Francis Ona and his group had remained outside the process, although not disrupting it. Certification of completion of Stage II of the Weapons Disposal Plan by UNPOB triggered the constitutional process of bringing the Constitutional Amendment and the Organic Law on Peace-Building in Bougainville into full operation.
Statement by Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs
DANILO TURK, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, recalled that, on 6 August, the Council had been informed of the completion of Stage II of weapons disposal. As a result, the Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) and the Bougainville Resistance Force (BRF) put more than 1, 900 weapons into 16 containers and 68 trunks secured by two locks, with one key held by the relevant commander and the other by UNPOB, pending a final decision on the final fate of those weapons. Achievement of that important benchmark had allowed the national Government to enact the Constitutional Amendment and the Organic Law on Peace Building on Bougainville.
He said that development had also expedited consultations among the parties on the drafting of a Bougainville Constitution, the delegation of police powers and functions to the Bougainville Interim Provincial Government, and other arrangements needed to be put in place prior to elections for an autonomous government. The completion of Stage II “moved the parties closer” to a decision on the final fate of the contained weapons, in Stage III of weapons disposal. He was happy to report progress in most of the above-mentioned areas.
Updating the Council on other recent developments, he said the Attorney General finally presented in October his long-awaited comments to the national Government on the second draft of the constitution. Officials of the two sides were currently engaged in resolving their differences related to the consistency between the second draft and the Papua New Guinea Constitution. On 5 December, the National Executive Council reaffirmed its firm commitment to honour the letter and spirit of the Bougainville Peace Agreement and to implement the corresponding laws. It was expected that, in the very near future, the Papua New Guinea Government would provide to the Bougainville leaders its comments on the draft.
After overcoming the remaining constitutional differences, the way would be cleared for the Bougainvilleans to pursue the task of developing the third and final draft of the constitution, he said. It was expected that the text could be officially adopted around February-March 2004, and endorsed by the national Government by July-August 2004. Immediately following adoption, it would enter into force. Following the Government’s endorsement, an estimated further six months would be needed to complete preparations for the elections.
He noted that, at their inter-factional meeting on 30 November, the BRA and the BRF had adopted a resolution declaring that the final fate of the contained weapons should be destruction “as soon as the essential components of the Peace Process have been finalized”. The components or conditions included the coming into force of the Bougainville Constitution, the resolution of outstanding issues with the Me-ekamui Defence Force (MDF) and reconciliation between the MDF, BRA and BRF. The achievement by the BRA and BRF of a unified position on weapons destruction boded well for the next meeting of the Peace Process Consultative Committee on 16 or 17 December, at which the parties were expected to meet or modify some of the conditions enunciated by the Bougainville factions. That would facilitate adoption of the Stage III decision on the weapons’ final fate.
In accordance with the Peace Agreement, a decision on the final fate of the contained weapons –- some 1,900 –- should be made before 21 December, he said. Since the national Government favoured destruction, it was not expected that there would be disagreement on points of substance. Where implementation of the eventual decision was concerned, UNPOB had prepared a statement of the administrative and technical issues to be addressed before the destruction process could begin. Those factors were expected to have an impact on the timing of implementation of that decision.
He said that, while the way was now cleared for that process to begin, the destruction of the bulk of contained weapons seemed unlikely to take place until next year. Regarding delegation of police powers, the National Executive Council decided to delegate police powers and functions to the Bougainville Interim Provincial Government. The formal hand-over ceremony was scheduled to take place in Buka on 16 and 17 December. Meanwhile, arrangements were being finalized for furthering strengthening the law and justice capacity of Bougainville through the deployment of 30 Bougainvillean police from the mainland and the recruitment among Bougainvilleans of the first 50 of 100 cadets for police training.
While some progress had been achieved in the area controlled by Francis Ona, he added, Mr. Ona continued to refuse to contain the weapons of the MDF; that position could impact the pace and timing of the implementation of the BRA/BRF’s decision to destroy their weapons. Moreover, Mr. Ona’s supporters continued to maintain roadblocks preventing the delivery of government services and development assistance to the so-called “No-Go-Zone”. However, he believed that the people of Bougainville would be able to reconcile their differences on the matter, although the process would take some time. The United Nations should, meanwhile, stand ready to provide good offices to initiatives.
Finally, he noted that the decision on the final fate of the contained weapons within the Stage III framework should justify the termination of UNPOB’s current mandate. Yet, the peace process would not have reached its logical conclusion by 31 December 2003, for which reason, the United Nations’ continued political presence in Bougainville should be maintained. However, a significant downsizing of the UNPOB was warranted. Such a move would send a potent message of encouragement and support to the parties and the people of Bougainville. Moreover, given the withdrawal of the Bougainville Transitional Team, the United Nations’ continued presence would contribute to building confidence among the parties to the peace process and consolidate the Organization’s and international community’s considerable investment in the process. It would also give the Autonomous Government a fair chance to commence in an environment providing a reasonable prospect for continued strengthening of peace, security and stability on the island.
Thus, he proposed that a successor mission to UNPOB –- a United Nations Observer Mission in Bougainville (UNOMB) –- be established with the following functions: chairing the Peace Process Consultative Committee; reporting on the security and subsequent destruction of contained weapons; monitoring the constitutional process leading to the adoption of the Bougainville Constitution; verifying and certifying substantial compliance by the parties with the weapons disposal plan, thereby enabling the holding of elections; and performing other good offices as appropriate.
UNPOB’s substantive staff should be reduced by 50 per cent, to comprise a head of Mission, one political adviser and two support staff, he said. The new staffing structure and modified mandate were expected to result in substantial savings. Other means of reducing the cost of UNOMB would be found in continuing close cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other United Nations bodies on practical aspects of peace-building, as well as in the sharing of office space in Buka and Arawa. It was, thus, hoped that the Council would establish UNOMB for a period of six months, starting on 1 January 2004.
Statements by Council Members
JULIO HELDER DE MOURA LUCAS (
Angola) expressed satisfaction at the progress achieved in the peace process. He had been very encouraged by recent developments and was aware of the priorities set by the Government, in order to consolidate the gains made so far, namely, completion of the weapons disposal, maintenance of public order and the rule of law, delegation of powers and functions to the Bougainville authorities, and the building of civil and political structures as essential building blocks. Agreement by the parties to fully implement the provisions of the peace agreement was a source of hope that a sustained solution to the issue was possible.
He said he appreciated the ongoing support provided by UNPOB, as well as by Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Vanuatu, which had also played an outstanding role in stabilizing the situation. Also welcome had been the efforts of the relevant United Nations agencies and the international community of donors towards restoring peace. He supported the Secretary-General’s recommendation for the establishment of a new observer mission, with a view to ensuring United Nations assistance and mediation until the conclusion of the peace process with the establishment of an autonomous government in Bougainville.
JOHN D. NEGOPONTE (
United States) said he also supported the recommendation that there should be a follow-on interim observer mission that would facilitate completion of the constitutional process and of weapons destruction. The United Nations political mission there had been successful; an interim mission would provide the necessary transition. He appreciated the efforts of regional players in assisting the stabilization process, and he thanked the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Noel Sinclair, for his efforts to facilitate the constitutional process. Hopefully, all parties could work to find a resolution of their differences at the upcoming meeting.
GUNTER PLEUGER (Germany) said the parties in Bougainville must be aware of their full responsibility for the peace process and the need to implement fully the provisions of the agreement. Noting that the mandate of UNPOB, and its Head, would expire at the end of this year, he said that the mission’s departure was the next logical step in the process. It was time to increase the people of the island’s ownership of the process, time to move beyond peace-building. It was, thus, crucial that the remaining tasks in that regard, particularly the development of the constitution and the destruction of collected weapons, be completed without delay. For that reason, the agreement of the parties to destroy weapons was welcomed; they must be destroyed immediately and without further conditions.
As pointed out by the Government of Papua New Guinea, the process had progressed slower than expected in the last half of the year, he said. Tasks originally designated to be filled by UNPOB had not been completed. However, it was not necessary to extend the mission’s mandate in its current form. A United Nations presence on a smaller scale and for a shorter time was, thus, endorsed. The peace process was now largely self-sustaining; an interim mission could meet the remaining demands. However, the parties must understand that they should move on expeditiously and that elections should follow as soon as possible. His country would continue to contribute to functioning civil society within the context of the European Union.
EMMANUELLE D’ACHON (France) said that despite progress in the peace process in recent months, she remained concerned at the delays in the disposal of weapons and the establishment of a date for elections. Thus, her country was prepared to support one final extension of the mandate of the United Nations mission in Papua New Guinea. However, the presence of the United Nations should be limited to the first six months of 2004 and should be confined to a limited number of observers. That format and duration should be sufficient to complete the settlement process, which should also include the disposal of collected weapons, the holding of an assembly, and the holding of elections and the establishment of an autonomous government.
The future of Bougainville lay with the island’s people themselves, she said. They must take steps to normalize the situation. Moreover, the final mandate of the United Nations Political Office must have a clear exit strategy. Once that mandate had been completed, the UNDP would be responsible for making the best possible contribution to stabilizing the political functioning of the island.
CARLOS PUJALTE (
Mexico) said the successful completion of the disarmament process and the constitution were key points, particularly at a time when the international presence was being reduced and the people of the island were preparing to take control of their own future. Sustainable economic and social conditions would strengthen the peaceful transition towards a stable political future for the island. He was grateful for the support provided by Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Vanuatu, and he noted with satisfaction the measures taken by the Government of Papua New Guinea, such as the delegation of powers to the interim executive council and the cooperation displayed with some of the former combatants in the area of security.
He said that, although conditions were stabilizing, there was a need to advance the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process, as well as the development of structures of economic and social development, in order to avoid a resurgence of conflict. The ultimate fate of the weapons was also key. He was also satisfied with the progress made in preparing the third revised draft constitution. The successful conclusion of disarmament and the adoption of the constitution were fundamental elements for peace and development and economic growth. For that reason, the United Nations should provide support, particularly for the elections, the establishment of an autonomous government and institution building. Her delegation would analyse the Secretary-General’s proposal, including for a new observer mission, bearing in mind the financial implications.
MILAD ATIEH (
Syria) said the peace agreement had sought to consolidate the pillars of a peaceful settlement and restore civil authority, under a democratically elected government. The weapons disposal programme must continue, especially in view of the progress made and the success achieved in Phase II. Former combatants must be reintegrated, and plans must be developed to ensure security. There was also a need to resolve all pending questions and integrate all groups remaining outside the peace process. Of central importance was a new constitution, for which the second revised text was of extreme importance.
He said he had appreciated the regional support for the peace process, especially the efforts made by the transition team for Bougainville. He also appreciated the efforts undertaken by the new Bougainville Government and its support for all tasks leading to the establishment of an autonomous government. He also supported the Secretary-General’s recommendation to establish an interim observer mission for six months, as that would help support the peace process.
ALPHA IBRAHIMA SOW (
Guinea) welcomed the progress made in the implementation of the weapons disposal plan, despite the delays experienced regarding the initial timetable, as well as the transfer of police functions from the central authority to the interim executive council of Bougainville. It was particularly pleasing to note that the progress had been made possible due to the important role played by the United Nations Political Office, as well as the commitment of the parties themselves.
However, he noted, it would be wise to follow the destruction of the weapons through Stage III –- that was the sine qua non for the holding of elections. Thus, urging the renewed adherence of all parties to the settlement of the dispute, he also reiterated his appeal to the community of donors to mobilize increased resources for the development of Bougainville. The final extension of the Political Office’s mandate was favoured, as it would contributed to the speedy finalization of the peace process.
INOCENCIO F. ARIAS (
Spain) said the conclusion of Phase II of the disarmament process had made it possible to make progress, and the expected decision on weapons disposal should make clear the ultimate fate of the weapons collected. Moreover, the peace-building seen in Bougainville constituted a milestone in the experience of building autonomous governments. Expressing his appreciation for the continued support of the transitional team for Bougainville, he said the active support of regional countries -– seen in Bougainville -– should be emulated.
Supportive of the extension of the Political Office’s mandate, he said it would allow the mission to continue to deal with matters still pending under the agreement. Emphasis must be laid upon the reintegration and rehabilitation of former combatants and the construction of infrastructure. Finally, it was trusted that peace and stability would be consolidated in a sustainable manner.
MASOOD KHALID (Pakistan) commended the efforts of all the parties, as well as the Government’s “courageous decisions” and strong commitment to peace. The UNPOB had largely been able to complete its task, thereby facilitating the constitutional process and clearing the way for elections in 2004. That would lead to the eventual holding of a referendum, in which the people of Bougainville would exercise their right to self-determination. He strongly supported the path that the parties had courageously agreed to follow. Sustaining peace meant promoting and sustaining economic and social development; the two were indivisible.
He urged the donor community to contribute generously, not only to the peace process, but also to the promotion of social and economic development, so badly needed on the island. His country had always argued against the premature withdrawal of the United Nations. Much follow-up work remained in Bougainville to sustain the peace process there, including the weapons destruction, facilitation of contacts between the parties, and election preparations. He hoped that United Nations political engagement in Bougainville would not end with the expiration of UNPOB’s mandate. He supported interim measures, which would allow the United Nations to continue its work there and “stay the course for peace”.
IYA TIDJANI (Cameroon) welcomed the progress made, particularly in drafting the constitution, which would establish the rule of law and justice, and in weapons disposal. The destruction of the weapons collected must take place as soon as possible, and in an unconditional manner, as that would make it possible to speed the settlement process, restore stability and promote conditions for sustainable development. Presently, the success of the process depended on the will and commitment of the parties. More than ever, those needed the support of the international community, and particularly the United Nations.
He said that that was why he supported the recommendations of the Secretary-General to extend, by six months, the United Nations’ presence. A political presence would help the parties to complete, under the best possible conditions, the current process. As many delegates had stated, UNPOB’s mandate should be reviewed in light of the briefing by Mr. Türk. He encouraged donors to continue to provide manifold assistance, encouraging, as well, the countries in the region to help consolidate peace.
