Security Council resolution 1239 (1999) [on relief assistance to Kosovo refugees and internally displaced persons in Kosovo, the Republic of Montenegro and other parts of Yugoslavia]
[Relief assistance to Kosovo refugees and internally displaced persons in Kosovo, the Republic of Montenegro and other parts of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]
Symbol: S/RES/1239(1999)
Date: 1999-05-14
Meeting record: S/PV.4003
Subjects: UN High Commissioner for Refugees|UNHCR|HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE|EMERGENCY RELIEF|REFUGEE ASSISTANCE|DISPLACED PERSONS|ALBANIA|NORTH MACEDONIA|BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA|KOSOVO (SERBIA)|MONTENEGRO|YUGOSLAVIA|REFUGEES FROM KOSOVO|FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT|RELIEF PERSONNEL|DISPUTE SETTLEMENT
Summary: Urges UNHCR and other international humanitarian relief organizations and others to contribute resources for humanitarian assistance to the refugees and internally displaced persons. Emphasizes that the humanitarian situation will continue to deteriorate in the absence of a political solution to the crisis consistent with the principles adopted by the Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States on 6 May 1999 (S/1999/516), and urges all concerned to work towards this aim.
Commends the efforts that have been taken by Member States, UNHCR and other international humanitarian relief organizations in providing the urgently needed relief assistance to the Kosovo refugees in Albania, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and urges them and other in a position to do so to contribute resources for humanitarian assistance to the refugees and internally displaced persons; invites UNHCR and other international humanitarian relief organizations to extend relief assistance to the internally displaced persons in Kosovo, the Republic of Montenegro and other parts of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as well as to other civilians being affected by the ongoing crisis; calls for access for UN and all other humanitarian personnel operating in Kosovo and other parts of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia; emphasizes that the humanitarian situation will continue to deteriorate in the absence of a political solution to the crisis consistent with the principles adopted by the Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States on 6 May 1999 (S/1999/516), and urges all concerned to work towards this aim.

UNITED
NATIONS                                                                      S
                 Security Council
                                                               Distr.
                                                               GENERAL

                                                               S/RES/1239 (1999)
                                                               14 May 1999




                               RESOLUTION 1239 (1999)

               Adopted by the Security Council at its 4003rd meeting,
                                   on 14 May 1999


     The Security Council,

     Recalling its resolutions 1160 (1998) of 31 March 1998, 1199 (1998) of
23 September 1998, and 1203 (1998) of 24 October 1998, and the statements of its
President of 24 August 1998 (S/PRST/1998/25), 19 January 1999 (S/PRST/1999/2),
and 29 January 1999 (S/PRST/1999/5),

     Bearing in mind the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and
guided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the international covenants
and conventions on human rights, the Conventions and Protocol relating to the
Status of Refugees, the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the Additional Protocols
thereto of 1977, as well as other instruments of international humanitarian law,

     Expressing grave concern at the humanitarian catastrophe in and around
Kosovo, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as a result of the continuing crisis,

     Deeply concerned by the enormous influx of Kosovo refugees into Albania,
the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and other
countries, as well as by the increasing numbers of displaced persons within
Kosovo, the Republic of Montenegro and other parts of the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia,

     Stressing the importance of effective coordination of humanitarian relief
activities undertaken by States, the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) and international organizations in alleviating the plight and
suffering of refugees and internally displaced persons,

     Noting with interest the intention of the Secretary-General to send a
humanitarian needs assessment mission to Kosovo and other parts of the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia,

     Reaffirming the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all States in the
region,


99-14375 (E)                                                                 /...

S/RES/1239 (1999)
Page 2




     1.   Commends the efforts that have been taken by Member States, the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other international
humanitarian relief organizations in providing the urgently needed relief
assistance to the Kosovo refugees in Albania, the former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and urges them and others in a position to
do so to contribute resources for humanitarian assistance to the refugees and
internally displaced persons;

     2.   Invites the UNHCR and other international humanitarian relief
organizations to extend relief assistance to the internally displaced persons in
Kosovo, the Republic of Montenegro and other parts of the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia, as well as to other civilians being affected by the ongoing crisis;

     3.   Calls for access for United Nations and all other humanitarian
personnel operating in Kosovo and other parts of the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia;

     4.   Reaffirms the right of all refugees and displaced persons to return to
their homes in safety and in dignity;

     5.   Emphasizes that the humanitarian situation will continue to
deteriorate in the absence of a political solution to the crisis consistent with
the principles adopted by the Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany,
Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland and the United States of America on 6 May 1999 (S/1999/516),
and urges all concerned to work towards this aim;

     6.   Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.


                                     -----

Texto español (official Spanish version): NACIONES
UNIDAS
                                                                               S
                  Consejo de Seguridad
                                                          Distr.
                                                          GENERAL

                                                          S/RES/1239 (1999)
                                                          14 de mayo de 1999




                                RESOLUCIÓN 1239 (1999)

               Aprobada por el Consejo de Seguridad en su 4003ª sesión,
                            celebrada el 14 de mayo de 1999


     El Consejo de Seguridad,

     Recordando sus resoluciones 1160 (1998), de 31 de marzo de 1998, 1199
(1998), de 23 de septiembre de 1998, y 1203 (1998), de 24 de octubre de 1998,
y las declaraciones de su Presidente de 24 de agosto de 1998 (S/PRST/1998/25),
19 de enero de 1999 (S/PRST/1992/2) y 29 de enero de 1999 (S/PRST/1999/5),

     Teniendo presentes las disposiciones de la Carta de las Naciones Unidas y
basándose en la Declaración Universal de Derechos Humanos, los pactos y
convenciones internacionales de derechos humanos, las Convenciones y el
Protocolo sobre el Estatuto de los Refugiados, los Convenios de Ginebra de 1949
y los Protocolos Adicionales de 1977, así como en otros instrumentos del derecho
internacional humanitario,

     Expresando su grave preocupación por la catástrofe humanitaria que tiene
lugar en Kosovo (República Federativa de Yugoslavia) y zonas adyacentes de
resultas de la crisis permanente,

     Profundamente preocupado por la enorme cantidad de refugiados de Kosovo que
llegan a Albania, la ex República Yugoslava de Macedonia, Bosnia y Herzegovina y
otros países, así como por el número cada vez mayor de personas desplazadas
dentro de Kosovo, la República de Montenegro y otras partes de la República
Federativa de Yugoslavia,

     Destacando la importancia de que se coordinen con eficacia las actividades
de socorro humanitario que desarrollan los Estados, la Oficina del Alto
Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados (ACNUR) y las
organizaciones internacionales con objeto de aliviar los sufrimientos y la
difícil situación en que se encuentran los refugiados y las personas
internamente desplazadas,




99-14378 (S)      140599   140599                                              /...

S/RES/1239 (1999)
Página 2


     Tomando nota con interés de la intención del Secretario General de enviar
una misión a Kosovo y otras partes de la República Federativa de Yugoslavia para
que evalúe las necesidades de asistencia humanitaria,

     Reafirmando la integridad territorial y la soberanía de todos los Estados
de la región,

     1.   Encomia a los Estados Miembros, el Alto Comisionado de las Naciones
Unidas para los Refugiados (ACNUR) y otras organizaciones internacionales de
socorro humanitario por los esfuerzos que han desplegado para prestar la
asistencia de socorro que necesitan urgentemente los refugiados de Kosovo en
Albania, la ex República Yugoslava de Macedonia y Bosnia y Herzegovina, y los
insta, así como a otros que estén en situación de hacerlo, a que aporten
recursos para prestar asistencia humanitaria a los refugiados y a las personas
internamente desplazadas;

     2.   Invita al ACNUR y a otras organizaciones internacionales de socorro
humanitario a que presten asistencia de socorro a las personas internamente
desplazadas en Kosovo, la República de Montenegro y otras partes de la República
Federativa de Yugoslavia, así como a otros civiles afectados por la actual
crisis;

     3.   Hace un llamamiento para que se dé acceso al personal de las Naciones
Unidas y todo el personal humanitario que desarrolla actividades en Kosovo y
otras partes de la República Federativa de Yugoslavia;

     4.   Reafirma el derecho de todos los refugiados y personas desplazadas a
regresar a sus hogares de manera digna y en condiciones de seguridad;

     5.   Subraya que la situación humanitaria seguirá empeorando si no se llega
a una solución política de la crisis que sea compatible con los principios
aprobados el 6 de mayo de 1999 por los Ministros de Relaciones Exteriores de
Alemania, el Canadá, los Estados Unidos de América, la Federación de Rusia,
Francia, Italia, el Japón y el Reino Unido de Gran Bretaña e Irlanda del Norte
(S/1999/516), e insta a todas las partes interesadas a que contribuyan al logro
de ese objetivo;

     6.   Decide seguir ocupándose activamente de la cuestión.


                                     -----

Texte français (official French version): NATIONS
UNIES                                                                       S
             Conseil de sécurité
                                                              Distr.
                                                              GÉNÉRALE

                                                              S/RES/1239 (1999)
                                                              14 mai 1999




                               RÉSOLUTION 1239 (1999)

             Adoptée par le Conseil de sécurité à sa 4003e séance,
                                 le 14 mai 1999

     Le Conseil de sécurité,

     Rappelant ses résolutions 1160 (1998) du 31 mars 1998, 1199 (1998) du
23 septembre 1998 et 1203 (1998) du 24 octobre 1998, ainsi que les déclarations
de son Président en date des 24 août 1998 (S/PRST/1998/25), 19 janvier 1999
(S/PRST/1999/2) et 29 janvier 1999 (S/PRST/1999/5),

     Ayant à l’esprit les dispositions de la Charte des Nations Unies et guidé
par la Déclaration universelle des droits de l’homme, les pactes et conventions
internationaux relatifs aux droits de l’homme, la Convention et le Protocole
relatifs au statut des réfugiés, les Conventions de Genève de 1949 et les
Protocoles additionnels de 1977, ainsi que par d’autres instruments du droit
international humanitaire,

     Se déclarant gravement préoccupé par la catastrophe humanitaire qui sévit
au Kosovo (République fédérale de Yougoslavie) et aux alentours à la suite de la
crise qui perdure,

     Profondément préoccupé par l’afflux massif de réfugiés du Kosovo en
Albanie, dans l’ex-République yougoslave de Macédoine, en Bosnie-Herzégovine et
dans d’autres pays, ainsi que par le nombre croissant de personnes déplacées à
l’intérieur du Kosovo, dans la République du Monténégro et dans d’autres parties
de la République fédérale de Yougoslavie,

     Soulignant l’importance d’une coordination efficace des activités de
secours humanitaire entreprises par des États, par le Haut Commissariat des
Nations Unies pour les réfugiés (HCR) et par des organisations internationales
pour soulager la détresse et les souffrances des réfugiés et des personnes
déplacées,

     Prenant note avec intérêt de l’intention du Secrétaire général d’envoyer
une mission d’évaluation des besoins humanitaires au Kosovo et dans d’autres
parties de la République fédérale de Yougoslavie,




99-14376   (F)   140599   140599                                            /...

S/RES/1239 (1999)
Page 2



     Réaffirmant l’intégrité territoriale et la souveraineté de tous les États
de la région,

     1.   Salue les efforts déployés par les États Membres, par le Haut
Commissariat des Nations Unies pour les réfugiés (HCR) et par d’autres
organismes internationaux d’action humanitaire pour apporter aux réfugiés du
Kosovo se trouvant en Albanie, dans l’ex-République yougoslave de Macédoine et
en Bosnie-Herzégovine les secours dont ils ont un besoin pressant, et demande
instamment auxdits États et organismes, ainsi qu’à quiconque est en mesure de le
faire, d’apporter une contribution à l’aide humanitaire aux réfugiés et aux
personnes déplacées;

     2.   Invite le HCR et les autres organismes internationaux d’action
humanitaire à porter secours aux personnes déplacées à l’intérieur du Kosovo,
dans la République du Monténégro et dans d’autres parties de la République
fédérale de Yougoslavie, ainsi qu’aux autres civils touchés par la crise
actuelle;

     3.   Demande que soit assuré l’accès du personnel des Nations Unies et de
tous les autres agents humanitaires travaillant au Kosovo et dans d’autres
parties de la République fédérale de Yougoslavie;

     4.   Réaffirme le droit qu’ont tous les réfugiés et personnes déplacées de
rentrer chez eux en toute sécurité et dans la dignité;

     5.   Souligne que la situation humanitaire continuera de se détériorer en
l’absence de solution politique de la crise conforme aux principes adoptés par
les Ministres des affaires étrangères de l’Allemagne, du Canada, des États-Unis
d’Amérique, de la Fédération de Russie, de la France, de l’Italie, du Japon et
du Royaume-Uni de Grande-Bretagne et d’Irlande du Nord le 6 mai 1999
(S/1999/516), et demande instamment à tous les intéressés d’oeuvrer à cette
solution;

     6.   Décide de demeurer activement saisi de la question.

                                     -----

Русский текст (official Russian version): ?C'!=31!O3a
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                                                                             14 May 1999




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                                            -----


النص العربي (official Arabic version): S                                                                        èb]SáÖK Üá©K
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14 May 1999
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../..                                                                 140599     140599     99-14373

                                                                             S/RES/1239 (1999)
                                                                             Page 2




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                                                                                           99-14373

Draft resolution (S/1999/517):
UNITED
NATIONS                                                                      S
               Security Council
                                                              Distr.
                                                              GENERAL

                                                              S/1999/517
                                                              14 May 1999

                                                              ORIGINAL:   ENGLISH




         Argentina, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Egypt, Gabon,
         Gambia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia,
         Morocco, Namibia, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal,
         Slovenia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Yemen:
                               draft resolution


     The Security Council,

     Recalling its resolutions 1160 (1998) of 31 March 1998, 1199 (1998) of
23 September 1998, and 1203 (1998) of 24 October 1998, and the statements of its
President of 24 August 1998 (S/PRST/1998/25), 19 January 1999 (S/PRST/1999/2),
and 29 January 1999 (S/PRST/1999/5),

     Bearing in mind the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and
guided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the international covenants
and conventions on human rights, the Conventions and Protocol relating to the
Status of Refugees, the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the Additional Protocols
thereto of 1977, as well as other instruments of international humanitarian law,

     Expressing grave concern at the humanitarian catastrophe in and around
Kosovo, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as a result of the continuing crisis,

     Deeply concerned by the enormous influx of Kosovo refugees into Albania,
the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and other
countries, as well as by the increasing numbers of displaced persons within
Kosovo, the Republic of Montenegro and other parts of the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia,

     Stressing the importance of effective coordination of humanitarian relief
activities undertaken by States, the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) and international organizations in alleviating the plight and
suffering of refugees and internally displaced persons,

     Noting with interest the intention of the Secretary-General to send a
humanitarian needs assessment mission to Kosovo and other parts of the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia,

     Reaffirming the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all States in the
region,

99-14357 (E)   140599                                                        /...

S/1999/517
English
Page 2



     1.   Commends the efforts that have been taken by Member States, the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other international
humanitarian relief organizations in providing the urgently needed relief
assistance to the Kosovo refugees in Albania, the former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and urges them and others in a position to
do so to contribute resources for humanitarian assistance to the refugees and
internally displaced persons;

     2.   Invites the UNHCR and other international humanitarian relief
organizations to extend relief assistance to the internally displaced persons in
Kosovo, the Republic of Montenegro and other parts of the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia, as well as to other civilians being affected by the ongoing crisis;

     3.   Calls for access for United Nations and all other humanitarian
personnel operating in Kosovo and other parts of the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia;

     4.   Reaffirms the right of all refugees and displaced persons to return to
their homes in safety and in dignity;

     5.   Emphasizes that the humanitarian situation will continue to
deteriorate in the absence of a political solution to the crisis consistent with
the principles adopted by the Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany,
Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland and the United States of America on 6 May 1999 (S/1999/516),
and urges all concerned to work towards this aim;

     6.   Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.


                                     -----

Meeting record:
United Nations                                                                                                             S/PV.4003


               Security Council                                                                                                           Provisional
               Fifty-fourth Year

               4003rd Meeting
               Friday, 14 May 1999, 11.35 p.m.
               New York




President:     Mr. Dangue Réwaka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .            (Gabon)

Members:       Argentina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .      Mr. Petrella
               Bahrain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    Mr. Buallay
               Brazil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   Mr. Moura
               Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     Mr. Duval
               China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    Mr. Qin Huasun
               France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   Mr. Dejammet
               Gambia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     Mr. Jagne
               Malaysia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     Mr. Hasmy
               Namibia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .      Mr. Andjaba
               Netherlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .      Mr. van Walsum
               Russian Federation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .         Mr. Granovsky
               Slovenia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     Mr. Türk
               United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland . . . . . . . .                         Sir Jeremy Greenstock
               United States of America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .             Mr. Burleigh


Agenda
     Security Council resolutions 1160 (1998), 1199 (1998) and 1203 (1998)




99-85378 (E)                                     This record contains the original text of speeches delivered in English and interpretations of speeches
                                                 delivered in the other languages. The final text will be printed in the Official Records of the Security
                                                 Council. Corrections should be submitted to original speeches only. They should be incorporated
                                                 in a copy of the record and be sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned,
                                                 within one week of the date of publication, to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service,
                                                 room C-178.

Security Council                                                                                           4003rd meeting
Fifty-fourth year                                                                                            14 May 1999

     The meeting was called to order at 11.35 p.m.                     The President (spoke in French): I have received a
                                                                 request dated 13 May 1999 from Mr. Vladislav Jovanović
Expression of sympathy to the victims of the Kosovo              to be allowed to address the Council in the course of its
crisis                                                           discussion of the item on its agenda. With the consent of
                                                                 the Council, I would propose to invite him to take a seat
     The President (spoke in French): At the outset of the       at the Council table.
meeting, I should like, on behalf of the Council, to express
sincere condolences to the bereaved families of all those             At the invitation of the President, Mr. Jovanović
who have lost their lives since the beginning of the crisis in        took a seat at the Council table.
and around Kosovo, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. On
behalf of the Council, I also wish to convey our deepest              The President (spoke in French): I should like to
sympathy to all the victims of that tragedy. I now invite the    inform the Council that I have received a letter dated 13
members of the Council to stand and observe a minute of          May 1999 from the Permanent Representative of Qatar to
silence.                                                         the United Nations, which reads as follows:

     The members of the Council observed a minute of                       “I have the honour in my capacity as Chairman
     silence.                                                         of the Islamic Group at the United Nations to
                                                                      request that the Security Council extend an invitation
Adoption of the agenda                                                to participate in the discussion without the right to
                                                                      vote under rule 39 of its provisional rules of
     The agenda was adopted.                                          procedure to Mr. Ahmad Haji Hosseini, Deputy
                                                                      Permanent Observer of the Organization of the
Security Council resolutions 1160 (1998), 1199 (1998)                 Islamic Conference to the United Nations, during the
and 1203 (1998)                                                       Council’s discussion on the draft resolution on the
                                                                      humanitarian situation in and around Kosovo.”
      The President (spoke in French): I should like to
inform the Council that I have received letters from the              That letter will be issued as a document of the
representatives of Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and                  Security Council under the symbol S/1999/522. If I hear
Herzegovina, Cuba, Egypt, the Islamic Republic of Iran,          no objection, I shall take it that the Council agrees to
Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,          extend an invitation under rule 39 of its provisional rules
Senegal, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates and           of procedure to Mr. Hosseini.
Yemen, in which they request to be invited to participate in
the discussion of the item on the Council’s agenda. In                There being no objection, it is so decided.
conformity with the usual practice, I propose, with the
consent of the Council, to invite those representative to              The Security Council will now begin its
participate in the discussion, without the right to vote, in     consideration of the item on its agenda. The Council is
accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter and       meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in
rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure.         its prior consultations.

     There being no objection, it is so decided.                      Members of the Council have before them document
                                                                 S/1999/517, which contains the text of a draft resolution
     At the invitation of the President, Mr. Nesho               submitted by Argentina, Bahrain, Bosnia and
     (Albania), Mr. Sychov (Belarus), Mr. Sacirbey (Bosnia       Herzegovina, Brazil, Egypt, Gabon, the Gambia, the
     and Herzegovina), Mr. Rodríguez Parrilla (Cuba),            Islamic Republic of Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia,
     Mr. Abdelaziz (Egypt), Mr. Nejad Hosseinian (Islamic        Morocco, Namibia, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,
     Republic of Iran), Mr. Abu-Nimah (Jordan),                  Senegal, Slovenia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and
     Mr. Abulhasan (Kuwait), Mr. Zahid (Morocco),                Yemen. I should like to draw the attention of the
     Mr. Kamal (Pakistan), Mr. Al-Nasser (Qatar),                members of the Council to document S/1999/542, which
     Mr. Shobokshi (Saudi Arabia), Mr. Ka (Senegal),             contains the text of a letter dated 6 May 1999 from the
     Mr. Vural (Turkey), Mr. Yel’chenko (Ukraine),               Permanent Representative of Turkey to the United
     Mr. El-Ethary (Yemen) took the seats reserved for           Nations addressed to the President of the Security
     them at the side of the Council table.                      Council.


2

Security Council                                                                                            4003rd meeting
Fifty-fourth year                                                                                             14 May 1999

     It is my understanding the Council is ready to proceed      population — and to help the refugees. The situation of
to the vote on the draft resolution before it. Unless I hear     a refugee, whoever he may be, touches our hearts.
any objection, I shall put the draft resolution to the vote.
                                                                      It is in view of this humanitarian situation that the
     There being no objection, it is so decided.                 delegations of Malaysia and Bahrain took the initiative to
                                                                 submit a draft resolution. It has achieved consensus in the
    I shall first give the floor to those members of the         Council and in the caucus and other groups of Member
Council who wish to make statements before the voting.           States outside of the Council.

      Mr. Buallay (Bahrain) (spoke in Arabic): The                     The draft resolution was the result of various
situation in Kosovo was caused by a crisis: the                  consultations and was discussed today. The humanitarian
displacement of many inhabitants of the region, people who       efforts are particularly cited in this draft resolution, the
for the most part are Albanians. These displacements were        purpose of which is two-fold. One goal is to draw the
caused by destructive acts by Belgrade, the burning of the       attention of the international community to the
houses and property of Albanians, as well as acts of terror,     humanitarian catastrophe occurring in Kosovo today, a
rape and assassination.                                          catastrophe that has led to the displacement of thousands
                                                                 of people. The second goal is to make it possible for the
      The events that have taken place in Kosovo have            Council to review the situation in Kosovo from the
reminded us of a similar situation: that which took place in     humanitarian perspective and to make humanitarian
Bosnia and Herzegovina. This proves that the Serb                concerns fundamental to the consideration of the military
authorities have not learned any lessons from what               and political aspects of the situation when the Council is
happened in Bosnia. The international community has              ready to do so.
helped the Croats, Serbs and Bosniacs to achieve
international legitimacy, but the excesses that caused the             The elements contained in the draft resolution are
tragedy in Bosnia still remain. The Serb authorities in          the same as those found in other United Nations
Belgrade have started to act with the same ferocity as they      resolutions and in non-United Nations resolutions. They
did in Bosnia, and this has led to the displacement of a         are what is necessary to resolve the problem of refugees.
large number of people in the region.                            International organizations have a great deal of experience
                                                                 in this field.
     We are concerned that, as in Bosnia, there are various
forms of displacement in this tragic situation unfolding in            The points contained in this draft resolution are as
Kosovo. There are people who have gone to live in the            follows. It appeals to States and organizations to
mountains and people who are lost in various areas. Others       contribute resources to help the refugees, facilitating the
are scattered throughout the region. Others still are in         delivery of assistance and helping the refugees return to
border areas waiting for the chance to emigrate. And there       their homes after the crisis is over. This humanitarian
are those who are refugees in neighbouring States and            draft resolution that is now before the Council, while
States yet further away.                                         being a simple, caring resolution that does not invite
                                                                 controversy, nonetheless deals with a humanitarian
      If one wishes to cite figures, according to United         tragedy which has caused the displacement of a large
Nations sources there are more than 840,000 displaced            proportion of the Kosovo population.
persons within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and
more than 700,000 outside that territory. So the total                 In keeping with this appeal we call upon Council
number exceeds 1.5 million people out of a population of         members to adopt this draft resolution by consensus so
two million. This seems to be a way of ridding Kosovo of         that this humanitarian assistance that is so necessary to
its population, of destroying its politics, culture and          the refugees can be given to them and so that their
religion.                                                        situation can be improved pending their return to their
                                                                 homes.
      I don’t think we need to go into the military and
political factors that have caused this situation in Kosovo,          Mr. Hasmy (Malaysia): We are meeting this
but these factors cannot be separated from the humanitarian      evening to take action on the draft resolution on the
crisis. Therefore there is a need for us to try to redress the   humanitarian situation in and around Kosovo. My
humanitarian situation — the displacement of the                 delegation is pleased to have played a role, together with


                                                                                                                           3

Security Council                                                                                            4003rd meeting
Fifty-fourth year                                                                                             14 May 1999

Bahrain, in helping move the process forward, culminating             Formal action by the Council on the humanitarian
in this formal meeting of the Council. We are grateful for      issue in and around Kosovo would be a clear expression
the solid support shown by members of the Council,              of the serious concern of the Council about the
especially those who have contributed important input and       humanitarian tragedy which unfolded weeks ago. It would
sponsored the draft resolution. We are equally grateful to      also be an important and positive response to the appeals
those countries outside of the Council that have joined in      by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
sponsoring this draft resolution.                               and the Secretary-General for international humanitarian
                                                                assistance to alleviate the plight of the refugees and
     My delegation is strongly of the view that, in the wake    internally displaced persons, not only in and around
of the humanitarian tragedy unfolding in and around             Kosovo, but also in other parts of Yugoslavia. It would be
Kosovo, it is timely for the Council to pronounce itself on     a welcome expression of the Council’s strong support and
the subject. We feel that the Council should have been able     encouragement of the ongoing efforts made by
to adopt a draft resolution on the humanitarian issue, after    international organizations that are operating in the region.
weeks of paralysis in the Council, even as the international    At the same time, the adoption of the draft resolution
community watched in anguish the plight of the refugees         would be a strong and unequivocal expression of support
and internally displaced persons.                               for the refugees and internally displaced persons,
                                                                particularly in respect of their right to return to their
      We are, of course, equally concerned over the ongoing     homes in security and in dignity.
conflict in Kosovo. We share the views already expressed
by other members of the international community on the               The Council has not been able to address the issue
need for an early political settlement. Nothing would have      of Kosovo in any meaningful way for a long time now
pleased my delegation more than the Council’s adopting a        due to a lack of consensus, which, regrettably, led to
resolution which addressed the Kosovo issue in a                action being taken outside the Council. This draft
comprehensive fashion. Efforts are being made by many           resolution represents the first serious attempt on the part
international actors, including the Secretary-General of the    of some Council members to bring the Kosovo issue back
United Nations, in that direction. It remains our earnest       to the Council in the earnest hope that it could pave the
hope that these efforts will yield tangible results and that    way for the forging of a consensus on the more difficult
the Council will be in a position to address the issue in a     aspects of the Kosovo problem, thereby reasserting the
comprehensive manner as soon as possible. We remain             role of the Council on this issue. In submitting this draft
convinced that the issue can be finally resolved only by        resolution, the sponsors are impelled by a desire to make
way of a political solution.                                    a contribution to galvanizing international action in
                                                                addressing the enormous humanitarian tragedy in and
      In the meantime, it is also our conviction that the       around Kosovo. Equally importantly, it represents a
Council can, and ought to, play a meaningful role by            modest contribution by these members towards unifying
pronouncing itself on an important aspect of the Kosovo         the Council. We earnestly hope that this will indeed be
crisis — namely, the humanitarian situation, which is           the case.
characterized by the exodus of hundreds of thousands of
refugees and internally displaced persons, who are in a very         Mr. Burleigh (United States of America): The
desperate and traumatized condition in and around Kosovo        United States supports the draft resolution initiated by our
and other parts of Yugoslavia.                                  Council colleagues from Bahrain and Malaysia. We thank
                                                                them and express our appreciation for their efforts.
      We are of the view that, while there remain               Similar thanks go to the other sponsors of the draft
fundamental differences among Council members on the            resolution.
political and other aspects of the Kosovo problem, there is
universal concern among Council members on the                        This draft resolution focuses our attention on the
humanitarian tragedy which continues to unfold in and           urgent issue at hand in Kosovo and the surrounding
around Kosovo. It is in cognizance of this widely shared        region: the plight of hundreds of thousands of refugees
concern that the initiative has been taken to bring the issue   and displaced persons, and the critical need to assist the
to the Council for formal action, as a concrete step in the     United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and
efforts to bring the Kosovo issue to the Council by the         other humanitarian organizations and workers in their
least contentious aspect, which should command the support      efforts to address this crisis.
of all members of the Council.


4

Security Council                                                                                             4003rd meeting
Fifty-fourth year                                                                                              14 May 1999

      Slobodan Milosevic is responsible for the humanitarian     ordinary people who are suffering so greatly in and
crisis. It is his campaign of ethnic cleansing, of burning       around Kosovo, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and the
villages, of executing men, women and children and of rape       people who are trying to look after them. The United
and intimidation that has caused hundreds of thousands to        Kingdom agrees with those who want to see an early end
flee their homes. It is clear how this crisis can be resolved:   to the Kosovo crisis. That must come about in a way
Belgrade must meet the conditions set out by the North           which enables the citizens of Kosovo who have been
Atlantic Treaty Organization and the principles of the           displaced from their homes and who have been put
Group of Eight, agreed to at the Foreign Ministers’ meeting      through unimaginable horrors to return in safety and longin Bonn on 6 May. We remain firm in our resolve to               term security. The Group of Eight proposals show how
continue to exert pressure on Milosevic and his Government       that can be done. These are the basis on which to move
to stop their planned, systematic campaign of ethnic             on from crisis to fulfilling the terms of this draft
cleansing and to permit the return of all refugees and           resolution, in favour of which the United Kingdom will
displaced persons to their homes in safety and in security.      vote. It deserves the support of all members of the
All of our efforts in Kosovo and the Federal Republic of         Security Council.
Yugoslavia are focused on this objective.
                                                                       Mr. Duval (Canada) (spoke in French): Canada
     The number of Kosovar refugees and displaced                unconditionally supports this humanitarian draft
persons now exceeds 1 million. Many of the ethnic                resolution, which responds to the grave concerns of the
Albanians in Kosovo have been rendered homeless. The             international community about the catastrophic
United States has contributed and will continue to               deterioration of the humanitarian situation in and around
contribute to humanitarian relief efforts. My Government is      Kosovo resulting from the merciless action of the Federal
currently building a camp in Fier, Albania, that will house      Republic of Yugoslavia.
as many as 20,000 Kosovar Albanian refugees. We are
working to identify other sites for up to an additional          (spoke in English)
40,000 refugees. Americans have also opened their doors to
these homeless, with the recent arrival of the first of 20,000        Canada strongly believes that it is entirely
Kosovar Albanians for whom we have pledged to provide            appropriate for the Council to be heard on humanitarian
safe haven. We urge other countries, too, to provide             issues which clearly threaten international peace and
temporary shelter for Kosovar Albanian refugees.                 security. We thank the sponsors of this draft resolution,
                                                                 which has engaged the Council in a constructive way to
     We expect that the Secretary-General’s humanitarian         recognize and help improve the situation on the ground.
mission to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia will focus on
the destruction in Kosovo. The mission can greatly assist in          Mr. Dejammet (France) (spoke in French): Since
preparing for the return of refugees and internally displaced    the beginning of the tragic events in Kosovo, Federal
persons to their homes. The team can also identify the types     Republic of Yugoslavia, the members of the Security
of humanitarian food and medical assistance that are most        Council have on several occasions expressed their great
urgently needed. In our view, it is essential that this team     concern. But today for the first time the Council is
have unimpeded access throughout its visit.                      indicating its feelings and its resolve in a draft resolution.
                                                                 We welcome the initiative taken by non-aligned members
     I would like to conclude by reiterating a statement         of the Council; these members are the source of this
made by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright at the             necessary and justified taking of a position.
conclusion of the 6 May meeting of the Foreign Ministers
of the Group of Eight. She said,                                      The provisions of the draft resolution are selfexplanatory and for the most part require no commentary.
     “by standing together, as we do today, our nations          They include: support for the efforts of humanitarian
     offer an alternate vision to Milosevic’s campaign of        organizations — and, as members know, France is
     terror, tyranny and vicious intolerance. We are united      playing a role in this undertaking by setting up refugee
     in urging Belgrade to choose a future of integration,       centres and itself hosting refugees; stress on the need for
     can to make that future a reality.”                         the coordination of humanitarian activities, with an
                                                                 emphasis on the role of the Office of the United Nations
     Sir Jeremy Greenstock (United Kingdom): The draft           High Commissioner for Refugees; and, most important, a
resolution before us illuminates what really matters: the


                                                                                                                             5

Security Council                                                                                             4003rd meeting
Fifty-fourth year                                                                                              14 May 1999

reaffirmation of the right of all refugees and displaced          doing to provide humanitarian assistance to all those in
persons to return in safety and in dignity.                       need. We also commend other members of the United
                                                                  Nations family, such as the United Nations Children’s
      The French delegation wishes also particularly to           Fund, the World Health Organization and the World Food
stress the importance of one provision of the draft               Programme to mention but a few, which are helping to
resolution, that of paragraph 5, which emphasizes that the        reach out to the needy, sometimes under difficult and
humanitarian situation will continue to deteriorate in the        dangerous conditions. We also recognize the important
absence of a political solution to the crisis. We are             contribution of a number of non-governmental
convinced of this. It is striking that this evening the Council   organizations in the face of all the risks to which they are
is indicating what the parameters of that political solution      exposed. The safety and security of all humanitarian
must be, by specifying that the solution must be consistent       personnel is of major concern to us, and we hope that this
with the principles adopted by the Foreign Ministers of           concern will always be borne in mind by all wherever
Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Russian                they are rendering their selfless services. In this
Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and               connection, it is necessary to facilitate access for them
Northern Ireland and the United States of America on 6            and to provide assistance to them in carrying out their
May 1999. Those are the principles that the French                humanitarian operations.
delegation set out in its Security Council statement of 8
May. We hope that, as outlined in the draft resolution, these           It is gratifying to note that there is international
will be endorsed by the Security Council.                         ownership of the Kosovo humanitarian crisis. But, as the
                                                                  United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees pointed
     For these reasons, the French delegation will vote in        out the other day, the Security Council should not
favour of the draft resolution.                                   overlook the humanitarian situation in other parts of the
                                                                  world, notably in Africa, where we have the highest
       Mr. Jagne (Gambia): The tragic humanitarian                refugee population in the world. We certainly appreciate
situation in and around Kosovo, which has been at the top         all the efforts being made to alleviate the suffering of
of the international agenda for some time now, continues to       refugees in Africa and elsewhere, but the fact remains
unfold. Meanwhile, the policies and practices of ethnic           that we still need more help. In this regard, another
cleansing and deportation also continue unabated. Worse           manifestation of the international ownership of refugee
still, there appears to be no end in sight to such practices,     crises would be most welcome. We are raising this issue
which one would think would have been consigned a long            for two main reasons. First, my own country, the Gambia,
time ago to the cesspool of history. It must be recognized,       has been hosting refugees from our subregion for some
however, that, the urgent need to respond to the                  time now and, secondly, the causes that lead people to
humanitarian crisis notwithstanding, the underlying political     seek refuge elsewhere may be different, but the effect is
problems should also be given all the attention that they         always the same, that is, human suffering, which is the
deserve, because the longer we postpone the search for a          subject of our discussion today.
durable solution, the longer the suffering of the refugees
will continue. There is absolutely no doubt about that. This            That is why my delegation joined in sponsoring the
is why my delegation believes that the principles outlined        draft resolution before us and why we shall vote in its
by the Group of Eight leaders constitute a credible basis for     favour.
a lasting solution to the Kosovo crisis. We urge all
concerned to work towards that aim, as reflected in the                Mr. Andjaba (Namibia): A crisis is unfolding in
draft resolution before the Council. It is our sincere hope       Kosovo, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. What was
that all the refugees will return home to the land of their       hoped would be a limited crisis has continued to escalate
birth in safety and dignity. But this will remain an dream        to frightening proportions. Persecutions, loss of life,
so long as there is no settlement within the framework of         destruction of infrastructure and property, as well as
the Group of Eight principles. Those principles offer the         environmental damage with possible effect well beyond
best guarantees for creating conditions most conducive to         the borders of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,
a decent life free from fear and persecution.                     continue. As a result of ethnic cleansing, as well as of the
                                                                  military action of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
   At this juncture, my delegation would like to                  (NATO), many refugees are finding themselves in
commend the Office of the United Nations High                     neighbouring countries, as well as in other parts of the
Commissioner for Refugees for the wonderful job that it is        Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, far away from their


6

Security Council                                                                                            4003rd meeting
Fifty-fourth year                                                                                             14 May 1999

homes, living under deplorable conditions. Similarly, the               All the bridges over the Danube in the Federal
ongoing military action has severely affected the lives of        Republic of Yugoslavia have been destroyed. Water and
the people in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.                 electricity supplies have been cut off and television
                                                                  stations seem to have become legitimate bombing targets.
      It is in view of the aforementioned that Namibia has        The national economy and infrastructure of the Federal
joined in cosponsoring the draft resolution under                 Republic of Yugoslavia have been devastated, resulting in
consideration. We wish to emphasize that the human                a large number of civilian casualties. In this connection,
tragedy, which continues to escalate, is such that a political    I cannot fail to mention that, even as the Security Council
solution has become even more imperative.                         deliberated today on the draft resolution on the Balkans,
                                                                  another tragedy took place in Kosovo. Six missiles
     My delegation wishes to underscore that the                  launched by NATO hit a refugee camp in south-western
humanitarian situation in and around Kosovo is not a              Kosovo, causing over 100 deaths and more than 50
natural phenomenon. It cannot be addressed in isolation           injuries. The tragedy was horrific, the area being strewn
from the political context. We wish to reiterate our position     with dead bodies. These refugees were on their way
in calling for a cessation of hostilities. Only then can we       home. We express shock at this incident. I repeat: We are
meaningfully address the humanitarian situation. In this          shocked by this latest incident.
connection, we reiterate that the Security Council should
reassert its authority over the situation that is now unfolding        We believe that, in addressing the crisis in various
in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as a whole.                 regions in the Balkans, the Security Council should not
                                                                  apply double standards.
      Mr. Qin Huasun (China) (spoke in Chinese): China
is deeply disturbed by the current humanitarian crisis in the          While stepping up its bombing campaign against the
Balkans and has profound sympathy for the over 700,000            Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, NATO has brazenly
Kosovar refugees who have been left homeless and                  attacked the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade. 8 May 1999
separated from their loved ones. We have a saying in              was an extremely painful day that the 1.2 billion Chinese
China: “Nothing on Earth is more precious than human life         people will never forget. On that day, the United Statesand no benevolence is greater than that which treasures           led NATO ferociously attacked the Chinese Embassy in
life.” I believe that, to each and every one of us, there is no   the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia with five missiles.
place like home. The pain of having one’s home ravaged            Three people in the Embassy were killed and more than
can hardly be put into words. We would like to take this          20 injured. The Embassy building was severely damaged.
opportunity to express our appreciation to the Office of the      Such a criminal act is a flagrant encroachment on China’s
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other           sovereignty and a serious violation of the international
international relief agencies for the tremendous relief work      law and norms governing international relations. It has
they have done.                                                   aroused great indignation among the Chinese people. The
                                                                  Chinese Government issued a solemn statement that very
      What is equally of concern to us is that, bypassing the     morning, strongly condemning this barbaric act of NATO.
United Nations and without the authorization of the               This tragedy shocked the international community and
Security Council, the United States-led North Atlantic            met with worldwide condemnation.
Treaty Organization (NATO) has launched military attacks
against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and thus                     Despite the tragic incident of the bombing of the
unleashed a regional war in the Balkans. Over the past 52         Chinese Embassy that caused death and injury to Chinese
days, this war, conducted in the name of humanitarianism,         diplomats, NATO is still saying that its air campaign will
has created the largest humanitarian disaster since the           continue. Such perversity in NATO has outraged the
Second World War. Residents within the Federal Republic           entire world and should be strongly condemned by
of Yugoslavia — including Serbs, ethnic Albanians,                everyone who has reason and conscience. As a victim,
Hungarians, Slovaks and other ethnic minorities — are             China has every reason, on moral and legal grounds alike,
living in miserable and inhuman conditions. Oil refineries        to demand that NATO immediately and unconditionally
and chemical plants have been levelled by NATO bombs.             stop the bombing. Are not the shedding of blood and loss
As a result, poisonous gas and pollutants are threatening the     of life of Chinese diplomats tragic enough to restore
health and lives of hundreds of millions, especially children,    NATO to sanity? As a permanent member of the Security
in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Europe at large.        Council, China shoulders unshirkable responsibilities in
                                                                  upholding justice and safeguarding peace. In our view, it


                                                                                                                           7

Security Council                                                                                            4003rd meeting
Fifty-fourth year                                                                                             14 May 1999

is illogical for NATO to continue with the bombing              Organization (NATO) in circumvention of the Security
campaign while talking about the return and relief of           Council and in violation of the Charter of the United
refugees. An immediate cessation of NATO’s bombing              Nations and other generally recognized norms of
campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia             international law — that has caused this humanitarian
should be the prerequisite for any political solution to the    catastrophe and has created a real emergency situation in
Kosovo issue and also the minimum condition for                 the Balkans region.
alleviating the humanitarian crisis in the Balkans.
                                                                     For more than a month and a half now, an
      For these reasons, the Chinese delegation put forward     unprecedented campaign of air strikes by NATO against
constructive amendments to the draft resolution and             Yugoslavia has been taking place, whose victims, with
proposed to add to it such words as “there must be an           grim regularity, are innocent civilians — more than 1,200
immediate cessation of all military activities”. It should be   so far. There has been much testimony about the severe
stated that this was called for also in the Non-Aligned         humanitarian damage caused by the NATO bombing,
Movement’s statement of 9 April. However, this important        which dispels the myth that the Alliance is conducting its
position of the Chinese side was not accepted; we find this     military operation in the name of high humanitarian
most regrettable. We note also that the draft resolution        ideals.
refers to the principles adopted by the Foreign Ministers of
the G-8. We cannot accept that the Council has prejudged              It is hard to contradict well-known facts. The
those principles in its draft resolution without first          number of civilians and refugees killed or wounded
deliberating on them, and therefore we deem it necessary to     continues to grow. Systematically and deliberately, the
express our reservations. On the basis of these                 civilian infrastructure of Yugoslavia is being destroyed,
considerations, the Chinese delegation has no choice but to     and very serious damage is being done to its economy.
abstain in the voting on the draft resolution.                  The whole region is threatened by a huge environmental
                                                                catastrophe. The material basis for the return of the
      NATO’s bombing of the Federal Republic of                 refugees and the displaced persons to their homes is being
Yugoslavia has resulted in a number of horrifying incidents     destroyed, though NATO proclaims that the resolution of
involving civilian casualties. People cannot but wonder how     the problem of refugees is one of its main tasks.
many more innocent civilians will have to fall victim to
so-called collateral damage. Will more diplomats lose their           It is difficult to remain indifferent in the face of the
lives under NATO missiles? What has NATO done in the            escalating humanitarian catastrophe in and around
name of humanitarianism? Among the three persons killed         Kosovo, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It is clear,
in the bombing of Chinese Embassy were a young couple           however, that this is a consequence, not a cause, of the
married less than a year ago. The father of the woman           crisis situation. It is precisely with regard to the causes of
wrote a letter to President Clinton that said:                  the humanitarian catastrophe that the Security Council
                                                                should have spoken out, as a matter of priority, as the
          “Two innocent young people were killed by your        organ bearing primary responsibility for the maintenance
     bombs, thus deprived of their right to live. Back in       of international peace and security.
     Beijing, my wife spends her days and nights crying
     and waiting for her daughter and son-in-law, who will            Unfortunately, because of the well-known position of
     never return. Our son-in-law’s mother lives in the         a number of its members, the Council was unable to take
     remote countryside of Jiangsu Province. She passed         a stand on NATO’s illegal military action and to demand
     out upon receiving the tragic news. The happiness of       an immediate halt to the bombing and the return of the
     my whole family was destroyed in the twinkling of an       Kosovo crisis to the track of a peaceful political
     eye. As a father, a human being and a longtime             settlement. Upon the initiative of the Russian delegation,
     human rights advocate, how do you feel about having        the draft resolution submitted to the Council took on
     created such a tragedy?”                                   board an important conclusion: that the humanitarian
                                                                situation would continue to deteriorate unless a political
     Mr. Granovsky (Russian Federation) (spoke in               settlement to the crisis could be ensured.
Russian): The tragic course of events in Yugoslavia since
24 March last has shown convincingly that it is precisely            Just as important is the urgent appeal to all
the military action against that sovereign country — which      concerned to make every effort to arrive at this
is being conducted by the North Atlantic Treaty                 agreement. There is no alternative, and there is a growing


8

Security Council                                                                                           4003rd meeting
Fifty-fourth year                                                                                            14 May 1999

understanding of this fact, as was clearly shown by the                The President (spoke in French): I now put to the
adoption by the Foreign Ministers of the G-8 of general           vote the draft resolution contained in document
principles on a political settlement of the Kosovo crisis.        S/1999/517.
The draft resolution, however, did not take into account a
number of our other amendments, of which the main one                  A vote was taken by show of hands.
was an appeal for an immediate cessation of the NATO air
strikes on Yugoslavia, adamantly supported by Russia and          In favour:
China.
                                                                       Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, France, Gabon,
      A few days ago, the world was shaken by the barbaric             Gambia, Malaysia, Namibia, Netherlands, Slovenia,
bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade and the death               United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
of several of its staff members. Today we learned of                   Ireland, United States of America
another terrible tragedy, which occurred in the Kosovo
village of Korisa as a result of NATO’s use of proscribed         Against:
cluster bombs. At least 50 people died there, primarily
women, children and the elderly, and more than 100 were                None
wounded.
                                                                  Abstaining:
     As was stressed in the statement published today by
the Russian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Russia, which                China, Russian Federation
repeatedly warned NATO’s leadership about the dire
consequences of the military action against Yugoslavia,                The President (spoke in French): The result of the
strongly condemns this new crime by the Alliance and calls        voting is as follows: 13 in favour, none against and 2
upon the NATO strategists immediately to halt this insanity.      abstentions. The draft resolution has been adopted as
A settlement of the Kosovo problem is possible only at the        resolution 1239 (1999).
negotiating table.
                                                                       I would note for the record that the time of adoption
      Unless there is an immediate cessation to the illegal       of the resolution was 11.59 p.m., on 14 May 1999.
military action by NATO, genuine progress will be
impossible, either towards a political settlement of the crisis       I shall now call on those members of the Council
or to overcome this humanitarian catastrophe. Furthermore,        who wish to make statements following the voting.
continued bombing could lead to that catastrophe’s
spreading throughout the entire Balkan region.                          Mr. Petrella (Argentina)(spoke in Spanish): I wish
Unfortunately, this obvious fact was not reflected in the text    to note that our co-sponsorship of the resolution that has
because of the negative position adopted by a number of           just been adopted, put forward by Bahrain and Malaysia,
Council members.                                                  is in keeping with Argentina’s commitment to defending
                                                                  human rights in all parts of the world, wherever they may
      We must note here that once again, narrow national          be under assault. The fact that the tragic situation that
interests and an unwillingness properly to assess and react       prompted us to hold this meeting today should be taking
to real threats to the physical survival of an entire             place in Europe heightens our concern, since this appears
population of a sovereign State and to the tragic fate of         to mean that neither development nor education nor
hundreds of thousands of refugees have prevailed over the         tradition nor historical experience renders us immune to
Charter obligations of certain members of the Council.            humanitarian catastrophes of this kind.

     Because of the principled nature of our position, the             In our opinion, this resolution sets out to give
Russian delegation cannot support this text. The Russian          impetus to specific relief and assistance action, in the
Federation, together with its active efforts to promote a         affected countries, which definitely include the Federal
peaceful political settlement of the Kosovo crisis, will          Republic of Yugoslavia. The statements made two days
continue to give whatever humanitarian assistance it can on       ago by the United Nations High Commissioner for
an impartial, non-discriminatory basis to the needy civilian      Human Rights upon visiting the region make further
population in Kosovo, other regions of Yugoslavia and             comments unnecessary.
neighbouring States.


                                                                                                                          9

Security Council                                                                                           4003rd meeting
Fifty-fourth year                                                                                            14 May 1999

      Finally, as we said in earlier statements, there must be       The President (spoke in French): The Security
a prompt political solution to the crisis brought on by a        Council has thus completed its voting procedure.
humanitarian disaster that has already cost many lives and
caused much suffering. The members of the Council agree               In accordance with the decision taken earlier in the
that diplomacy is the best instrument with which to achieve      meeting, I invite Mr. Jovanović to make his statement.
that objective. Hence the importance of operative paragraph
5 and the exhortation to all parties to contribute to the              Mr. Jovanović: In its latest ferocious attack, North
objective stated therein.                                        Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) aeroplanes bombed
                                                                 refugees in Korisa, near Prizren, and killed over 80
     Finally, I wish to call for United Nations staff and        civilians, predominantly children, women and elderly
other humanitarian workers in the territories and countries      people who were returning to their homes in Kosovo, in
involved in this grave conflict to be given the necessary        Metohija. Many were wounded, 58 seriously. Is this
protection in accordance with the relevant international         tragedy going to be once again cynically interpreted as
conventions. In this context, we wish respectfully to ask the    collateral damage of NATO humanitarian bombings? How
Yugoslav Government to release the Australian                    many more innocent victims have to die before the
humanitarian workers.                                            international community and the Security Council react by
                                                                 condemning and stopping this brutal NATO aggression
     Mr. Moura (Brazil): The humanitarian situation in           against Yugoslavia and insisting on a political solution?
and around Kosovo is a matter of universal concern. The
Security Council is quite aware of the suffering of hundreds           The aggression of the North Atlantic Treaty
of thousands of people in the Balkans. We had hoped,             Organization against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,
therefore, that the dramatic humanitarian situation in the       now in its fifty-first day, is continuing, expanding and
region would lead to a consensual response on the part of        intensifying. It is a gross violation of the Charter of the
the Council.                                                     United Nations and the basic principles of international
                                                                 relations. Notwithstanding many requests by the
      The stated purpose of this resolution, which Brazil co-    Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the
sponsored and for which we worked together with the              Security Council took no steps to uphold the Charter of
members of the Non-Aligned Movement caucus, was to               the United Nations, to prevent the arrogation of its
serve as a bridge between positions and to help build unity      authority and the violations of international peace and
within the Council in responding to the crisis in Kosovo. In     security. Had this legitimate request been heeded, vast
this respect, we insist both on the linkage between the          human suffering and material destruction would have
deterioration of the humanitarian situation and on the           been avoided.
absence of a political solution to the crisis and a
reaffirmation of the role of the Security Council in the               NATO’s campaign of terror and devastation targets
search for that solution.                                        civilians, infrastructure and the economy, inflicting a
                                                                 humanitarian catastrophe on the 11 million citizens of the
      While we regret that a full convergence of views was       Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. So far more than 1,200
not possible over the terms of the resolution, we are pleased    people have been killed and more than 5,000 wounded,
that the Council was able to adopt the resolution, the main      while more than 300 schools, dozens of hospitals and a
thrust of which is to support unconditionally the efforts of     great number of civilian factories, bridges, railways,
the United Nations and humanitarian agencies in assisting        public roads, churches and cultural and historical
the needs of the thousands of people in distress all over the    monuments have been destroyed. NATO’s strikes against
region. It does not address the crucial question of a final      downtown Nis and Belgrade have caused many civilian
resolution of the conflict, as the elements for that,            deaths, while entire city blocks, marketplaces, hospitals
unfortunately are not yet in the hands of the Council.           and even foreign diplomatic missions have been destroyed
                                                                 or damaged. This is telling proof that NATO is
     I wish to underline the importance of the step taken        perpetrating a deliberate and premeditated genocide in an
tonight by the Council and to express the hope that this         attempt to intimidate the population and erode its morale,
expression of common concern will help us achieve in the         which stands in the way of NATO’s conquest and
near future greater involvement by the Security Council in       occupation.
the political resolution of the Kosovo crisis.



10

Security Council                                                                                           4003rd meeting
Fifty-fourth year                                                                                            14 May 1999

     NATO bombs have caused an ecological disaster in             in response to a public appeal by the authorities of the
the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and in the region. My          Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was struck along the
country has informed many United Nations specialized              Djacovica road. Seventy-five civilians were killed and
agencies about this disaster. NATO is increasingly using          more than 40 were wounded. NATO bombs have also hit
weapons banned by the Convention on Prohibitions or               many refugee camps, killing Serbs expelled from Croatia
Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons           and Bosnia and Herzegovina. More than 100 people —
Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to             primarily women, children and the elderly — have been
Have Indiscriminate Effects, of 10 October 1980. These            killed in those camps. So these people’s sad and sorry
weapons include cluster bombs, which afflict children the         exodus ended in a most tragic and careless fashion.
most, depleted uranium ammunition and graphite bombs              Regrettably the draft resolution makes no mention of
aimed at short-circuiting the power grid of the country.          these tragic consequences of the NATO aggression.
NATO has caused deliberate, indescribable suffering,
especially to the most vulnerable segments of the                       The concern of the Security Council about the
population, such as pregnant women, babies in incubators,         humanitarian situation in the Federal Republic of
the hospitalized and the elderly.                                 Yugoslavia is justified. However, the attempt to legalize
                                                                  the aggression of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
     The most recent estimates put the damage done by             against my country by means of this so-called
NATO bombs at more than $100 billion. The destruction of          humanitarian resolution is unjustified. The bypassing of
much of the Yugoslav industry has rendered half a million         the Security Council, the body charged with the
people jobless, and more than 2 million are without any           maintenance of international peace and security, prior to
source of income whatsoever. The indirect damage from the         the commencement of the aggression, and the subsequent
enforced halts in production cannot be calculated.                attempts to get the Council on board in order to legalize
                                                                  the aggression deal a heavy blow to the reputation of the
      As we all witnessed, only a few days ago the Embassy        United Nations and sets a dangerous precedent for
of the People’s Republic of China in Belgrade also fell prey      international relations in general.
to this reign of terror and twilight of reason. Three persons
were killed, and a large number were wounded. This act of              The draft resolution must, therefore, contain a
barbarism is without precedent in the recent history of           demand by the Security Council that the NATO
international relations and constitutes a flagrant violation of   aggression against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia be
the 1973 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of           stopped immediately and unconditionally. For without
Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons, including       addressing the causes, no success will be achieved in
Diplomatic Agents.                                                addressing the consequences. The sooner this is
                                                                  understood, the quicker the solution will be found for all
     NATO has flagrantly violated international                   the problems caused by the unprovoked and unauthorized
conventions and covenants on human rights and freedoms,           attack by the United States of America and its NATO
in particular the Geneva Convention relative to the               confederates against the independent and sovereign
Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. In                 Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
destroying radio and television stations in my country,
NATO is trying to prevent the public around the world                 Mr. van Walsum (Netherlands): I would like to
from being informed about the shameful campaign and is            comment briefly on the statement of the speaker before
trying to impose its own mendacious propaganda as the             me.
only and the whole truth.
                                                                       The present conflict will one day come to an end,
      NATO has cited its concern for protecting the               but if Serbia wants to be part of Europe it will at last
Albanian national minority from alleged mistreatment and          have to start realizing why it has been subjected to NATO
ethnic cleansing by Serbian security forces as a post-facto       air strikes. One day the Serbian people will have to
pretext for its aggression. The best evidence of the fallacy      understand that our intervention on account of the
of this claim is the humanitarian situation before and after      atrocities committed by the Serbian security forces and
the NATO bombs began to fall. Refugees took to the roads          the Yugoslav army in Kosovo would probably not have
as soon as the first bomb was dropped. Of all the mayhem          been possible if it had not been preceded by almost eight
wrought to date, one of the worst incidents was on 14             years of ethnic cleansing, carried out in the name of the
April, when a convoy of refugees returning to their homes


                                                                                                                         11

Security Council                                                                                            4003rd meeting
Fifty-fourth year                                                                                             14 May 1999

Serbian nation, first in the Krajina in East Slavonia, then in    Belgrade authorities are pursuing systematic and
Bosnia and finally in its ultimate form in Kosovo.                deliberate policies of hatred and intolerance, aimed at
                                                                  decimating and uprooting a whole community for its
     Were it not for our accumulated disgust at this              ethnic origin and beliefs. Only four years ago, while
practice, we might not have had the courage to act.               addressing the crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the
                                                                  international community vowed not to allow the
     The President (spoke in French): The next speaker on         recurrence of such a heinous crime against humanity
my list is the representative of Pakistan. I invite him to take   anywhere in the world. The perpetrators of such crimes
a seat at the Council table and to make his statement.            must not go unpunished.

     Mr. Kamal (Pakistan): It is a pleasure to see you, Sir,            Pakistan has been closely following the Kosovo
presiding over the Security Council today as it meets on an       situation. The Prime Minister of Pakistan recently visited
issue of serious concern to the international community.          the refugee camps in Tirana to have first-hand
                                                                  information about the suffering of the innocent Kosovars.
      Allow me to begin by expressing the deep regret and         As part of the visit to Tirana, he had stopovers in Baku,
concern of the Government and people of Pakistan over the         Rome and Ankara, where he exchanged views with the
damage and destruction caused to the Chinese Embassy              leaders on the Kosovo crisis. During an official visit to
during the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) air          Moscow last month, the Prime Minister held discussions
strikes in Belgrade and the resultant deaths and injuries of      with the Russian leadership on the issue. Also at
the Chinese nationals. We extend our sincerest condolences        Pakistan’s initiative, a ministerial meeting of the
to the Government and people of the People’s Republic of          Organization of the Islamic Conference Contact Group on
China and to the bereaved families.                               Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosova was convened in
                                                                  Geneva last month. This meeting adopted a
      The massive human tragedy which has unfolded in             comprehensive declaration on the issue and was followed
Kosovo is a source of deep distress and anxiety for the           up by visits to Moscow, Rome, Bonn and Tirana by a
people of Pakistan, as it is for people all over the world.       ministerial delegation of the Contact Group.
The reign of terror let loose by the Serbian forces in
Kosovo has resulted in the killing of a large number of                 In all these contacts and forums, Pakistan
civilians, including women, children and the elderly. As a        emphasized the need for the Security Council to address
result of Belgrade’s relentless, premeditated policy of ethnic    the crisis effectively and, in particular, stressed the
cleansing, over 1 million people have now fled Kosovo into        urgency of establishing a United Nations peacekeeping
neighbouring countries, thousands are internally displaced,       force in Kosovo. The inability of the Security Council to
and numerous women and children have been separated               take effective action and to carry out its Charter
from their menfolk. This mass exodus must be stopped and          responsibility has been a matter of deep concern to us. Its
the suffering of the refugees must be alleviated through          failure to address the issues of international peace and
determined international efforts.                                 security in the past has only aggravated conflicts and
                                                                  human tragedies, as we in South Asia know well.
      Pakistan has made a modest contribution to the relief
efforts and will continue to do so in whatever way possible.           We hope that the Security Council will soon address
The Government of Pakistan has made a contribution of $5          the Kosovo crisis comprehensively and facilitate an early
million to help the Kosovar refugees. In addition, four relief    implementation of last week’s decision by the Foreign
flights carrying tents, food and medicine have been               Ministers of the Group of Seven industrialized nations
dispatched to assist in the humanitarian efforts, in              and Russia to establish a United Nations peacekeeping
coordination with the Office of the United Nations High           operation in Kosovo. The Security Council must endorse
Commissioner for Refugees and non-governmental                    the proposals which, among other things, would pave the
organizations operating in the area. Some medical personnel       way for a verifiable end to violence and ethnic cleansing
are also being dispatched to the region to support                in Kosovo, the withdrawal of Yugoslav military, police
international efforts.                                            and paramilitary forces, the establishment of an interim
                                                                  administration in the province, the safe and free return of
     It is shocking that, so soon after Bosnia, we are            refugees and a political settlement providing selfwitnessing yet another campaign of genocide and ethnic            government for Kosovo. Pakistan has already expressed
cleansing being perpetrated by the same regime. The               its willingness to contribute to the United Nations


12

Security Council                                                                                             4003rd meeting
Fifty-fourth year                                                                                              14 May 1999

peacekeeping efforts, as and when authorized by the               political and social rights of the Kosovars and their right
Security Council, in fulfilling its Charter responsibility.       to security, and put an end to the policy of ethic cleansing
                                                                  of Yugoslavia. It should guarantee the right of the
    As a sponsor of the resolution, Pakistan supports the         Kosovars to return to their homeland very soon, without
measures adopted by the Security Council on the                   any obstruction, under international protection.
humanitarian crisis in Kosovo.
                                                                        Here, I should like to recall the statement by the
      The President (spoke in French): The next speaker is        Ministerial Meeting of the Organization of the Islamic
the representative of Qatar. I invite him to take a seat at the   Conference Contact Group on Bosnia and Herzegovina
Council table and to make his statement.                          and Kosova, issued in Geneva on 7 April, which is
                                                                  included in document S/1999/394. I should also like to
     Mr. Al-Nasser (spoke in Arabic): On behalf of the            recall the meetings of the delegation of the OIC Contact
State of Qatar, and in my capacity as Chairman of the             Group with the Foreign Ministers of the Russian
Islamic Group here in New York, it gives me pleasure to           Federation, Italy, Germany and Albania in their search for
congratulate you, Sir, on you presidency of the Security          a just solution for the crisis that takes into consideration
Council for the month of May. We are confident that your          the social and political rights of the Kosovars and their
wisdom and diplomatic expertise will assist us in achieving       right to security.
the results that we desire.
                                                                        Political disputes and the divergent positions of some
      The international community has been shocked by the         parties have blocked agreement on a resolution that would
inhumane practices against the Kosovars. They represent a         address the overall situation in Kosovo. But there could
stark violation of human rights, of all international             be no logic in such differences preventing the Security
covenants and conventions, and of the lofty and noble             Council from adopting a resolution on the humanitarian
objectives of such conventions. The killing, destruction,         situation of the Kosovars and of refugees and displaced
rape, displacement and ethnic cleansing perpetrated by the        persons in and around Kosovo in the hope of returning
Serbian forces in Kosovo are an affront to humanity — an          them to their homes before winter and of bringing an end
affront that will continue into the new millennium unless         to their suffering. In our view, nothing could have
efforts are made to put an end to this tragic situation,          justified a delay in adopting such a resolution relating to
punish the perpetrators and bring them to justice in              the humanitarian aspects of the tragedy.
accordance with international law, which punishes such acts
of genocide.                                                           We joined in sponsoring the resolution the Council
                                                                  has just adopted because of our unequivocal belief that
     The suffering of the thousands of refugees in                the cause of the people of Kosovo is a just one. We
neighbouring States makes it incumbent upon us to act as          believe also in the need to bring to an end the suffering
quickly as possible so as to put an end to it. This suffering     of that people as soon as possible. Here we convey our
constitutes an additional burden on neighbouring States. We       thanks and appreciation to the members of the Security
urge States, humanitarian organizations and the Office of         Council for adopting this resolution.
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to
increase their humanitarian assistance to refugees and to the          The President (spoke in French): I thank the
displaced civilians, as well as to other victims in and           representative of Qatar for the kind words he addressed
around Kosovo. We also call for efforts to be made to             to me.
enable the refugees and displaced persons to return safely
to their homes and to guarantee their right to live in                 The next speaker is the representative of Saudi
dignity, freedom, peace and security, in accordance with          Arabia. I invite him to take a seat at the Council table
assurances contained in all relevant conventions.                 and to make his statement.

      The Islamic Group strongly condemns the inhumane                 Mr. Shobokshi (Saudi Arabia) (spoke in Arabic): It
Serbian practices in Kosovo and calls for their immediate         gives me pleasure, Sir, to congratulate you on your
cessation. At the same time, we support the international         assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for
efforts made in this regard, particularly the diplomatic          the month of May. I wish you all success as you carry
efforts made by the Secretary-General in search of a just         out your duties. My appreciation goes also to your
and permanent political solution that would guarantee the


                                                                                                                           13

Security Council                                                                                               4003rd meeting
Fifty-fourth year                                                                                                14 May 1999

predecessor for the fine way in which he guided the work                I thank the Security Council; with the adoption of
of the Council last month.                                        this resolution, it has shown that it stands for right, justice
                                                                  and peace.
      Ethnic cleansing, the expulsion of citizens and the
destruction of property in Kosovo and the stripping away of            The President (spoke in French): I thank the
the rights of its people bring shame upon all humanity. This      representative of Saudi Arabia for the kind words he
goes against human rights, international law and divine           addressed to me.
principles, and violates international conventions relating to
human rights and to the rights of refugees. It is therefore            The next speaker is the representative of the Islamic
necessary for the international community to make a               Republic of Iran. I invite him to take a seat at the Council
concerted effort to end this humanitarian crisis and to           table and to make his statement.
coordinate humanitarian relief efforts in order to ease the
plight of the refugees and displaced persons.                          Mr. Nejad Hosseinian (Islamic Republic of Iran):
                                                                  At the outset, Sir, allow me to congratulate you on your
      The Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia               assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for
expresses its great distress and deep concern at the              the month of May.
suffering of the people of Kosovo caused by the scourge of
acts of barbarism against children, women and old people,              The people and the Government of the Islamic
as well as at the confiscation of their rights and their          Republic of Iran were greatly distressed to learn that
property. My Government states its unswerving support for         during the night of 7 May 1999 the Chinese Embassy in
the right of the refugees to return to their homeland and to      Belgrade, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, came under
live in peace and security. It further calls upon the entire      attack, resulting in loss of life and property damage. We
world earnestly to support the helpless, peace-loving people      would like to convey our sincere condolences to the
of Kosovo, which is the victim of the worst kind of ethnic        Government and the people of the People’s Republic of
cleansing and persecution at the hands of the Serb                China for the unfortunate loss of the lives of Chinese
aggressors. The result of such action has been horrific           diplomats. Our condolences go particularly to those
suffering for the people of Kosovo both within and outside        families which lost loved ones in this tragedy.
its territory. It has also resulted in great shortages of food,
medicine, clothing and other basic human necessities.                  In my capacity as Chairman of the Organization of
                                                                  the Islamic Conference (OIC) Contact Group on Bosnia
     The Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has            and Herzegovina and Kosovo, I would like to take this
been forthcoming in providing humanitarian assistance to          opportunity to express once again the grave concerns not
the people of Kosovo. It has steadily sent urgent medical         only of the members of the OIC Contact Group but of the
and food assistance to displaced Kosovars and a hospital          whole international community, including the Islamic
has been established in Albania in that connection. A             countries, at the escalating humanitarian tragedy that
central committee has been set up to collect assistance for       continues to unfold in and around Kosovo. The plight of
the Muslims of Kosovo. This committee includes a number           the refugee and internally displaced Kosovar Albanians
of Saudi relief organizations including the Saudi Red             has shocked the conscience of humanity. We salute the
Crescent. It coordinates its work with international              neighbouring countries for so generously shouldering the
organizations such as the International Committee of the          burden of caring for the refugees. Members of the OIC
Red Cross and the Office of the United Nations High               Contact Group have been responsive to the imperative of
Commissioner for Refugees.                                        burden-sharing at this difficult time and will continue on
                                                                  their course until the refugees and displaced persons
      The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia joined in sponsoring            return to their homes in peace and safety.
this evening’s resolution because of its conviction that the
people of Kosovo must be enabled to return to their                     Moreover, the OIC Contact Group is deeply
homeland and to exercise their legitimate rights. The             concerned about the ripple effect of the Kosovo crisis.
haemorrhage of refugees must be stanched. The genocidal           We believe that the continuation of the current Kosovo
practices of the Serbs must end. The Serbs must withdraw          crisis could endanger the fragile peace and security in
immediately from Kosovo. War criminals must be brought            other parts of the Balkans. The grave concern of the OIC
to justice.                                                       Contact Group about the forced flight of an increasing
                                                                  number of the Muslims from Sandjak and about their


14

Security Council                                                                                             4003rd meeting
Fifty-fourth year                                                                                              14 May 1999

taking refuge in neighbouring countries, mainly in Bosnia              The OIC Contact Group lends its full support to all
and Herzegovina, has been conveyed to the Security               diplomatic efforts and initiatives in search of a just and
Council.                                                         durable political solution which would ensure, inter alia,
                                                                 an end to the Yugoslav policy of ethnic cleansing and the
     The OIC Contact Group deeply regrets the failure of         swift, safe and unimpeded return of all Kosovar refugees
the Security Council to deal effectively with the crisis in      and internally displaced persons to their homes under
Kosovo and to put an end to the plight of the Albanian           international protection.
Kosovars. Reiterating that the Security Council has the
primary responsibility for the maintenance of international            While appreciating the efforts being made by the
peace and security, we hope that the Security Council will       international community and recalling the mobilization
accelerate its endeavours in order to carry out its              already underway in the Islamic countries to assist the
responsibility under the United Nations Charter in an            Kosovar refugees, we emphasize the continued necessity
effective manner.                                                of providing humanitarian assistance to the refugees in
                                                                 and around Kosovo with a view to alleviating their
      In view of all this, the OIC Contact Group has, since      sufferings.
the onset of the crisis, taken a number of initiatives to help
to contain the crisis and to find a peaceful solution. To this         In light of the increasing and continuing plight of the
end, the OIC Contact Group decided in its Ministerial            refugees and displaced persons in and around Kosovo, the
Meeting, held in Geneva on 7 April 1999, to strengthen           OIC Contact Group decided to lend its full support to the
contacts with all parties concerned, thus trying to promote      resolution submitted by the Caucus of the Non-Aligned
a peaceful, just and lasting settlement of the Kosovo crisis.    Movement and cosponsored it in order to underline the
In this connection, a high-level delegation of the Contact       fact that the worsening humanitarian crisis in and around
Group, headed by the Foreign Minister of the Islamic             Kosovo requires immediate and serious international
Republic of Iran, in April visited a number of capitals,         attention.
including Moscow, Bonn, Tirana and Rome. Exchanging
views with officials of various countries, the OIC                    The President (spoke in French): I thank the
delegation explored ways and means of cooperating at the         representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran for his kind
international level with a view to promoting a peaceful, just    words addressed to me.
and lasting settlement of the Kosovo crisis.
                                                                       The next speaker is the representative of Egypt. I
     We wish to recall the declaration of the Ministerial        invite him to take a seat at the Council table and to make
Meeting of the OIC Contact Group, held in Geneva on 7            his statement.
April 1999; to confirm our strong condemnation of the
policy of ethnic cleansing perpetrated by the Serbian                  Mr. Abdelaziz (Egypt) (spoke in Arabic): I begin
authorities against the Albanian Kosovars; and to demand         my statement by extending my most sincere condolences
an immediate halt to all repressive actions undertaken in        to the Government of China for the casualties suffered in
Kosovo by the Serbian authorities and the immediate              the bombing of its Embassy on 7 May.
withdrawal of the Serbian military and paramilitary forces
from Kosovo.                                                           Faced with a serious escalation of the crisis in
                                                                 Kosovo and the Security Council’s inability to take steps
      In its statement dated 22 April 1999, the OIC Contact      to strengthen its credibility in the maintenance of
Group expressed support for the proposals made by the            international peace and security that would allow us to
Secretary-General of the United Nations on 9 April, in           achieve a political settlement to end the humanitarian
which he called upon the Yugoslav authorities to undertake       tragedy and the acts of ethnic cleansing perpetrated by
five commitments to allow a lasting political solution to be     Serb forces against the inhabitants of that province,
found through diplomacy to the crisis in Kosovo. We also         whatever their ethnic origin, there is an increasing need
support the latest initiatives of the Secretary-General,         to support humanitarian action to ease the suffering of
including his consultations with concerned officials in          refugees and displaced persons, who have been provoked
various capitals, his appointment of two envoys and the          by these events to undertake an exodus.
decision to undertake a humanitarian-needs assessment in
the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, starting in Kosovo.              Egypt is fully convinced that the provision of
                                                                 humanitarian assistance to refugees and displaced persons


                                                                                                                           15

Security Council                                                                                           4003rd meeting
Fifty-fourth year                                                                                            14 May 1999

is within the competence of the Secretary-General. The            suffered in the exodus. We hope that this clear message
deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Kosovo and its     will meet with the wholehearted approval of the
grave implications for international peace and security; the      international community.
urgent need for the international community to provide
timely humanitarian assistance to the victims of these                  The President (spoke in French): The next speaker
events throughout the States of the region and to ensure that     inscribed on my list is the representative of Ukraine. I
it reach those for whom it is intended; and the need for a        invite him to take a seat at the Council table and to make
comprehensive assessment by the mission which the                 his statement.
Secretary-General has sent are all reasons that have
compelled Egypt, together with other States members of the              Mr. Yel’chenko (Ukraine): At the outset, I would
Organization of the Islamic Conference Contact Group on           like to congratulate you, Sir, on your effective ongoing
Bosnia and Kosovo, to endorse the resolution which the            presidency of the Security Council. Let me also
Security Council has adopted today. We are convinced that         acknowledge the excellent manner in which your
it will be supported by all Members of the United Nations.        predecessor, Ambassador Dejammet of France, performed
                                                                  his presidential duties last month.
      We believe that the resolution is exclusively
humanitarian in its objectives. We wished to distinguish this           As we are all still in the middle of, and deeply
issue from the current political problems and the various         distressed at, the situation resulting from the strikes by
ways and means of solving them, although we made certain          the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on the
amendments aimed at globalizing the resolution so that it         Chinese Embassy in Belgrade on 7 May 1999, I cannot
might be adopted unanimously. However, despite the urgent         but bring to the Council’s attention the position of my
humanitarian nature of the resolution, it was delayed for         Government, which expresses its shock at the reports of
political reasons, albeit without affecting the unanimity of      the casualties and damage suffered by the Embassy. Our
the vote today. The clear message which the sponsors of           deepest condolences go to the Government of the
the resolution — in particular the members of the OIC             People’s Republic of China and to the families of those
Contact Group on Bosnia and Kosovo, including Egypt —             who were killed or injured.
wish to send to the international community is that the lack
of a defined role for the Security Council in the search for            Though the investigation into the causes of this
a peaceful settlement, engendered by its inability to             grave incident is still under way and its complete and
discharge its responsibilities for international peace and        final assessment is still pending, one immediate
security, cannot justify ignoring the urgent humanitarian         conclusion is self-evident for my delegation: all military
situation in the region. Thus, the international community,       activities in and around the Federal Republic of
especially the United Nations, must step up its activities to     Yugoslavia should be stopped. In this context, I would
end the humanitarian suffering of the victims of the              like to stress the words “all military activities”, which,
situation and of those States that have sheltered a large         according to the plan formulated by President Kuchma of
number of refugees and displaced persons, thereby                 Ukraine, implies the end of military actions by the
assuming a significant additional material and logistical         regular, security and paramilitary forces of the Federal
burden.                                                           Republic of Yugoslavia and the Kosovo Liberation Army,
                                                                  as well as the simultaneous cessation, or at least
      In this regard, we wish to thank the Secretary-General      suspension, of NATO air strikes on the territory of the
for his particular efforts, as well as the Office of the United   Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the other
humanitarian institutions involved.                                     From the very first day, if not hour, of military
                                                                  activities against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,
      We hope that the Security Council will be able to           Ukraine has continuously called for an end to the use of
overcome its current difficulties and reassert its role in        force and for finding political means of resolving the
reaching a comprehensive political settlement of the              Kosovo problem. By so doing, we tried to warn all the
situation in order to guarantee the return; security and well-    parties involved of the unpredictable and dire
being of all displaced persons and refugees under                 consequences of such a course. It is regrettable that our
international control. In the meantime, we appeal to the          concerns, echoed by many other countries, were not
international community to grant all possible assistance to       heeded.
displaced persons in Kosovo and the States that have


16

Security Council                                                                                            4003rd meeting
Fifty-fourth year                                                                                             14 May 1999

      That is why the delegation of Ukraine would like to         collateral problems are not being sought. Instead, one can
appeal to all the members of the Security Council — the           see that military activities in the Federal Republic of
only United Nations body to bear primary responsibility for       Yugoslavia are not decreasing — on the contrary. Is it not
the maintenance of international peace and security —             high time to stop and really look at the critical plight of
immediately to intervene in order to put an end to the            the Kosovars and at that of the peoples of the Federal
military actions, which continue to claim more and more           Republic of Yugoslavia, the Republic of Macedonia,
innocent victims and stand in the way of an eventual              Albania and of other countries affected by the crisis?
political settlement of the Kosovo problem. We fully share
the conviction of the United Nations Secretary-General,                 In this context, we welcome the timely proposal by
reiterated in the wake of the tragedy of 7 May 1999, that         the Secretary-General to dispatch a humanitarian needs
”an urgent political solution must be found to the present        assessment mission to the Federal Republic of
crisis in the region”.                                            Yugoslavia. We urge the Yugoslav authorities and NATO
                                                                  States to ensure the safety of the United Nations
      Our delegation is satisfied that after a rather prolonged   humanitarian personnel involved in that mission and of all
period of uncertainty, the Security Council is gradually          the other international humanitarian workers who are
returning to an understanding of the urgent need to               already doing their noble job in Kosovo. Ukraine also
undertake every possible measure to put an end to the             believes that the two-day high-level meeting on the
hostilities in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and to          Balkan crisis held by the Secretary-General in Geneva on
avert the impending humanitarian catastrophe in wider             13 and 14 May 1999 will result in the elaboration of a
Europe. We consider the resolution just adopted by the            more effective and coherent strategy for the United
Security Council as a practical step in the right direction.      Nations system’s response to the disastrous situation in
                                                                  the region. We praise the strenuous efforts of the Office
      We believe that quite soon the Security Council will        of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
be adopting a decision outlining the framework of a               (UNHCR) and of all the other international humanitarian
political solution to the Kosovo crisis. In this regard, we       relief organizations currently operating in Albania and the
welcome the general principles on a political solution to the     Republic of Macedonia, as well as those States
Kosovo crisis agreed upon at the recent G-8 ministerial           participating in the humanitarian evacuation programme
meeting in Bonn, which are consonant with the Ukrainian           and those providing humanitarian assistance individually.
proposals on this issue.
                                                                        Notwithstanding its own difficult economic situation,
      While concentrating our common efforts on the search        which, in fact, is complicated by economic losses caused
for a political solution, we should devote appropriate            by the ongoing military actions in Yugoslavia, Ukraine is
attention to the critical humanitarian situation in the region,   contributing to international efforts by providing
which threatens to become a large-scale humanitarian              humanitarian aid to refugees from Kosovo. In accordance
catastrophe, unprecedented in Europe since the end of the         with the Government of Ukraine’s decision of 5 April
Second World War.                                                 1999, a number of Ukrainian transport convoys have been
                                                                  dispatched to the Republic of Macedonia and Albania to
      What should we do to prevent such an unfortunate            deliver humanitarian aid. This humanitarian assistance
development? It is important and urgent to find the right         was offered in the form of food, medicine, bandages and
answers to that question. Let us ponder some simple and           other first-aid materials, as well as household equipment
obvious questions regarding the humanitarian situation in         totalling about $360,000. A few days ago, the Parliament
and around Kosovo, such as how and when we can ensure             of Ukraine adopted a resolution to render humanitarian
the voluntary return and life in dignity of the Kosovo            aid to the peoples of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
refugees and displaced persons, given that the province’s         Other forms of humanitarian assistance to those affected
infrastructure has been completely destroyed. There are           by the Kosovo crisis, including the acceptance of a
almost no safe houses, hospitals, oil refineries, power           number of children of refugees, are now being considered
plants, schools or roads left in Kosovo. Since there was no       in Ukraine.
sowing in the province in spring, there will be no harvest
this fall. What about the approaching cold weather, which               In conclusion, I wish to express the hope that
usually comes to the mountainous terrain of Kosovo in             common sense will finally prevail, that hostilities will
September? What about the humanitarian demining                   cease in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, that a
problem? Ways to address these so-called minor and                political solution to the Kosovo problem will be approved


                                                                                                                          17

Security Council                                                                                             4003rd meeting
Fifty-fourth year                                                                                              14 May 1999

by a resolution of the Security Council, and that the severe           The world community cannot remain indifferent,
consequences of the humanitarian catastrophe in and around       simply accepting the mounting catastrophe. The Republic
Kosovo will be eliminated. How much longer will it take          of Belarus believes that the humanitarian crisis cannot be
for this to happen? What additional price will all of us have    stopped in the context of continuing military escalation.
to pay for any further delay in achieving a comprehensive        This contradicts the very logic of peacekeeping. We
settlement of the Kosovo crisis? We in Ukraine hope that         sternly condemn the aggression against a sovereign State.
this settlement will be achieved as soon as possible.            The complexity of the Balkan situation lies in the fact
                                                                 that some political and military leaders of NATO are
     The President (spoke in French): I thank the                playing the Kosovo card, not acting at all in the interests
representative of the Ukraine for the kind words he              of the Albanian or the Serbian people, but only in their
addressed to me.                                                 own self-interest through the assertion of their superior
                                                                 force in the practice of inter-State relations.
     The President (spoke in French): The next speaker on
my list is the representative of Belarus. I invite him to take         In this connection, we once again call upon the
a seat at the Council table and to make his statement.           Council to take the necessary steps as soon as possible to
                                                                 halt the military aggression and bloodshed so that political
     Mr. Sychov (Belarus) (spoke in Russian): The                means can be used to find a way out of the situation
Republic of Belarus, as a State whose history is connected       acceptable to all sides, a situation fraught with irreversible
to destructive wars and environmental catastrophes, highly       consequences for the fate of all mankind.
values and welcomes the fact that the Security Council is
giving priority attention to this question. Indeed, a solution        The President (spoke in French): The next speaker
to the humanitarian crisis in Kosovo and the neighbouring        on my list is the representative of Cuba. I invite him to
regions is the key to the establishment of stability not only    take a seat at the Council table and to make his statement.
in the area of the conflict, but in the Balkan region as a
whole.                                                                 Mr. Rodríguez Parrilla (Cuba)(spoke in Spanish):
                                                                 It is encouraging that the Security Council is using its
     In evaluating the situation in Kosovo, we continue to       meagre powers to at least tackle the terrible humanitarian
believe that the major reason for the worsening                  situation that has been created in the Balkans. It is also
humanitarian situation and the massive influx of refugees        encouraging that this is occurring at the initiative of the
was the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)                non-aligned caucus of the Council. I must say that my
military action undertaken, outside the Security Council and     delegation deeply shares the legitimate concern for the
in violation of generally accepted norms of international        victims of this conflict — all those who have died, the
law, against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. There is        wounded, the orphans, the mothers who have lost their
a great deal of evidence for this today, and I think that        children, all those suffering from hunger, those who have
members of the Security Council and the representatives of       lost their homes, their hospitals and their schools, those
other United Nations Member States present in this               who have no means of support, the many lives lost and
Chamber know this full well. There is aggression today           the dozens wounded caused by the bombing in Korisa
against a sovereign State which is having serious                only a few hours ago.
consequences. The latest graphic example of this was the
attack on the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in             Cuba shares the suffering of the hundreds of
Belgrade, which resulted in the loss of diplomatic lives and     thousands of refugees and displaced persons and has
significant material damage.                                     offered its full cooperation to alleviate their suffering. In
                                                                 response to the information from the United States
      Every day we see new evidence of the destruction of        authorities regarding the decision to use the Guantánamo
the national economy and infrastructure of Yugoslavia and        base, part of Cuban territory, which it is occupying
the suffering of victims among the civilian population.          illegally and against the will of our people, to temporarily
Today the victims amount to more than 1,000 killed and           shelter 20,000 Kosovar refugees, our country agreed not
approximately 4,500 injured. There are victims among the         only to that number, but also to even larger numbers if
civilian population as a result of the use of cluster bombs,     possible, offering its willingness to cooperate in caring for
in violation of international norms. Once again we hear          those refugees with our hospital services, medical
from NATO that supposedly this was a mistake.                    personnel and available supplies. With the humility,
                                                                 altruism and discretion that characterize real humanitarian


18

Security Council                                                                                             4003rd meeting
Fifty-fourth year                                                                                              14 May 1999

action, Cuba has offered as long ago as 5 April to                Malaysia as the initiators of this resolution, as well as to
cooperate by contributing 1,000 doctors, completely free of       the other sponsors.
charge, to take care of the Kosovar refugees.
                                                                        Albanians take a great interest in this resolution, as
     Each refugee is a human tragedy that cannot be               we greatly appreciate all the efforts of the international
reduced to cold statistics, much less be used for political       community to stop a humanitarian catastrophe in the
propaganda and headlines in the press. It would be useful         making. This catastrophe is the largest in Europe since
to have official and exhaustive information on how many           the Second World War. Approximately 500,000 deportees
refugees have been accepted and under what conditions by          have entered Albania up to this point, after their hopeless
those who are the very ones responsible for what has              effort to remain in their ethnic lands and home. Thus the
occurred. With their vast resources and many sins, NATO           number of deportees has been increased to 1 million
members, as the figures show, appear more inclined to             people since the beginning of the ethnic-cleansing policy
create refugees rather than receive them.                         and the genocide in Kosovo.

      Neither can it be forgotten that terrible humanitarian            These people were pushed to leave Kosovo as a
crises are occurring, particularly in Africa, without             result of the monstrous crimes of the Serbian criminal
receiving the necessary attention of the United Nations, the      regime of Belgrade, which is following a systematic
international community and the press. Resources                  policy of torture, killing, massacre, mutilation, rape,
earmarked for dealing with the emergency needs of 11              deliberate destruction of property and livestock, and other
million people in Africa are less than those already              despicable crimes against humanity. We do not know
arranged for some of the Balkan countries.                        about the fate of more than 100,000 Albanians, while
                                                                  thousands and thousands are separated from their families
      It is a serious omission that the resolution just adopted   or are being used as human shields or blood pools for the
does not say a single word about the urgency of stopping          Serbian war thugs. Endless trains full of hopeless
the bombing of Yugoslavia by the United States and                deportees are emptying the Albanian territories, which are
NATO, which has caused hundreds of civilian deaths and            now literarily burnt and full of mass graves. This is the
thousands of wounded and a real humanitarian catastrophe.         fate of the hundreds of thousands of Albanians from
The acts of genocide in the form of deliberate bombing of         Kosovo, deported by force to Albania, the former
civilian targets and systematic actions depriving the             Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and
population of its means of support must cease immediately.        Bosnia. Their only hope is that the international
No type of agreement can be accepted, nor should the              community will stop their endless suffering.
Security Council adopt in any way the so-called agreement
of the Group of Eight, as long as the bombing continues.                The Albanian Government has already received the
                                                                  Albanian deportees and is giving them continuous
      Cuba reiterates its vigorous condemnation of the            assistance. Albania is currently cooperating with all those
bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, which                 who are providing assistance and highly appreciates their
caused deaths, wounded and the destruction of the building,       help. We would like to particularly thank the United
and reaffirms the need for an impartial, urgent and               States Government; the Governments of all the member
exhaustive investigation, the immediate publication of its        States of the European Union, as well as the European
results, the severe punishment of those responsible and the       Union itself; the Australian, Turkish, Pakistani,
Security Council’s continuing attention to the matter, an         Norwegian and Japanese Governments; and the
obligation that falls within its competence in compliance         Governments of Arab countries for their great assistance
with the United Nations Charter.                                  to the efforts to relieve the suffering of the deportees. We
                                                                  attach great importance to the work of the Office of the
     The President (spoke in French): The next speaker on         United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as the
my list is the representative of Albania. I invite him to take    lead agency in the relief efforts. My Government
a seat at the Council table and to make his statement.            reiterates its willingness to cooperate with all the United
                                                                  Nations agencies in order to accomplish the enormous
     Mr. Nesho (Albania): Albania strongly supports the           work that lies ahead.
resolution before the Security Council today. We would like
to express special thanks to the delegations of Bahrain and           As of now the Albanian people in Albania have
                                                                  shown great support for the plight of their brothers and


                                                                                                                           19

Security Council                                                                                           4003rd meeting
Fifty-fourth year                                                                                            14 May 1999

sisters from Kosovo. More than 70 per cent of the                procedure. I invite him to take a seat at the Council table
deportees are being taken care of by simple Albanian             and to make his statement.
families, and we believe that they deserve great recognition
and support.                                                          Mr. Hosseini (Organization of the Islamic
                                                                 Conference): On behalf of Ambassador Mokhtar
      It is quite unfortunate that the international community   Lamani, Permanent Observer of the Organization of the
and the United Nations are now having to make an                 Islamic Conference to the United Nations, who is
enormous effort to heal a new wound that stems from an           unavoidably absent from here at this time, I take the floor
old crime that started 10 years ago in the Balkans. To the       to express our serious concern over the crisis in Kosovo
humanitarian catastrophe in Bosnia, where hundreds of            and the harm and suffering this has unleashed upon the
thousands lost their lives and more than 2 million refugees      innocent people of Kosovo.
left their homes, is now being added an additional chapter
of Albanian suffering, with 1 million deportees and                   Since the arbitrary termination of the autonomy of
thousands of deaths. At the same time as the Security            Kosovo by the Belgrade authorities in 1989, we, together
Council was adopting resolutions 1160 (1998), 1199 (1998)        with the international community, have watched with
and 1203 (1998), a country that pretends to be a member of       great distress the Serbian acts of atrocities against the
the United Nations was responding with ethnic cleansing          innocent and hard-working people of Kosovo and the
and genocide and requesting that its sovereignty be              campaigns of ethnic cleansing that have been reminiscent
respected by the United Nations. As if the expulsion of          of the preceding sinister acts against the population of
Albanians were not enough, artillery shells are being fired      Bosnia and Herzegovina that were also committed by the
from Serbia towards the territory of another sovereign           Serbs.
country.
                                                                      Regrettably, the Bosnian experience has failed to
      We heard today that some returning refugees have           teach the Serbs an important lesson of history, which is
been killed. We do not know where some of the members            that when a nation tries to keep another in the ditch, it
have gotten this information, but to this day no refugee —       does so by also staying with it in the ditch.
I repeat, not one refugee — has returned to Kosovo. It may
be that some Albanians have been killed by mistake;                    It is relevant to remind this Council that the
however, Albanians are deeply convinced that this tragedy        Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Contact
and plague cannot be stopped without the assistance of the       Group on Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosova, meeting
civilized world, which is protecting human values.               at the level of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Geneva last
                                                                 month, regretted that the Security Council has been
     The Albanian people strongly believe in the value of        unable to discharge its responsibility in Kosovo in
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) mission            accordance with the Charter of the United Nations. It
and actions. NATO is today saving exactly the same values        reiterated that the Security Council has the primary
that the United Nations was created to defend, and the           responsibility for the maintenance of international peace
Albanian people regret that the United Nations is not able       and security, and that in carrying out its duties in
to deliver the same message due to the hypocrisy and the         accordance with this responsibility, the Council shall be
obstacles created by some of its Members.                        looked upon to act on behalf of the Members of the
                                                                 United Nations.
     Albania welcomes any initiative of the international
community that could solve the crisis of Kosovo, that could            The ministers expressed their solidarity with the
stop the humanitarian catastrophe and that respects the          Kosovars in their present hour of need and, among other
freedom of the people who believe so much in the                 things, undertook to contribute to the monitoring and
principles of this Organization.                                 peacekeeping operations in Kosovo as part of the
                                                                 international peacekeeping efforts.
      The President (spoke in French): The next speaker on
my list is Mr. Ahmad Haji Hosseini, Deputy Permanent                 Since the Geneva meeting, the diplomatic efforts of
Observer of the Organization of the Islamic Conference to        the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the OIC Contact
the United Nations, to whom the Council has extended an          Group, aimed at finding a viable solution to the crisis in
invitation under rule 39 of its provisional rules of             Kosovo, have been intense and have led to the Contact
                                                                 Group’s support of the resolution just adopted by the


20

Security Council                                                                                             4003rd meeting
Fifty-fourth year                                                                                              14 May 1999

Council — a resolution initiated by the Permanent                 its role under the Charter of the United Nations. Several
Representatives of Bahrain and Malaysia and presented to          members of the Security Council have referred in their
the Council by the Permanent Representative of Gambia, all        statements to that potential. The resolution addresses a
members of the OIC.                                               number of areas of humanitarian activity where
                                                                  humanitarian and security or political concerns meet.
      The resolution addresses, in particular, the                These issues need to be addressed both at the level of
humanitarian aspect of the crisis in Kosovo, which is of          practical humanitarian action and at the level of political
crucial concern at this time. By its nature, the resolution       policy-making. Thus, they remain among the important
allows the Security Council to act in unity and without           concerns of the Security Council.
controversy, which may otherwise have posed possible
constraints on its ability to act quickly in the matter in             Finally, the resolution addresses the search for a
fulfilment of its responsibilities at this grave moment.          comprehensive solution. This solution will need to have
                                                                  an adequate political framework. In this context, the
      The response just demonstrated by members will              resolution refers to the recent initiative of the Foreign
hopefully be a significant factor in rescuing the people of       Ministers of the Group of Eight countries. The statement
Kosovo from the agony and suffering they are undergoing           made by the Foreign Ministers of the Group of Eight on
at this time.                                                     6 May contains a comprehensive set of basic concepts
                                                                  from which a search for peace can start. These concepts
     Mr. Türk (Slovenia): In the light of the discussion,         need further elaboration and refinement, and the Security
and bearing in mind the content of the resolution just            Council should play a role in this process. We hope that
adopted, I wish to make a few observations.                       a determined effort in that direction will start before too
                                                                  long. Such a process will also enable the Security Council
      The resolution is important primarily for two reasons.      to address the causes of humanitarian crises, to which
First, it carefully defines the priorities of humanitarian        some speakers tonight have referred.
action, which require the full political support of the
Security Council. It defines an approach which merits                   We believe that that approach is a correct one. It is
political commitment and the sustained practical effort of        gradual and not yet fully supported. The abstentions in the
the States Members of the United Nations. In addition to          voting tonight testify to this lack of complete support.
the inherent value of humanitarianism, the action dealt with      However, we would like to appeal to all Council members
in the resolution also represents a political priority. Most      to understand that the unity and resolve of the entire
United Nations Member States already understand that.             international community are the essential conditions for
However, an additional emphasis on this priority,                 the success of the efforts for peace, and we believe that
pronounced formally by the Security Council, adds to the          the resolution adopted tonight is a relevant contribution to
understanding of the priority nature of these tasks.              that end.

     The discussion tonight has shown that there are                   The President (spoke in French): There are no
distortions of fact and misinterpretations of international       further speakers on my list. The Security Council has thus
law. Therefore, it is important that the resolution adopted       concluded the present stage of its consideration of the
tonight set priorities correctly and clearly. That is the first   item on its agenda.
of the two basic factors of this resolution’s relevance.
                                                                       The meeting rose at 1.55 a.m.
     Secondly, the resolution contains an important element
of potential which could help the Security Council restore




                                                                                                                           21

Voting Summary
Yes: 013 | No: 000 | Abstentions: 002 | Non-Voting: 000 | Total voting membership: 015
Y ARGENTINA
Y BAHRAIN
Y BRAZIL
Y CANADA
A CHINA
Y FRANCE
Y GABON
Y GAMBIA
Y MALAYSIA
Y NAMIBIA
Y NETHERLANDS
A RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Y SLOVENIA
Y UNITED KINGDOM
Y UNITED STATES