DATE=8/23/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=U-N PEACEKEEPING REFORM (L ONLY)
NUMBER=2-265795
BYLINE=BRECK ARDERY
DATELINE=UNITED NATIONS
CONTENT=
INTRO: A report released today (Wednesday) recommends
some major changes in the way the United Nations plans
and conducts peacekeeping operations. VOA
Correspondent Breck Ardery reports from the United
Nations.
TEXT: The report, prepared at the request of U-N
Secretary-General Kofi Annan, says the reality of
peacekeeping has changed and the United Nations must
also change. For example, the report says U-N
peacekeepers must distinguish between aggressors and
victims, something that was not done in Rwanda and
contributed to the 1994 genocide there. More recently,
U-N peacekeepers faced hostility and aggression from
rebels in Sierra Leone.
Lakhdar Brahimi, the former Algerian Foreign Minister
who headed the study panel, told reporters an ongoing
problem with peacekeeping is the lag time between when
a mission is authorized by the U-N Security Council
and when the peacekeepers are ready for deployment. He
says governments should put some of their troops on
standby for possible U-N missions.
///Brahimi act///
Nobody wants a standing U-N army. That does not
mean it is a bad idea but the U-N members, who
are the masters of this organization, do not
want that. The next best thing is this standby
arrangement.
///end act///
Mr. Brahimi said U-N peacekeepers must always be ready
for the "worst case scenario" when they arrive in a
country.
The report also recommends a major upgrade in the U-N
Office of Peacekeeping Operations to provide for
better planning and supervision.
///Rest opt///
Secretary-General Annan endorsed Mr. Brahimi's report.
Speaking to military leaders from nations contributing
troops to the Sierra Leone peacekeeping operation, Mr.
Annan said recent events illustrate the need for more
assertive forces.
///Annan act///
We have seen situations where we have been
challenged by one party or another (to a peace
agreement) and therefore we need a much more
robust and assertive type of peacekeeping.
///end act///
Many diplomats at the U-N had a generally positive
reaction to the peacekeeping report, although most
said their governments will have to study the full
report closely. U-S representative James Cunningham
said the report seems to strike the right balance.
///Cunningham act///
We need to strike the balance between not seeing
the U-N as an international war fighting force
but seeing U-N peacekeeping as something that
has to have the capability to deal with violent
situations.
///end act///
The report does not mention how much reform of U-N
peacekeeping operations will cost. A cost estimate is
expected to be ready in time for the U-N Millennium
Summit of heads of state which begins September sixth.
Currently there are more than 37-thousand military and
police personnel involved in U-N peacekeeping
missions. More operations, in Congo-Kinshasa and
Ethiopia and Eritrea, are now being planned. (Signed)
NEB/UN/BA/LSF/ENE/PT
23-Aug-2000 16:09 PM EDT (23-Aug-2000 2009 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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