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Security Council meeting 3796

Date9 July 1997
Started12:30
Ended12:35
S-PV-3796 1997-07-09 12:30 9 July 1997 [[9 July]] [[1997]] /

The situation in Afghanistan

The meeting was called to order at 12.30 p.m.

Expression of thanks to the retiring President

The President

As this is the first meeting of the Security Council for the month of July, I should like to take this opportunity to pay tribute, on behalf of the Council, to His Excellency Mr. Sergey V. Lavrov, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations, for his service as President of the Security Council for the month of June 1997. I am sure I speak for all members of the Security Council in expressing deep appreciation to Ambassador Lavrov for the great diplomatic skill with which he conducted the Council’s business last month.

Adoption of the agenda

The agenda was adopted.

The situation in Afghanistan

The President

I should like to inform the Council that I have received a letter from the representative of Afghanistan, in which he requests to be invited to participate in the discussion of the item on the Council’s agenda. In conformity with the usual practice, I propose, with the consent of the Council, to invite that representative to participate in the discussion, without the right to vote, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter and rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure.

There being no objection, it is so decided.

At the invitation of the President, Mr. Farhâdi (Afghanistan) took a seat at the Council table.
The President

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations.

Members of the Council have before them the report of the Secretary-General contained in document S/1997/482.

I should like to draw the attention of the members of the Council to the following other documents: S/1997/408, letter dated 27 May 1997 from the Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General; and S/1997/424 and S/1997/463, identical letters dated 2 and 16 June 1997, respectively, from the Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and to the President of the Security Council.

Following consultations among members of the Security Council, I have been authorized to make the following statement on behalf of the Council:

“The Security Council has considered the report of the Secretary-General concerning the situation in Afghanistan of 16 June 1997 (S/1997/482).

“The Security Council expresses its grave concern at the continued escalation of military confrontation in Afghanistan. It calls for an immediate end to the fighting.

“The Security Council calls upon all Afghan parties to return to the negotiating table immediately and to work together towards the formation of a broad-based, fully representative government that will protect the rights of all Afghans and abide by Afghanistan’s international obligations.

“The Security Council, taking into account risks of regional destabilization, believes that peace and stability in Afghanistan can best be attained through intra-Afghan political negotiations under United Nations auspices with the active and coordinated assistance of all countries concerned. It urges the Afghan parties and countries concerned to abide by the provisions of relevant resolutions on Afghanistan adopted by the Security Council and the General Assembly.

“The Security Council stresses that all external interference in Afghan affairs must cease, and, in this context, it calls upon all States to end immediately the supply of arms and ammunition to all parties to the conflict in Afghanistan.

“The Security Council is deeply concerned at the continuing discrimination against girls and women and other violations of human rights, as well as at violations of international humanitarian law.

“The Security Council reiterates that the continuation of the conflict in Afghanistan provides a fertile ground for terrorism and illegal drug production and trafficking which destabilize the region and beyond, and calls upon the leaders of the Afghan parties to halt such activities.

“The Security Council is deeply concerned at the worsening of the humanitarian situation, including the displacement of the civilian population. In this regard, it calls upon Member States to respond generously to the 1997 United Nations Consolidated Appeal for Emergency Humanitarian Assistance for Afghanistan.

“The Security Council reaffirms its full support for the efforts of the United Nations in Afghanistan, in particular the activities of the United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan (UNSMA). It requests the Secretary-General to continue to keep it regularly informed of the situation and his efforts, as well as those of UNSMA.

“The Security Council will remain seized of the matter.”

This statement will be issued as a document of the Security Council under the symbol S/PRST/1997/35.

The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.

The meeting rose at 12.35 p.m.
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