[ 2003 ] Part 1 Chapter 4 Asia and the Pacific
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288 Political and security questions Chapter IV Political and security questions Asia and the Pacific The year 2003 was a challenging one for the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for United Nations in the Asia and Pacific region as Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, continued to co- the war in Iraq severely tested the principle of ordinate UN activities in the country. collective security and the resilience of the Or- The war in Iraq, which began on 20 March, se- ganization. verely tested the cohesiveness and purpose of In Afghanistan, the security situation contin- the United Nations. Rarely in its 58-year history ued to endanger the peace process. Increased had such dire forecasts been made about the Or- terrorist activity, factional fighting and activities ganization. On 19 August, the UN headquarters associated with the illegal narcotics trade posed in Baghdad was subjected to a deliberate and vi- the greatest challenges to stability and socio- cious terrorist attack. The Secretary-General’s economic development. Lack of security in cer- Special Representative for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de tain parts of the country forced the United Mello, and 21other persons were killed and many Nations to suspend its mission support in four others were wounded. The attack dealt a severe southern provinces. Despite those setbacks, pro- blow to the ability of the United Nations to assist gress continued to be made in implementing the Iraq in the post-war phase. Prior to the com- 2001 Bonn Agreement. Constructive events in- mencement of military action, the United cluded the beginning of the demobilization, dis- Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection armament and reintegration programme, the Commission and the International Atomic En- drafting of a constitution, the commencement of ergy Agency carried out extensive inspection ac- the electoral registration process and the conven- tivities in Iraq and provided the Security Council ing of a nationwide constitutional assembly, or with periodic updates on their findings. The Loya Jirga. In May, the Afghan Transitional Council convened repeatedly at the ministerial Authority (TA ), led by President Hamid Karzai, level to discuss the situation in Iraq. Three secured an agreement with provincial governors permanent members of the Council strongly and commanders that prohibited provincial opposed the use of force. On 17 March, the leaders from simultaneously holding civil and Secretary-General suspended UN activities in military positions and called for the centraliza- Iraq and the following day withdrew all UN tion of customs revenues; however, those com- system personnel. As at 19 March, UN inspectors mitments were only partially implemented by the reported that they had not found any evidence of end of the year. The United Nations Assistance proscribed weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) continued to though the time available to them was considered assist in the implementation of the Bonn Agree- insufficient to complete an overall assessment. ment and in reconstruction. The Security Coun- UN personnel started returning to Iraq in April, cil established an electoral unit within UNAMA to following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s re- assist the TA with preparations for the holding of gime by coalition forces, led by the United States. national elections, scheduled to take place in The Coalition Provisional Authority was estab- 2004. UNAMA’s mandate was extended for an ad- lished by the occupying forces to provide for the ditional period of one year. A Council mission provisional administration of Iraq. In July, the visited Afghanistan from 31October to 7 Novem- Authority established the Governing Council of ber to reaffirm its support for the peace process. Iraq, the principal body of the Iraqi interim The Security Council expanded the mandate of administration. An escalation of attacks against the International Security Assistance Force, the United Nations and other foreign organiza- which continued to assist the TA in the mainte- tions, which started in August 2003, led the nance of security in the capital, Kabul, to allow it Secretary-General to temporarily relocate all UN to operate in areas outside Kabul and its envi- international staff outside the country. Although rons. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq assumed leadership of the Force in August. The was established in August, its core was set up in Council also adopted new sanctions against Nicosia, Cyprus, due to the deteriorating security Osama bin Laden, the terrorist organization Al- situation. In November, the Authority and the Qaida, the Taliban and their associates. The Governing Council signed an agreement setting YUN03—4ths proofs May 25 2005 Asia and the Pacific 289 out a political process for the restoration of sover- bodian law and international law committed dur- eignty by 30 June 2004, and for the drafting of a ing the period of Democratic Kampuchea. Those new constitution and the holding of national negotiations resulted in the preparation of a draft elections. Following the end of major military agreement between the United Nations and Cam- hostilities, the Security Council lifted civilian bodia, which the General Assembly approved in sanctions on Iraq. Consequently, the Council’s May, and which was signed on 6 June. Sanctions Committee and the humanitarian oil- Particular attention was paid to developments for-food programme were phased out over a pe- in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, as riod of six months and terminated on 21 Novem- the country informed the Security Council in ber 2003 after 13 years of a comprehensive sanc- January that it was putting into effect its 1993 de- tions regime. The Council established the cision to withdraw from the 1968 Treaty on the international Advisory and Monitoring Board, Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The an independent oversight body, to monitor oil activities of the United Nations Tajikistan Office sales in Iraq, and established a new committee of Peace-building were extended for another to continue identifying individuals and entities year, until 1 June 2004, in order to continue to affiliated with the former Iraqi regime for the support Tajikistan in its post-conflict peace- purpose of freezing their funds, financial assets building efforts. Among other concerns in the re- and economic resources. The fall of the Hussein gion that were brought to the attention of the regime led to the discovery of mass graves in Iraq United Nations were the deterioration of law and and the identification of remains, including order in Solomon Islands and the situation in those of Kuwaiti missing persons. In March, the Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. mandate of the United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Ob- servation Mission was suspended and most of its staff evacuated. The Mission maintained a small peacekeeping force in Kuwait City to sup- Afghanistan port, among other things, UN humanitarian as- sistance programmes for Iraq. In July, the Coun- cil extended the Mission’s mandate for a final During 2003, further progress was made in im- three-month period, until 6 October. On 13 De- plementing the 2001 Bonn Agreement [YUN 2001, cember, Saddam Hussein was captured by Coali- p. 263], which had set in motion Afghanistan’s tion forces. transition from war and instability to peace and During the year, Timor-Leste continued to es- democracy. Major steps included the pilot phase tablish and strengthen its national institutions of the demobilization, disarmament and reinte- with assistance from the United Nations Mission gration programme, the drafting of a constitu- of Support in East Timor (UNMISET) and UN tion, the beginning of electoral registration and agencies. The Timorese civil administration and the convening of the Constitutional Loya Jirga police force progressively assumed greater re- (grand council), which was still in session as at sponsibility in their respective areas. However, in 31 December. However, the deterioration in response to violent attacks by armed elements in security, brought about by increased terrorist ac- January and February, the Security Council de- tivity, factional fighting, activities associated with cided to slow down the downsizing schedule for the narcotics trade and unchecked criminality, the military and police components of UNMISET. impeded the peace process. The absence of a se- The Mission’s mandate was extended for a fur- cure environment led the United Nations to sus- ther year, until 20 May 2004. Relations between pend its mission support in four southern prov- Indonesia and Timor-Leste continued to im- inces. The Afghan Transitional Authority (TA ), prove, although the two countries did not reach a led by President Hamid Karzai, enacted security final agreement on a provisional border line by reform measures and, in May, through the the target date of 30 November. The ratification Afghan National Security Council, forbade the of the Timor Sea Treaty between Timor-Leste use of private militias and called for the transfer and Australia paved the way for the exploitation of provincial revenues to the TA . of mineral resources in the Timor Sea and the The United Nations Assistance Mission in sharing of revenues, with 90 per cent being Afghanistan (UNAMA), under the leadership of awarded to Timor-Leste. the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, In 2003, the United Nations resumed negotia- Lakhdar Brahimi (Algeria), continued its efforts tions with the Government of Cambodia on on behalf of Afghanistan throughout the year, the establishment of extraordinary chambers together with its partner organizations. In within the existing court structure of Cambodia March, the Security Council extended UNAMA’s for the prosecution of serious violations of Cam- mandate to provide support for the implementa- YUN03—4ths proofs May 25 2005 290 Political and security questions tion of the Bonn Agreement for an additional S/2003/333], 23 July [A/57/850-S/2003/754 & Corr.1] period of one year. The Council also established and 30 December [S/2003/1212].