320 Political and security questions Chapter V Political and security questions Europe and the Mediterranean In 2001, there were encouraging signs that a num- 13 August. Among its main provisions were the ber of countries in Europe and the Mediterra- cessation of hostilities, the voluntary disarma- nean were moving closer towards achieving their ment and disbandment of the ethnic Albanian goal of peace and security. In the Balkans, the armedgroups,anunconditionalceasefireandthe contentious issue of State succession was finally development of a decentralized Government. settled on 29 June, when the States successors to In Cyprus, the leaders of the Greek and Turk- the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugosla- ish Cypriot communities, in a 4 December face- via (SFRY) signed the Agreement on Succession to-face meeting in the presence of the Secretary- Issues, providing for the distribution of SFRY’s General’s Personal Adviser for Cyprus, agreed rights, obligations, assets and liabilities. Follow- to hold direct talks under the auspices of the ing the change of Government in the Federal Re- Secretary-General’s mission of good offices. They public of Yugoslavia (FRY) in 2000, relations with further agreed on the conditions for such talks, Croatia improved, leading to their joint state- which would begin on 16 January 2002. ment of intent to further normalize bilateral re- In Georgia, however, the peace process aimed lations and to elaborate a protocol on the identifi- at resolving the Georgian/Abkhaz armed con- cation of borders and the delimitation on land flict remained stalled. The long-awaited paper and sea, for which they established an inter-State on the basic principles for the distribution of border commission on 10 December. competencies between Tbilisi and Sukhumi was The United Nations Mission in Bosnia and finalized in mid-December. The paper, which Herzegovina continued to pursue its Mandate the Special Representative of the Secretary- Implementation Plan, which was due to be com- General transmitted to the parties, was to serve as pleted by the end of 2002. In anticipation of the the basis for substantial negotiations towards a Plan’s completion, the Security Council began to comprehensive settlement, including a defini- consider proposals as to what form continued UN tion of the political status of Abkhazia within the and international civilian presences in Bosnia State of Georgia. Adamant in its rejection of any and Herzegovina would take thereafter. suggestion that Abkhazia was within the State of Between March and May, the United Nations Georgia, the Abkhaz party was not prepared to InterimAdministrationMissioninKosovo,headed receive the paper. by the Special Representative of the Secretary- Attempts to bring about a settlement in the General, began laying the foundations for the in- Nagorny-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan also terim period of self-government in the FRY prov- proved unsuccessful. Both sides of the conflict ince of Kosovo. That culminated in the Special remained entrenched in their positions: Azerbai- Representative’s promulgation on 16 May of a jan maintained that Nagorny Karabakh was an Constitutional Framework for Provisional Self- integral part of the State of Azerbaijan, while Government, which paved the way for Kosovo- Nagorny Karabakh’s leadership considered the re- wide elections on 17 November. Formation of a gion a separate, independent entity, referring to coalition Government and establishment of the it as the “Nagorno-Karabakh Republic”. provisionalself-governmentinstitutionsfollowed. On the Secretary-General’s recommendation, the Security Council, on 10 September, termi- The former Yugoslavia nated the sanctions imposed on FRY and dis- solved the committee that had been monitoring them. With the improved situation in the ground safety zone—the buffer zone between Kosovo and UN operations Serbia proper—the North Atlantic Treaty Or- The United Nations continued efforts to re- ganization allowed the phased return of Yugoslav store peace and stability in the territories of the forces to the area. former Yugoslavia through its peacekeeping mis- IntheformerYugoslavRepublicofMacedonia, sions: the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and thePresidentand theleaders ofthefourmain pol- Herzegovina (UNMIBH), the United Nations Mis- itical parties signed a Framework Agreement on sion of Observers in Prevlaka (UNMOP) and the YUN01—REPROS jUNE 10 2003 Europe and the Mediterranean 321 United Nations Interim Administration Mission In the light of the chronic cash shortage of the in the FRY province of Kosovo (UNMIK). The combined forces, the Secretary-General sought Secretary-General’s Special Envoys for the Bal- the Assembly’s agreement to the continued tem- kans, Carl Bildt (Sweden) and Eduard Kukan porary suspension of financial regulations 4.3, (Slovakia), also continued in their functions. 4.4 and 5.2 (d) in respect of the remaining sur- The Security Council extended the mandates plus of $174,743,027 gross ($175,519,370 net). The of UNMIBH, which included the International Advisory Committee on Administrative and Bud- Police Task Force, until 21 June 2002 and of getary Questions (ACABQ), in its April report UNMOP until 15 January 2002. [A/55/886], concurred with the Secretary-General’s The Secretary-General, on 1 March [S/2001/ recommendation. 194], informed the Security Council President that he had asked his Special Envoys to continue GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION their efforts until midyear, and beyond if re- On 14 June [meeting 103], the General Assembly, quired, to promote peace and stability in the Bal- on the recommendation of the Fifth (Adminis- kans. The Council noted that request on 6 March trative and Budgetary) Committee [A/55/961], [S/2001/195]. adopted resolution 55/265 without vote [agenda item 140]. Financing of previous Financing of the United Nations Protection Force, peacekeeping operations the United Nations Confidence Restoration Operation in Croatia, the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force and the UNPF and UNPF-HQ United Nations Peace Forces headquarters In March [A/55/840], the Secretary-General, in The General Assembly, response to General Assembly resolution 54/269 Having considered the report of the Secretary-General [YUN 2000, p. 325], submitted the financial per- on the financing of the United Nations Protection formance report of the United Nations Protec- Force, the United Nations Confidence Restoration Op- tion Force (UNPROFOR), which ended in 1999,the eration in Croatia, the United Nations Preventive De- United Nations Confidence Restoration Opera- ployment Force and the United Nations Peace Forces headquarters and the related report of the Advisory tion in Croatia (UNCRO), which ended in 1996, Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Ques- the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force tions, (UNPREDEP), which ended in 1999—known col- Recalling Security Council resolutions 727(1992) of lectively as the United Nations Peace Forces 8 January 1992 and 740(1992) of 7 February 1992, in (UNPF)—and UNPF headquarters (UNPF-HQ). which the Council endorsed the sending of a group of Reimbursements to troop-contributing Gov- military liaison officers to Yugoslavia to promote main- ernments for troop costs had been made in full, tenance of the ceasefire, apart from $1,358,146 being held in accounts pay- Recalling also Security Council resolution 743(1992) able awaiting payment instructions from one of 21 February 1992, by which the Council established the United Nations Protection Force, and the subse- Government. Also being held in accounts pay- quent resolutions by which the Council extended and able were certified claims totalling $219,991,166 expanded its mandate, for amounts owed for contingent-owned equip- Recalling further Security Council resolution 981 ment and $15,022,361 for related losses. An esti- (1995) of 31 March 1995, by which the Council estab- mated $29 million in additional claims for equip- lished the United Nations Confidence Restoration Op- ment losses was awaiting approval. Claims for eration in Croatia, to be known as UNCRO, goods and services amounting to $12.8 million Recalling Security Council resolution 983(1995) of 31 were recorded in accounts payable as at 31 De- March 1995, by which the Council decided that the cember 2000. United Nations Protection Force within the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia should be known as The unencumbered balance of appropriations the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force, stood at $174,743,027 gross ($175,519,370 net); how- Recalling also Security Council resolution 1025(1995) ever, there was no corresponding cash balance. of 30 November 1995, in which the Council decided to In addition, although the operating deficit terminate the mandate of the United Nations Confi- decreased from $353,288,018 in 1999 to dence Restoration Operation in Croatia on 15 January $305,889,451 in 2000, the shortage of cash in the 1996, UNPF special account remained a critical prob- Recalling further Security Council resolution 1031 lem, owing to the high level of unpaid assessed (1995) of 15 December 1995, in which the Council de- cided to terminate the mandate of the United Nations contributions to UNPF, which, at 31 December Protection Force on the date on which the Secretary- 2000, totalled $616,724,373. Consequently, certi- General reported that the transfer of authority from fied government claims had had to be placed in the United Nations Protection Force to the Implemen- accounts payable. tation Force had taken place,