S/PV.6108
6108th meeting
Tuesday, 21 April 2009, 10 a.m.
New York
Maintenance of international peace and security
Mr. Gouider (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) (spoke in Arabic): Allow me to extend my sincere thanks to Mr. Lynn Pascoe, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, for his comprehensive briefing on the Secretary-General’s report on enhancing mediation and its support activities (S/2009/189). I would also like to extend a warm welcome to all participants in this distinctive session, which is special in terms of its timing and subject matter.
With regard to its timing, this debate is taking place in the context of an agreement on a follow-up to the meeting held last year under the presidency of Burkina Faso and in the light of presidential statement S/PRST/2008/36. We hope that our discussions today will help us move forward and reach a new vision that clarifies the mediation role played by the Security Council.
On the subject matter, I do not need to stress the special importance of mediation as a tool to settle conflicts peacefully, as specified in our Charter since last century. It is incumbent on us to enhance mediation and its support activities as a practical way to settle disputes. We should focus on positive ideas that promote dialogue and help avert the deterioration of any conflict through agreements between the parties that would end conflicts and strengthen and promote We support mediation as a peacemaking tool, as we believe it to be the most cost-effective instrument to settle conflicts on the African continent. Mediation takes into account all the important factors of the various conflicts and can play a significant role in addressing them, following the cold war and with the renewed interest in conciliatory agreements. Mediation inherently promotes a careful analysis or reconsideration of positions in a way that promotes all efforts for the ultimate peaceful settlement of conflicts.
We believe that the maintenance of international peace and security requires serious initiatives that enhance mediation and its support activities, particularly in Africa. That enhancement should not be limited to the neutrality and skills of the mediator and his or her experience, but should include an in-depth knowledge of the geography, history and culture of Africa and the root causes of the conflicts there. We believe that the African Union is the natural body to assume that task, and that it is capable of achieving effective mediation with genuine and full international support and partnership.
Nevertheless, allow me to clearly state that we have still not fulfilled our commitments. My country’s experience in the mediation efforts in many African conflicts, as a member and Chairman of the African Union, has highlighted the continuing need for a new international vision for mediation and the Security Council’s role in it that does not ignore the root causes of conflicts because of pressures and that effectively prioritizes the tools provided for in Chapters VI and VIII of the Charter over those of Chapter VII. It has shown the need for a vision that provides the tools to address conflicts before, not after, they deteriorate; that is based on lessons learned in supporting preventive diplomacy in Africa that strengthens the African Union and its partnerships and institutions; and that enables the Secretariat and the Mediation Support Unit to provide the necessary momentum for that dynamic union. In that way, we could put an end to ongoing human tragedies and support the international system by upholding the authority and credibility of the Security Council as a guarantor of international peace and security.
Finally, we support the Secretary-General’s recommendations in their entirety and the statement to be made by the representative of Cuba on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. We express our hope once again that our deliberations will go beyond mere support for recommendations and will be a practical step towards planned and organized measures.
I would like to thank the delegation of Burkina Faso for preparing the draft presidential statement, which we fully support, and we look forward to its adoption at the end of our debate.
