UN continues to monitor tense situations.

• Position: United Nations - (Former Soviet Republics

The UN continued to monitor situations in some former Soviet republics, reporting it was "unstable and explosive" in Tajikistan, "tense" between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and "positive" in light of withdrawals of Russian troops from Estonia, Latvia and Moldova.

Tajikistan

In welcoming a 17 September Agreement on a provisional cease-fire between the Tajik Government and the opposition, signed in Teheran, after high-level inter-Tajik consultations, the Security Council on 22 September reaffirmed full support for the efforts of the Secretary-General and his Special Envoy, Ramiro Piriz-Ballon of Uruguay, to promote political dialogue aimed at "achieving national reconciliation".

In a statement by its President, Juan Antonio Yanez-Barnuevo of Spain, the Council also emphasized the importance of "strict observance of the cease-fire and cessation of other hostile actions".

On 27 September, the Secretary-General stated (S/1994/1102) he was receiving "encouraging reports" on "positive changes in the atmosphere in the country" after the signing of the Agreement, which was "essential for mutual confidence-building".

However, he noted "alarming reports of attempts by each side to bring as much territory as possible under its control" before the Agreement came into force with the deployment of UN observers. He appealed for "maximum mutual restraint" and said he would dispatch a technical mission to Tajikistan to assess modalities for establishing a future observer mission.

On 28 July, the Secretary-General had noted (S/1994/893) with regret that the Tajik Government still "lacked the political will" to implement the necessary confidence-building measures, while the opposition continued its armed struggle, through "acts of terrorism and sabotage inside the country".

In August, the situation on the ground had deteriorated further, with the "resurgence of hostilities in the Tajik-Afghan border areas", he reported (A/49/1) on 2 September. Following a 23 August meeting between senior UN officials and representatives of Afghanistan, iran, Pakistan, the Russian Federation and Uzbekistan, the Special Envoy had been sent to Dushanbe to "use his good offices" to restart the inter-Tajik negotiations.

Armenia/Azerbaijan

Although the situation remained tense in and around Nagorny Karabakh--an Armenian-populated enclave in Azerbaijan--the 12 May cease-fire had been holding, the Secretary-General reported. Moreover, on 27 July and 28 August, the parties had affirmed...