Other peacekeeping-related matters.

• Position: Includes related articles

Bougainville: Hailing the political agreement between the Government of Papua New Guinea and leaders from the island of Bougainville, the Secretary-General on 30 August urged combatants to turn in their weapons and clear the way for post-conflict peace-building activities. He said the United Nations was ready to assist the parties in the task of implementing the historic Agreement, which would help "ensure that the people of Bougainville benefit materially from the return of peace to the island".

Cambodia: Noting that King Norodom Sihanouk had signed the law on a special court to try Khmer Rouge leaders, bringing the legislation into effect, Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 10 August said the United Nations looked forward to reviewing the adopted legislation to determine that it conformed to a draft memorandum of understanding governing the Organization's participation with Cambodia in a trial.

Central African Republic: Deeply concerned by the "precarious" situation in the Central African Republic, the Security Council on 26 September called on all parties in the country to engage in political dialogue, national reconciliation and respect for human rights. It urged the authorities not to aggravate inter-ethnic relations and to follow internationally accepted standards for due process in the investigations of the coup attempt of 28 May. On 17 July, the Council had strongly condemned the killing there of the security coordinator for the UN system, and urged the authorities to "bring those responsible to justice". Noting that since the coup attempt, the situation in the country had been marked by sharp political tensions and economic decline, the Secretary-General on 20 September recommended extending the mandate of the United Nations Peace-building Support Mission in Central African Republic (BONUCA) through December 2002.

Colombia: Pointing to new difficulties in the talks between the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Colombian government, the Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Colombia, Jan Egeland, on 18 October warned that the peace process in the country was in crisis. Drawing attention to the hundreds of thousands of displaced persons and massive human rights violations, he said a rupture in the peace talks "would only lead to even much more massive civilian suffering".

Fiji: The UN Fijian Electoral Observation Mission concluded on 10 September that the voting results of the general elections, held from 25 August to 1 September, reflected "the will of the Fijian people". UNFEOM is consolidating its compiled data on the impartiality of the electoral authorities and on voting procedures. The information will be included in a report to the General Assembly.

Georgia: On 29 October, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said recent events in Georgia showed that unless "meaningful negotiations on the future political status of Abkhazia" were restarted, the entire peace process could be jeopardized. The fighting in the Kodori Valley and surrounding areas of Abkhazia, as well as the shooting down on 8 October of a helicopter of the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG), killing all nine on board, represented a "serious deterioration of the situation and a setback in efforts to achieve a political settlement", Mr. Annan said. "The perpetrators of criminal acts targeted against UNOMIG must be brought to justice." On 31 July, the Council had extended the Mission's mandate until 31 January 2002.

Guatemala: The Secretary-General on 12 October recommended renewing the mandate of the United Nations for the Verification of Human Rights in Guatemala Mission (MINUGUA) until 31 December 2002. In his report to the General Assembly, Mr. Annan said the timetable until 2004 was a new challenge for the...