A stand-by peace-keeping component welcomed: an agenda for peace.

• Position: United Nations

The initiative undertaken by the UN Secretariat for the creation of a "stand-by Headquarters component within the Mission Planning Service of the Department of Peace-keeping Operations" was welcomed by the Security Council on 19 December.

In a statement by its President, Sergey Lavrov of the Russian Federation, the Council also encouraged Member States "not yet doing so" to participate in the stand-by arrangements. It invited them, along with States already taking part in such arrangements, to provide information in "as detailed a manner as possible" on those elements which they were ready to make available to the UN, and to "identify components, such as logistic support elements and sea/airlift resources, presently underrepresented in the arrangement".

In strongly supporting the Secretary-General's efforts to enhance the UN capacity for the "planning, rapid deployment and reinforcement and logistical support" of peace-keeping operations, the Council also joined with him in suggesting the establishment of "partnerships between those troop-contributing countries that need equipment for units that may be provided to the United Nations and those Governments ready to provide such equipment and other support".

Council debate

There was a need for a "more formal and institutionalized mechanism of consultations" between troop contributors and the Security Council, including, perhaps, the establishment of a subsidiary consultative organ to be chaired by a Council member specially appointed every year, Emilio J. Cardenas of Argentina said in Council debate on 20 December, as it held a special meeting to consider "An Agenda for Peace".

Speaking for a group of 32 countries, Ambassador Cardenas also suggested that the Council, when considering the establishment of a new operation, should consult potential troop contributors already approached by the Secretariat and continue its practice of inviting to those meetings Member States that had made "special contributions to peace-keeping operations, other than troops", such as trust funds, logistics and equipment.

Alain Dejammet of France, while favouring the strengthened information flow among partners in peace-keeping operations, questioned the "merit of attempting to make such consultations a form of Security Council meeting". Behind such suggestions, he felt, there might be a "political, rather than...