Preservation and enhancement of peace.

• Position: General Assembly 51

There was widespread support, particularly among troop contributors such as Denmark, Finland, the Republic of Korea and Canada, for the creation of a "Rapidly Deployable Headquarters" peacekeeping missions. Nepal and others insisted that preparation of such a team should involve troop-contributing States. Luxembourg, Japan, Poland, Moldova, Italy and others supported the establishment of a rapid reaction intervention force. Romania pointed out that the UN's quick-reaction capability could be enhanced through an improved stand-by system. Almost all delegations raised disarmament issues. While most Member States welcomed the adoption of the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and described it as an important step towards a nuclear-free world, many stated it should be followed by nuclear disarmament and the establishment of Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones (NWFZs). The start of negotiations for a cut-off convention and a serious debate on nuclear disarmament within the Conference on Disarmament was another point of discussion.

Peacekeeping operations

The Netherlands called for more transparency in Security Council decisions on peacekeeping operations (PKOs). Chile, Thailand and Liechtenstein said future PKOs should have clear guidelines, objectives and time frames. Georgia and Lithuania suggested decentralization of UN peacekeeping through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Organization of American States, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), without detracting from the Security Council's Charter role. Thailand supported re-examination of the UN's overall PKO policy. Malaysia questioned the UN's ability to undertake PKOs without the authority or the means to keep peace.

Lithuania suggested a multidimensional approach to security and called for better coordination between PKOs and humanitarian relief efforts, while Argentina and Italy called for an orderly transition between PKOs and post-conflict peace-building. Slovakia called for enhanced PKOs with elements of preventive diplomacy, significant strengthening of their humanitarian dimension and broader incorporation of civilian components at all stages.

In moves to provide regional approaches to peacekeeping operations, Kyrgyzstan announced it was forming a joint Central Asian peacekeeping battalion with Tajikistan and Kazakhstan as a future reserve for United Nations PKOs; Latvia indicated it was forming a joint Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian peacekeeping battalion.

Preventive diplomacy

Many States considered the United Nations should place more emphasis on conflict prevention. Angola considered...