Attacks against Civilians Condemned By Security Council.

The Security Council, gravely concerned at the growing civilian toll in armed conflicts, on 12 February condemned attacks or acts of violence directed at civilians, especially women, children, refugees and internally displaced persons, in violation of international law.

In a statement read by Canada's Minister for Foreign Affairs Lloyd Axworthy, who acted as Council President, it also called on the Secretary-General to make concrete recommendations on ways the Council could act, within the sphere of its responsibility, to improve the physical and legal protection of civilians in armed conflict. The Secretary-General's report, to be submitted to the Council by September 1999, was to also identify the contributions the Council could make towards effective implementation of existing humanitarian law.

Particular concern was expressed about attacks on humanitarian workers as the Council indicated its willingness to respond, in accordance with the UN Charter, to situations in which civilians were targeted or humanitarian assistance to civilians was deliberately obstructed.

On 22 February, 26 speakers addressed an open meeting of the Council on the issue of protection of civilians in armed conflict.

Dieter Kastrup of Germany - speaking on behalf of the European Union, the associated Central and Eastern European countries of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, and the associated country of Cyprus - said that in the current global security situation, not only was there an alarming number of conflicts, but the important distinctions between combatants and non-combatants and between humanitarian workers and peacekeepers had become blurred. He called for a reinvigoration of international efforts to protect civilians in armed conflict, saying that the collapse of law and the often anarchic nature of contemporary conflict were a severe challenge for the global community. Moreover, parties to the conflicts either ignored or had no knowledge of international humanitarian law. The widening gap between existing international norms and full compliance with them must be bridged, he added.

Michel Kafando of Burkina Faso, who spoke on behalf of the Organization of African Unity, also said that current conflicts were characterized by their devastating and anarchic nature. No longer confined to the battlefields, they had crept into cities, houses and families and had involved civilian populations of all ages and sexes.

Africa was paying the highest price. Indeed, the dash of arms and bombings had marked the beat of daily life in that ailing continent, which had also witnessed the alarming development of child soldiers, he stated.

Profound concern was expressed by several speakers about the participation of children in armed conflict, and many called for a minimum recruitment age of 18 for entry into the armed forces. According to Bernd Niehaus of Costa Rica, children lost their innocence in conflicts that they could not understand or explain. Their involvement constituted a violation of human rights for which perpetrators must be punished. Ahmad Kamal of Pakistan said that the number of child casualties was particularly agonizing. Anwarul Karim Chowdhury of Bangladesh endorsed the idea that children should be treated as a "zone of peace" in conflict situations.

Children had been affected, first and foremost, by the imposition of economic sanctions-a tool used by the Security Council to address armed conflict, Nabil A. Elabary of Egypt stated. Their negative impact on certain States, such as Iraq, had led to bitterness and threatened to exacerbate aggression. Those situations required innovative alternatives.

Further discussing the issue of sanctions, Pierre Lelong of Haiti said that, to be effective, sanctions must not be used against a society, but should be targeted at a group of individuals. There must be better planning and a system of assessment. Sanctions must be limited in length and have specific criteria. Progress must be assessed, and the United Nations must have at its disposal a reliable source of information on their impact. If those factors were in place, then sanctions must be firmly and transparently applied. Had those factors been applied in Haiti, there would have been less suffering, he said.

In the light of unprecedented levels of brutality and recurring conflicts, the approach to the link between conflicts and post-conflict situations must also be considered, Yukio Takasu of Japan stated. There had been a broad convergence of views in the Council's deliberations on measures to be taken, including strengthening the enforcement of humanitarian law, policy measures against child soldiers, restricting small arms and action on mines, and the protection of humanitarian personnel. The international community must not allow itself to succumb to resignation in the face of the enormity of the problem, he added.