Timetable for withdrawal of ONUMOZ asked.

Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali has been asked to prepare a timetable to guide the completion of the mandate of the UN Operation in Mozambique (ONUMOZ), including specific proposals for a phased drawdown of military forces in the transportation corridors and the withdrawal of military observers.

In unanimously adopting resolution 898 (1994) on 23 February, the security Council, as an interim step towards that goal, also authorized the creation within UNOMOZ of a 1,144-member police component--to be known as CIVPOL--to monitor all police activities in Mozambique, ensure proper conduct of the electoral campaign and verify respect for the political rights of individuals, groups and organizations. The new unit would also provide technical support to the National Police Commission.

In the initial phase of CIVPOL, a central headquarters and regional and provincial capital teams would be set up. The second phase would coincide with voter registration between April and June 1994, during which time 70 per cent of CIVPOL posts would become operational. The component would be fully deployed no later than one month before the electoral campaign, scheduled to begin on 1 September.

Expressing concern at the continuing delay in the implementation of major aspects of the General Peace Agreement, signed in Rome on 4 October 1992, the Council called upon the Government and RENAMO to comply fully with the peace accord provisions, particularly concerning the cease-fire and the cantonment and demobilization of troops, and with the decisions of the Monitoring and Supervision Commission.

It further called upon the Government to achieve balance between the parties in the cantonment of troops and to conclude the process in accordance with the revised timetable.

The Council reiterated the vital importance of holding the general elections no later than October 1994 and urged the parties to agree promptly on a specific election date. It appealed to the international community to provide financial assistance to implement the General Peace Agreement and to make voluntary contributions to a trust fund to be set up to support electoral activities of the political parties.

The Secretary-General was to report by 30 April on whether the parties have made sufficient and tangible progress towards implementing the Agreement and fulfilling the timetable for demobilizing troops and holding elections.

The Secretary-General reported (S/1994/89 and Add.1) on 28 January that, while significant progress had been made in Mozambique, several serious problems in implementing the Peace Agreement still remained. He warned that the international community would be increasingly reluctant to continue to support the peace process in the event of further delays.

A major challenge was posed, he said, by the demobilization of 80,000 troops belonging to the Government forces and those of RENAMO. The demobilized soldiers needed viable economic opportunities, and the troops joining the new army had to be incorporated into a well-functioning institution. Also, additional resources were needed to help RENAMO transform itself into a political party. Failure to resolve that problem could jeopardize the peace process. A UN-administered trust fund for a projected $10 million had been established.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) appealed on 8 February for a further $102.8 million for the voluntary repatriation programme in Mozambique. The three-year operation--the largest UNHCR has ever undertaken in Africa--is designed to help 1.5 million Mozambicans return from six neighbouring countries. More than 500,000 Mozambican refugees returned in 1993 to their devastated country, mostly on foot.

As of 31 March, Major-General Mohammad Abdus Salam of Bangladesh was appointed Force Commander of ONUMOZ, replacing Major-general Lelio Rodrigues Goncalves da Silva of Brazil.