LOC19:19
16:19 GMT
NEW YORK, April 29 (KUNA) -- UN Security Council adopted resolution 2285 extending the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) for one more year.
The US-drafted resolution was adopted this morning with 10 members in favor, Uruguay and Venezuela against, and three abstentions from Russia, Angola and New Zealand.
The newly adopted resolution, emphasizes the urgent need for MINURSO, that mandate ends tomorrow, to "return to full functionality.
The members of the Council requests the Secretary General to brief the Council within 90 days on whether MINURSO has returned to full functionality and expresses its intention if the mission has not achieved full functionality, to consider how best to facilitate achievement of this goal.
The Council members had a draft circulated before the one adopted, yet had to increase the duration of the briefing from 60 days to 90 days instead.
Resolution 2285 adopted under the leadership of China, reaffirms the need for full respect of the military agreements reached with MINURSO with regard to the ceasefire and calls on the parties to adhere fully to those agreements.
Further, the Council members called upon all parties via the resolution, to cooperate fully with the operations of MINURSO, including "its free interaction with all interlocutors, and to take the necessary steps to ensure the security of as well as unhindered movement and immediate access for the United Nations and associated personnel in carrying out their mandate, in conformity with existing agreements.
In his report submitted last week, the Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on the Council to restore and support the mandated role of MINURSO, uphold peacekeeping standards and the impartiality of the United Nations, and, most importantly, avoid setting a precedent for UN peacekeeping operations around the world.
Ban noted in that the missionآ’s presence and successful operation is critical to ensuring the partiesآ’ observation of the ceasefire, as a mechanism to support the implementation of successive Security Council resolutions, and as a visible representation of the international communityآ’s commitment to achieving a resolution to the conflict. (end)
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