Gabbal Posted January 8, 2004 By INQ7.net THE PHILIPPINES was elected to head the sanctions committee overseeing the implementation of the arms embargo against Somalia, a statement received by INQ7.net on Thursday from the Philippine Mission to the United Nations (UN) in New York said. The statement said that the Philippines was also elected vice chairperson of the sanctions committee for Iraq and the sanctions committee for Liberia. All are under the Security Council where the Philippines has been named a non-permanent member effective January 1. Ambassador Lauro L. Baja, the country's permanent representative to the UN, has informed new Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia D. Albert of the new posts the UN council has assigned to the Philippines, the same statement said. It said the sanctions committee on Somalia was considered one of the most difficult committees in the Security Council with Somalia having the status of being almost a failed state. Ambassador Baja, who also heads the Philippine delegation to the Security Council, will be chairing the Somalia committee and is expected to see to it that Security Council Resolution 733 imposing the arms embargo is observed, the statement said. The Security Council had ordered the imposition of the arms embargo on the eastern African nation in 1992 and had remained in effect to this day because of the continued influx of small quantities of weapons and ammunition that threatened the security and stability of the region. Meanwhile, the Philippine vice chairmanship in the two Security Council committees is particularly important to Manila in view of the deployment of a humanitarian mission taking part in the reconstruction efforts in Iraq and in the deployment of peacekeepers to restore peace and order in Liberia, the statement also said. It said the election of the Philippines to the three committees came as Ambassador Baja made his first statement before the Security Council also on Africa under the item on Eritrea-Ethiopia. Ambassador Baja was reported to have called for the strict implementation of decisions and recommendations of the Security Council and its subsidiary bodies to maintain the credibility and integrity of its action. "There is a heavy sense of frustration whenever Security Council resolutions are either ignored or remain unheeded," Ambassador Baja said, as he noted that nine resolutions and four presidential statements have already been issued on Eritrea-Ethiopia during the last four years. Ambassador Baja also suggested that in conflict situations, the role of neighboring countries and regional organizations should be enhanced. He also recommended that if the mandate and structure of existing sanctions committees were insufficient and ineffective, these should be reinvented to meet current challenges. The Security Council is empowered under Chapter VII of the UN Charter to take enforcement measures -- from economic sanctions to international military action -- to maintain or restore international peace and security. The Security Council has resorted to mandatory sanctions as an enforcement tool when peace has been threatened and diplomatic efforts have failed. In the last decade, such sanctions have been imposed against Iraq, the former Yugoslavia, Libya, Haiti, Liberia, Rwanda, Somalia, Unita forces in Angola, Sudan, Sierra Leone, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (including Kosovo), Afghanistan and Eritrea and Ethiopia. The range of sanctions has included comprehensive economic and trade sanctions and/or more targeted measures such as arms embargoes, travel bans, financial or diplomatic restrictions. The use of mandatory sanctions is intended to apply pressure on a state or entity to comply with the objectives set by the Security Council without resorting to the use of force. Sanctions offer the Security Council an important instrument to enforce its decisions. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
