Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations

Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations

Statement by Ambassador Vassily A. Nebenzia, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations, at the Security Council meeting on Colombia

Given that this is my first meeting under your presidency, I would like to congratulate you, Sir, and wish you every success during the month of October.

We welcome the presence in the Chamber today of Mr. Carlos Holmes Trujillo García, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Colombia, to discuss this important issue, and we thank Mr. Jean Arnault, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Colombia and Head of the United Nations Mission in Colombia, for his detailed briefing and his assessments.

The report of the Secretary-General presented today (S/2018/874) reflects the situation on the ground reasonably objectively and therefore leaves a twofold impression. On the one hand, during the year that the Verification Mission has been operational there have been significant changes for the better. The rebel movement has been transformed into a political party, there have been parliamentary and presidential elections and the Special Jurisdiction for Peace has been launched. It will be important to consolidate and develop all of those achievements. On the other hand, in the past three months, starting right when the previous report (S/2018/723) came out, the direction that the situation has taken has aroused a certain degree of concern.

The report shows a lack of progress in areas that are important to ensuring stability, such as civilians’ security and the implementation of reintegration programmes. There is still a great deal of work to be done to create the conditions that will enable the population to have stable and legal incomes. And there are also problems with Parliament’s representativeness. Two of the parliamentary seats that the Fuerza Alternativa Revolucionaria del Común was guaranteed under the Final Agreement for Ending the Conflict and Building a Stable and Lasting Peace are still unoccupied.

Urgent action is also needed to investigate and prevent murders and attacks on the civilian population, which now includes former rebels. Partly as a result of the fact that those problems are still unresolved, many ex-combatants are taking up arms again for their own security. Around 10 per cent of the combatants who acceded to the peace agreement have already returned to the rebel ranks. If anyone thinks that number is insignificant, I should point out that among them are five former high-ranking members of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia-Ejército del Pueblo, and that does not include field commanders.

The National Liberation Army is also closely following this situation. We have already said that the only thing that can halt this trend is additional efforts on the part of the Government to meet its commitments under the peace agreement. We realize that some of the delay in resolving the issue is linked to the period of transition to a new administration. In that context, we are pleased to note the Secretary-General’s very positive assessment of the commitment of Colombia’s new President, Mr. Iván Duque Márquez, to the ex-combatants’ socioeconomic, political and legal reintegration, which represents three key elements of the peace agreement.

It was the agreement and its central element, the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, that made it possible for the Secretary-General and the Security Council, whose own authority is invested in the business of ensuring peace in Colombia, to support the peace process. The peace agreement is therefore the only international legal foundation for a settlement, and we hope that all of those who signed up to it will maintain their commitment to it.

We are grateful to the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia, under the leadership of Mr. Arnault, for monitoring the implementation of the agreement, and we supported the Council’s adoption in September (see S/PV.8351) of resolution 2435 (2018), which extended the Mission’s mandate for another year. Here in the Security Council it has frequently been emphasized that the normalization of the situation in Colombia is an example of effective cooperation between the United Nations and a host country.

It is the sense of national responsibility and the desire to find politically sustainable solutions shown by Colombians that have made peace in their country possible. For our part, we will continue to support the people and the Government of Colombia in the work of building a stable peace and post-conflict development.