Fifty-first session
Agenda item 40
The situation in Central America: procedures for the establishment of
a firm and lasting peace and progress in fashioning a region of peace, freedom, democracy and development
United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala
Report of the Secretary-General
1. This report is submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolutions 51/198 A and 51/198 B, of 17 December 1996 and 27 March 1997 respectively, by which the General Assembly decided to renew the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Verification of Human Rights and of Compliance with the Commitments of the Comprehensive Agreement on Human Rights in Guatemala (MINUGUA) until 31 March 1997 and then until 31 March 1998 in order to verify compliance with the agreements signed between the Government of Guatemala and the Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca (URNG). In the latter resolution, the General Assembly also decided that, in line with its new mandate, the Mission's name would be changed to the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala and the acronym "MINUGUA" would be retained, and requested me to keep it fully informed of the implementation of those resolutions.
I. INTRODUCTION
2. By its resolution 51/198 B, the General Assembly authorized MINUGUA, whose mandate until 31 December 1996 had been limited to the verification of compliance with the Comprehensive Agreement on Human Rights (hereinafter referred to as the "Comprehensive Agreement") and to the human rights aspects of the Agreement on Identity and Rights of Indigenous Peoples (hereinafter referred to as the "Indigenous Agreement"), to also verify compliance with the measures envisaged during the initial stage of implementation of the Peace Agreements. Those measures correspond to the first phase of the Agreement on the Implementation, Compliance and Verification Timetable for the Peace Agreements (A/51/796-S/1997/114, annex II, hereinafter referred to as the "Timetable Agreement").
3. On 31 January 1997, I informed the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council (A/51/794-S/1997/186) that I had decided to appoint Mr. Jean Arnault as my Special Representative and Head of MINUGUA with effect from 1 March 1997, succeeding Mr. David Stephen. I wish to thank Mr. Stephen for his dedication to the work entrusted to him.
4. The present report describes the results of the Mission's verification of fulfilment of the commitments covered under the first phase of the Timetable Agreement (15 January to 15 April 1997). These commitments refer to the following agreements signed between the parties: Comprehensive Agreement on Human Rights (A/48/928-S/1994/448, annex I)
Agreement on Resettlement of the Population Groups Uprooted by the Armed Conflict (hereinafter referred to as the "Resettlement Agreement") (A/48/954-S/1994/751, annex I)
Agreement on the Establishment of a Commission to Clarify Past Human Rights Violations and Acts of Violence that Have Caused the Guatemalan Population to Suffer (A/48/954-S/1994/751, annex II)
Agreement on Identity and Rights of Indigenous Peoples (A/49/882-S/1995/256, annex)
Agreement on Social and Economic Aspects and the Agrarian Situation (hereinafter referred to as the "Agreement on Social and Economic Aspects") (A/50/956, annex)
Agreement on the Strengthening of Civilian Power and on the Role of the Armed Forces in a Democratic Society (hereinafter referred to as the "Agreement on the Strengthening of Civilian Power") (A/51/410-S/1996/853, annex)
Agreement on Constitutional Reforms and the Electoral Regime (A/51/776- S/1997/51, annex I)
Agreement on the Basis for the Legal Integration of the Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca (hereinafter referred to as the "Integration Agreement") (A/51/776-S/1997/51, annex II).
5. The Timetable Agreement did not include general and ongoing commitments, such as the general commitment to human rights and other commitments set forth in the Comprehensive Agreement. In view of their importance, the Mission will continue to report to the General Assembly on the situation of human rights in Guatemala and on compliance with that Agreement, through a semi-annual report. The present report covers only verification of the aspects of the Comprehensive Agreement included in the Timetable Agreement.