United Nations Security Council Resolution 981
Encyclopedia
United Nations
Security Council Resolution
981, adopted unanimously on March 31, 1995, after reaffirming all resolutions on the situation in the former Yugoslavia
, the Council established the United Nations Confidence Restoration Operation
in Croatia
(UNCRO) for a period terminating November 30, 1995.
The Security Council wanted a negotiated solution to the conflicts in former Yugoslavia. One such conflict was in Croatia
with the Serbs in that country
. Important parts of the United Nations peace plan for Croatia still needed to be implemented, including demobilisation
in the Serb areas, the return of all refugee
s and the establishment of a police
force, in addition to provisions in resolutions 871
(1993) and 947
(1994).
It was noted that the current mandate of the United Nations Protection Force
(UNPROFOR) in Croatia was to expire on March 31, 1995 and also a request from the Government of Croatia
regarding the establishment of a peacekeeping
force in the country. Respect for human rights
was urged as an essential step towards peace. The safety and freedom of movement
of UNPROFOR had to be ensured.
Acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter
, the Council established UNCRO with 7,000 personnel for a period until November 30, 1995, with the following mandate:
to perform functions in the ceasefire
agreement between Croatia and local Serbs; to help in the implementation of the economic agreement; to help in the implementation of Security Council resolutions; to monitor the border between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina
and Croatia and Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro
); to assist in the transfer of humanitarian aid
to Bosnia and Herzegovina through Croatia; to monitor the demobilisation
of the Prevlaka
peninsula;
The Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali
was requested to report back no later than April 21, 1995 on the implementation of the above mandate. He was further required to report every four months on the mandate and implementation of agreements. UNCRO had to create conditions under which an agreement could be reached, while Member States were authorised to provide air support to the peacekeeping operation. The parties for their part were responsible for the safety of the United Nations personnel and to work on a peaceful solution to their dispute.
Finally, Croatia was asked to sign a Status of Forces Agreement
and to provide suitable radio
broadcasting frequencies and television
broadcasting slots at no cost to the United Nations.
On the same day the Council also established the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force in Macedonia
in Resolution 983
.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Security Council Resolution
United Nations Security Council Resolution
A United Nations Security Council resolution is a UN resolution adopted by the fifteen members of the Security Council; the UN body charged with "primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security"....
981, adopted unanimously on March 31, 1995, after reaffirming all resolutions on the situation in the former Yugoslavia
Former Yugoslavia
The former Yugoslavia is a term used to describe the present day states which succeeded the collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
, the Council established the United Nations Confidence Restoration Operation
United Nations Confidence Restoration Operation
The United Nations Confidence Restoration Operation, commonly known as UNCRO is a completed UN Mission. It replaced the United Nations Protection Force in Croatia.- Mission :...
in Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
(UNCRO) for a period terminating November 30, 1995.
The Security Council wanted a negotiated solution to the conflicts in former Yugoslavia. One such conflict was in Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
with the Serbs in that country
Serbs of Croatia
Višeslav of Serbia, a contemporary of Charlemagne , ruled the Županias of Neretva, Tara, Piva, Lim, his ancestral lands. According to the Royal Frankish Annals , Duke of Pannonia Ljudevit Posavski fled, during the Frankish invasion, from his seat in Sisak to the Serbs in western Bosnia, who...
. Important parts of the United Nations peace plan for Croatia still needed to be implemented, including demobilisation
Demobilization
Demobilization is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and military force will not be necessary...
in the Serb areas, the return of all refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s and the establishment of a police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
force, in addition to provisions in resolutions 871
United Nations Security Council Resolution 871
United Nations Security Council Resolution 871, adopted unanimously on October 4, 1993, after reaffirming resolutions Resolution 713 and Resolution 743 and subsequent resolutions relating to the situation in the former Yugoslavia and United Nations Protection Force , the Council expressed concern...
(1993) and 947
United Nations Security Council Resolution 947
United Nations Security Council Resolution 941, adopted unanimously on September 30, 1994, after recalling all resolutions on the situation on the former Yugoslavia including Resolution 908 , the Council discussed the situation in Croatia and extended the mandate of the United Nations Protection...
(1994).
It was noted that the current mandate of the United Nations Protection Force
United Nations Protection Force
The United Nations Protection Force ', was the first United Nations peacekeeping force in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Yugoslav wars. It existed between the beginning of UN involvement in February 1992, and its restructuring into other forces in March 1995...
(UNPROFOR) in Croatia was to expire on March 31, 1995 and also a request from the Government of Croatia
Government of Croatia
The Government of the Republic of Croatia , commonly abbreviated to Croatian Government , is the main element of the executive branch of government in Croatia. It is led by the President of the Government , commonly abbreviated to premier...
regarding the establishment of a peacekeeping
Peacekeeping
Peacekeeping is an activity that aims to create the conditions for lasting peace. It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
force in the country. Respect for human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
was urged as an essential step towards peace. The safety and freedom of movement
Freedom of movement
Freedom of movement, mobility rights or the right to travel is a human right concept that the constitutions of numerous states respect...
of UNPROFOR had to be ensured.
Acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter
Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter
Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter sets out the UN Security Council's powers to maintain peace. It allows the Council to "determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression" and to take military and nonmilitary action to "restore international peace...
, the Council established UNCRO with 7,000 personnel for a period until November 30, 1995, with the following mandate:
to perform functions in the ceasefire
Ceasefire
A ceasefire is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be declared as part of a formal treaty, but they have also been called as part of an informal understanding between opposing forces...
agreement between Croatia and local Serbs; to help in the implementation of the economic agreement; to help in the implementation of Security Council resolutions; to monitor the border between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
and Croatia and Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro was a country in southeastern Europe, formed from two former republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia : Serbia and Montenegro. Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, it was established in 1992 as a federation called the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
); to assist in the transfer of humanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid is material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes, typically in response to humanitarian crises including natural disaster and man-made disaster. The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity...
to Bosnia and Herzegovina through Croatia; to monitor the demobilisation
Demobilization
Demobilization is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and military force will not be necessary...
of the Prevlaka
Prevlaka
Prevlaka is a small peninsula in southern Croatia, at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor in the eastern Adriatic. The word prevlaka means portage. The cape Oštro, located at the tip of the peninsula, is the southernmost point of mainland in Croatia....
peninsula;
The Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Boutros Boutros-Ghali is an Egyptian politician and diplomat who was the sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1992 to December 1996...
was requested to report back no later than April 21, 1995 on the implementation of the above mandate. He was further required to report every four months on the mandate and implementation of agreements. UNCRO had to create conditions under which an agreement could be reached, while Member States were authorised to provide air support to the peacekeeping operation. The parties for their part were responsible for the safety of the United Nations personnel and to work on a peaceful solution to their dispute.
Finally, Croatia was asked to sign a Status of Forces Agreement
Status of Forces Agreement
A status of forces agreement is an agreement between a host country and a foreign nation stationing forces in that country. SOFAs are often included, along with other types of military agreements, as part of a comprehensive security arrangement...
and to provide suitable radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
broadcasting frequencies and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
broadcasting slots at no cost to the United Nations.
On the same day the Council also established the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force in Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
in Resolution 983
United Nations Security Council Resolution 983
United Nations Security Council Resolution 983, adopted unanimously on March 31, 1995, after recalling Resolution 795 on Macedonia, the Council expressed concern about threats to the stability of the country and established the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force by renaming the United...
.
See also
- Breakup of Yugoslavia
- Croatian War of IndependenceCroatian War of IndependenceThe Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat...
- List of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 901 to 1000 (1994 – 1995)
- Operation StormOperation StormOperation Storm is the code name given to a large-scale military operation carried out by Croatian Armed Forces, in conjunction with the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to gain back control of parts of Croatia which had been claimed by separatist ethnic Serbs, since early...
- Yugoslav WarsYugoslav warsThe Yugoslav Wars were a series of wars, fought throughout the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1995. The wars were complex: characterized by bitter ethnic conflicts among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between Serbs on the one side and Croats and Bosniaks on the other; but also...