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UN Transitional Authority: Framework for a Comprehensive Political Settlement of the Cambodia Conflict

Implementations

UN Transitional Authority – 1991

The Secretary-General recommended that the Security Council authorize the United Nations Advance Mission in Cambodia (UNAMIC), to become operational as soon as the Paris Agreement was signed in October 1991. The Security Council, in its resolution 717 (1991) of 16 October 1991, authorized UNAMIC as recommended by the Secretary-General. UNAMIC became operational on 9 November 1991 when Mr. A.H.S. Ataul Karim (Bangladesh) assumed his role as Chief Liaison Officer of UNAMIC in Phnom Penh. Brigadier-General Michel Loridon (France), Senior Military Liaison Officer, assumed command of the military elements of UNAMIC on 12 November and, on the same day, an air operations unit contributed by France arrived in Phnom Penh. UNAMIC was designed to be absorbed into the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) once UNTAC was established. Strength Initial authorization: 116 military personnel (50 military liaison officers, 20 mine-awareness personnel, 40 military support personnel); there was also provision for approximately 75 international and 75 local civilian support staff.¹

“Cambodia: UNAMIC Facts and Figures,” http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/past/unamicfacts.html, accessed July 22, 2010.

UN Transitional Authority – 1992

Once the mission began, however, it quickly became apparent that there was an urgent need for a major de-mining effort. To this end the Security Council passed Resolution 728(1992) on January 8, 1992. This resolution expanded the size of the military personnel to 1,090.¹

On February 19, 1992, the Secretary-General submitted the implementation plan for UNTAC as well as an indication of administrative and financial aspects to the Security Council. By resolution 745 (1992) of 28 February, the Security Council established UNTAC for a period not to exceed 18 months. All the responsibilities of UNAMIC were resumed by UNTAC.²

Civil administration component: The civil administration functions envisioned in the Paris Agreements provided for UNTAC to exercise control over existing administrative structures that would have an impact on the outcome of the elections. As provided by the UNTAC plan, special representative of the UN secretary-general in Cambodia, Mr. Yasushi Akashi, stated at a 26th June (1992) press conference that the UNTAC would start taking control of the civil administration of all factions on July 1, 1992. “Mr Yasushi Akashi said that the control of the civil administration was a most necessary factor leading towards the creation of a neutral ambience for free and fair elections in Cambodia. He said that according to the Paris accords, the four Cambodian factions agreed to let the UNTAC control five ministries, namely the Ministries of National Defense, Finance, Information, Foreign Affairs and Public Security.”³

Civilian police component: The Paris Agreement had the provision of UNTAC supervision and control of a civilian police force in Cambodia.

On March 18, 1992, Gen Klass Roos, chief of the civilian police of the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia met with Vice-Chairman of the State of Cambodia’s Council of Ministers and Interior Minister to seek mutual understanding on a number of issues relating to the UNTAC operations in Cambodia.⁴

The Secretary-General recommended a total of some 3,600 UNTAC civilian police monitors. With this number, and based on UNTAC’s preliminary estimate of a 50,000 strong Cambodian civil police, there would be one UNTAC monitor for every 15 individual local civil policemen. The structure of this component would include a policy and management unit at headquarters, 21 units at the provincial level and 200 district-level units. The main function of the UNTAC police monitors would be to supervise or control the local civil police in order to ensure that law and order were maintained effectively and impartially, and that human rights and fundamental freedoms were fully protected. To assist the monitors, codes of conduct and other operational guidelines were developed and implemented by the UN. Monitors would also assume other responsibilities relating to the elections and to security requirements within UNTAC itself. The UN Security Council had authorized for the deployment of 3,500 civilian police, out of which 3,359 were deployed as of June 1992.⁵

Military Component: the military component had four main functions: (1) to verify the withdrawal and non-return of all categories of foreign forces and their arms and equipment; (2) to supervise the ceasefire and related measures including regrouping, cantonment, disarming and demobilization; (3) to control weapons, including monitoring the cessation of outside military assistance; and (4) to assist in mine-clearing, including training and mine awareness programs. The Secretary-General recommended that the military component be fully deployed by the end of May 1992 and that the regrouping and cantonment process, as well as demobilization of at least 70 per cent of the cantoned forces, be achieved by the end of September 1992.

Including military observers, 15,991 troops and observers were deployed in 1992.The UN Security Council had authorized for the maximum deployment of 15,547 toops and 893 military observers.⁶

Electoral component: “The Paris Agreement entrusted UNTAC with organizing and carrying out free and fair elections in Cambodia. The Special Representative would be assisted in these responsibilities by a Chief Electoral Officer. Other personnel needs included 198 international staff operating from headquarters and from 21 provincial and municipal centers, and some 400 United Nations Volunteers operating from each of 200 districts. These personnel would undertake duties related to electoral operations, information, training, communications, compliance and complaints, and coordination. They would be supplemented by some 4,000 Cambodian personnel during the registration process, and, during the polling process, by 1,000 international supervisors and 56,000 Cambodian personnel organized into 8,000 polling teams. To maximize efficiency and minimize costs, the electoral process would be computerized. The Secretary-General recommended that registration of voters begin in October 1992 and proceed for three months, discretion being allowed to the Special Representative to extend that period if necessary.”⁷

Parties to the conflict did not agree on the electoral law during the August 5, 1992 meeting of the SNC. Yasushi Akashi, special representative of the UN Secretary-General in Cambodia, used his power as stated in Annex 1, Part D, Paragraph 3A and adopted the law. The electoral law adopted a formula to provide voting rights to Cambodians as had been stipulated in the 1954 Cambodian Civil Code. The law required that the UNTAC would prepare elections for Cambodians living abroad, prohibited the use of HRH Prince Norodom Sihanouk’s picture as the symbol of a party on the ballots, as well as permitted amendments of the bill in accordance with the situation.⁸ The PDK opposed the draft law on the grounds that it would give voting rights to the Vietnamese. This can be coded as “reform in electoral law.” The registration of voters started on October 5, 1992, and 16 parties are expected to be provisionally registered. The UNTAC also had a human rights component, Repatriation, and Rehabilitation components.

“Details/Information for Canadian Forces (CF) Operation MARQUIS,” http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/od-bdo/di-ri-eng.asp?IntlOpId=25…, accessed July 22, 2010.
“Cambodia: UNAMIC Background,” http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/past/unamicbackgr.html, accessed July 22, 2010.
“UNTAC to control civil administration from 1st July,” BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, July 1, 1992.
“OTHER REPORTS; Interior Minister receives UNTAC civilian police chief,” BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, March 24, 1992.
“Cambodia-UNTAC Facts and Figures.”
Ibid.
“Cambodia-UNTAC Background.”
“COMMUNIQUE ON 5TH AUGUST SNC MEETING,” BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, August 15, 1992.

UN Transitional Authority – 1993

The electoral campaign officially began on April 7, and the 20 political parties participated actively. The election took place from May 23-28, 1993. In the 120 seat Constituent Assembly, FUNCINPEC won 58 seats, CPP won 51, BLDP won 10 and MOLINAKA won one seat. At a meeting of the SNC, held on 10 June and presided over by Prince Norodom Sihanouk, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General issued a statement declaring, on behalf of the Secretary-General and the United Nations, that the elections as a whole had been free and fair. The Security Council endorsed the results of the elections by Resolution 840 (1993) on June 15. However, during the June 10 meeting of the SNC, the CPP announced that it could not recognize the results of the elections and demanded an investigation of the irregularities that had occurred. Over time, the CPP softened its position. The duly elected Constituent Assembly began work on June 14, 1993.¹

Debate over the draft constitution began in the Constituent Assembly on 15 of September, 1993.² On September 21, 1993, the Constituent Assembly of Cambodia adopted a new constitution. This new constitution formally adopted a constitutional monarch.³

Nearly all of the United Nations military force, police and civilians had left Cambodia by November 15, 1993. This was after the UN had completed its mandate. The estimated costs of the operation were $1.6 billion.⁴

“Cambodia-UNTAC Background.”
“Constituent Assembly begins constitution debate,” BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, September 16, 1993.
“Son Sann’s closing speech at Constituent Assembly: constitution adopted,” BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, September 22, 1993.
“Cambodia: UNAMIC Background.”