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Security Council calls on Member States to help enhance UN role in establishing justice, rule of law in post-conflict States; Secretary-General hopes for new commitment by Council to place those issues at heart of work rebuilding war-torn countries. Page 1 of 2.

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M2 PRESSWIRE-25 September 2003-UN: Security Council calls on Member States to help enhance UN role in establishing justice, rule of law in post-conflict States; Secretary-General hopes for new commitment by Council to place those issues at heart of work rebuilding war-torn countries. Page 1 of 2(C)1994-2003 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

RDATE:09242003

The Security Council this morning invited all Member States to contribute to enhancing the United Nations role in establishing justice and the rule of law in post-conflict societies, after hearing Secretary-General Kofi Annan express his hope for a new commitment by the Council to place those issues at the heart of its work in rebuilding war-torn countries.

At a ministerial-level meeting, the Council, through a statement read by its President, Jack Straw, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom, also described an abundant wealth of expertise on the matter within the Organization and expressed a determination to harness it, beginning with an open meeting to be convened on 30 September 2003. It also welcomed an offer from the Secretary-General to provide a report to guide further consideration.

In his statement, the Secretary-General said the United Nations, through many complex operations, had learned that the rule of law was not a luxury and that justice was not a side issue. People had lost faith in a peace process because they did not feel safe from crime, or resorted to violence because there was no credible machinery to enforce the law.

"We have learned that the rule of law delayed is lasting peace denied, and that justice is a handmaiden of true peace", he said.

He said a comprehensive approach to re-establishing justice and the rule of law in post-conflict societies was still needed, encompassing the entire criminal justice chain, not only police, but lawyers, prosecutors, judges and prison officers, as well as many issues beyond the criminal justice system. To do that, better coordination between agencies was needed, he said, as well as early, adequate and coordinated funding. Highly qualified, quickly deployable personnel of both genders were also essential.

Since a "one-size-fits-all" approach would not work, it was also crucial to involve local actors from all sectors of any post-conflict country in re-establishing the rule of law. Existing institutions should be reinforced rather than replaced, with the aim of leaving behind strong local institutions at the end of international efforts. Liberia, he said, would be a test case for such recommendations. The Council had incorporated important rule of law components in authorizing the deployment of the United Nations Mission in that country.

Regarding justice for victims of past crimes, he said that the culture of impunity must be ended, but that the process of achieving justice for victims might take years, and it must not come at the expense of the need to...

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