UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Russia on Thursday demanded "significant additional efforts" from France toward the regular renewal of the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR).
The Security Council on Thursday had to approve a technical roll-over for one month to allow time for more negotiations on a French draft resolution that would renew the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in the CAR, known by its French acronym as MINUSCA, for a year.
After weeks of consultations among Security Council members, France's draft resolution for a regular renewal failed to get the approval of Russia, a Security Council member that has veto power.
Russia wants its presence and peace efforts in the CAR to be recognized in the French draft, which says the CAR political process should be led by the African Union.
Russia's First Deputy Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy on Thursday warned that France should take "significant additional efforts" if it wishes to revisit its initial draft and have it adopted by the Security Council in a month's time.
Polyanskiy indicated that France, the former colonial power in the CAR, should "set aside historical complexes, egotism, parochial national interests" over the issue.
"Those who have approached this with good intention should have no hidden agendas, no malign competitive interests," he said after the Security Council vote on the technical roll-over.
