Photo taken on Nov. 15, 2018 shows the United Nations Security Council voting on a resolution to extend the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) till Dec. 15, 2018, at the UN headquarters in New York. The Security Council on Thursday unanimously approved a technical roll-over of the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) for a month to allow negotiations on regular renewal. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)
UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Security Council on Thursday unanimously approved a technical roll-over of the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) for a month to allow negotiations on regular renewal.
Resolution 2446 extends the peacekeeping mission's mandate till Dec. 15, 2018. The technical roll-over is a necessity as the mandate of the mission, known by its French acronym as MINUSCA, expires midnight Thursday.
France drafted Resolution 2446 after its draft resolution for a regular renewal of MINUSCA's mandate for a year failed to get the approval of Russia and the United States -- two Security Council members that have veto power.
Russia wanted its presence and peace efforts in the CAR to be recognized in the French draft while the United States expressed concern over possible increases in costs from the proposed new task of supporting newly trained CAR troops in their deployment.
The French-U.S. difference was solved through the agreement that there should be no additional costs for the new task.
U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Jonathan Cohen said Thursday after the council vote that his country supports the addition of the new task in the next mandate that would allow "limited logistical support" to the CAR military, police and gendarmerie -- by using existing resources.
The technical roll-over would allow time for full notification within the U.S. government as required by U.S. law, he said.
But Russia on Thursday demanded "significant additional efforts" from France toward the regular renewal of MINUSCA's mandate.
The fact that France addressed the U.S. concern inspired optimism, said Russia's First Deputy Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy. "Since you heard their views, kindly listen to ours as well."
The French draft insists on an African Union-led political process in the CAR. France does not see Russia's efforts in the African country, including Moscow's brokering of a preliminary agreement between CAR armed groups signed at the end of August in Khartoum, as helpful, according to its Minister of Armed Forces Florence Parly. Russia is also providing weapons to the CAR and has trainers in the country.
Before the vote on Thursday, French ambassador to the United Nations Francois Delattre remained adamant.
"There must not be any ambiguity vis-a-vis the centrality of the African Union initiative," Delattre told the Security Council.
"We have tirelessly, through in-depth consultations, sought to strike a delicate balance among the various positions that have been put forward. We, I believe, have struck this balance," he said, referring to the draft resolution for a regular renewal.
Polyanskiy of Russia 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 told the Security Council after the vote.
The Russian ambassador said the CAR should not be an area for competition between powers, but rather a platform for concerted action for peace.
"We are proactively helping the CAR knowingly with the support of the people in the country and we would like our efforts to be duly reflected in the French draft," said Polyanskiy.
"We stand ready to continue to work on your draft in a spirit of mutual respect so that in one month it will not be necessary for you to jeopardize such an important unity of the council on the issue discussed today -- unity important for us and our friends in the CAR."
The CAR has been in civil war since 2012, which is being fought along religious and ethnic lines. The CAR government, which controls only one fifth of the country's territory, wants MINUSCA to take up more security responsibilities.
