Central African Republic should stick to election timetable, Security Council says

The United Nations Security Council today urged the authorities in the Central African Republic (CAR) to carry out reforms that would allow elections to take place according to the agreed timetable and suggested that the UN mission in the country play a role in organizing the voting.

The 15-member Council was briefed on the latest developments in the country and on the operations of the UN Peace-Building Office in the Central African Republic (BONUCA) by the Representative of the Secretary-General, General Lamine Cissé.

"Members of the Security Council called on Central African authorities to carry on reforms in order to allow the electoral operations to take place in the best conditions and according to the expected timetable," the Council president for the month of January, Ambassador Heraldo Muñoz of Chile, said in a press statement.

"They invited the Secretary-General to examine ways for BONUCA to play a role in the preparation and organization of the electoral operations," he added.

The Office's mandate was extended through the end of this year so that BONUCA could help shepherd the country through the elections.

Council members called for the strengthening of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community's (CEMAC) peacekeeping force and asked the CAR authorities to ensure that human rights violations "do not remain unpunished."

Ambassador Muñoz also urged the international community to examine ways of assisting the CAR's transition, which he noted is now in a "crucial phase."