Topic: Mechanisms for Peacefully Resolving Border Disputes
Country: Afghanistan
Delegate Name: Josie Meyers
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Afghanistan position papers GLIMUN 2014 committees
The Crimean disputes bring to question how to prevent border conflicts from entering the Security Council. As troops line the Ukraine and Russian border achieving an agreement before violent action is needed. Border disputes and boundary conflicts have been constant and recurring historical issues. As these disputes go on, the clashes between the countries involved war is a common and undesirable result. Most often, after an undesirable outcome over a border dispute, the United Nation becomes a needed and pulled in force. The original first action was sending the issue through the Security Council and are tasked with the recommendation to resolve the conflicts: many times economic sanctions are commonplace. The DPA is involved to then monitor the conflict and on occasion have the ability to bring conflicts to an end. Whether a simple cross-border dispute that involves resource conflict or a border dispute involving a specific and key piece of valuable land, the mechanisms to solve the disputes need to be changed.
As border disputes continue, as they always will, The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan supports the peaceful resolving of disputes before they result in war between the involved countries. Afghanistan holds strong alliances and commitments with allies. Our President H.E. Mr. Hamid Karzai visited Pakistan and met with the President Asif Ali Zardari in order to strengthen and enhance the partnership and have a deeper bilateral cooperation in September of 2010.The United Nations has previously addressed the Kashmir conflict, for example. This conflict between India and Pakistan was close to resolution when an article of the UN Charter was made in favor of Pakistan. Had the Legal committee created an organization that could deal with making resolutions between the two factions the conflict could have avoided being brought to Security Council and a mutual agreement reached. In the example of the troubled border between us and Pakistan over the Durand Line, the option to have a mediated agreement by a third party or multiple third parties could have been mutually beneficial. Before disputes come to violent interaction the Legal committee needs to have a way to contain a conflict.
Due to the lack of effective legal means in resolving border disputes there have been multiple violent actions and even results of war. Eritrea and Ethiopia in 1998 broke out in violent actions over the border dispute and caused the immediate intervention of the Security council, forcing involvement of the United Nations to create the 1177 resolution to have the countries ceasefire. In order to resolve conflicts without involving the Security Council and placing action upon the countries involved, there needs to be a true uninterested mediation in the Legal committee. The factions involved, for example Pakistan and India, should have been removed from the issue and only uninvolved countries are able to mediate the means of resolution. An organization should be presented to the General Assembly in order to have a narrowed view and work on solely resolving the conflicts before they reach a violent level. With this resolution, peaceful measures can be taken that can give benefit to both sides of the conflict. This way disputes move away from violent action and allow for trained officials to help solve the border conflict. The Legal Council can become involved before the Security Council is needed to take action. The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan recognizes the need to implement new means in resolving border disputes and that the process needs to involve third parties to find a mutually beneficial decision.
