§ Mr. Philip Noel-Bakerasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what reports the Security Council has received from the United Nations mission in Santo Domingo concerning the observance of 252W the cease-fire agreed to as a result of the Council's resolution of 29th May; what progress the Council has made in its wider task of securing the restoration of constitutional government; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. PadleySince the passing by the Security Council on 22nd May of a resolution requesting that the suspension of the hostilities in Santo Domingo should be transformed into a permanent ceasefire, the Secretary General's Special Representative, Sr. Jose Mayobre, has submitted to him a series of reports which have been placed before the Council. These show that in the main the ceasefire agreement was observed from 23rd May until 15th June, when exchanges of fire took place between the Inter-American Peace Force and armed groups in the zone held by Colonel Caamano and his supporters. Sr. Mayobre reported on 16th June that he had been given a different version of the origin and nature of the most important incidents by each of the two sides and had been unable to determine which of them was correct. Though he was successful in securing the agreement of the two sides to a cessation of hostilities on the evening of 15th June, on the following day he reported that the sector held by Colonel Caamano was again under fire which possibly originated from the troops under the command of General Imbert. On 18th June Sr. Mayobre reported that the situation in Santo Domingo was calm and that the cease-fire agreement was being observed.
The task of securing the restoration of constitutional government in the Dominican Republic is one which has been undertaken by the Organisation of American States and not by the Security Council.
§ Mr. Philip Noel-Bakerasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what instructions he has given to the British delegate in the Security Council of the United Nations concerning the proposal made by Uruguay for the strengthening of the staff of the United Nations mission in Santo Domingo.
§ Mr. PadleyTwo related proposals have been discussed by the Security Council, the first for the strengthening of the staff of the Secretary General's Special 253W Representative in Santo Domingo and the second for the widening of his mandate which is at present confined to reporting on the observance of the ceasefire agreement, to embrace the more active investigation not only of breaches of the peace but also of violations of human rights. There has been general agreement in the Council that an increase in the size of the Special Representative's staff to enable him to carry out the task entrusted to him by the Council is an administrative matter lying within the competence of the Secretary General, who has told the Council that he is keeping the question under constant review. On the question of the widening of the Representative's mandate the United Kingdom representative on the Council, acting on instructions, has supported the view that it would be inexpedient to have two sets of investigators on the spot and that it would be preferable that the Representative should continue to have a watching brief and that he should keep in close touch with officials of the Organisation of American States, who have been urged to co-operate closely with him and keep him informed of their findings.