United Nations Security Council Resolution 668
Encyclopedia
United Nations
Security Council Resolution
668, adopted unanimously on September 20, 1990, after noting the ongoing political discussions and efforts regarding a just and lasting peaceful situation in Cambodia
, the Council endorsed the political framework that would enable the Cambodian people to exercise their right to self-determination
through U.N. organised elections.
The Council had been considering the question of Cambodia and the occupation of the country by Vietnam
ese troops for almost a decade, however, the Council could not act due to lack of agreement amongst its permanent members. Instead, it was addressed by the General Assembly
. After the fall of the Khmer Rouge
in 1979, Vietnam installed a puppet government
, which was opposed by several groups in the country, including the United National Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful and Cooperative Cambodia
, Khmer People's Liberation Front and the Party of Democratic Kampuchea
, but supported by both Vietnam and the Soviet Union
. Representatives from each party gathered for the Paris Conference in 1989, but an agreement was not reached. Following discussions in Indonesia
and Japan
in 1990, the parties agreed a plan in which they would be guided by certain principles in order to solve the Cambodian problem. The Security Council, in Resolution 668, acknowledged and welcomed the agreement.
The resolution went on to welcome the creation of a Supreme National Council as a source of authority throughout the transitional period. It also requested other countries and the Secretary-General to continue to assist in the peace settlement. A move in the General Assembly to endorse the peace process was also approved in Resolution 45/3 on October 15, 1990.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Security Council Resolution
United Nations Security Council Resolution
A United Nations Security Council resolution is a UN resolution adopted by the fifteen members of the Security Council; the UN body charged with "primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security"....
668, adopted unanimously on September 20, 1990, after noting the ongoing political discussions and efforts regarding a just and lasting peaceful situation in Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, the Council endorsed the political framework that would enable the Cambodian people to exercise their right to self-determination
Self-determination
Self-determination is the principle in international law that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or external interference...
through U.N. organised elections.
The Council had been considering the question of Cambodia and the occupation of the country by Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
ese troops for almost a decade, however, the Council could not act due to lack of agreement amongst its permanent members. Instead, it was addressed by the General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
. After the fall of the Khmer Rouge
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge literally translated as Red Cambodians was the name given to the followers of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, who were the ruling party in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, led by Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen and Khieu Samphan...
in 1979, Vietnam installed a puppet government
Puppet state
A puppet state is a nominal sovereign of a state who is de facto controlled by a foreign power. The term refers to a government controlled by the government of another country like a puppeteer controls the strings of a marionette...
, which was opposed by several groups in the country, including the United National Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful and Cooperative Cambodia
Funcinpec
FUNCINPEC is a royalist political party in Cambodia. Before the 2008 election, FUNCINPEC and the Cambodian People's Party formed a coalition government, although FUNCINPEC's significance has decreased steadily since 1998, when it had an equal relationship with the CPP in the coalition.FUNCINPEC is...
, Khmer People's Liberation Front and the Party of Democratic Kampuchea
Party of Democratic Kampuchea
Party of Democratic Kampuchea was a political party in Cambodia, formed as a continuation of the Communist Party of Kampuchea in December 1981. In the mid-1980s it publicly claimed that its ideology was "democratic socialism," having ostensibly renounced Communism.-History:The dissolution of CPK...
, but supported by both Vietnam and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Representatives from each party gathered for the Paris Conference in 1989, but an agreement was not reached. Following discussions in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1990, the parties agreed a plan in which they would be guided by certain principles in order to solve the Cambodian problem. The Security Council, in Resolution 668, acknowledged and welcomed the agreement.
The resolution went on to welcome the creation of a Supreme National Council as a source of authority throughout the transitional period. It also requested other countries and the Secretary-General to continue to assist in the peace settlement. A move in the General Assembly to endorse the peace process was also approved in Resolution 45/3 on October 15, 1990.
See also
- History of CambodiaHistory of Cambodia- Prehistory and early history :Carbon 14 dating of a cave at Laang Spean in northwest Cambodia reveals people who made pots were living in Cambodia as early as 4200 BCE . Further archaeological evidence indicates that other parts of the region now called Cambodia were inhabited from around...
- List of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 601 to 700 (1987 – 1991)
- Modern CambodiaModern CambodiaAfter the fall of the Pol Pot regime of Democratic Kampuchea, Cambodia was under Vietnamese occupation and a pro-Hanoi government, the People's Republic of Kampuchea was established...
- Resolutions 717United Nations Security Council Resolution 717United Nations Security Council Resolution 717, adopted unanimously on October 16, 1991, after noting a report by the Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar and reaffirming Resolution 668 , the Council decided to establish the United Nations Advance Mission in Cambodia immediately after the...
(1991), 718United Nations Security Council Resolution 718United Nations Security Council Resolution 718, adopted unanimously on October 31, 1991, after recalling resolutions 668 and 717 , and noting that at the Paris Conference, a political agreement was signed by parties to the situation in Cambodia, the Council authorised the Secretary-General to...
(1991) - Transition of the People's Republic of Kampuchea to Cambodia
- United Nations Transitional Authority in CambodiaUnited Nations Transitional Authority in CambodiaThe United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia was a United Nations peacekeeping operation in Cambodia in 1992–93. It was also the first occasion on which the UN had taken over the administration of an independent state, organized and run an election , had its own radio station and jail,...