The Security Council,

Reaffirming its resolutions 1125 (1997) of 6 August 1997, 1136 (1997) of 6 November 1997, 1152 (1998) of 5 February 1998, 1155 (1998) of 16 March 1998, 1159 (1998) of 27 March 1998, 1182 (1998) of 14 July 1998 and 1201 (1998) of 15 October 1998,

Welcoming the holding of free and fair legislative elections on 22 November and 13 December 1998,

Welcoming the report of the Secretary-General of 18 December 1998 (S/1998/1203) and its annex of 14 January 1999 (S/1998/1203/Add.1) and the report of the Secretary-General of 29 January 1999 (S/1999/98) and taking note of the recommendations contained therein,

Taking note of the request of 8 December 1998 from the President of the Central African Republic to the Secretary-General (S/1999/116, annex), and the letter of 23 January 1999 from the President of the Central African Republic to the Secretary-General (S/1999/98, annex),

Reiterating the importance of the work done by the joint committee of the Government of the Central African Republic and the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic (MINURCA) to address the restructuring of the Central African armed forces (FACA), and stressing the necessity quickly to adopt the draft law and decrees on national defence and the structure of the defence forces,

Reaffirming the link between socio-economic progress and the consolidation of peace in the Central African Republic, and in that context taking note of the letter of 23 December 1998 from the President of the World Bank to the Secretary-General (S/1999/121, annex),

Recalling the importance of regional stability and the need to consolidate the progress achieved so far, and in particular to assist the people of the Central African Republic to consolidate the process of national reconciliation taking into account the need to maintain a secure and stable environment conducive to the economic recovery and to the holding of free and fair presidential elections,

Stressing the importance of cooperation and understanding by the Government of the Central African Republic, the newly elected legislators and the political groupings, so as to ensure the effective functioning of the National Assembly,

Emphasizing the need for the Government of the Central African Republic to set the presidential election dates as soon as possible, in accordance with article 23 of the Constitution of the Central African Republic,

1. Decides to extend the mandate of MINURCA until 15 November 1999;

2. Expresses its intention to commence the reduction of MINURCA personnel 15 days after the conclusion of the presidential elections in the Central African Republic with a view to full termination of the Mission no later than 15 November 1999;

3. Further decides to review every 45 days, on the basis of reports of the Secretary-General, the mandate of MINURCA in light of the progress achieved towards implementation of the commitments made by the President of the Central African Republic to the Secretary-General in his letter of 23 January 1999;

4. Welcomes the intention of the Secretary-General to discuss with the President of the Central African Republic plans for the possibility of a progressive reduction of the MINURCA military component in anticipation of the 15 November 1999 termination date of the Mission, commensurate with the advances in the restructuring of the FACA, including taking into account the need to ensure the stability and security of Bangui;

5. Urges the international community to lend its support to the restructuring of the security forces of the Central African Republic, including the Gendarmerie, through bilateral and multilateral assistance programmes, and reaffirms the role of MINURCA in providing advice in the restructuring of the security forces of the Central African Republic and, in this connection, in coordinating and channelling international support to this end;

6. Strongly reaffirms that the complete implementation of the Bangui Agreements (S/1997/561, appendices III-VI) and of the National Reconciliation Pact (S/1998/219) is essential to peace and national reconciliation in the Central African Republic, and urges the Government of the Central African Republic to continue to take concrete steps to implement political, economic, social and security reforms as referred to in the report of the Secretary-General of 23 February 1998 (S/1998/148) and to fulfil the commitments expressed in the letter of 8 January 1998 to the Secretary-General from the President of the Central African Republic (S/1998/61, annex) and in the letter of 23 January 1999 to the Secretary-General from the President of the Central African Republic;

7. Calls upon all parties in the Central African Republic, with the assistance of the special representative of the Secretary-General, to take the necessary measures to resolve the current political impasse, with a view to enhancing the national reconciliation process;

8. Further calls upon the Government of the Central African Republic to establish the new electoral commission as soon as possible in order to organize the presidential elections, and to establish and adhere to a timetable for the holding of these elections;

9. Authorizes MINURCA to play a supportive role in the conduct of the presidential elections, in conformity with the tasks previously performed during the legislative elections of 22 November and 13 December 1998, recognizing the major responsibility which the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will have in the coordination of electoral assistance;

10. Further authorizes MINURCA to supervise the destruction of confiscated weapons and ammunition under MINURCA control as recommended in paragraph 29 of the report of the Secretary-General of 18 December 1998;

11. Encourages an increased role for an increased number of FACA troops to support the presidential elections process, to include the deployment of FACA troops to electoral sites to assist MINURCA personnel in the provision of security and logistical support, and notes in this exceptional case that those FACA troops assisting MINURCA in this context would during that time operate under United Nations rules of engagement;

12. Welcomes the commitments made by the President of the Central African Republic in his letter to the Secretary-General of 23 January 1999 and urges the Government of the Central African Republic to fulfil these commitments, in particular:

(a) To expedite the legislative process regarding national defence and the structure of defence forces with a view to adopting draft laws and decrees as prepared by the joint committee of the Government of the Central African Republic and MINURCA, by 15 April 1999;

(b) To take steps to limit the mission of the Special Defence Force of the Republican Institutions (FORSDIR) to the protection of the Republican Institutions and of high-level authorities, excluding all police and maintenance of law and order tasks;

(c) To continue to implement with the support of MINURCA the demobilization and reintegration programme funded by UNDP;

(d) To establish no later than 1 April 1999 an implementation programme in accordance with the timetable established by the joint committee of the Government of the Central African Republic and MINURCA which should specify the key elements of the restructuring programme of the FACA to be implemented, among them the need to create well-balanced geographical and multi-ethnic recruitment, the improvement of working conditions, including payment of salary and salary arrears, the provision of adequate infrastructure, equipment and support materials, and the redeployment of some of the restructured units outside Bangui;

13. Also urges the Government of the Central African Republic to meet the requirements of the financial consolidation and economic reform programmes agreed with the international financial institutions;

14. Requests the Government of the Central African Republic to refrain from any involvement in external conflicts, in conformity with the commitment expressed in the letter of 23 January 1999 from the President of the Central African Republic to the Secretary-General;

15. Urges Member States to support financially and materially the restructuring programme of the FACA so as to facilitate its prompt implementation, and expresses its appreciation to those that have already done so;

16. Emphasizes that economic rehabilitation and reconstruction constitute important tasks facing the Government and people of the Central African Republic and that significant international assistance is indispensable for sustainable development in the Central African Republic, stresses the commitment of the international community to a long-term programme of support for the Central African Republic and further urges the Economic and Social Council, UNDP, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the appropriate regional financial institutions to contribute to the designing of such a programme;

17. Requests the Secretary-General to consider, in keeping with the statement of its President of 29 December 1998 (S/PRST/1998/38), what role the United Nations might play in the transition from peacekeeping to post-conflict peace-building in the Central African Republic, and further requests him, in consultation with the Government of the Central African Republic, to submit recommendations in this regard by 31 May 1999 on a possible United Nations presence in the Central African Republic after the 15 November 1999 termination of MINURCA;

18. Requests the Secretary-General to submit by 15 April 1999 and every 45 days thereafter a report on the implementation of the mandate of MINURCA, on developments in the Central African Republic, in particular on the election process, on progress towards the implementation of the commitments expressed in the letters of 8 January 1998 and of 23 January 1999 from the President of the Central African Republic to the Secretary-General and on the implementation of the Bangui Agreements and the National Reconciliation Pact, including on commitments related to ensuring the country's economic recovery, the restructuring of the security forces and the functioning of the FORSDIR;

19. Commends the efforts of the Special Representative and the personnel of MINURCA to promote peace and national reconciliation in the Central African Republic;

20. Recalls the urgent need for Member States to contribute voluntarily to the trust fund established by the Secretary-General to support the activities of MINURCA;

21. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.