The President

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on the agenda. The Security Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations.

Following consultations among members of the Council, I have been authorized to make the following statement on behalf of the Council:

"The Security Council is gravely concerned at the recent attacks on UNPROFOR personnel in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and, in this regard, has learnt with particular indignation that once again a soldier of UNPROFOR, this time a soldier of the French contingent, was deliberately targeted and shot to death by an unidentified sniper in Sarajevo today. The Council notes with similar concern that several other soldiers of the United Nations have been killed recently in similar circumstances.

"The Council condemns in the strongest terms such acts directed at peace-keepers who are serving the cause of peace in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Deliberate targeting of UNPROFOR personnel reflects the overall deterioration of the situation in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Council wishes to state once again that this is totally unacceptable. It reiterates that the cooperation of all parties and others concerned is indispensable for the missions of the Force to be carried out and demands that they respect fully the status of United Nations personnel.

"The Security Council invites the Secretary-General to investigate the circumstances of these acts and to report to the Security Council, taking into consideration the views of troop-contributing countries, on any measures which might be necessary to prevent further similar attacks, which should not remain unpunished."

This statement will be issued as a document of the Security Council under the symbol S/PRST/1995/19.

The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.

The Security Council will remain seized of the matter.