"The Security Council welcomes the regular contacts between the President of the Republic of Tajikistan and the leader of the United Tajik Opposition (UTO) and the work of the Commission on National Reconciliation aimed at achieving further progress in the peace process. It regrets that that progress has remained slow during the last three months and underlines the necessity for the parties to speed up the full and sequential implementation of the General Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and National Accord in Tajikistan (S/1997/510), especially the Protocol on military issues (S/1997/209, annex II). The Council calls upon the parties to intensify their efforts to create conditions for the holding in 1999 of a constitutional referendum and presidential elections, as well as the timely holding of parliamentary elections.