The United Nations Security Council this week condemned the recruitment of child soldiers and called on Secretary-General Kofi Annan to create a monitoring mechanism, preferably within three months, "to provide timely, objective, accurate and reliable information on the recruitment and use of child soldiers in violation of applicable international law." The 15-member Council, by a unanimous vote, said it would take appropriate action to curb linkages between armed conflict, its prolongation and the smuggling of natural and other resources, trafficking in small arms and light weapons and cross-border abduction, all of which intensify the negative impact of war on children.