Security Council agenda for July includes briefing by Annan on Sudan trip
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan will brief the Security Council next week on his current trip to the Darfur region of Sudan - with other issues on the continent topping the Security Council's programme this month, the incoming President of the 15-member body said today.
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan will brief the Security Council next week on his current trip to the Darfur region of Sudan - with other issues on the continent topping the Security Council's programme this month, the incoming President of the 15-member body said today.
Speaking at a press briefing in New York, Ambassador Mihnea Ioan Motoc of Romania, which holds the rotating presidency this month, said Chad, Ethiopia and Eritrea and the upcoming African Union Summit will be discussed. In addition, there will be a comprehensive briefing on the Council's mission last month to West Africa, following a preliminary report this past Wednesday.
In response to questions on Sudan, Ambassador Motoc said a draft resolution on the subject was being circulated, but he had no indication regarding a time-frame on when it might be put to a vote. He also voiced a “personal” sense that Council members were ready to respond to the challenge, but an assessment from the ground was needed first.
The Council will also consider in consultations the situations in the Central African Republic, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Côte d'Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where the mandate of the UN Organization Mission there (MONUC) was due to expire at the end of the month, he said. The mandate of the Group of Experts and the arms embargo imposed on that country were due to expire at the same time.
On Europe, Ambassador Motoc noted that the mandate of the multinational Stabilization Force (SFOR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina would expire on 7 July. The Council would consider the European Union's upcoming take-over of SFOR's work from NATO. Mandate extensions for the UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) and the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) would come up at the end of the month.
On 20 July Romanian Prime Minister Adrian Nãstase will preside over a public meeting on the relationship between the UN and regional organizations, the Ambassador said. The format would be a substantive, interactive debate whose outcome could also be useful to the High-Level Panel established by the Secretary-General to look into today's threats and possible collective responses.
On 19 July, the Council will address in a public meeting the "complex" issue of threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts, as it will be briefed by the Chairman of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, Alexander Konuzin of the Russian Federation. The Council is also expected to hear from Javier Ruperez, Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate.
Video of press briefing [30mins]