Security Council set to hear briefing by Annan on Côte d'Ivoire and Sudan

A briefing by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on recent developments in Côte d'Ivoire and Sudan is among the highlights of the Security Council's work for the month of August, the President of the 15-member body said today.

Mr. Annan and the Council members are scheduled to hold their monthly luncheon tomorrow, during which the Secretary-General is expected to report on the summit on Côte d'Ivoire he co-hosted last week in Accra, Ghana, according to Ambassador Andrey I. Denisov of the Russian Federation.

The Secretary-General will also brief the Council on the situation in Sudan, particularly the troubled Darfur region in the west, since that country will be a focus of attention during the month. On Friday, the Council adopted resolution 1556 paving the way for action against Sudan in 30 days if it does not make progress on pledges to disarm the militias accused of indiscriminate murders, rapes and other attacks against civilians in Darfur.

Ambassador Denisov, who just took up his duties as Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations today, noted that other highlights of the Council's work programme included open meetings devoted to the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) on Thursday and to the situation in Afghanistan on 18 August.

The Council will also consider the situation in Iraq, including an extension of the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in that country (UNAMI), as well as a briefing from Ambassador Yuli Vorontsov, the Secretary-General's High-Level Coordinator for missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals and stolen Kuwaiti property.

Other African issues will feature prominently during the month, with plans for a briefing on Darfur, in light of the implementation of resolution 1556, Ambassador Denisov said. On the initiative of the French delegation, the Council is expected to adopt a press statement on Côte d'Ivoire, while the situations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Burundi and Somalia will also be considered.

In addition, the Council will be following the situation in Haiti, hold an open meeting on Timor-Leste, and approve the organizational plan for the new Executive Directorate of the Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC).