PRESS BRIEFING BY ANWARUL KARIM CHOWDHURY, COUNCIL PRESIDENT FOR MONTH OF JUNE

PRESS BRIEFING BY ANWARUL KARIM CHOWDHURY, COUNCIL PRESIDENT FOR MONTH OF JUNE

The new President of the Security Council, Anwarul Karim Chowdhury, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh, told correspondents this afternoon that the Council had adopted a full and varied June work schedule reflective of two important objectives:  to make that body more proactive instead of reactive, and to ensure greater transparency in its working methods.  In his first press conference this month, Mr. Chowdhury said the Council was scheduled to, among other things, review 15 topical reports, and review and renew the mandates of the Organization’s peacekeeping missions in Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Western Sahara.

The Council’s work this month would be highlighted by a mission to Kosovo, scheduled to depart on 15 June, Mr. Chowdhury said.  The visit, through 18 June, was particularly important as it would mark the first time a Council President would lead all 15 members of the Council on a mission to a conflict area.

Mr. Chowdhury likened the mission to something of a four-day “mobile Security Council”, and added that the trip would end in Belgrade, where members would meet with Yugoslav President Kostunica.

Mr. Chowdhury went on to say that it was his intention to hold as many “open” meetings as possible this month to encourage participation of the Organization’s broader membership, as well as the media, in the work of the Council.  He drew attention to the Council’s major public meeting on conflict prevention, scheduled for 21 June.  Those deliberations, the Council’s first attempt to address this issue in a comprehensive way, would be facilitated by a seminal report of the Secretary-General.  He added that another of the Council’s innovative public meetings this month would be a public wrap-up session on

29 June.  At that meeting, the permanent members would present their views on the Council’s work for the month as well as recommendations for the future.  He also expected the Secretary-General to participate in the session.

Normally, the Council started its business after bilateral consultations and the adoption of a programme of work, Mr. Chowdhury said.  But this month had begun in a rather unusual way, with the Council taking action last Friday on a draft resolution on the technical rollover of the Iraqi “oil-for-food” programme, as well as a commemoration of the death of Faisal al-Husseini.

He said that there were quite a few areas in which the Council expected significant developments during the month, including the situations in Afghanistan, the Middle East, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi and Western Sahara.  A priority under his Presidency would be to push hard on successfully negotiating a revised “oil-for-food” resolution aimed at refining the focus of the sanctions in Iraq.  He added that later today he would convene an expert-level meeting on the subject.  That would be followed on 7 June by the first of a proposed series of weekly expert level meetings to assess and review the progress of the ongoing negotiations.  It was the Council’s intent to resolve the issue by the third week of the month.

A correspondent noted that one of the permanent Council members had suggested that the negotiations on that issue would run at least into the early part of July.  Had today’s consultations given Mr. Chowdhury any indication that negotiations could be completed before the end of June?  Mr. Chowdhury said while there had been no outright indication that the issue could be successfully concluded by month’s end, he was optimistic that it could be, since members were “keenly engaged” on the matter.  While he would not go into details about the various “sticking points” or areas of difficulty at this time, he hoped that flexibility from all sides would result in an agreed resolution adopted by consensus.

In response to queries, Mr. Chowdhury said that the Council had not addressed the issue of the return to Iraq of planes currently being held in Jordan and Tunisia.  Also pending in the Council was a decision on payment from the escrow account for Iraq’s arrears.  Mr. Chowdhury added that he believed that the United Nations Compensation Committee in Geneva was presently considering the issue.

Another correspondent asked if the announcement today that Iraq had threatened to stop pumping oil from a number of stations put any pressure on the Council’s work schedule.  “Any developments that lead to disruptions in the supply of oil and the humanitarian hardships that might result from such action, would certainly be of concern to the Council,” Mr. Chowdhury said.  In any case, the Council would like to be engaged in the resolution of this issue in a manner that would not only help its work but would also, most importantly, help the people of Iraq.  Mr. Chowdhury said that throughout the negotiations, in an effort to keep open the channels of communication with the Iraqi Government, it was his intention to meet with that country’s Ambassador to the United Nations.

On Afghanistan, Mr. Chowdhury said that tomorrow the Council would hold consultations on the report of the Expert Panel monitoring the implementation of the arms embargo on the Taliban.  A public meeting on the issue had been planned to follow those discussions but so far, the only non-Council member signed to the speaker’s list had been Afghanistan.  If, by tomorrow morning, more non-members had signed up, the public meeting would go forward.

Mr. Chowdhury told questioners that it was his intention to have all the members of the Panel present during the Council’s consultations.  The discussions would focus on the Council’s desire to have the Sanctions Committee on Afghanistan look into the Panel’s recommendations more extensively, and come back with recommendations and suggestions of its own.  He said that in both the public and private meetings, Alfonso Valdivieso (Colombia) would formally present the report and the experts would be available for clarifications. 

Mr. Chowdhury also said that the Council would be closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East and Palestine during his Presidency.  In response to the suggestion that in light of the recent escalation of violence in the region, it might be time for the Council to hold another open debate on the issue,

Mr. Chowdhury said the Council intended to work closely with and await the signal of the Non-Aligned Caucus as well as the Arab Group.  In the past, those parties had used their expertise to examine all the issues closely and come to the Council with suggestions on what actions would be in the best interest of the people in

the region as well as for international peace and security.  He added that this

morning there had been general agreement when he had drawn the Council’s attention to the importance of being seized with the matter.

There was also a planned review of the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, particularly in light of the Security Council mission to the Great Lakes region in May.  The Council had set 8 June as the date to extend the mandate of the United Nations peacekeeping mission there (MONUC), as well as to review recommendations regarding the political process in that country and the region.

Another major area of concern for the Council would be the “very delicate” situation in Burundi.  Mr. Chowdhury said that “the Council needs to send a very strong message to the parties in Burundi,” namely to exercise maximum restraint not to endanger the peace process currently being guided by Nelson Mandela.

Mr. Chowdhury also hoped that James Baker, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Western Sahara, would present his recommendations regarding the extent of the Organization’s engagement in that region. 

* *** *