HEADQUARTERS PRESS BRIEFING BY PRESIDENT OF SECURITY COUNCIL

HEADQUARTERS PRESS BRIEFING BY PRESIDENT OF SECURITY COUNCIL

Although it was not yet known when the issue of Iraq would be taken up by the Security Council, Council members generally believed that the issue should be handled as soon as possible, Council President Zhang Yishan, Deputy Permanent Representative of China, told correspondents this afternoon at a briefing on the Council’s programme of work for November.

The Council’s approved programme of work for the month would include discussions of the Secretary-General’s reports on the Iraq Oil-for-Food Programme, Timor-Leste, Somalia, Angola, Georgia, Kosovo, and Children and Armed Conflict, he said.  Issues that might come up were Burundi and Côte d’Ivoire.  Regular reviews and briefings on such question as the Middle East and Afghanistan were also expected.  All information would be available on the Internet.

Regarding the Council's method of work, he said he would try his best to contact other members and arrange as many open meetings and consultations as possible.  He would also try to keep the work of the Council transparent.  After Council consultations, non-Council Member States would be briefed.

Asked how long it took the Council to look into Member States’ concerns after they were raised, the President said it would depend on the urgency of the problem.  Whenever a Member State raised an issue, the President would invite Council members’ opinions in order to agree on the course to adopt.  If the issue was urgent, it could be taken up immediately.  If Council members felt the issue was not of overriding urgency, it would be dealt with in another way.

A correspondent, quoting the statement of an American diplomat to the effect that the Americans felt themselves in excellent hands with China presiding over the Council, asked how the Chinese Presidency would affect the Iraq issue.  Mr. Zhang answered that, as China was very democratic, solving the problem in a timely manner also depended on other members.  He would do his best to have the problem solved.

In response to other questions on Iraq, he said a draft resolution had been tabled and Council members had expressed their views.  The co-sponsors of the draft had told him they had to take the views of Council members and other Member States on board.  No delegation was delaying anything.  An open debate on the issue had taken place last month.

He announced that the open meeting on the Democratic Republic of the Congo would take place tomorrow, 5 November.

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