PRESS BRIEFING BY SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT

The President of the Security Council for December, Stefan Tafrov (Bulgaria), this afternoon briefed correspondents at Headquarters on the Council’s programme of work.

Regarding Iraq, Mr. Tafrov said on 8 December the Council would hold consultations on the report of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC).  On 17 December, the Secretary-General would present a report on implementation of resolution 1511 (2003) during an open briefing, after which the Council would continue in closed consultations.  The report on Kuwaiti nationals and Kuwaiti property would be addressed in closed consultations on

18 December by High-level Coordinator Yuli M. Vorontsov.

On 4 December, the Vice-President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, would brief the Council on the situation in Burundi in an open meeting.  Also on 4 December, Mr. Tafrov, in his capacity as Chairman of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 751 (1992) (concerning sanctions on Somalia), would brief the Council on the Committee’s mission to the region last month.  He expected substantive consultations, as the mandate of the Committee’s panel of experts would expire.

On 9 December, the Council would hold an open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, he said.  It would meet on 17 December to be briefed by Harri Holkeri, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative to Kosovo.  The originally planned meeting for that date on “Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts” had been moved to January.

The Council would meet twice to discuss the situation in Liberia, he continued.  On 4 December, the Chairman of the Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1343 (2001), Munir Akram (Pakistan), would brief the Council in closed consultations on Liberia sanctions.  Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guéhenno would brief the Council on Liberia on 22 December, also in closed consultations.  The report on the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) would be discussed on 11 December and the report on Guinea-Bissau on 19 December.  Also on that date, the follow-up to Council missions to Central and West Africa would be addressed.

The regular briefing on the situation in the Middle East would be given on 12 December by Terje Roed-Larsen, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative.  The briefing would be followed by closed consultations during which the expiration of the mandate of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) also would be discussed.  Finally, on 22 December, the Council would be briefed by the chairmen of Council working groups and sanctions committees, he said.

Asked whether the letter of 24 November sent by the Governing Council of Iraq regarding a timetable for elections and drafting of a constitution would be discussed and what possible action the Council could take on the matter, Mr. Tafrov said the Council had authorized him to send a letter to the Iraqi Chargé d’affaires acknowledging receipt and stating that the matter would be discussed shortly.  He expected that during consultations on implementation of resolution 1511 (2003), the letter would be brought up.  Whether representatives from Iraq would be invited to the 16 December meeting had not been decided yet, as no request to that end had been received.

The consultations on UNMOVIC’s report on 8 December would be held pursuant to resolution 1483 (2003).  He could not speculate on the future of UNMOVIC, as the matter had rarely been brought up in consultations.  He did not know if the return of inspectors to Iraq would be discussed.  Nor did he know if the funding of UNMOVIC, formerly funded by the “oil-for-food” programme, would be addressed.

Answering a correspondent’s question regarding Somalia, in his capacity as Chairman of the 751 Committee, he said the Committee’s meeting had found that the imposed arms embargo was not enforced properly, “to put it mildly”, and that firm action was needed.  There was still a continuing flow of arms into Somalia.  Asked whether there were Al Qaeda affiliates active in Somalia, he said the mission had not been a fact-finding one.  For that, the Committee depended on its panel of experts.  It had been a political mission to bring a message to countries in the region and to Somali factions.

In response to another question, he said there was no initiative or draft resolution on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, as had been announced by the former Council President, Ismael Abraao Gaspar Martins (Angola).

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