PRESS STATEMENT ON INSPECTION COMMISSION CHAIRMAN HANS BLIX BY SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT

PRESS STATEMENT ON INSPECTION COMMISSION CHAIRMAN HANS BLIX

BY SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT

Following is today’s press statement by Security Council President Sergey Lavrov (Russian Federation) concerning the Executive Chairman of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC):

The members of the Security Council received and discussed the thirteenth report of Dr. Hans Blix, the Executive Chairman of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), submitted in accordance with paragraph 12 of Security Council resolution 1284 (1999).

Council members took note of the intention of the Executive Chairman to retire from his post at the end of June 2003.  They expressed their sincere gratitude to Dr. Hans Blix for his service, and appreciation for the efforts undertaken by him and his team to implement the mandate of UNMOVIC in accordance with the Security Council’s resolutions.  The members of the Council paid tribute to Dr. Hans Blix for his leadership and the dedicated and professional manner in which he has been guiding the work of UNMOVIC in pursuit of the disarmament of Iraq.

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