press conference by Security Council president

 

September would be yet another month of intense work for the Security Council, as a result of both an accumulation of agenda items that needed to be addressed and the beginning of the General Assembly session, Juan Antonio Yáñez-Barnuevo (Spain), this month’s President of the international peace and security body told the press at a Headquarters briefing this afternoon.

Briefing correspondents on the Council’s programme of work for the month of September, he said that, with the Assembly’s general debate scheduled to begin on 21 September, a number of heads of State, foreign ministers and other high-level officials would be present in New York, and the Council would yield to meetings of the General Assembly, “without prejudice, of course, to the Council having some activities during that week”.  The Council’s programme of work was tentative, with international developments shaping its plans.

Yesterday was a good example in that respect, he added.  Normally, at the beginning of the month, the Council would hold consultations to organize the week and month ahead.  However, serious terrorist attacks in Russia had compelled it to meet in order to draft a presidential statement, which had been adopted late last night.  The Council also had before it a draft resolution co-sponsored by France and the United States on the Middle East, in particular focusing on the Lebanon-Syria relationship.

Now, in the wake of yesterday’s meeting, the tentative programme of work for the month had been elaborated, and would be updated progressively in light of developments.  African issues were very prominent on the Council’s agenda, he said.  Today, the Secretary-General’s report on the Sudan had been introduced at a public meeting by Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Jan Pronk.  In particular, with Mr. Pronk, the Council had covered all aspects of the situation in Darfur, which was of great concern to all its members.  The Council would continue to follow that important issue very closely.  Several Council members had already said they would be introducing texts in the next few days, and various ideas had been circulated and proposals made.  It was possible to predict that, in the course of the next week, the Council would return to that topic on the basis of a future text.

Tomorrow, consultations would be held on the situation in the Great Lakes region, Mr. Yáñez-Barnuevo said, in particular the Ituri province in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.  A report by United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) on that matter had already been circulated.  There would also be an oral update by the Secretariat concerning the ongoing inquiry into the Gatumba refugee camp massacre in August.

Next week, the Council would be pursuing Congo-related issues, looking at the arms embargo and the Secretary-General’s report on MONUC’s mandate, which expired at the end of the month.  Consultations were already under way to determine what type of mandate, level and quantity of troops the Mission required in order to work effectively.  In fact, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and MONUC would be discussed on several occasions throughout the month.  It was a very important topic of great concern to the Council.  He hoped to have a draft on the matter towards the middle of the month, although the Council was likely to vote on it only at the end of September.

In the course of next week, the Council would look into the situation in Darfur and hold an open briefing on Haiti, with Special Representative Juan Gabriel Valdés reporting on the deployment of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and progress in that country.

In the coming weeks, the Council would also address several Iraq-related matters, including the periodic United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) report next week.  There would be a burst of activity in the week of 13 to 17 September, since the Council would be receiving reports of the Secretary-General on several peacekeeping missions.  There was a desire to wind down the substantive work of the Council before the beginning of the general debate.  On 13 September, there would be a public meeting on Al-Qaida and Taliban Committee (1267 Committee).  On the same day, the Council would hold consultations on the Ethiopia/Eritrea Mission, and he hoped that a resolution to renew its mandate would be adopted before it expired on 15 September.

He added that, on 14 September, two important reports would be taken up:  the Secretary-General’s report on United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the first report of the United States Mission as the head of a multinational force in Iraq.  Both of those had been called for by resolution 1546, the latest resolution on Iraq, on a quarterly basis, to update the Council on the developments in the country.  On 15, 16 and 17 September, the Council would consider the operations in Liberia and Sierra Leone.  On 17 September, there would be a formal meeting on United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) and United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), as well as an open briefing on the situation in the Middle East.

The week of 20 September would see a shift of attention to the high-level meetings of the General Assembly, he continued.  Leaving aside a possibility of an emergency that could compel the Council to meet, there would be only one ministerial-level open meeting to consider civil aspects of crisis management and peace-building.  In the last week of the month, there would be consultations on Côte d’Ivoire; an open briefing and consultations on the situation in Afghanistan; and consultations on Bougainville.

And finally, there were some questions, which had not yet been scheduled definitively, such as renewal of the mandate of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.  That was, strictly speaking, a United Nations peacekeeping operation, but it was a multinational force with a Security Council mandate, which would expire in the first half of October.  There was already an understanding about renewing that mandate in the course of September.  At some point, something needed to be done concerning the situation in Kosovo, where several serious incidents had taken place.  A new Special Representative had been appointed, and several Council members had expressed the wish to go over the situation in Kosovo in his presence.  Also in the course of the month, the Council was expected to adopt its annual report to the General Assembly.

Responding to several questions, Mr. Yáñez-Barnuevo said that the Council would be meeting in consultations at 5 p.m. today to consider the Lebanon-Syria issue.  The advocates of the draft on that matter, France and the United States, would inform the Council about the outcome of the consultations they had been holding since yesterday, telling it whether any revisions had been introduced to the draft.  The sponsors had expressed a wish for a formal vote on the draft, and there was a possibility that the Council would hold a formal meeting to hold such a vote.  The draft had been formally presented to the Council late yesterday afternoon.  It “had been put in blue”, or circulated as an official document of the United Nations, which meant that it could be put to a vote under the rules of procedure.

Asked what the Council intended to discuss as far as the situation in Sudan was concerned, he replied that resolution 1556, which had been adopted by the Council, had established a 30-day deadline for the Secretary-General to inform the Council about progress (or lack thereof) in complying with that text.  The Council had just received a report to that effect, which had been introduced by Mr. Pronk.  Members of the Council had voiced their position on that document, and one delegation had said it intended to present a draft resolution on the matter.

He added that he did not yet know the contents of that document.  What was clear, however, was that the Council would have to revert to the matter in its deliberation.  One could assume that the whole set of questions arising out of resolution 1556 would have to be borne in mind when examining the likely draft.  One of the issues very prominent in Mr. Pronk’s presentation and in the discussion this morning had to do with the international presence in the zone in the care of the African Union and the possibility of enhancing that presence through United Nations assistance, as well as help of the international community in general.

On humanitarian assistance to the Sudan, he said that his vision was not pessimistic in that respect.  Although current humanitarian needs had not been fully met, some important contributions had been made by the United States, the European Union and other donors, and there were new efforts to generate additional resources.  More was needed, but the humanitarian assistance was improving.  Governments, international organizations and everyone in a position to help should increase their help so that all the needs could be met.

Some technical assistance to the African Union was already being provided by the United Nations, so that its presence could be increased according to the needs.  In terms of communications, transportation and other logistics needs, some governments had already expressed their willingness to help, at least in part.  It was also necessary to find resources to cover significant financial requirements, and some governments had announced their willingness to study the level of needs.  At present, there was a willingness on behalf of the donor community to meet the needs, but it was also necessary to ensure long-term sustainability of efforts.

Asked if any Asian countries were willing to provide assistance to the Sudan, Mr. Yáñez-Barnuevo said that he could not provide any details in that respect.  The Secretary-General and Mr. Pronk were making contacts with governments to make sure that the required capacity and contributions could be found, and announcements would be made in due time.

A correspondent asked if Mr. Yáñez-Barnuevo believed the world was safer on the eve of September 11 anniversary 10 days from today.  He replied that he was not an expert on the matter, but “a humble diplomat and a servant of the Council”.  What was clear was that the problem, threats and risks were there and that there were still many things to do in terms of reinforcing international cooperation and ensuring effective action by all concerned.  In that respect, the public meeting that the Council would hold on 13 September, hearing from the Chairman of the Committee on Al Qaida and the Taliban, would be very interesting.

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