PRESS CONFERENCE BY SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT

PRESS CONFERENCE BY SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT

In a short Headquarters press conference concerning the “month ahead” in the Security Council, the President of that body for the month of September, Lauro L. Baja ( Philippines), today referred correspondents to the Council’s programme of work adopted following consultations this morning.

Aside from a number of meetings and consultations on the “regular” subjects on the Council’s calendar, including functioning of peacekeeping missions and the situation in various parts of the world, a high-level meeting on “Threats to International Peace and Security” was being planned for 14 September.

Responding to a related question, Mr. Baja said that following consultations, it had been agreed that members of the Council should take advantage of the presence of heads of State and government in New York for the World Summit on 14-16 September and the Assembly’s general debate immediately thereafter to hold that meeting.  In that regard, the Council was now considering a draft resolution on prevention of incitement to terrorism and a draft resolution on prevention of conflict, particularly in Africa.  (See Press Release SC/8490.)

Asked if the British proposal on terrorism was supposed to be an alternative to “coming up with the definition of what terrorism is”, he said that the question should probably be addressed to the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom.

To a request to bring correspondents up to date on what had been going on in connection with the issue of terrorism within “the core group”, he said that he had not been involved in the discussion of the outcome document in that context and was not in a position to brief the press on that matter.

When a correspondent asked him to comment on the issue as the President of the Council, Mr. Baja replied that he had presided over the first meeting in his new capacity today.  The Council had not “really gone into that matter”.  Maybe in the coming days, he would be able to provide an answer to the question.

To a query regarding the report of the Independent Investigative Commission headed by Detlev Mehlis, Mr. Baja said that it was possible that it would be released this month, but it was not definite yet.  For that reason, the draft programme had a footnote on Lebanon.

Asked if a meeting or report on resolution 1559 was scheduled for September, he replied that it was not.  He believed that a report was due to be released next month.

To a question about the scheduled meetings on the Sudan and the Middle East, he said that the Middle East was a regular item in the monthly calendar of Security Council meetings.  On the Sudan, a Secretary-General’s report on the United Nations Mission in that country was scheduled to come out on 14 September, and the Council was expected to hold consultations on 21 September.  The formal meeting on the Sudan was scheduled for 23 September.

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For information media • not an official record