PRESS CONFERENCE BY SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT

 

In the usual practice of briefing correspondents on the Security Council’s work programme for the month, the Council President for March, Cesar Mayoral ( Argentina), today emphasized the importance of transparency, as he drew attention to scheduled talks on the Sudan, the Middle East, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Ambassador Mayoral said he also hoped there would be an open debate on the situation in Haiti, once President-elect René Garcia Préval was confirmed.  That was a very important issue for Argentina, for Latin America as a whole, and for the international community.  Last January, his delegation had organized a public debate on Haiti, and it wished to do the same this month, probably on the 27^th, once the country had a confirmed President.

Also important, were the public meetings scheduled for the 30^th on the Middle East, and the 14^th on Afghanistan.  Three possible meetings were on the calendar for the Sudan:  the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) would brief on the 8^th; consultations would take place on the 13^th; and there would be an open briefing on the 21^st.  The Council would hold an open debate on small arms on the 20^th, with the aim of adopting a resolution at the conclusion of the discussion.  Last year, the President had issued a statement.

Last but not least, the Council would convene an open briefing on Liberia on the 17^th, at which it would welcome the participation of that country’s President, and Africa’s first elected female Head of State, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

Responding to a series of questions about whether the Council expected to have the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohamed ElBaradei, to report on Iran following the Agency’s meeting on 6 March, Mr. Mayoral noted that “non-proliferation” appeared in the calendar’s footnote, and could be discussed, in consultations, during the week of the 6^th.  As to whether the Council had invited Mr. ElBaradei to report to it, he said that, no, adding, however, that if the Director General would like the come, “the door was open”.  

Asked if he had any comment on the “nuclear deal” reached today between India and the United States, he said he had no information on that.

Replying to a question about whether the Council planned to discuss the election of the next United Nations Secretary-General, he said that Ambassador Bolton had started informal consultations on that in February, and those could continue, but it was still very far from the election date.

As to whether he would continue the daily briefings and begin meetings or consultations promptly at 10 a.m., he said he would try to be punctual, but that depended on the needs of the other members.  He did not plan to hold daily briefings, however, because there was a lot to discuss this month.

On the Sudan, he was asked if the Council planned to adopt a list of persons violating the arms embargo.  He said that depended on the outcome of the three meetings, adding that the experts were starting to discuss the resolution.

To further questions, he said he did not think that the consultations on the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) on the 16^th would lead to its “disbanding”, and when Serge Brammertz, the lead investigator of the United Nations International Independent Investigation Commission established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1595 (2005), briefed the Council on the 16^th, he would be presenting his report.

Concerning the public meeting on Iraq scheduled for the 15^th, a correspondent said that, when other countries descended into civil war, the Council had put forth ideas.  In the absence of such ideas, he asked if Iraq was a “special case”, to which the Ambassador replied, “if you like”.

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For information media • not an official record