Security Council press statement on Central African Republic

The following Security Council press statement on the Central African Republic was read out today by Council President Zalmay Khalilzad ( United States):

The members of the Security Council heard a briefing by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. François Lonseny Fall, on the situation in the Central African Republic.

The members of the Security Council welcomed the comprehensive peace agreement of 21 June signed in Libreville between the Central African Republic authorities, the Armée populaire pour la restauration de la démocratie (APRD) and the Union des forces démocratiques pour le rassemblement (UFDR).  The members of the Security Council called on all other political-military groups in the country to join the comprehensive peace agreement.

The members of the Security Council commended President Omar Bongo Ondimba of Gabon and Colonel Muammar Al-Qadhafi of Libya for the assistance they provided to the parties in order to reach the comprehensive peace agreement and the agreements of Sirte (February 2007), Birao (April 2007) and Libreville (May 2008).

The members of the Security Council called upon the Government and the rebel movements to implement fully these agreements and to convene, as soon as possible, the inclusive political dialogue.

The members of the Security Council underlined that the overall political, security and socio-economic situation in the Central African Republic remains fragile and that further efforts are needed to fight poverty, insecurity, human rights violations and impunity.

The members of the Security Council expressed their appreciation for the deployment of the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) and the European Union operation (EUFOR) in the north-eastern part of the country, as well as for the decision of the Economic Community of the Central African States (ECCAS) to assume the overall political and operational command of the subregional multinational force (FOMUC).

The members of the Security Council welcomed the inclusion of the Central African Republic on the agenda of the Peacebuilding Commission and the creation of a country specific configuration chaired by Belgium.  They expressed the view that, in order to support this work effectively, they would request the Secretary-General to make recommendations on how the mandate given to the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office in the Central African Republic (BONUCA) and to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, as well as the configuration of BONUCA and the United Nations country team, should be revised.

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For information media • not an official record