Security Council

In order to facilitate what it called urgently needed humanitarian assistance in Somalia, the Security Council decided this morning to ease its assets freeze on the beleaguered Horn of Africa nation for 16 months.

With the election process gearing up and refugees flooding in from neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire, the increasingly complex situation in Liberia required sustained international attention, even though progress continued, Ellen Margrethe Løj, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, said today in a briefing to the Security Council.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Li Baodong (China):

On 10 March 2011, the Security Council Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee approved the addition of the entry specified below to its Consolidated List of individuals and entities subject to the assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo set out in paragraph 1 of Security Council resolution 1904 (2009) adopted under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations.

Stressing the need for a comprehensive strategy to encourage the establishment of peace and stability in Somalia through the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders, the Security Council called today for an increased United Nations presence and greater coherence of the Organization’s activities in the country.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Li Baodong (China):

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Li Baodong (China):

The Security Council this morning requested the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) to withdraw the military personnel that have been providing security for the Special Court for Sierra Leone, as it decided to end the authorization for that deployment.

A comprehensive strategy for Somalia and newly emergent crises in Africa would be among the priority issues to be considered during China’s March presidency of the Security Council, that country’s Permanent Representative told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference. “We cannot have a piecemeal solution,” Li Baodong said of Somalia, which would be the subject of an open debate on 10 March. He said that the situation remained very disturbing and deserved constant attention.

The Security Council today welcomed the first report of the Ombudsperson charged with aiding in the consideration of requests by individuals and organizations seeking removal from the list created by the Council’s Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee.