Security Council: No name

It was a moment of “heightened risks across multiple fronts” in the Middle East, the United Nations political chief told the Security Council today, saying it was time to end the conflict and the occupation that had scarred the lives of far too many Israelis and Palestinians for far too long, as well as reverse the destructive military spiral in Syria that “churns more forcefully each day and threatens to pull its neighbours, most notably, Lebanon, into its vortex”.

On 22 February 2013, the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) approved the addition of the entry specified below to its Al-Qaida Sanctions List of individuals and entities subject to the assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo set out in paragraph 1 of Security Council resolution 2083 (2012) adopted under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations.

The following Security Council press statement was issued on 24 February by Council President Kim Sook (Republic of Korea):

On 21 February 2013, the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) approved the addition of the two entries specified below to its Al-Qaida Sanctions List of individuals and entities subject to the assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo set out in paragraph 1 of Security Council resolution 2083 (2012) adopted under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations.

On 21 February 2013, the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) approved the deletion (de-listing) of the entry specified below from the Al-Qaida Sanctions List. Subject to paragraph 32 of Security Council resolution 2083 (2012), the assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo set out in paragraph 1 of the same resolution no longer apply to the entry set out below.

Painting a troubling picture of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where an ever-growing number of violent, destructive rebel groups was battling for territory while terrorizing local populations, the top United Nations official in the country appealed to the Security Council today urgently to consider authorizing an additional military brigade to help the overstretched peacekeeping mission there deal with a “daunting array” of challenges.

Stressing that the complex situation facing Guinea-Bissau undermined the smooth functioning of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office there (UNIOGBIS), as well as that of the Peacebuilding Commission, the Security Council today extended the mission’s current mandate for just three months to give the Secretary-General time to assess the situation on the ground and make recommendations, by 30 April, on its possible realignment.

The Security Council today welcomed the recent announcement by Yemen’s President of the launch of the National Dialogue Conference for 18 March, but expressed concern over reports of interference in the country’s transition by individuals of the former regime, the former opposition, and others, including the country’s former President and Vice-President, as well as over reports of money and weapons being brought in from outside to undermine the transition.

The Security Council this morning, as it was briefed by a top United Nations political official on the recent transformation in Somalia and the daunting challenges ahead, was told by the country’s Deputy Prime Minister that the Somali people, for the first time in more than two decades, spoke of new hopes, optimism and confidence, as well as strong faith in the new developments in the country.

Expressing concern that some technical assistance to Sudan could be used for military purposes by the Government, the Security Council today unanimously adopted a resolution that extended until 17 February 2014 the mandate of the Panel of Experts that monitors the arms embargo and sanctions against those impeding peace in Sudan.