Security Council: No name

The Security Council held a discussion today with the military commanders of key United Nations peacekeeping operations in Africa and the Middle East, who highlighted their strategies for overcoming the challenges they faced in unpredictable settings impacted by everything from sporadic armed conflict and unfriendly local populations, to lingering political tensions, long–term humanitarian needs and inclement weather.

Determining that the situation in Côte d’Ivoire remained a threat to international peace and security in the region, the Security Council decided today to extend until 31 July 2012 the mandate of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the West African country. Unanimously adopting resolution 2000 (2011), the 15-nation body also decided to maintain the strength of the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) at 9,792 military troops, 1,350 police officers and 8 customs officers.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Peter Wittig (Germany):

Without a credible path out of the profound, persistent deadlock in the Middle East peace process, coupled with far-reaching steps on the ground, theviability of the two-State solution and the Palestinian Authority’s state-building agenda was in jeopardy, the Secretary-General’s Personal Representative warned today.

The following Security Council statement was issued today by Council President Peter Wittig (Germany):

At its thirty-first meeting, on 22 June 2011, the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict agreed, in connection with the consideration of the second report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in the Central African Republic (document S/2011/241), to address the following message to all parties to the conflict in the Central African Republic, through public statements by the Chairman of the Working Group:

The following Security Council press statement was issued on 23 July by Council President Peter Wittig (Germany):

The United Nations top political official in Darfur this morning hailed last week’s signing of a road map for peace in Darfur by the Sudanese Government and the opposition Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM), but warned today in a briefing to the Security Council that an enabling environment still must be created to ensure sustainable peace and stability in the strife-torn region.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Peter Wittig (Germany):

In a wide-ranging press conference at Headquarters today, Michael Williams, United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, assessed the progress and setbacks in the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006), saying that major issues — including the existence of arms outside State control, their use as a political instrument and Israel’s presence in the border village of Ghajar — must be tackled in order for Lebanon to exercise full sovereignty over its territory.