Security Council: Meetings Coverage

While Libyan authorities and opposition leaders remained far from agreement, a nascent negotiation process had started and “must be given space to grow and bear fruit”, the top United Nations political affairs official told the Security Council today as he called for a clear, consistent and coherent message on a political solution.

Warning that illicit drugs and organized criminal networks were wreaking havoc in many countries — even holding hostage the stability and development of entire regions — the top United Nations anti-drugs and crime official told the Security Council today that tackling those scourges required “urgent action” supported by a coordinated response, led by the world body.

Reiterating the need for a comprehensive strategy to foster peace and stability in Somalia, the Security Council called today on the signatories of the 9 June Kampala Accord to honour their obligations under that agreement and ensure “cohesion, unity and focus” in completing the transitional tasks set forth in the Djibouti Agreement and the Transitional Charter.

There had been three new alleged violations of the international sanctions imposed on Iran in relation to its nuclear programme, the Chair of the Committee created to monitor the implementation of those measures reported today, as several concerned Security Council members urged Tehran to scale back the activities in dispute and seek a diplomatic solution.

Worried about the dangerous standstill in the Israeli-Palestinian political process, the top United Nations political official today encouraged the leaders of both sides to “respond positively” to last month’s speech by United States President Barack Obama in order to move the peace talks forward.

The head of the year-old United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU) briefed the Security Council today on efforts under way to broaden the strategic partnership between the two organizations on a range of shared issues, including on peacekeeping and post-conflict peacebuilding, and on raising the world body’s profile as a vital partner for capacity-building with African regional entities.

Citing the “incalculable” human and commercial costs of piracy off the Somali coast, as well as the escalating violence and expanding geographic scope of pirate attacks, the top United Nations legal official today presented the Security Council with detailed options for establishing specialized courts to try suspects in Somalia and the wider Horn of Africa region.

Northern and Southern Sudan today signed an agreement to pull their troops out of the disputed central Abyei region, scene of fierce fighting over the past few weeks, African Union mediator Thabo Mbeki announced as he urged the Security Council to move quickly to ensure implementation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the two sides.

Recognizing that some members of the Taliban in Afghanistan had rejected the terrorist ideology of Al-Qaida and joined in the Government reconciliation process, the Security Council this afternoon decided to separate the sanctions regime on the two groups, as it created an additional mechanism to manage the new regime and extended existing ones for an additional 18 months.

The African Union will never hide from its responsibilities in helping resolve the conflict in Libya and the “time was overdue to articulate a solution together” that would protect civilians, ensure a democratic transformation and promote lasting peace, the representative of a high-level panel from the organization told the Security Council today.