Security Council

Despite the promise of reform contained in a spate of recently announced legislative and legal changes, in fact the crackdown against anti-Government protesters by Syrian authorities had dramatically intensified, a top United Nations political official told the Security Council today.

Calling on Morocco and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro (Polisario Front) to fully adhere to the military agreements reached with the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), the Security Council today extended that Mission’s mandate until 30 April 2012.

Considering the results of the referendum of Southern Sudan announced on 7 February and the request by the Government of Southern Sudan for a continued United Nations presence there, the Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) until 9 July 2011. Unanimously adopting resolution 1978 (2011), the Council also announced its intention to establish a mission to succeed UNMIS.

The Security Council expressed strong support today for efforts to further the peace processes in South Sudan and Darfur, while reiterating deep concern about obstacles and continuing violence in both regions and encouraging all parties concerned to engage with the United Nations on the Organization’s future presence in Sudan.

Unfortunately, the stalemate in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations had persisted over the past month and, with the state-building efforts of the Palestinians progressing, “bold and decisive steps” were needed to resolve the decades-old conflict, a top United Nations political official told the Security Council today.

With the Darfur peace process moving forward on two fronts — two-year-old negotiations in Doha, Qatar, and newly-launched broad-based political talks under way in Sudan — a senior peacekeeping official told the Security Council today that all efforts should be focused on reaching agreement through the upcoming “All Darfur Stakeholders Conference”, which would be an ideal venue for comprehensively addressing outstanding issues.

The Security Council today extended the mandate of the committee that monitors efforts to prevent weapons of mass destruction from falling into the hands of terrorists and other non-State actors — the so-called 1540 Committee — for 10 years, until 25 April 2021. Unanimously adopting resolution 1977 (2011), the Council requested the Secretary-General to establish a group of up to eight experts to assist the Committee, known formally as the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004).

Following the successful completion of the Southern Sudan self-determination referendum, it was imperative to quickly overcome remaining challenges in implementing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, a senior peacekeeping official told the Security Council today.

Civilian protection initiatives, such as in Libya, would not be comprehensive unless they systematically included “efforts to end sexual violence before it has begun”, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict told the Security Council today. “Even in the ‘tyranny of the emergency’, before hard evidence emerges, and though it may not be obvious what gender has to do with ‘arms embargoes’ or ‘no-fly zones’, we must remember women,” Margot Wallström said.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Néstor Osorio (Colombia):