Security Council

Welcoming the Secretary-General’s recommendations for continued action on the political, security and recovery tracks in embattled Somalia, the Security Council today authorized the African Union to maintain its mission there ‑‑ AMISOM ‑‑ until 31 January 2011 and asked it to increase its force strength, with a view to achieving the originally mandated target of 8,000 troops thus enhancing its ability to fully carry out its mandate.

With Israeli-Palestinian negotiations at an “extremely worrying impasse”, due largely to simmering tensions and frequent protests in East Jerusalem, ongoing deprivation in the Gaza Strip, and an uptick in militant rocket fire into Israel, a senior United Nations political official today warned the Security Council that the effort to forge a viable Middle East peace was seriously at risk.

On 25 January 2010, the Security Council Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee approved the amendments specified with strikethrough and underline in the 35 entries 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.

On 25 January 2010, the Security Council Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee approved the deletion (de-listing) of the five entries specified below from its Consolidated List. These de-listings are a result of the review of the Consolidated List called for in paragraph 25 of Security Council resolution 1822 (2008).

The senior United Nations official in Kosovo, briefing the Security Council today, called on the authorities in that territory and in Serbia, as well as on Kosovo Albanians and Kosovo Serbs, to work together on creating a multi-ethnic society, protecting cultural heritages and ensuring regional prosperity.

The long-awaited presidential election in Côte d'Ivoire could take place before mid-2010 if solutions could be found to key outstanding issues relating to the electoral list and the country’s reunification, Choi Young-Jin, the senior United Nations official in the country, said in a briefing to the Security Council this morning.

The Security Council this morning decided that the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) should make the necessary arrangements with the Government for its withdrawal by 15 May 2010, handing over any residual responsibilities in regard to its mandate of monitoring arms and armed personnel, as the 15-member body renewed the Mission’s mandate until that date.

On 19 January 2010, the Security Council Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee approved the addition of the three entries 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.

Recognizing the dire circumstances arising from last week’s devastating earthquake in Haiti, the Security Council endorsed this morning the Secretary-General’s recommendation to increase the force levels of the United Nations Mission there.

The following Security Council press statement on the Haiti earthquake was read out today by Council President Zhang Yesui (China):