Meetings Coverage

The Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations informed the Palestinian Rights Committee this morning that the Middle East Quartet had just minutes earlier released a statement inviting the Israeli and Palestinian sides to begin direct negotiations in Washington, D.C., on 2 September, aiming towards an agreement in one year.

The General Assembly today concluded its two-day discussion on providing urgent humanitarian assistance to flood-stricken Pakistan, with some 49 speakers taking the floor to urge drastically scaling up efforts to meet the United Nations’ $460 million flash appeal, coordinate aid distribution with the Pakistani authorities, and — from neighbouring countries that had experienced similar natural disasters — heed what was indeed a moral obligation to quickly address the unfolding human tragedy.

With the international community only now beginning to comprehend the true scope of the devastation in flood-ravaged Pakistan, the United Nations General Assembly today expressed full solidarity with the Pakistani people, as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for a massive scaling up of aid and warned that fallout from three weeks of flooding that had affected 15 million to 20 million people was likely to last for years.

“We are nearing a turning point in the efforts to promote direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians,” Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Oscar Fernandez-Taranco told the Security Council today, expressing the United Nations conviction that direct and meaningful talks was the only avenue to a comprehensive, sustainable solution to the decades-old conflict.

The Government of Chad had made significant strides towards assuming its responsibilities in civilian protection, but the sustainability of its specialized forces, as well as security in the north-east Central African Republic needed urgent attention as peacekeepers withdrew, a top United Nations official told the Security Council today.

The expansive “surge” of United Nations peacekeeping of past years had reached a plateau and the priority now was consolidation of existing missions and accelerating reforms, the Under-Secretary-General of Peacekeeping Operations said today, as he introduced briefings by five Force Commanders to the Security Council.

The Security Council this morning extended the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) for another year, until 31 July 2011, calling on Member States for continued support. Through the unanimous adoption of resolution 1936 (2010), the Council determined that the mandate of the Mission would remain unchanged, taking into account the request of the Iraqi Government, but expressed an intention to review the mandate in 12 months or sooner, if requested by the Government.

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq called on that country’s leaders to show a “higher sense of urgency” in forming a new Government through an inclusive process, while urging continued support for the country from the international community, as he addressed the Security Council this morning.

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Kosovo told the Security Council this afternoon that the issuance of the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the declaration of independence of that territory could end the deadlock in progress on outstanding issues which had held sway during the wait for the Court’s action.

The Security Council this morning renewed the mandate of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) for 12 months while demanding that the parties to the conflict in the region immediately end the fighting as well as attacks on civilians, peacekeepers and humanitarian personnel. Unanimously adopting resolution 1935 (2010), the Council extended the mandate until 31 July 2011, requesting UNAMID to develop a strategy to protect civilians and ensure humanitarian access.