Welcoming the conclusion of a peaceful registration process for the Southern Sudan referendum planned for 9 January 2011, the Security Council today urged the parties to the peace process there to fulfil their remaining commitments, quickly reach agreement on outstanding issues and maintain peace and human rights, no matter what the outcome.

On 15 December 2010, the Committee approved the changes specified with strike-through and underline in the thirteen 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 17 December 2010, the Security Council Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee approved the deletion (de-listing) of the entry specified below from its Consolidated List. The assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo set out in paragraph 1 of Security Council resolution 1904 (2009) therefore no longer apply to the following individual:

“Women now are watching and waiting,” Margot Wallström, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, told the Security Council today as it concluded its debate on that subject. Pledging not to rest until sexual violence in conflict situations had been eliminated, she said that, with the Council’s unanimous adoption of resolution 1960 (2010) yesterday, the tools to end it were available and now they must be used.

The Security Council today renewed for 12 months its arms embargo on Liberia and its travel ban on persons deemed threatening to the country’s peace process.

Following is a transcript of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s press conference held in New York today, 17 December:

Recognizing that major changes had occurred in Iraq since its 1990 invasion of Kuwait, the Security Council today returned control of mineral exports to that country’s Government, ended the oil-for-food programme and lifted restrictions on programmes for the development of nuclear energy.

The international community must apply innovative thinking to reduce tensions generated by critical election processes in West Africa, Said Djinnit, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the United Nations Office in the subregion told the Security Council today.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Susan Rice (United States):

The following statement was issued on 18 December by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: