The Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1521 (2003) concerning Liberia today decided to remove the name of the following individual from the list of individuals subject to the travel restrictions imposed by paragraph 4 (a) of resolution 1521 (2003) (the travel ban list) and the list of individuals and entities subject to the measures imposed by paragraph 1 of resolution 1532 (2004) (the assets freeze list):

The Security Council today renewed the mandate of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), which has supervised the ceasefire between Israel and Syria since 1974, for the next six months until 30 June 2010.

The Security Council today renewed for 12 months its travel ban on persons deemed to be a threat to the peace in Liberia and readjusted its arms embargo to allow the Liberian Government, as well as the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the country, to receive certain military materiel for the same time period.

Emphasizing the need for the international community to maintain its support for peace consolidation and long-term development in Burundi, the Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Office in that country, known as BINUB, for one year, until 31 December 2010.

Israel, the Palestinians and a revitalized diplomatic Quartet must do more in concert to avert a backward slide in peace efforts, Robert Serry, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, told the Security Council today.

The Security Council today adopted new measures to fine-tune its decade-old sanctions regime imposed on Al-Qaida, Usama bin Laden and the Taliban, including through the establishment of an ombudsperson who could mediate requests from individuals, organizations and companies to be taken off the sanctions list.

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

With the United Nations poised to spend $599 million on 27 special political missions in 2010, including two large missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, speakers in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today called for greater accuracy in budget projections, as well as greater clarity on the rationale used to decide the type, size and scope of each mission.

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

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks to the Informal High-Level Event convened by the Prime Minister of Denmark: