The Security Council today failed to adopt a draft resolution calling for Israel, within three years, to withdraw from Palestinian territory occupied since 1967 and, within one year, for the parties to reach a negotiated solution to the conflict.
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Mahamat Zene Cherif (Chad):
Concerted action by the international community was needed following a Human Rights Council report on appalling, systematic abuses in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, high United Nations officials told the Security Council today, following a procedural vote of 11 in favour to 2 against (China, Russian Federation), with 2 abstentions (Chad, Nigeria) that put the situation on the body’s agenda.
The Security Council had rallied to consensus on several important issues in December, the Permanent Representative of Chad and President of that body said in a monthly wrap-up meeting, as members stressed the need to press ahead on issues and areas where they had failed to produce results.
During an all-day open debate presided over by the Foreign Minister of Chad, the Security Council called for international action to prevent terrorists from benefiting from transnational organized crime, through securing borders and prosecuting illicit networks.
On 19 December 2014, the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 751 (1992) and 1907 (2009) concerning Somalia and Eritrea approved the removal of the individual specified below from the List of individuals and entities subject to the travel ban, assets freeze and targeted arms embargo imposed by paragraphs 1, 3 and 7 of resolution 1844 (2008).
The Security Council this morning renewed the mandate of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), which has supervised the ceasefire between Israel and Syria since 1974, for an additional next sixth months, until 30 June 2015.
As negotiations between the permanent five members of the Security Council plus Germany, known as the P5+1, and Iran continued, measures imposed against that country remained in full effect and States had an obligation to implement them fully, the Chair of the 1737 Committee told the 15-member body today.
In two separate resolutions this afternoon, the Security Council decided to extend the term of office of judges of the International Tribunals handling serious crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda in the early 1990s, while requesting both courts to complete their work as expeditiously as possible.
Fresh from its first peaceful transfer of power from one elected leader to another, Afghanistan had made “significant” progress on its path towards a stable future, the United Nations top official in the Central Asian country told the Security Council today, encouraging the new unity Government to appoint a merit-based Cabinet, address budgetary pressures and launch its “ambitious” new programme of governance reforms.
