Security Council

Strongly condemning last night’s attack that killed the United States Ambassador to Libya, the top United Nations political official warned the Security Council today that the horrific event was evidence of a persistent security vacuum and a sobering reminder of the many serious challenges that must be confronted by all those committed to supporting the North African country’s transformation.

The Security Council, welcoming the preparations in Sierra Leone for the presidential, parliamentary and local elections on 17 November, and underlining their importance as a “key benchmark” for peace consolidation in the West African country, extended the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office there until 31 March 2013 to, along with its other key tasks, assist the Government in the run-up to that potentially transformational event.

With Liberia on the verge of becoming “a true success story”, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council this afternoon that the Organization’s peacekeeping mission in the country must walk a delicate balance: applauding achievements and pulling back its support, while continuing to complement the Government’s efforts in security sector reform, national reconciliation, border control and other areas crucial to ensuring lasting peace.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Peter Wittig (Germany):

Given the complexity in Sierra Leone of holding presidential, parliamentary and local council elections on the same date, in November, their successful conduct would demonstrate the maturity of the country’s political leadership and institutions, as well as the consolidation of its democratic process, the Security Council was told this morning in a briefing on the situation.

On 12 August 2012, the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) approved the deletion (delisting) of the entry specified below from the Al-Qaida Sanctions List. The assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo set out in paragraph 1 of Security Council resolution 1989 (2011) therefore no longer apply to the following entry:

Forging greater ties between the United Nations and the League of Arab States to address Middle East turmoil and working closely with their new Joint Special Representative on the crisis in Syria would be among the top priorities of the Security Council in September, the Permanent Representative of Germany, whose delegation holds the Council’s rotating presidency for this month, said today.

The Security Council today condemned and called for an immediate halt to aerial bombardments, harbouring or otherwise supporting rebel groups, cross-border military movements and other violations of its resolution 2046 (2012) on the part of Sudan and South Sudan.

Condemning in the strongest terms attacks against personnel of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), and reiterating its calls for the rapid finalization of that country’s investigation into three 2011 attacks on the mission, the Security Council today extended its mandate for one year, until 31 August 2013.