Eritrea/Ethiopia border issue on Security Council’s July agenda
UN
News, UN- 2 July, 2004. July would be
an intense month for the Security Council, Mihnea Ioan Motoc (Romania), its
President for this month, said at a Headquarters press briefing this afternoon.
Briefing
correspondent on the Council’s July work programme, he said with regard to his
own region that the mandate of the multinational Stabilization Force (SFOR) in
Bosnia and Herzegovina would expire on 11 July and the Council had to consider
the European Union’s upcoming take-over of that task from the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO). Mandate extensions for the United Nations
Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) and the United Nations Interim
Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) would come up at the end of the month.
The
Council would also address many issues concerning Africa as the African Union
was holding its annual summit meeting from 6 to 8 July, he continued.
During consultations on 7 July, Secretary-General Kofi Annan would brief the
Council on his visit to the region, including Sudan, Chad, Ethiopia and Eritrea
and the African Union Summit. Jan Egeland,Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian
Affairs, and Kieran Prendergast, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs,
would also brief Council members. In addition, they would hear a more
comprehensive briefing on the Council’s recent mission to West Africa,
following a preliminary one on 30 June.
Also
in consultations, he said, the Council would consider the situations in the
Central African Republic, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Côte
d’Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the mandate of the
United Nations Organization Mission there (MONUC) was due to expire at the end
of the month. The mandate of the Group of Experts and the arms embargo
imposed on that country were due to expire at the same time.
Highlighting
a public meeting scheduled for 20 July on the relationship between the United
Nations and regional organizations, he said Romanian Prime Minister Adrian Nãstase would preside. It was hoped
that representatives of regional and subregional organizations from all the
continents would attend. The format would be a substantive, interactive
debate whose outcome could also be useful to the High-Level Panel established
by the Secretary-General to look into today’s threats and possible collective
responses. Since Mexico had introduced that topic in 2003, that country’s
Foreign Minister was also invited.
He
said that a public meeting on 19 July would address threats to international
peace and security caused by terrorist acts. Alexander
Konuzin, (Russian Federation), Chairman of the Counter-Terrorism
Committee, would give a briefing. The Council
was also expected to hear from Javier Ruperez, Executive Director of the
Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate.
Regarding the Middle East, he said that Terje Roed-Larsen, Special
Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, would brief the Council on the
situation in that region on 13 July. Elsewhere, Iraq was in the first
month after the transfer of sovereignty, and the coming period would be crucial
to the country’s future. Depending on developments, the Council remained
open to determining the way in which it could contribute to the expectations of
the Iraqi people, in line with resolution 1546 (2004).
He said reports were expected on the follow-up to the “Rule of
Law” debate of 24 September 2003, an initiative of the United Kingdom, as well
as on Haiti, Burundi and Afghanistan.
Responding to questions on Sudan, Mr. Motoc said a draft
resolution on that subject was being circulated, but he had no indications
regarding a time frame. The Sudan would be addressed during the
Secretary-General’s briefing on 7 July.
Asked why Sudan was not officially on the Council’s agenda, he
replied that a resolution had already been adopted that addressed the
possibility of dispatching a mission to that country. A presidential statement
had explained how the Council was treating the issue so far.
Regarding Iraq, he said that Romania, both as a participant in the
stabilization force and a contributor to reconstruction efforts, had a great
stake in the success of the Interim Government. The trial of the
country’s former ruler indicated that “the rule of law is marching on” and the
Interim Government had full authority, as stipulated in resolution 1546 (2004).
He
could not comment on reports that Salman Haider would be appointed the Secretary-General’s
Special Representative to Iraq.
In response to a question about a timetable for the drawing down
of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), he said the Council
was awaiting a report on that country in order to review the options available.
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Unlimited, high
