Status Update
Recent developments on the situations covered in this Forecast are addressed in the relevant briefs. Interesting developments on other issues in the Council during November included:
Counter Terrorism: On 12 November Chairmen of the three subsidiary bodies dealing with terrorism briefed the Council (S/PV.6015). The Council was told the Committees had increased their cooperation with each other and their experts were working towards a strategy for cooperation with key international, regional and subregional organisations and relevant UN bodies.
International Court of Justice: On 6 November, the General Assembly and the Security Council elected five judges to serve nine-year terms on the ICJ, starting February 2009. In the first round of voting in both the Assembly and Council, Ronny Abraham of France and Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh of Jordan were re-elected, and Christopher Greenwood of the UK and Antônio Augusto Cançado Trindade were elected. After several subsequent rounds of voting, Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf of Somalia was also elected.
Nepal: The Council held an open meeting on the situation in Nepal on 7 November (S/PV.6013). Ian Martin, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative to Nepal and head of the UN Mission there introduced the Secretary-General’s report of 24 October (S/2008/670) and briefed on the Secretary-General’s trip to Nepal and developments there. Martin indicated that as it was unlikely that the integration and rehabilitation of former combatants would be completed by January 2009, UNMIN might need an extension beyond 23 January. Following the open meeting the Council held consultations on Nepal. The president of the Council, in his remarks to the press, said that the Council reaffirmed support for the peace process and welcomed progress made so far. It also urged the government and other political parties to “work together in the spirit of compromise” to expedite the peace process and take decisions which would allow UNMIN to carry out its work.
Collective Security and Armament Regulation: On 19 November Costa Rica, as president of the Council in November, organised an open debate on “Maintenance of International Peace and Security: strengthening collective security through general regulation and reduction of armaments” (please see our 14 November Update for more details). The debate was presided over by Costa Rica’s President Oscar Arias. Sergio Duarte, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, gave a briefing (S/PV.6017and resumption 1). After the debate the Council adopted a presidential statement reaffirming that disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control are necessary to strengthen international peace and security, noting the link between disarmament and development, expressing concern at increasing global military expenditures and urging states to devote resources to economic and social development. It also stressed the importance of an effective multilateral system, expressed support for all measures adopted by governments to reduce military expenditures and underlined the importance of promoting norms setting. Finally, it called on member states, regional organisations and the UN to make more efforts to strengthen international and regional cooperation in arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament through further implementation, development and strengthening of relevant agreements (S/PRST/2008/43).
Côte d’Ivoire: At press time a new date for the polls previously scheduled for 30 November had not yet been set. The Council had issued a presidential statement (S/PRST/2008/42) on 7 November expressing concern about the delay of the elections, and urged the parties in the country to take immediate, concrete and credible steps towards holding elections before the end of spring 2009.
Kosovo: The Council was briefed by the Secretary-General’s Special Representation and head of UNMIK, Lamberto Zannier on 26 November 2008. The Secretary-General’s report which was circulated on 25 November (S/2008/692) indicated that while Kosovo did not accept the six-point plan of action for administering northern Kosovo which Serbia has accepted, it was “willing to cooperate with EULEX”. At press time a draft presidential statement was on the table for possible adoption on 26 November. It would note the Secretary-General’s report welcoming the intentions of Belgrade and Pristina “to cooperate with the international position” and the cooperation between the UN and other international actors within the framework of resolution 1244.
