Status Update
Somalia: In a press statement on 31 August (SC/10019) the Council condemned the attack on the presidential palace in Mogadishu on 30 August, which resulted in the death of four peacekeepers of AMISOM. On 16 September the Secretary-General’s new Special Representative for Somalia, Augustine Mahiga, gave his first briefing to the Council (S/PV.6386). Mahiga emphasised the need for unity and cohesion among Somali leaders to address the insurgency and advance the peace process and, noting that only 11 months remained until the end of the transitional period, called on both the Somali government and the international community to strengthen their efforts. In regards to AMISOM Mahiga said the AU Peace and Security Council would soon submit to the Council a request for authorisation of increased troop levels. The Secretary-General’s latest report on Somalia (S/2010/447) was issued on 9 September.
Liberia: On 8 September the Council was briefed on developments in Liberia by Ellen Løj, the Head of UNMIL. On 15 September the Council extended the mandate of UNMIL for another year (S/RES/1938).
International Court of Justice: On 9 September the Council elected Joan E. Donoghue (US) to replace Judge Thomas Buergenthal, for the remainder of his term until 5 February 2015 (S/PV.6381). Buergenthal resigned from the ICJ on 6 September 2010. (The General Assembly also independently elected Donoghue in accordance with the ICJ statute.)
Terrorism: On 10 September the Council issued a press statement (SC/10025) condemning the terrorist bombing that took place in Vladikavkaz, Russian Federation the previous day. The bombing killed over a dozen people.
Iran: On 15 September the chair of the 1737 Committee on Iran sanctions, Ambassador Tsuneo Nishida of Japan, informed the Council in a briefing that he expected that the panel of experts established by resolution 1929 would be appointed in the near future (S/PV.6384). He also expressed regret that the Committee had so far received only 36 reports from member states on their implementation of resolution 1929. (The resolution called on states to report to the Committee within sixty days on the steps they had taken to implement its provisions.) In statements following the briefing, France, the UK and the US emphasised Iran’s continued noncompliance with Council resolutions. China and Russia stressed the importance of dialogue and negotiation in resolving questions related to the country’s nuclear programme.
Middle East: On 17 September Robert Serry, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, briefed the Council on the direct Israeli-Palestinian talks that resumed in Washington DC on 2 September and reaffirmed the UN position that Israeli settlement activity in the occupied territories is illegal under international law (S/PV.6388). A 21 September Quartet statement strongly supported direct talks and commended the Israeli settlement moratorium and urged its continuation (SG/2162). On 26 September the moratorium had expired and building in settlements had restarted. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who has previously said he would quit talks if settlement activity was renewed, is expected to consult with the Arab League on 6 October.
West Africa (Guinea): On 17 September Council members were briefed during informal consultations by Tayé-Brook Zerihoun, the Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, on the situation in Guinea. The Council subsequently issued a press statement expressing concern about the violent political clashes that occurred on 11 and 12 September in that country. The Council expressed regret about the postponement of the second round of presidential elections and urged the Guinean government to ensure a calm and peaceful electoral environment (SC/10035).
Summit Meeting: On 23 September the Council held a summit meeting on the maintenance of international peace and security (S/PV.6389). Turkey, which holds the presidency of the Council for September, initiated this meeting and circulated a concept paper beforehand (S/2010/461). It was attended by nine heads of state and government and six ministers. At the end of the meeting Council members adopted a presidential statement (S/PRST/2010/18) where they reaffirmed that international peace and security required a more comprehensive and coherent approach. They also pledged to continue to adapt and strengthen preventive diplomacy, peacemaking, peacekeeping and peacebuilding to changing circumstances. Other areas that were stressed include the importance of addressing the root causes of conflict and strengthening strategic partnerships with regional and subregional organisations and other relevant players.
Counter-Terrorism: On 27 September, at the initiative of Council president Turkey, the Council held a thematic meeting (S/PV.6390) on counterterrorism and adopted a presidential statement on the matter (S/PRST/2010/19). The statement underlined the need to address the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism, recognising that development, peace and security and human rights are interlinked and mutually reinforcing. The statement also stressed the importance of assisting victims of terrorism. The Council expressed concern at the increase in incidences of kidnapping with the aim of raising funds or gaining political concessions, called on states to improve cooperation to prevent the movement of terrorist groups to and from their territories and encouraged the Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC) and its Executive Directorate (CTED) to continue facilitating technical assistance to states, in particular in close cooperation within the Counter Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF).The statement reiterated the need to enhance cooperation among the Council’s counterterrorism committees (the 1267 Committee on Al-Qaida and Taliban sanctions, the 1373 Committee or CTC and the 1540 Committee on weapons of mass destruction and terrorism) and recalled the Council’s request that the Secretary-General make the necessary arrangements for the committees’ expert groups to be co-located as soon as possible. The Council also reiterated its support for the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and the institutionalisation of CTITF and encouraged member states to conclude negotiations of a comprehensive convention on international terrorism.
Sierra Leone: On 28 September the Council was briefed on developments in Sierra Leone by Michael von der Schulenburg, the head of UNIPSIL. The Secretary-General’s report on UNIPSIL was issued on 17 September (S/2010/471). On 29 September the Council lifted the sanctions that it had imposed on Sierra Leone in response to the civil war in the 1990’s (S/RES/1940) and extended the mandate of UNIPSIL for another year (S/RES/1941).
