Update Reports
Supplementary reports issued throughout the month on emerging or developing situations being addressed by the Security Council.
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The Security Council has finalised the appointments of its 2006 chairpersons to Council subsidiary bodies, sanctions committees and working groups on 4 January. Chairpersons for the Informal Working Group on General Issues related to Sanctions and for the Informal Working Group on Documentation and other Procedural Issues was agreed on 31 January.
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Presidential Elections in Haiti, most recently scheduled for 8 January, have been postponed for the fourth time, on the grounds that a significant number of registered voters had not yet received their electoral identification cards. Haitian officials said the OAS and the UN were responsible for the failure of the distribution of the cards.
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Council action on Guinea Bissau in December had a number of curious procedural features—the outcome of which may cause some negative ripples amongst countries outside the Council who follow the issue.
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On 27 July, the Security Council convened in a private meeting on Zimbabwe under Rule 48 of the Provisional Rules of Procedure. Although private, the meeting was an official meeting of the Council, as opposed to the unofficial "informal consultations," which are always closed. This was unusual in several respects.
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The Council is expected to renew the sanctions regime and the mandate of the Panel of Experts on sanctions in Liberia before the end of December.
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Myanmar has been a source of growing concern among UN members since 1990, when the country's military regime lost the first multiparty election held in nearly three decades. The National League for Democracy (NLD), which won 80 percent of the parliamentary seats in the 1990 poll, was prevented by the regime from assuming power.
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A Council mission visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in early November. The mission had two goals: reinforce the transitional process in the DRC, especially the constitutional referendum on December 18, and maintain the momentum towards the elections in June 2006; and assess the future options for the Council including the levers available such as sanctions and the need for compliance with the arms embargo in helping to secure the disarmament, reintegration and repatriation of fighters in the country.
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We expect that the Council will revisit the situation in December upon receipt of the report of the Secretary-General. Should Eritrea fail to lift the restrictions against UNMEE and both parties fail to redeploy troops, we expect that the Council will seriously consider sanctions under Article 41 of the Charter, including possibly revamping the arms embargo.
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On 30 November the Council adopted a Presidential Statement urging the parties in Côte d’Ivoire to comply promptly with previous Council decisions, in particular, that a compromise candidate should be selected for the position of Prime Minister as soon as possible.
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The Council is expected to adopt a resolution soon, mandating the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) to apprehend Charles Taylor if he enters Liberia.
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The Council adopted Resolution 1640 on 23 November, demanding that Eritrea lifts the restrictions imposed against the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) and that both parties redeploy their troops. The Secretary-General is expected to report on the parties' compliance in December.
