Kosovo, Angola, Burundi, Ethiopia/Eritrea

We heard a briefing from Assistant Secretary-General, Annabi on the bombing

in Pristina yesterday, in which the Head of the Yugolsav Passport Office in

Pristina was killed, another member of the office was critically injured, and

two other people were injured. Members of the Council regarded this as

another deliberately planned and clearly ethnically motivated attack on Serbs

in Kosovo. They condemned what they saw as a cowardly terrorist attack and

insisted that the perpetrators should be brought quickly to justice. They called

on Kosovo leaders also to condemn such a senseless act and to do all they

could to stop similar incidence. Extremists violence had to become a thing of

the past. Members of the Council reiterated their call on all parties to resume

the path of dialogue and they will continue to follow this issue very closely.

We also had briefing on Angola from Ambassador Ryan who has recently

returned from a visit pursuing his responsibilities as chair of the Sanctions

Committee against UNITA. A very interesting briefing from Ambassador Ryan

with lots of points to follow-up for the Council for the Sanctions Committee

and indeed for member states, and the Security Council will be taking this

issue forward. We were also looking at the addendum to the latest report of

the monitoring mechanism on Angola and we will be adopting a resolution

extending the mandate of the monitoring mechanism.

Thirdly, we had a briefing on Burundi from Assistant Secretary-General, Fall

following the current attempted coo yesterday. He reported that the

government was again in control, but the Council was rather deeply concerned

by this incident. It shows the fragile nature of the peace process in Burundi,

and I think will increase the likelihood that the Council will wish to visit

Burundi and maybe also Arusha if it confirms its intention to go to the Great

Lakes region with the mission next month.

Finally, we have been talking about Ethiopia/Eritrea on a briefing from

Under-Secretary-General, Guéhenno. This afternoon, we hope to be in a

position to adopt the resolution on the Angola monitoring mechanism.

(Question about FRY request for a Security Council meeting)

We have just been talking to the representative of Yugoslavia about this.

Members of the Council this morning knew of the Yugoslav request and felt

that their meeting and discussion of this this morning met his request

together with the press statement I have just made.

(Question about Angola monitoring mechanism)

That was not discussed this morning, and is coming up for discussion later in

the Council’s programme this month.

(Question about the use of Kroll Associates in monitoring sanctions on

UNITA)

The Council is aware, with approval, of the intention of the Sanctions

Committee to employ Kroll Associates for the next 16 weeks to follow-up on

certain financial areas that flow from the trade in diamonds and arms. So this

is one aspect for the Sanctions Committee business and Ambassador Ryan

is taking this forward and I understand that Kroll Associates will be engaged

for a period of 16 weeks to follow-up those precise aspects.

(Further question about use of private companies such as Kroll Associates)

Well from the UK point of view, this is a very welcome development in bringing

expertsise in quite a complex area. The Council will discuss the general

nature of going outside to experts beyond the UN, but there is a strong wish

that the United Nations itself, should develop a core competence in following

up sanctions regimes, and I think that will be a priority for the Council.

(Question about other expert panels on UN sanctions regimes in Africa)

Complex and energetic, but I do not think confusing, we are just getting down

to work with some detailed follow-up to the sanctions regimes that we have

instituted. The Council in the past has been criticised for putting sanctions

regimes in place and not following up. We have just had a question on

Afghanistan with, that in mind no doubt. I think in Africa we are showing that

we are following up on Angola, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and now on the DRC and

the neighbourhood. I think this is a good thing, and Ambassador Ryan for one,

in the footsteps of Ambassadors Fowler and Heinbecker, is showing how

important this is in Angola and what implications it has for other regimes. I

think it is ground breaking but I do not think we are being confusing, I think we

are giving a very clear message that impunity for sanctions busters is a thing

of the past, complicated as the business is.