Security Council – Work assessment under Qatar presidency (December 2006) – Letter from Qatar (excerpts)

    Letter dated 18 January 2007 from the Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council

  I have the honour to submit the assessment of the work of the Security Council during the presidency of Qatar in December 2006 (see annex). This assessment was prepared under my responsibility following consultations with other Council members.

  I should be grateful if you would have this letter and its annex circulated as a document of the Security Council.

(Signed ) Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser

Ambassador

Permanent Representative

    Annex to the letter dated 18 January 2007 from the Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council

    Assessment of the work of the Security Council during the presidency of Qatar (December 2006)

   Introduction

  Under the presidency of Qatar in December 2006, the Security Council engaged in an extensive programme of work addressing a wide range of issues on its agenda. During that month, the Council held 40 meetings, including six debates, one open debate, one private debate, four briefings and four meetings with troop-contributing countries. In addition, the Council held consultations of the whole on 23 separate occasions. The Council, in the busiest month of the year, adopted 14 resolutions and produced 11 presidential statements and one note by the President. The President also made seven statements to the press on behalf of the Council. A table of the actions taken by the Council during the presidency of Qatar is attached to the present assessment.

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   The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question

  On 4 December, during consultations of the whole, the representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland welcomed the Gaza ceasefire agreement and suggested that the President of the Council should make a statement to the press welcoming the agreement on behalf of the Council. On 6 December, the Council issued a statement to the press, in which it welcomed the agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority establishing a mutual ceasefire in Gaza. The Council welcomed the steps taken by both sides to maintain the ceasefire and expressed hope that it would lead to a period of sustained calm. The Council members called on both sides to avoid any action which could jeopardize further progress.

  On 12 December, the Council held a thematic debate at the ministerial level on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, on the theme “sustainable peace in the Middle East”. The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al-Thani, presided over the meeting. The comprehensive report of the Secretary-General on the situation in the Middle East and the peace process during the past 10 years was before the Council (S/2006/956).

  During the debate, the Council heard a briefing by the Secretary-General, who opened the meeting. The President of the Council made a statement in his capacity as First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Qatar. The Council also heard statements by the Permanent Observer of Palestine and the Permanent Representative of Israel. The Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Republic of Tanzania, Seif Ali Iddi; the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Aleksandr Saltanov; and the State Secretary of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Slovakia, Diana Strofova, participated in the debate with representatives of the other Council members.

  The Secretary-General reported to the Council that tensions in the Middle East were near breaking point and that a final settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict had defeated the best efforts of several generations of world leaders. He warned that the region was in a profound crisis owing to deep mistrust between Israelis and Palestinians. He stated that the failure to achieve a just and comprehensive solution to the long-festering Arab-Israeli conflict remained the main underlying source of frustration and instability in the region. He called on both parties to recognize in each other the desire to resolve the conflict.

  The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Qatar stated that the Middle East crisis entailed grave and negative consequences for the region and the world. He noted that the myriad international resolutions, projects, plans and positions were inadequate without the existence of intrinsic political will to achieve the common objectives that could serve the interests of all parties. He underlined the need to pursue a coordinated, integrated and consistent approach to resolving the Middle East conflict, noting that the Security Council did not accord the issue of Middle East peace with the same degree of seriousness and significance that it accorded to less important issues. Indeed, the protracted conflict would continue to have dire consequences for peace and stability.

  On 12 December, subsequent to the thematic debate, the Council adopted a presidential statement (S/PRST/2006/51), in which it expressed, inter alia, its deep concern over the situation in the Middle East and its serious ramifications for peace and security, and underlined the need to intensify efforts to achieve a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the region, based on all relevant Council resolutions. It also reaffirmed the vital role of the Quartet.

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