Security Council – Work assessment under Costa Rica presidency (November 2008) – Letter from Costa Rica (excerpts)

Letter dated 13 February 2009 from the Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations

addressed to the President of the Security Council

  I have the honour to transmit herewith the report on the work of the Security Council during the presidency of Costa Rica in November 2008 (see annex).

  The document was prepared under my own responsibility, following consultations with other members of the Security Council. I should be grateful if you would have the present letter and its annex circulated as a document of the Security Council.

 ( Signed) Jorge Urbina

Ambassador

Permanent Representative

    Annex to the letter dated 13 February 2009 from the Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council

    Assessment of the work of the Security Council during the presidency of Costa Rica (November 2008)

   Introduction

  Under the presidency of Costa Rica, the Security Council dealt with a wide range of regional issues, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Iraq, Kosovo, the Middle East, Nepal, Lebanon, Somalia and the Sudan. The Council elected, simultaneously with the General Assembly, five judges to the International Court of Justice; received the coordinated report of its three counter-terrorism subsidiary bodies and held an open debate on maintenance of international peace and security: strengthening collective security through general regulation and reduction of armaments.

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   Asia

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   The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question

  On 25 November, the Council was briefed by the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, B. Lynn Pascoe, on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. He expressed regret that Israel and the Palestinians were likely to fall short of their commitment, made at Annapolis, to reach an agreement by the end of the year. At the same time, he welcomed the parties’ affirmation that they had engaged in direct, sustained and intensive negotiations.

  After the briefing, owing to the sensitivity of the issue, the Council held consultations of the whole, where members of the Council held an interactive dialogue with the Under-Secretary-General.

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