Security Council – Wrap-up session – Note verbale from Syria

Letter dated 25 June 2002 from the Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic

to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

I have the honour to transmit herewith a note verbale on the wrap-up session of the Security Council to be held on 28 June 2002.

I should be grateful if you would circulate the text of the present letter and the annexed note verbale as a document of the Security Council

(Signed ) Mikhail Wehbe
Ambassador

Annex

    Note verbale on the wrap-up session of the Security Council to be held on 28 June 2002

The Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations, in his capacity as President of the Security Council for the month of June 2002, presents his compliments and has the honour to refer to the wrap-up session on the work of the Security Council that has been scheduled for Friday, 28 June 2002, in the Security Council chamber.

In this regard, the Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations has the further honour to inform you that the members of the Security Council have agreed that the June 2002 wrap-up session will be a private meeting, to which non-members of the Council are encouraged to attend. The participation of members and non-members of the Council at the June 2002 wrap-up session will focus on the topics set out below, not in any order of priority:

 1.   The situation in Afghanistan;

 2.   The situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo;

 3.   The situation in the Middle East;

 4.   The situation in Somalia.

  The Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic, in his capacity as President of the Security Council, encourages all speakers to make frank, focused and short assessments in their interventions on the role of the Council in dealing with any or all of the above topics so that the interventions may serve as useful guides for the future work of the Council. Speakers are therefore encouraged to be as evaluative and reflective as possible in their interventions. In this respect, it is intended that the June 2002 wrap-up session should be an interactive discussion and should not be used as an opportunity to restate national positions on any issue. In order for the June 2002 wrap-up session to be a substantive one, the greater involvement of all Member States is important and necessary.

  Non-members of the Council who wish to participate in the June 2002 wrap-up session are encouraged to do so by submitting their requests in accordance with the usual practices. The list of non-members who wish to speak at the wrap-up session will therefore be opened only on Wednesday, 26 June 2002, and will be closed at 5 p.m. on the day before the wrap-up session, i.e., on Thursday, 27 June 2002.

  The Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic, in his capacity as President of the Security Council, has the further honour to inform you that, in order to encourage the interventions to be brief and focused on the role of the Council, there is no need at the wrap-up session for speakers to congratulate the Syrian Arab Republic on its Presidency of the Council for the month of June 2002.

  In this regard, please also note that all interventions will be strictly limited to five minutes for each speaker, irrespective of the number of topics covered in the intervention. The Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic in his capacity as President of the Security Council reserves the right to interrupt any speaker who goes beyond the time limit prescribed. The floor will be given alternately to three Council members and non-members. After the wrap-up session and if appropriate, the Presidency may prepare a summary paper on the main points raised at the wrap-up session, indicating the areas covered and suggestions for follow-up action (as was done for the June 2001 wrap-up session; see S/2001/835).

  The Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic, in his capacity as President of the Security Council, also has the honour to inform you that the present letter, which sets out the objectives, list of the topics and format for the June 2002 wrap-up session, will be placed on the web site of the Presidency of the Security Council (http://www.un.org/docs/sc/presidency). A notice of the wrap-up session will also be placed in the Journal of the United Nations on Wednesday, 26 June 2002, as a further reminder to all non-members of the Council who may wish to be inscribed on the list of speakers for the session.

(Signed ) Mikhail Wehbe
President of the Security Council for the month of June 2002