Security Council – Work assessment under Slovakia presidency (February 2007) – Letter from Slovakia (excerpts)

   Letter dated 13 July 2007 from the Permanent Representative of Slovakia to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

  Please find attached the assessment of the work of the Security Council during the presidency of Slovakia in February 2007 (see annex). This assessment was prepared under my responsibility following consultations with the other members of the Council.

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

(Signed) Peter Burian

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

Permanent Representative

    Annex to the letter dated 13 July 2007 from the Permanent Representative of Slovakia to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

    Assessment of the work of the Security Council during the presidency of Slovakia (February 2007)

  Under the presidency of Ambassador Peter Burian, Permanent Representative of Slovakia to the United Nations, the Security Council engaged in an extensive programme of work. During the month of February 2007, the Council held eight closed consultations of the whole, one debate, three open debates and four adoption meetings. It adopted four resolutions and issued two presidential statements. In addition, the members of the Council agreed on the texts of eight statements to the press, which the President subsequently read out.

  On 2 February, the President of the Council briefed the press on the agreed provisional programme of work of the Council for February 2007. The Presidency posted regular updates of the provisional programme of work on its website and gave informal briefings after each round of informal consultations to representatives of interested Member States that are currently not members of the Council.

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   The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question

  On 13 February, the Security Council held an open debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. During the debate, the Council was briefed by the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General, Alvaro de Soto. In his briefing, the Special Coordinator summarized and assessed the monthly developments in the region and the ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the Arab-Israeli dispute. He stressed that, through the initiatives under way on the Israeli-Palestinian track, there was an opportunity to foster a dynamic in which positive developments were mutually reinforcing. The Council then heard statements by representatives of all its 15 members, followed by representatives of Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, the Syrian Arab Republic, Kuwait, Germany, Cuba, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Japan, Malaysia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Norway, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Argentina, Morocco, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Senegal.

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