Security Council – Work assessment under Philippines presidency (Sept. 2005) – Letter from the Philippines (excerpts)

Letter dated 14 December 2005 from the Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council

  I have the honour to forward the assessment of the work of the Security Council by the presidency of the Philippines in September 2005 (see annex).

  It would be highly appreciated if the present letter and its annex could be circulated as a document of the Council.

(Signed) Lauro L. Baja , Jr.

Permanent Representative

Annex to the letter dated 14 December 2005 from the Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council

    Assessment of the work of the Security Council during the presidency of the Philippines (September 2005)

   Introduction

  The Republic of the Philippines, with its Permanent Representative, H.E. Mr. Lauro L. Baja, Jr., at the helm, served as President of the Security Council in September 2005.

  The Security Council held 16 formal meetings and 12 consultations of the whole, adopted 9 resolutions, 2 decisions and 3 presidential statements, and issued 6 press statements during the month under review.

  The highlight of the month was the historic gathering of the Security Council at the level of Heads of State and Government on 14 September 2005. At the summit the Council adopted a resolution on terrorism and another resolution on conflict prevention, particularly in Africa. During the month, the Council also held a thematic debate on “The role of civil society in conflict prevention and the pacific settlement of disputes,” where representatives of the civil society participated in the discussion.

  The Security Council paid considerable attention to the African continent during the month. The Council heard important briefings on Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the Sudan. The Council also heard briefings and discussed the latest developments on Afghanistan, Iraq and the Middle East. In this period, the Council held consultations with troop-contributing countries to the United Nations missions in these areas.

  During the month the Security Council had an occasion to hear a briefing on the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission and to take action pertaining to the exit strategy of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. The Council also extended the mandates of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea, the United Nations Mission in Liberia, the United Nations Office at Nairobi and the United Nations Mission in the Sudan.

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   Middle East

  At its 5270th meeting, on Friday, 23 September 2005, the Security Council heard a briefing on the situation in the Middle East from Alvaro de Soto, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Process and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General. Mr. de Soto briefed the Council on Israel’s withdrawal of its military personnel and installations from the Gaza Strip. He also highlighted the results of the meeting of the Quartet, which met at the Ministerial level on 20 September 2005.

  At the conclusion of the meeting, the President read out a statement (S/PRST/2005/44) in support of the 20 September statement by the Quartet. In the statement, the Council called for renewed action in parallel by the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority on their obligations in accordance with the Roadmap and stressed, among other things, the importance of a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East.

  On Wednesday, 28 September 2005, Council members asked the President to issue a press statement condemning the attempted assassination of May Chidiac, a journalist in Lebanon.

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