Security Council – Work assessment under Bulgaria presidency (Sept 2002), incl. SecCo briefings by SecGen Sp.Coordinator for Mideast Peace Process (20 Sept.) and meeting dated 23 Sept. – Letter from Bulgaria (excerpts)

Letter dated 13 August 2003 from the Permanent Representative of Bulgaria to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council 

  I have the honour to enclose herewith the assessment of Bulgaria’s presidency of the Security Council for September 2002 (see annex). The content of the assessment has been discussed with the other members of the Security Council.

  I should be grateful if the present letter and its annex could be issued as a document of the Security Council.

(Signed) Stefan Tafrov
Ambassador
Permanent Representative

Annex to the letter dated 13 August 2003 from the Permanent Representative of Bulgaria to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council

Assessment of the work of the Security Council during the presidency of Bulgaria (September 2002)

/…

   Middle East 

  On 20 September at an open meeting the Security Council was briefed on the situation in the Middle East by the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General, Terje Roed-Larsen. The Special Coordinator emphasized the intensive work of the members of the Quartet in finalizing the road map for a just and lasting settlement of the Middle East crisis. He informed the Council that the members of the Quartet held three meetings on 17 September 2002, including one with five Arab Foreign Ministers and one with Israeli and Palestinian representatives. The meetings were focused on the humanitarian situation, security issues, institutional reform and the political process.

  After the briefing the Security Council reconvened in closed consultations. The members of the Council agreed on a statement to the press by the President in which the Council supported the statement of the Quartet issued in New York on 17 September and appreciated the involvement in the discussions of the Quartet of the Foreign Ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and the Syrian Arab Republic as representatives of the Follow-up Committee of the League of Arab States. The statement underlined the full support of the Council members for the efforts of the Quartet and their call on the Government of Israel, the Palestinian Authority and all States in the region to cooperate with those efforts. The Council members underlined the importance of achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, based on all its relevant resolutions, including resolutions 242 (1967) of 22 November 1967, 338 (1973) of 22 October 1973 and 1397 (2002) of 12 March 2002, the Madrid terms of reference and the principle of land for peace.

  On 23 September the Council convened in an open meeting to consider the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. The meeting was requested in a letter from the Permanent Observer of Palestine, on behalf of the States members of the League of Arab States and in his capacity as current chairman of the Arab Group, to the President of the Security Council. In the letter, the Arab Group requested that the Council consider the adoption of the necessary immediate measures to ensure an end to the current tragic situation and the implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions, in particular resolutions 1402 (2002) and 1403 (2002).

  In a letter dated 20 September to the President of the Council the Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic supported that request. 

  In the course of all-day discussions the Council heard 45 speakers on the situation in the Middle East in the light of the recent upsurge in violence.

  After a process of intense consultations, on 24 September, by a vote of 14 in favour to none against, with one abstention (United States of America), the Security Council adopted resolution 1435 (2002) submitted by Bulgaria, France, Ireland, Norway, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

/…

__________