Security Council to focus on Iraq, counter-terrorism and Sudan crisis
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 03, 2004 (AP) — Russia took over the rotating Security Council presidency on Tuesday, setting an agenda that focuses on the crisis in Sudan, counter-terrorism and the U.N. role in Iraq.
Russia’s new U.N. ambassador, Andrey Denisov, pledged to work for unity on the Security Council as it addresses issues that had bitterly divided the 15-member group.
A stronger U.N. is “a solid and fundamental element of Russian foreign policy,” he said shortly after presenting his credentials Tuesday to Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
The council agenda for August also includes meetings on Kosovo, Afghanistan, the Middle East, Congo, Somalia, Burundi and East Timor.
On Wednesday, the council will consider a statement supporting the work of the decade-old international war-crimes tribunals for former Yugoslavia and Rwanda officials. The statement reminds nations of the shortfall in financial contributions to the courts.
Denisov said Sudan would be a major focus. On Friday, the Secuirty Council passed a resolution giving the Sudanese government 30 days to fulfill its commitments to disarm militias that have driven more than a million people from their homes or face possible sanctions.
Sudan’s government initially rejected the resolution but recently indicated it would comply with it and with agreements made with U.N. Secretary-Genral Kofi Annan and the African Union.
Some 30,000 people, mostly black African farmers, have died in the conflict in Sudan’s western Darfur region and 2.2 million have been left in urgent need of aid.
On Iraq, Denisov said the council would discuss the protection needed before the U.N. would authorize a full-scale return to that country.
“We’ll be ready to join the efforts on Iraqi reconstruction when security is ensured, is provided. That is the main precondition,” he said.
Proposals for a special protection force for U.N. staff, perhaps drawn from Muslim countries, have yet to produce a viable protection unit. The secretary-general withdrew U.N. staff from Iraq in October after the deadly bombing of U.N. offices in Baghdad.
The council’s counter-terrorism committee, which Russia heads on an ongoing basis, is “a top priority for us,” Denisov said.
“I don’t think that there is one country that doesn’t share our conviction of the importance of counter-terrorism,” he added.
Denisov, 51, is a former deputy minister of foreign affairs, Russian ambassador to Egypt and counselor in the Russian Embassy in China. As his country’s U.N. ambassador, he replaces Sergey Lavrov, who is now foreign minister.