Security Council Sanctions Committee on Iran: New Report

90-day report pursuant to paragraph 18 (h) of resolution 1737 (2006)

Madam President,

1. I have the honour to present the report of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1737 (2006), in accordance with paragraph 18 (h) of the same resolution.  The present report covers the period from 13 December 2013 to 19 March 2014, during which time the Committee held two informal meetings, one informal informal meeting, and conducted additional work using the no-objection procedure envisioned by paragraph 15 of the guidelines for the conduct of its work.

2. The Committee presented its Annual Report to the President of the Security Council on 27 December 2013.  The Annual Report provides a useful snapshot of the range of activities pursued by the Committee in accordance with its mandate in 2013.  I would particularly like to highlight the Committee’s communications with Member States and international organisations on matters of implementation and compliance.  Providing guidance to Member States who request assistance with their implementation of the relevant provisions of the key resolutions is a critical dimension of the Committee’s program of work; and I encourage Member States to take us up on our offer.

Brahimi's report to UN General Assembly: Re-electing Assad won't end Syrians' suffering

BRIEFING BY JOINT SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE LAKHDAR BRAHIMI TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

NEW YORK, 14 MARCH 2014

Mr. President of the General Assembly,

Mr. Secretary General, .

Your Excellencies,

Distinguished delegates.

l. I am deeply honoured to address this august Assembly.

2. On Tuesday 25 February, the General Assembly was briefed by the Assistant Secretary General for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the High Commissioner for Refugees, and the Director General of the World Health Organisation. They have confirmed what you have known only too .well: that the humanitarian situation is bad and continues to get worse, and that the UN and aid agencies do not have all the space and assured protection they need to do as much as they can and should do.

3. will therefore not say too much about the humanitarian situation except to underline the gravity of that situation, the immense suffering inflicted upon the Syrian people and the urgent need to solve this crisis which, as the Secretary General has just reminded us, is entering its fourth year. I feel however that it is my duty, to pay tribute to the UN Staff, national and international who are trying to deliver aid to the millions of suffering Syrian men, women and children. I salute the memory. of the local Syrian staff who have made the ultimate sacrifice all 14 of them - alongside 34 young volunteers of the Syrian Red Crescent also killed while flying to help their suffering compatriots. I would like to draw attention to those of our colleagues, national staff, - 23 from UNRWA, 2 from UNDP and one from IOM who have been imprisoned and call on the Syrian Government to release them. And I would like to pay tribute to all the partners of the UN, chief among them the ICRC, for their admirable compassion and dedication. And I must add my voice to the many calls made for the release of the ICRC staff members who have been kidnapped in Northern Syria; several months ago.

4. The scope of the humanitarian catastrophe in Syria is mind-boggling: we now speak of close to 10 million people who need aid to simply survive. About this time last year, we were told that the number of refugees will pass the‘ 2 million mark by the end of 2013; it has. We now hear that, if the conflict continues at its present level of devastation, we should expect the refugees to number 4 million by the end of this year and the number of the dead may reach 350,000 if not more by 2015. These numbers sound frighteningly high. But when one hears that half a million people left Aleppo during the past few weeks, we see that those levels will alas! be attained and probably surpassed.

5. The admirable hospitality of Syria’s neighbours and the generous solidarity of the donor community are highly appreciated: they are saving thousands and thousands of lives; they will naturally not provide a lasting solution to a catastrophe of this magnitude. Only a political solution to the crisis will. The Secretary General has been calling for such a solution from the very beginning of the crisis. And when the confrontation between the Government and significant parts of the population became a military confrontation, he ceaselessly called for an end to the flow of arms to all parties and pleaded for a collective international effort to help the Syrians solve their crisis through peaceful means. His appeals have unfortunately not been heard.

6. For a long time, each side in the bloody confrontation in Syria was determined to achieve military victory and confident that such a military victory was within reach. It was first the Government who thought they would crush in no time what they called a foreign-inspired and funded terrorist campaign. It was then the opposition, armed and civilian, who thought that the present regime in their country would crumble the way the regimes in Tunisia and Egypt did. Others expected or called for a repeat of the Libyan scenario. It is now again the Government who are confident that their side will win on the battlefield and soon.

7. The military position of the Government of Syria is clearly much stronger in the beginning of 2014 than it was in 2013. Nonetheless, the conflict remain in a stalemate. The assessment of most observers is still that neither

side can achieve a decisive military victory in 2014. Relationships between Armed Groups were and still are complex. The Free Syrian Army has firmly distanced themselves from Al-Qaeda affiliates. But locally, the two sides at times get together to carry out joined operations. In other cases, heavy fighting occurred between various Armed Opposition Groups. Thus, in Aleppo the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Sham or ISIS managed to expel other groups and take control of a significant number of neighbourhoods starting from September 2013, which led to a decision by other armed groups, mainly the Islamic Front and Jaysh Al Mujahedeen, to start a campaign against ISIS.

American draft resolution on Ukraine: Crimea referendum illegitimate

Draft UNSCR – Ukraine

The Security Council,

PP1     Recalling the obligation of all States under Article 2 of the United Nations Charter to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, and to settle their international disputes by peaceful means,

PP2     Recalling its primary responsibility under the United Nations Charter for the maintenance of international peace and security,

PP3     Reaffirming that no territorial acquisition resulting from the threat or use of force shall be recognized as legal,

PP4     Recalling the 1975 Helsinki Final Act of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe, and the 1994 Budapest Memorandum,

PP5     Stressing the importance of maintaining an inclusive political dialogue in Ukraine that reflects the diversity of its society and includes representation from all parts of Ukraine,

PP6     Welcoming the continued efforts by the Secretary-General, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and other international and regional organizations, to support de-escalation of the situation in Ukraine,

PP7     Noting with concern the intention to hold a referendum on the status of Crimea on 16 March 2014,

OP1     Reaffirms its commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders;

OP2     Urges all parties to pursue immediately the peaceful resolution of this dispute through direct political dialogue, to exercise restraint, to refrain from unilateral actions and inflammatory rhetoric that may increase tensions, and to engage fully with international mediation efforts;

OP3     Calls on Ukraine to continue to respect and uphold its obligations under international law and to protect the rights of all persons in Ukraine, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities, and in this regard, welcomes the statements by the transitional government in Ukraine affirming its commitments to uphold the rights of all Ukrainians, including those belonging to minorities, and to an inclusive national political dialogue;

OP4     Notes that Ukraine has not authorized the referendum on the status of Crimea;

OP5     Declares that this referendum can have no validity, and cannot form the basis for any alteration of the status of Crimea; and calls upon all States, international organizations and specialized agencies not to recognize any alteration of the status of Crimea on the basis of this referendum and to refrain from any action or dealing that might be interpreted as recognizing any such altered status;

OP6     Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

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Security Council draft statement on Libya / Morning Glory oil vessel

Draft Press Statement on Libya

 

The members of the Security Council expressed their deep concern at reports that a vessel sailing under the name “Morning Glory” was attempting unlawfully to export oil from the Libyan port of Sidra.

 

The members of the Security Council condemned the illegal seizure of energy facilities and the smuggling of natural resources from Libya and called upon all parties to refrain from such acts.

 

The members of the Security Council stressed the importance that disruptions to Libya’s energy exports be resolved peacefully.

 

The members of the Security Council re-iterated their support to the people of Libya in the face of significant challenges to the democratic transition.

 

The members of the Security Council reaffirmed their strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Libya.

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French draft statement on Syria: Full support to Brahimi's approach

Lakhdar Brahimi, Special Representative for Syria, briefs journalists on Geneva II conference on Syria. 30 January 2014

Draft press statement on Syria

The members of the Security Council expressed their full support to the Joint Special Representative and appreciation for his efforts. They stated their support for a resumption of the talks in Geneva based on a genuine engagement by all parties involved to implement the Geneva Communique of 30 June 2012.

The members of the Security Council expressed full support to the agenda of four points submitted by the Joint Special Representative for the resumption of the talks: violence and terrorism; transitional governing body; national institutions; national reconciliation and national debate. They also expressed their support for M. Brahimi’s approach for dealing with the first two points in parallel and emphasized the need for genuine engagement on the creation of a transitional governing body. The members of the Security Council reiterated the centrality of the transitional governing body, with full executive powers, formed by mutual consent, to implement the transition foreseen in the Geneva Communiqué.

                    

As the situation deteriorates on the ground, the members of the Security Council recalled their demand that all parties work towards the comprehensive implementation of the Geneva Communiqué of 30 June 2012 leading to a genuine political transition that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people and enables them independently and democratically to determine their own future, including through elections organized within the framework of the Geneva peace talks process. They further stressed that rapid progress on a political solution should include full participation by all groups and segments of Syrian society, including women, and represents the only sustainable opportunity to resolve the situation in Syria peacefully. The Security Council called for the full implementation of UNSCR 2139.

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Yanukovich's letter to Putin: Protect the people of Ukraine

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin at the Security Council shows Yanukovich's letter that appeals to President Putin to use military force in Ukraine

Click here to read the original letter in Russian language. 

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE

As a lawfully elected President of Ukraine, I state the following.

Developments on the Maydan, illegal seizure of power in Kiev have pushed Ukraine to the brink of civil war. The country has plunged into chaos and anarchy. 

Lives, safety and rights of people, particularly in the South-West and the Crimea, are at risk. The country is in the grip of outright terror and violence driven by the West. 

People are persecuted on political and language grounds.

In this context, I appeal to the President of Russia Vladimir V. Putin to use the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to re-establish the rule of law, peace, order, stability and to protect the people of Ukraine.

Viktor F . Yanukovich

March 1, 2014

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