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Resumption 1) United Nations S/PV.5868 (Resumption 1) Security Council Provisional Sixty-third year 5868th meeting Wednesday, 16 April 2008, 3 p.m. New York President: Ms. Dlamini-Zuma/Mr. Kumalo ..................... (South Africa) Members: Belgium ....................................... Mr. Chevalier Burkina Faso .................................... Mr. Bassole China ......................................... Mr. Wang Guangya Costa Rica ...................................... Mr. Weisleder Croatia ........................................ Mr. Skračić France ......................................... Mr. Lacroix Indonesia ...................................... Mr. Wirajuda Italy .......................................... Mr. Spatafora Libyan Arab Jamahiriya ........................... Mr. Ettalhi Panama ........................................ Mr. Arias Russian Federation ............................... Mr. Churkin United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland .... Sir John Sawers United States of America ........................... Mr. Wolff Viet Nam ....................................... Mr. Bui The Giang Agenda Peace and security in Africa Letter dated 8 April 2008 from the Permanent Representative of South Africa to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General (S/2008/229) Report of the Secretary-General on the relationship between the United Nations and regional organizations, in particular the African Union, in the maintenance of international peace and security (S/2008/186) Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1625 (2005) on conflict prevention, particularly in Africa (S/2008/18) This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the interpretation of speeches delivered in the other languages. The final text will be printed in the Official Records of the Security Council. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room C-154A. 08-30700 (E) *0830700* S/PV.5868 (Resumption 1) The meeting resumed at 3.10 p.m. also be encouraged and robustly supported by the entire international community. The President: I wish to remind all speakers, as indicated this morning, to limit their statements to no “At the tenth summit of the African Union more than five minutes, in order to enable the Council that took place in Addis Ababa in January, the to carry out its work expeditiously. Delegations with Secretary-General stressed the importance of lengthy statements are kindly requested to circulate tightening cooperation links between the African their texts in writing and to deliver a condensed Union and the United Nations. He pointed out version when speaking in the Chamber. that it was vital to enhance that partnership in order to overcome the obstacles to peace and I now invite His Excellency Mr. Ahmed Ouyahia, security on the continent. I welcome the high Former Prime Minister and Personal Representative of quality of cooperation between the United the President of Algeria, to take the floor. Nations and the African Union and the success Mr. Ouyahia (Algeria) (spoke in French): that has been achieved in that area. Mr. Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of the People’s “In the framework of that cooperation, a Democratic Republic of Algeria, has asked me to transfer of authority took place late last year from convey to the Security Council his deep regret at not the African Union Mission in Sudan to the being able to be here in person to attend this important African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation meeting due to an especially busy national agenda. He in Darfur. That major development was based on has also asked me to convey to the Council his best a dynamic balance between imperative political wishes for the success of this meeting between the considerations and unavoidable operational and African Union and the United Nations. He has also logistical requirements. Elsewhere, the United given me the honour of reading out to the Council the Nations has supported such African countries as following message on this occasion. Burundi, Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau under “I wish at the outset to thank the President the programme of work of the Peacebuilding of the Security Council for having taken the Commission. In January 2007, two of those initiative to organize a high-level Security countries benefited from the Peacebuilding Fund. Council debate on strengthening partnership Unfortunately, the allocated budgetary envelope between the Security Council and regional has not been fully disbursed. organizations, particularly the African Union “With respect to issues of peace and through its Peace and Security Council. It has security, the situation in Africa has been indeed become urgent to improve the capacities characterized by emergences from crises and the and to strengthen the action of regional perpetuation of conflicts that we had hoped to see organizations, especially the African Union, in resolved, first, by the mobilization of Africans the critical area of maintaining peace and themselves, and later by that of the international security. community. That is the case with the Western “For the African continent, seeking and Sahara, where the United Nations Mission for the maintaining peace and security represents a major Referendum in Western Sahara has been deployed challenge as significant as the issue of for more than 15 years. It is also the case with development. In that respect, we note with Somalia, where the African Union Mission has pleasure the decrease in recent years of the clearly been unable to provide the conditions number of conflicts and crisis situations on the necessary for resolving the security, policy and continent, as well as the undeniable progress that humanitarian aspects of the situation. has been made in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Burundi, “The implementation of a peace and Côte d’Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of the security architecture of the African Union — Congo. That trend should strengthen and grow including a mechanism for the prevention, thanks to Africa’s collective commitment to management and settlement of conflicts, the peace, embodied in the actions of the Peace and Peace and Security Council and a council of Security Council of the African Union. It should elders — reflects Africa’s resolve to take 2 08-30700 S/PV.5868 (Resumption 1) responsibility for itself and to act in favour of contributions of United Nations Member States in political solutions that integrate the values of the context of Chapter VIII of the Charter — conciliation and reconciliation and ensure the should be endorsed and implemented as soon as sustainability of agreements reached. possible. Such an approach would allow us sustainably to overcome the significant funding “I hope that this high-level Security Council constraints facing Africa. It would help to debate will represent a decisive step towards enhance the partnership between the African strengthening cooperation between the United Union and the United Nations and to reassert the Nations and regional organizations, in particular authority and credibility of the Security Council the African Union. Such cooperation, based on in its supervision of regional initiatives, which the principles of the United Nations Charter, would then be undertaken with clear objectives, could give rise to innovative modes of operation. effectively and in the certainty that funds would In that respect, it would be extremely useful for be put to best use, to the satisfaction of the us to adopt a more ambitious interpretation of international community as a whole.” Chapter VIII of the Charter, which is the legal basis for peacekeeping operations led by regional Having read out President Bouteflika’s message, I organizations. Such an interpretation could take should like very briefly to add two comments on behalf account of local realities and favour responses of the delegation of Algeria. adapted to specific contexts and characteristics, First, we support the statement made by the with a clear view of each party’s respective President of the United Republic of Tanzania, the responsibilities and complementarities. current Chairman of the African Union, and endorse “It is indeed important that the as yet the proposal he made on behalf of Africa. unexploited potential for synergy, interaction and Secondly, Algeria pays homage to the personal coordination of cooperation between the Security efforts of President Mbeki to convene this meeting and Council and regional and subregional to draw up the draft resolution that has been submitted organizations be fully achieved. There is no doubt to the Security Council. Such a commitment on his part whatsoever that a successful synthesis of regional is a tribute to his country, South Africa. It does honour and subregional efforts with the activities of the to Africa. On behalf of President Bouteflika, we thank international community will allow us to mobilize him very warmly. all the energy necessary to achieving goals that serve the cause of peace. The President: I now call on Her Excellency Mrs. Laure Olga Gondjout, Minister for Foreign “In that context, as soon as it is approved by Affairs, Cooperation, Francophonie and Regional the Security Council, a peacekeeping operation Integration of Gabon. on the African continent should be treated in the same way as operations led by the United
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