S/2020/1266 Security Council

In accordance with the procedure agreed upon by the members of the Security Council in the light of the extraordinary circumstances caused by the coronavirus disease pandemic, as set out in the letter dated 27 March 2020 from the President of the Security Council addressed to the members of the Council (S/2020/253), I would like to draw your attention to the following. The members of the Council have discussed a draft resolution submitted by the United States of America, in connection with the agenda item “Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts”. That draft resolution, contained in document S/2020/1242 and enclosed herein, has been put into blue. In my capacity as President of the Security Council, I hereby put the above- mentioned draft resolution to a vote. The non-extendable 24-hour voting period for this draft resolution will begin at 3 p.m. on Thursday, 17 December 2020, and will expire at 3 p.m. on Friday, 18 December 2020. Please submit your vote (in favour, against, or abstain) on the draft resolution, as well as your possible explanation of vote, by sending a letter signed by the Permanent Representative or Chargé d’affaires a.i. within the non-extendable 24-hour voting period set out above to the Officer-in-charge of the Security Council Affairs Division of the Secretariat (sutterlin@un.org). It is my intention to circulate a letter listing the outcome of the vote within three hours of the conclusion of the 24-hour voting period. I also intend to convene a video-teleconference of the Security Council to announce the outcome of the vote shortly after the conclusion of the voting period, on the afternoon of Friday, 18 December 2020.

France welcomes the adoption of resolution 2557 (2020), the text of which renews the mandate of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1988 (2011) and makes it possible to guarantee that the Team’s work will continue and that, moreover, the sanctions regime is effective. Recent progress towards peace is encouraging, but much remains to be done. We expect all parties to engage constructively and in good faith in the negotiations when they resume. France would like to recall that, as provided for in resolution 2513 (2020), adopted on 10 March 2020, the Council is ready to review the 1988 Committee’s sanctions list, but that this review will take place only in the light of the progress and the efforts made by the Taliban to reduce violence and cease carrying out or supporting activities that threaten the peace, stability and security of Afghanistan. The level of violence to date shows that these efforts have not been realized. France will continue to advocate the reduction of violence but also the preservation of democratic gains and the participation of women, in order to support the peace process and assist Afghanistan on the road to lasting peace.

Germany welcomes the renewal of the mandate of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1988 (2011), which will allow the Team to continue its crucial work. The Security Council and the Sanctions Committee rely on the expertise and support of the Monitoring Team. Therefore, Germany voted in favour of resolution 2557 (2020) today. However, Germany is concerned that the amendments to the text contain more than mere technical updates as compared to last year’s resolution (resolution 2501 (2019)). To obtain a different result, more time for discussion and reflection would have been required. While we recognize and welcome the important steps made by both sides with the start of the Afghan peace negotiations and the agreement on the rules of procedure, we caution that, unfortunately, the Taliban have not yet ceased to use terrorist tactics and acts as a means of warfare. This link is the reason that the sanctions regime pursuant to resolution 1988 (2011) was first established and must continue to exist. We regret that this is not adequately reflected in resolution 2557 (2020). Germany remains committed to supporting the people of Afghanistan and the peace process, in which we consider the sanctions regime pursuant to resolution 1988 (2011) and its Monitoring Team to play an important role.