S/PV.2858 Security Council

The Security Council will - now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Security Council is meeting today in accordance with the understanding reached in the Council's prior consultations. After consultations among members of the Security Council, I have been authorized to make the following statement on behalf of the Council: "The members of the Security Council , gravely concerned by the sufferings --.-caused to the civilian population by the worsening situation in Lebanon, reaffirm their statement of 31 March, in which, in particular, they urged all . I_ parties to respond favourably to the appeals for an effective cease-fire. "They reiterate their full support for the action of the Ministerial Committee of the League of Arab States, led by His Excellency Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Kuwait, in order to put an end to the loss of human lives, to alleviate the sufferings of the Lebanese people and to achieve an effective cease-fire indispensable for a settlement of the Lebanese crisis. "They invite the Secretary-General, in collaboration with the Ministerial Committee of the League of Arab States, to make all possible efforts and to make all contacts which could be deemed useful for these same purposes." The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on the agenda. The meeting rose at 4.55 p.m.