S/PV.4448 Security Council

As this is the first public meeting of the Security Council this year, I should like to extend my very warm wishes for a fruitful new year to all members of the Council and of the Secretariat. On behalf of the Council, I welcome the new members of the Council: Bulgaria, Cameroon, Guinea, Mexico and the Syrian Arab Republic. We all look forward with confidence to their participation in the work of the Council. We are convinced that their experience and wisdom will be of invaluable assistance in the discharge of the Council’s enormous responsibilities. I take this opportunity also to express the Council’s deep gratitude to the outgoing members — Bangladesh, Jamaica, Mali, Tunisia and Ukraine — for their important contribution to the business of the Council. Expression of thanks to the retiring President

Equally, I take this opportunity to pay tribute on behalf of the Council to His Excellency Mr. Moctar Ouane, Permanent Representative of Mali to the United Nations, for his service as President of the Security Council for the month of December 2001. I am sure I speak for all members of the Council in expressing deep appreciation to Ambassador Ouane for the great diplomatic skill with which he conducted the Council’s business last month. Adoption of the agenda

I should like to inform the Council that I have received a letter from the representative of Croatia, in which he requests to be invited to participate in the discussion of the item on the Council’s agenda. In conformity with the usual practice, I propose, with the consent of the Council, to invite that representative to participate in the discussion, without the right to vote, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter and rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure. There being no objection, it is so decided.

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations. Members of the Council have before them document S/2002/53, which contains the text of a draft resolution prepared in the course of the Council’s prior consultations. I should like also to draw the attention of the members of the Council to the following other documents: S/2001/1301, which contains the text of a letter dated 28 December 2001 from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to the President of the Security Council; and S/2002/29, which contains the text of a letter dated 7 January 2002 from Croatia to the President of the Security Council. It is my understanding that the Security Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution (S/2002/53) before it. If I hear no objection, I shall now put the draft resolution to the vote. There being no objection, it is so decided.

There were 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 1387 (2002). The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.