S/PV.4594 Security Council

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 the report of the Secretary-General on the situation concerning Western Sahara, document S/2002/178. Members of the Council also have before them document S/2002/850, which contains the text of a draft resolution prepared in the course of the Council’s prior consultations. I should also like to draw the attention of the members of the Council to the following documents: letters from Algeria, contained in documents S/2002/782, S/2002/807 and S/2002/835; a letter from Namibia, contained in document S/2002/749; and letters from Morocco, contained in documents S/2002/758, S/2002/823 and S/2002/832. It is my understanding that the Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. Unless I hear any objection, I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now. There being no objection, it is so decided.

There were 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 1429 (2002). Since, as far as I can see at this point, there is no other outstanding business for a formal meeting of the Council, this is likely to be the last open meeting under the United Kingdom presidency of the Council. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to thank everyone within the Council and outside who have supported the United Kingdom presidency during the very busy month of July. But I particularly want to pay tribute to those who help us so well and so uncomplainingly within the Secretariat, the Council Secretariat under Joseph Stephanides, for the most part — it is very good to see the Assistant Secretary- General back with us again today — the conference officers, the verbatim reporters and the press reporters, the interpreters and the translators, the security officers and everyone else who has done excellent work in assisting us. I hope those of you who will be seeking some refreshment in August, as I shall myself, will return feeling a lot better and that those who are staying here will have a quieter month under the able and probably more controlled presidency of Ambassador Negroponte. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.