S/PV.4875 Security Council

As this is the first meeting of the Security Council for the month of December, I should like to take the opportunity to pay tribute, on behalf of the Council, to His Excellency Mr. Ismael Abraão Gaspar Martins, Permanent Representative of Angola to the United Nations, for his service as President of the Security Council for the month of November 2003. I am sure I speak for all members of the Council in expressing deep appreciation to Mr. Ismael Abraão Gaspar Martins 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 Côte d’Ivoire, 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. After consultations among members of the Security Council, I have been authorized to make the following statement on behalf of the Council: “The Security Council declares that it is gravely concerned at the attempts by armed elements to cross the ceasefire line, which were observed by the forces of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the French forces on 29 and 30 November, and at the serious consequences which might ensue. “The Security Council reiterates its full support for the ECOWAS and French forces and commends them for the action they took to foil such attempts, in accordance with Security Council resolutions 1464 (2003) and 1498 (2003). “The Security Council strongly underscores to all the Ivorian parties their primary responsibility for observing the ceasefire, in accordance with the LinasMarcoussis Agreement. “The Security Council firmly calls on all the parties to refrain from any action that might jeopardize observance of the ceasefire and implementation of the LinasMarcoussis Agreement, and from encouraging such acts. “The Security Council reiterates that it is absolutely essential for all the parties to make every effort to expedite the implementation of the Linas-Marcoussis Agreement. In that regard it once again emphasizes the importance of having the Forces nouvelles participate fully in the Government of national reconciliation, of having the entire Government meet immediately, and of having it take the necessary measures to implement all the provisions of the Linas- Marcoussis Agreement. It also reaffirms the urgency of carrying out operations to regroup the opposing forces so that disarmament and demobilization can begin, and of ensuring that these operations are accompanied by measures of reintegration into the regular army or into civilian life. “In this connection the Security Council reiterates that it intends to consider the Secretary- General’s recommendations concerning ways to facilitate peace and stability in Côte d’Ivoire. “The Security Council welcomes the commitments made by President Laurent Gbagbo in his speech of 27 November, in which he reaffirmed that he intended to implement the provisions of the Linas-Marcoussis Agreement without further ado, and calls for the implementation of these commitments. “The Security Council calls on all the parties in Côte d’Ivoire and the countries of the region to guarantee the safety and access of the staff of humanitarian agencies working in the field during consolidation of the peace process.” This statement will be issued as a document of the Security Council under the symbol S/PRST/2003/25. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.