S/PV.5421 Security Council

I should like to inform the Council that I have received letters from the representatives of Austria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in which they request to be invited to participate in the consideration of the item on the Council’s agenda. In conformity with the usual practice, I propose, with the consent of the Council, to invite those representatives to participate in the consideration, 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/2006/253, 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 Council members to document S/2006/203, which contains the text of a letter dated 30 March 2006 from the Permanent Representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council, and to document S/2006/219, which contains the text of a letter dated 12 April 2006 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council. 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 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 1671 (2006). I now give the floor to the representative of France, who wishes to make a statement following the voting.

France welcomes the adoption of resolution 1671 (2006), which attests to the commitment of the international community, particularly the United Nations and the European Union, to the peace process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The force whose deployment the Council has just authorized will be an important element in ensuring that the elections scheduled for June go smoothly. Here, I should like to recall our interpretation of operative paragraph 4 of the resolution which, as I understand from our consultations on the text, is shared by other Council members: it will not be necessary to adopt another resolution to renew the European force’s mandate when the Council decides, by 30 September, to extend the mandate of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC). Its intention to do that is stated in the resolution’s eleventh preambular paragraph.

The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Council will remain seized of the matter.