S/PV.5566 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. I should like to draw the attention of the members of the Council to document S/2006/861, which contains the text of a letter dated 3 November 2006 from the Permanent Representative of Uganda to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council. Following consultations among members of the Security Council, I have been authorized to make the following statement on behalf of the Council. “The Security Council welcomes efforts aimed at bringing an end to the long-running conflict in northern Uganda, and is following closely the Juba talks process between the Government of the Republic of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). The conflict with the LRA has caused the displacement of up to 2 million people and the death of about 100,000 people in the region, as well as leading to the death of eight United Nations peacekeepers. “The Security Council welcomes the cessation of hostilities which took effect on 29 August 2006, and was renewed on 1 November 2006, and stresses the importance, for peace and stability in the region, of both parties respecting that cessation of hostilities. The Security Council commends the Government of Southern Sudan for facilitating this agreement, and for its efforts to further a long-term and peaceful solution to the conflict, and calls on all parties to commit themselves fully to this end. “The Security Council demands that the LRA immediately release all women, children and other non-combatants, in accordance with Security Council resolution 1612 (2005) on children and armed conflict, and that the peace process be concluded expeditiously. “The Security Council will continue to monitor developments closely. It invites United Nations Member States to support efforts to bring an end to this conflict so that peace and security can be restored to the region and the rule of law re-established, and to ensure that those responsible for serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law are brought to justice. “The Security Council welcomes the briefing provided by the Secretariat on 7 November 2006, which it will consider further, in particular in light of progress in the Juba talks process. It recalls the briefing provided on 19 April 2006 by the Ugandan Foreign and Defence Ministers, the visit to Uganda of the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict in June 2006, and the briefings by the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs on northern Uganda on 20 April and 15 September 2006. “The Security Council welcomes the announcement by the Government of Uganda of the establishment of a Joint Monitoring Committee to oversee the delivery of a prioritized Emergency Action Plan to tackle the humanitarian issues in northern Uganda, looks forward to further progress on improving the living conditions for civilians in northern Uganda, measurable against clear benchmarks, and urges Member States to maintain their support to these efforts. It also welcomes the Government of Uganda’s work so far on its Peace, Recovery and Development Plan to address the long-term needs of the region.” This statement will be issued as a document of the Security Council under the symbol S/PRST/2006/45. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.