S/PV.5598 Security Council

The President (spoke in Arabic): The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Security Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations. Members of the Council have before them document 5/2006/961, which contains a letter dated 6 December 2006 from the Permanent Representative of the Congo to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council, transmitting a communique adopted by the Peace and Security Council of the African Union. 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 endorses the conclusions of the Addis Ababa high-level Consultation on the situation in Darfur of 16 November 2006 and the communique of the 66th meeting of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union held in Abuja on 30 November 2006. The Security Council welcomes the stated commitment of the Government of National Unity to the conclusions and the communique. the "The Security Council calls for the conclusions and the communique to be implemented by all parties without delay, and to this end calls on all parties to facilitate, per the Addis Ababa and Abuja agreements, the immediate deployment of the United Nations Light and Heavy Support Packages to the African Union Mission in the Sudan and a hybrid operation in Darfur, for which backstopping and command and control structures and systems will be provided by the United Nations. The Security Council requests the Secretary-General to keep the Council updated. "The Security Council reaffirms its deep concern about the worsening security situation in Darfur and its repercussions in the region. It stresses that a peaceful settlement to the conflict in Darfur lies in a comprehensive approach with the concerted efforts of all relevant parties, in accordance with the Darfur Peace Agreement, and will contribute to restoring security and stability in the region." This statement will be issued as a document of Security Council under the symbol S/PRST/2006/55. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda. The meeting rose at 4.25 p.m. 06-66925