S/PV.5651 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/2007/144, containing a letter from the Secretary-General dated 13 March 2007. 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 the Agreement signed by President Laurent Gbagbo and Mr. Guillaume Soro in Ouagadougou on 4 March 2007 under the facilitation of the Chairperson of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), President Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso (S/2007/144). It commends the parties signatory to the Agreement for the spirit of compromise and the sense of responsibility they have displayed, and pays tribute to President Blaise Compaoré for his efforts to facilitate the conclusion of the Agreement. “The Security Council takes note of the commitments of the parties to its resolutions on Côte d’Ivoire, including resolution 1721 (2006), and underlines that the Ouagadougou Agreement provides a good basis for a comprehensive and all-inclusive settlement of the crisis in Côte d’Ivoire through the organization of credible elections. “The Security Council takes note of the recommendations of ECOWAS and of the African Union. It endorses the Ouagadougou Agreement of 4 March 2007 and calls upon the Ivorian parties to implement it fully, in good faith and within the timetable set out in the Agreement. “The Security Council commends the outgoing Prime Minister, Mr. Charles Konan Banny, whose tireless efforts permitted progress in the implementation of the peace process and contributed to restoring a climate of confidence in Côte d’Ivoire. “The Security Council takes note of the agreement among the parties on the institutional arrangements, as indicated by the letter dated 27 March 2007 from the Permanent Representative of Burkina Faso to the President of the Security Council, and supports the appointment of Mr. Guillaume Soro as Prime Minister. “The Security Council expresses its readiness to take further steps, in the light of the progress achieved, in order to help the parties in implementing their commitments and to support the peace process in Côte d’Ivoire, in particular the electoral process. It requests the Secretary- General to submit to it recommendations by 15 May 2007 on the role that the United Nations should play to support the implementation of the peace process, taking into account the latest developments in Côte d’Ivoire.” This statement will be issued as a document of the Security Council under the symbol S/PRST/2007/8. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.