S/PV.6761 Security Council

There were 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2045 (2012). I now give the floor to the representative of Côte d’Ivoire.

My delegation would like to express its congratulations to the Côte d’Ivoire Sanctions Committee established pursuant to resolution 1572 (2004), as well as its Group of Experts, for the outstanding work that has been done in the six months since the publication of the report to the Council contained in document S/2011/642. In response to the concerns expressed in that report, my delegation would like to solemnly reiterate the tireless commitment of the President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, His Excellency Mr. Alassane Ouattara, and of the Government led by the Prime Minister, His Excellency Mr. Jeannot Kouadio-Ahoussou, to ensure the full cooperation and assistance of Ivorian authorities, both when it comes to access to the places and sources of information and in identifying potential violations of the Côte d’Ivoire sanctions regime. Allow me to provide an update on a few key developments that have occurred since the adoption of resolution 1980 (2011) — the previous resolution on the Côte d’Ivoire sanctions regime. A year after the adoption of resolution 1980 (2011), President Ouattara and the Government of Côte d’Ivoire took steps to strengthen security throughout the country, restore security and the rule of law institutions and deploy them gradually throughout the country and transfer law enforcement functions to competent entities. The security situation in Abidjan and throughout the country has significantly improved, but major challenges remain to be overcome, namely, recurring intercommunity and land conflicts as well as the precarious security situation in the western part of the country, in particular in the border zone with Liberia. All State officials have returned to their posts in the north of the country, including the security and defence forces, the prefect corps, the financial police and public treasury, and customs and tax officers, thereby making it possible to restore public authority throughout the national territory. Major financial efforts have been made by the State to restore the national road infrastructure and build new roads, bridges and highways. The reform of the coffee and cocoa sector has been carried out, as has that of the mining and the energy sectors, thereby guaranteeing greater transparency in managing the financial resources generated by those important sectors for the economy of Côte d’Ivoire. National reconciliation is now under way, and political dialogue with the opposition has begun. That was reflected in the President’s visit to the western part of the country from 21 to 24 April 2012, his first State visit within the country since his inauguration in May 2011. Along with the step taken by the President to promote dialogue, forgiveness and reconciliation, between 27 and 28 April, the Government will begin a dialogue with all the opposition parties in order to strengthen national cohesion. The new National Assembly that emerged from the legislative elections of December 2011 convened yesterday for its first regular session, in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of Côte d’Ivoire. President Ouattara is fully aware of the priority of stabilizing the security situation. In order to signal his commitment and speed up crucial reforms in the security sector, the President has now assumed the functions of Minister of Defence in the new Government established following the ministerial reshuffling on 13 March. On 6 April, the President and Minister of Defence issued decree No. 2, which deals with the establishment, nature, composition and operation of the working group on security sector reform (SSR) The group’s first goal is to undertake an in-depth discussion on defence and security involving every sector involved in SSR. Secondly, the group is to strengthen coordination among all elements involved in SSR in order to develop a comprehensive and coherent security sector reform policy and find a lasting solution to the issue of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR). The working group is to submit its conclusions in three months. The inter-ministerial coordination cell for monitoring the embargo has been set up. This body serves to underscore the key role played by the Foreign Ministry and guarantees strict respect of, and transparency in, the procedures to be followed. With respect to the Kimberley Process, the restoration of local and regional administration by the Ministry of Mines and Energy makes it possible to have a presence that represents the public authority and has sufficient means to monitor money activities throughout the country. That should facilitate the availability of information necessary to establish legislation and speed up the process of Côte d’Ivoire becoming a member of the Process. That is the context in which the Council adopted resolution 2045 (2012), which renews for a one-year period the sanctions regime concerning Côte d’Ivoire. My delegation notes that the new resolution renews the mandate of the Group of Experts for 12 months, until 30 April 2013. The resolution acknowledges the urgent need for the Government of Côte d’Ivoire to train and equip its security forces and, in particular, to provide national and local police with the weapons and munitions necessary for law enforcement. The resolution eliminates the embargo on training and technical assistance. It also eases exemption procedures for Côte d’Ivoire authorities, from a system of requesting authorization to one of notifying. The resolution also calls for a review of the sanctions in six months, according to the progress made in SSR and DDR. It also maintains the current measures on rough diamonds, while waiting for progress to be made in the Kimberley Process. Lastly, the resolution maintains individual sanctions. My delegation would like to express its satisfaction and thanks to the members of the Council for having taken into account the efforts made and the success achieved by my country on the road to normalization and stability for Côte d’Ivoire. My delegation believes that the resolution sends a very strong message of encouragement from the Security Council to Côte d’Ivoire to continue its efforts in order to overcome the remaining challenges. President Ouattara will have an opportunity to express his gratitude to the members of the Council during the Council’s next visit to Côte d’Ivoire, from 20 to 22 May. As I said in my statement before the Council on 26 January (see S/PV.6708), Côte d’Ivoire is ready to assume once again its role as a locus of stability and growth in the subregion in the service of peace, security and international cooperation. President Ouattara, as Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), is aware of the importance of the responsibilities conferred upon him, and he intends to give Côte d’Ivoire the opportunity to fully assume its commitment. As we speak, the heads of State of ECOWAS are meeting in Abidjan at a special summit meeting to consider the situations in Mali and Guinea-Bissau. Important measures are expected to emerge from that meeting that will contribute to finally resolving the crises in those two countries, in close cooperation with the African Union, the United Nations, the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries and the entire international community. Security and stability of the countries in the West African subregion are threatened by terrorism, transnational crime, arms trafficking, the illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons, piracy in the Gulf of Guinea and drug trafficking. My delegation therefore calls on the United Nations and the entire international community to increase their assistance to collective security projects undertaken by the subregional organizations of ECOWAS and the Economic Community of Central African States in order to put an end to those scourges and to be able to use the resources available to achieve economic and social development objectives for its populations.

There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Security Council will remain seized of the matter. The meeting rose at 10:20 p.m.