S/PV.6817 Security Council

Under rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representative of Côte d’Ivoire to participate in this meeting. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Members of the Council have before them document S/2012/581, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by the France, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America. I should like to draw the attention of the members of the Council to document S/2012/506, which contains the thirtieth progress report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire. It is my understanding that the Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.

There were 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2062 (2012). I now give the floor to the representative of Côte d’Ivoire.

Last weekend, the western part of Côte d’Ivoire once again experienced violent events. At approximately 4 o’clock in the morning of 20 July, four individuals armed with kalashnikovs struck down four persons in the Kokoman 2 It is against that backdrop that the Security Council has just unanimously adopted resolution 2062 (2012), which renews the mandate of the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire until 31 July 2013. The text of the resolution was the outcome of intensive consultations among the members of the Council, who were at all times motivated solely by the goal of contributing to the return of security, stability and lasting peace in Côte d’Ivoire. My delegation would therefore like to thank the members of the Council and express the gratitude of the people and Government of Côte d’Ivoire for their ongoing commitment and invaluable support for peace and democracy in our country. I should like to make the following comments in connection with the resolution. On the security front, we welcome the Council’s determination to put the protection of civilians at the centre of ONUCI’s mandate. However, we regret that the Council did not grant our request to maintain ONUCI’s original troop strength, which has now been reduced by one battalion. Nevertheless, given the progress that has taken place around Abidjan and the country’s other major cities, we continue to be confident that UNOCI’s reconfiguration will take place in a way that reducing the number of troops will in no way create a security vacuum. In any event, it is worth noting that the total number of troops under this resolution is greater than it was during the post-electoral crisis. Moreover, my delegation would like to express its full satisfaction with the Council’s decision to immediately authorize the transfer to ONUCI of three attack helicopters that are currently deployed to the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). As we pointed out during the briefing held on 18 July (see S/PV.6808), such a step had been urgently needed in order to strengthen ONUCI’s capacity to deter, foresee and react to destabilizing threats. We also welcome the fact that the resolution acknowledges and encourages the importance of cooperation between ONUCI and Côte d’Ivoire forces; between Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia; between ONUCI and UNMIL; and among the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Mano River Union and the United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWA). With regard to security sector reform (SSR) and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR), the resolution just adopted sends a clear message about the urgent need to develop, put in place and implement local elections to be conducted under the best possible conditions. With regard to human rights and combating impunity, the resolution puts particular emphasis on the importance of bringing to justice all those responsible for serious abuse or violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, regardless of their status or political affiliation. It outlines the importance of providing the forces of law and order with adequate training on human rights, international humanitarian law and the rights of refugees, including issues relating to the protection of children and gender-based violence. And the resolution urges the Ivorian Government to continue its cooperation with the International Criminal Court. My delegation is in complete agreement with the views the Council expresses in the resolution and in that connection reaffirms President Ouattara’s commitment to zero tolerance of impunity. Because of the regional considerations stemming from the security situation in the west of Côte d’Ivoire, the resolution encourages ECOWAS and the Mano River Union, in cooperation with UNOWA, to develop 4