S/PV.7320 Security Council

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Security Council will now hear a briefing by Ambassador María Cristina Perceval, Permanent Representative of Argentina, in her capacity as Chair of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005) concerning the Sudan.

In accordance with paragraph 3 (a) (iv) of resolution 1591 (2005), I have the honour to brief the Security Council on the work of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005) concerning the Sudan, covering the period from 28 August to 24 November 2014. I am pleased that the briefing is being provided in an open format, which enhances the transparency of the work of the Committee. During the reporting period, the Sudan Sanctions Committee approved action in relation to a recommendation emanating from the mid-term report of the Panel of Experts on the Sudan and received the third quarterly update of the Panel of Experts. In its mid-term report, the Panel recommended that the Committee consider initiating a dialogue with interested Member States, in particular those in the region, under the auspices of paragraph 3 (a) (vii) of resolution 1591 (2005), in order to identify existing information gaps and capacity-building requirements in the context of the implementation of the sanctions measures. Accordingly, the Committee convened its fifth formal meeting on 13 November, in which it met with the representatives to the United Nations of the Sudan, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya and South Sudan. Participants generally welcomed the convening of the meeting, with several calling for more frequent interaction between the Committee and the interested Member States. During the discussion, the representative of the Sudan elaborated on the steps his Government had taken to cooperate with the Committee and its Panel of Experts. He also referred in particular to the agreements signed with Libya and Chad regarding the operation of joint border patrols to prevent the flow of arms into Darfur. His comments regarding border control were echoed by the representatives of Libya and Chad. While encouraging the further strengthening of border cooperation, one Committee member expressed the view that arms flows between the Government of the Sudan and Darfur were the main issue. Two other invited delegations reported on their compliance with the sanctions regime, indicating that they remained in communication with the Panel of Experts. One Committee member, however, stated that her delegation had hoped that more specific information on the challenges faced in implementing the relevant Security Council resolutions would have been shared by the invited delegations. Stronger implementation of the travel ban was urged, given that the Panel had reported violations thereof. A call was also made on Member States that had not yet done so to submit their implementation reports to the Committee. A Committee member applauded the growing cooperation between the Sudan and the Panel of Experts, adding that the country’s economic problems were hindering the progress of the Darfur peace process. Some other Committee members, while appreciating the improved cooperation, expressed the view that better cooperation mechanisms were still needed. Some Committee members noted that the Chair’s visit to the Sudan earlier this year was highly useful and that initiatives such as those should become a regular feature of the administration of sanctions regimes. In my concluding remarks, I expressed the hope that a deeper culture of dialogue would emerge and become a best practice, leading to greater trust and thereby contributing to the effectiveness of the Committee’s work. Following the meeting, the Committee issued a press release. On 13 November, the Panel of Experts submitted its third quarterly update to the Committee. The Panel reported that, during the period from 13 August to 4 November, it had maintained an almost continuous presence in the Sudan and Darfur. Panel members also travelled extensively, both in the region and to other countries, for discussions and enquiries in connection with their mandate. The Panel also reported in some detail on its interactions with the Sudanese national focal point for the Panel. All of those issues will ultimately be covered in the final report of the Panel to the Security Council, which is due no later than 17 January 2015. Lastly, since I will have an opportunity to share my personal reflections as Chair of the Committee during the briefings by outgoing Chairs scheduled for the month of December, I would like at this stage to simply thank the members of the Committee for the cooperation they have always extended to us.

Having received Ambassador Perceval’s briefing in an open meeting of the Council, we have now concluded our meeting for this afternoon. I invite Council members to informal consultations to continue our discussion on the subject.