UN Security Council welcomes progress made by governments of Sudan and South Sudan; Mandate of UN force in Lebanon extended; UNSC welcomes political transition in Somalia; Sudan withdraws from UNHRC; IAEA sets up Task Force in Iran, UN reports Iran’s expa
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Whatsapp
  • Linkedin
  • Print

    • The progress made by the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan in negotiations to fulfill their obligations under the Roadmap laid out by the African Union was welcomed by the Security Council. The Roadmap is aimed at easing tensions, facilitating the resumption of negotiations on post-secession relations and normalizing relations between the two countries. The agreement reached on oil and financial arrangements was also welcomed. 1

    Meanwhile, the mandate of the UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was extended for a year until August 31, 2013. The Council also urged all parties to abide scrupulously by their obligation to respect the safety of the peacekeepers. 2

    In other developments, the recent adoption of Somalia’s constitution and the inaugural meeting of its new parliament was welcomed by the Security Council. The Council called on all parties to continue to work together to bring a swift end to the country’s transition. 3

    Following strong criticism from human rights and pro-democracy groups, Sudan withdrew its candidacy for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council. Sudan’s president, Omar al-Bashir is accused of war crimes in Darfur. 4

    According to reports, the UN’s nuclear agency, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) set up an Iran Task Force to handle inspections and other issues related to the country’s disputed atomic activities. In the recent past, the IAEA has been voicing concern over the possible military dimensions of Iran’s nuclear programme. 5 Meanwhile, a UN report stated that Iran has doubled the number of uranium enrichment machines in the wake of threat of Israeli attack. 6

    Top