| Date | 20 March 2008 |
|---|---|
| Started | 10:25 |
| Ended | 10:30 |
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The situation in Afghanistan Report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security (S/2008/159)
| President: |  | Mr. Churkin Russia |
(The Presidency changes each month to the next member in alphabetical order) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Members: |  | Mr. Verbeke Belgium |
 | Mr. Kafando Burkina Faso |
 | Mr. Liu Zhenmin China |
 | Mr. Urbina Costa Rica |
 | Mr. Jurica Croatia |
 | Mr. Ripert France |
|
 | Mr. Natalegawa Indonesia |
 | Mr. Spatafora Italy |
 | Mr. Ettalhi Libya |
|
 | Mr. Arias Panama |
 | Mr. Kumalo South Africa |
 | Sir John Sawers United Kingdom |
|
 | Mr. Khalilzad United States |
 | Mr. Le Luong Minh Viet Nam |
|||
Adoption of the agenda
The situation in Afghanistan
Report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security (S/2008/159)
The President
I should like to inform the Council that I have received a letter from the representative of Afghanistan, in which he requests to be invited to participate in the consideration of the item on the Council’s agenda. In conformity with the usual practice, I propose, with the consent of the Council, to invite that representative to participate in the consideration of the item, without the right to vote, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter and rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure.
There being no objection, it is so decided.
The President
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.
Members of the Council have before them document S/2008/185, which contains the text of a draft resolution prepared in the course of the Council’s prior consultations. Members of the Council also have before them document S/2008/159, which contains the report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security.
It is my understanding that the Council is ready to proceed to vote on the draft resolution before it. Unless I hear any objection, I shall now put the draft resolution to the vote now.
There being no objection, it is so decided.
| favour | against |
| abstain | absent |
favour=15 against=0 abstain=0 absent=0
Belgium, Burkina Faso, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, France, Indonesia, Italy, Libya, Panama, Russia, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam
The President
There were 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 1806 (2008).
I shall now give the floor to members of the Council who wish to make statements following the voting.
Mr. Spatafora (Italy)
I wish to briefly take the floor in order to thank all delegations for their very constructive, flexible and strong support during the consultations on this resolution, as well as to express our full satisfaction with the outcome. Once again, the Council is rallying strongly and united behind one of the most important missions of the United Nations.
We are convinced that this text meets all the expectations expressed in the report (S/2008/159) of the Secretary-General and in the briefing by Under-Secretary-General Guéhenno on 12 March. The Secretary-General recommended that the Mission’s mandate be sharpened. Indeed, the resolution was conceived and discussed in that spirit. In fact, not only are we extending the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for a further 12 months, we are also offering the Mission clear guidance on the priorities to take forward within the mandate in the coming months: enhanced coordination of, and leadership on, international efforts; strengthened cooperation with the International Security Assistance Force; political outreach; national reconciliation; governance; humanitarian assistance; the promotion of human rights; elections; and regional cooperation.
The resolution also highlights what we have perceived as the main feature of the 12 March debate: the need for all the activities of the Mission and of the international community at large to be guided by the overarching principle of reinforcing Afghan ownership and leadership.
Finally, we are pleased with the focus of the United Nations on some crucial horizontal issues, namely, the protection of civilians, children and armed conflict, women and peace and security. It is now the duty of the entire international community to translate the resolution into concrete support for UNAMA, in particular for the efforts of the newly appointed Special Representative of the Secretary-General. I am confident that he will receive from all Member States and from the Headquarters of the United Nations the necessary resources and political support to fulfil his daunting task.
The President
There are no further speakers inscribed on my list. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.
