U.S. Ends Presidency of UN Security Council on November 30

The United States was UN Security Council president for the month of November 2004. The presidency rotates on a monthly basis in alphabetical order. In October the United Kingdom was president while Algeria holds the position in December.

During the U.S. presidency, the Council dealt with a number of important issues:

• The Council passed Resolution 1572 concerning the situation in Cote d’Ivoire. The resolution calls for the imposition of sanctions by December 15 if there is no immediate progress towards the implementation of a cease-fire agreement. The U.S. also led negotiations among Council members to reach consensus on a renewal of the mandate for ONUB, the UN peacekeeping mission in Burundi.

• The U.S. continued to work closely with key "core group" members to address the issue of accountability for crimes committed in East Timor in 1999. This work culminated in Resolution 1573, which extends until May 2005 the mandate for UNMISET, the UN peacekeeping mission in East Timor.

• Under the leadership of Ambassador John C. Danforth, the Security Council met in Nairobi, Kenya, on November 18-19 in an effort to advance the peace process in Sudan. During the meetings, the Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1574, which offers international support for the peace process after the signing of a comprehensive North-South peace agreement. The Nairobi session of the Security Council, only the fourth time the Security Council has met outside of New York, underscored the U.S. commitment to peace in the region. Also in Nairobi, the Council adopted a Presidential Statement concerning Somalia and another on coordination with the African Union.

• After returning from Nairobi the Council adopted Resolution 1575 on Bosnia and Herzegovina. This measure authorizes the transfer of peacekeeping responsibility from NATO to the EU, recognizes NATO’s continuing role in the area, and stipulates that the EU and NATO will continue consultations on the division of their respective peacekeeping responsibilities. The Council also passed Resolution 1576, authorizing MINUSTAH, the UN mission in Haiti, to continue for another six months.

• Finally, the Council formally requested that the UN Secretariat establish a trust fund to administer contributions from Member States to provide security for the UN presence in Iraq.