Probe into Lankan war not on UN Security Council agenda
June 3, 2010 01:05 pm
Proposed investigations into the war crimes allegations during the recent conflict in Sri Lanka, will not be considered by the Security Council during Mexico’s presidency in June, Claude Heller, that country’s Permanent Representative, said at a Headquarters press conference today.
Regarding proposed investigations into the killing of civilians during the
recent conflict in
Children and armed conflict, justice and the rule of law, and the situation
in Sudan were among the major areas to be considered by the Security Council, he added.
Violence in the seas off Gaza and the Koreas, though not now on the agenda,
were also likely to come up because of recent developments, Mr. Heller said,
adding that new action on
Mr. Heller said he expected the nature of the proposed investigation to be the subject of much negotiation as there was much pressure for action. An Israeli investigation or independent commission could result, but the leadership of the latter had not yet been discussed. Those matters would have to be worked out in consultations and in a political process involving all interested parties, as well as the Secretary-General.
Regarding the open debate on children and armed conflict, over which Mexico’s Foreign Minister would preside, he said his country chaired the Working Group on the issue, and the adoption of resolution 1882 (2009) had given the United Nations more latitude to act. Radhika Coomaraswamy, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, would present the annual report, he added.
Turning to the open debate on justice and the rule of law, a subject on
which
On
Concerning mandate renewals due this month, he said consultations would be
held on a review of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti
(MINUSTAH), in view of the adjustments made after the January earthquake. There
would also be consultations on the missions in
As for issues involving courts and tribunals, he said the Council had this
morning set the date for the election of a new Judge of the International Court
of Justice. (See Press Release SC/9941) A debate on the International Criminal
Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for
He said other issues that might come up included
The Council had not yet received requests to consider issues involving the
Korean peninsula, he said, adding that he could not exclude the possibility
that it would come up, taking into account the tragic sinking of a
He concluded by saying that a report would be presented at the end of June on the visit of Council members to Afghanistan, where Turkey would lead a mission in order to give the Council a first-hand view of the situation from many perspectives. However, the terms of reference had not yet been finalized. The Turkish Government had also invited members to a non-official retreat.
Asked why the presidential statement on
Responding to further questions on
Regarding proposed investigations into the killing of civilians during the
recent conflict in
Asked whether any Council action would be tied to the 17 June General Assembly high-level meeting on transnational organized crime, he said it was not a topic for the Council per se, but had often been discussed in relationship to conflict in various regions. It was important for both the Council and the Assembly to draw attention to the fact that the Palermo Convention and other components of the international legal framework had not yet been translated into real change, he stressed.
In response to other questions, he said friendly relations between