Global Policy Forum

Notes By Amb. Celso Amorim of Brazil
President of the Security Council in January 1999

1. In accordance with the Security Council's primary responsibility, under the UN Charter, for the maintenance of international peace and security, and emphasizing the importance of comprehensive compliance with all relevant resolutions, the Security Council continues to discuss options which would lead to the full implementation of all relevant Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq. While pursuing these discussions, the Security Council has decided that it would be useful to establish three separate panels and to receive recommendations from them no later than 15 April 1999.

2. The Security Council invites the current President of the Council, Ambassador Celso Amorim of Brazil to chair each of the panels. In an effort to maintain continuity, his chairmanship would run beyond his current tenure as President of the Security Council in order to complete this work.

3. The Chairman would maintain close liaison with the Secretary-General and the Security Council President on the composition and work of the panels. The Chairman, in consultation with panel participants and members of the Security Council, would adopt appropriate working methods and plans of work. The Chairman could invite a variety of views and experts, including those from UN agencies in the field, to participate in the work of the panels and could authorize such travel, to obtain information concerning the situation on the ground in Iraq, as he deems appropriate in order to provide the Council with the best possible advice.

4. The first panel, on disarmament and current and future ongoing monitoring and verification issues, would involve the participation and expertise from the United Nations Special Commission, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations Secretariat, and any other relevant expertise. The panel would assess all the existing and relevant information available, including data from ongoing monitoring and verification, relating to the state of disarmament in Iraq. The panel would make recommendations to the Security Council on how, taking into account relevant Security Council resolutions, to reestablish an effective disarmament/ongoing monitoring and verification regime in Iraq.

5. The second panel, on humanitarian issues, would involve the participation and expertise from the Office of the Iraq Programme, the Secretariat of the Committee established by Security Council resolution 661 (1990), and the United Nations Secretariat. This panel would assess the current humanitarian situation in Iraq and make recommendations to the Security Council regarding measures to improve the humanitarian situation in Iraq.

6. The third panel, on prisoners of war and Kuwaiti property, including archives, would involve the participation and expertise from the United Nations Secretariat and any other relevant expertise. The panel would make an assessment, in consultation with relevant experts of Iraqi compliance relating to prisoners of war, Kuwaiti property, including archives, as stipulated by Security Council resolutions, The panel would make recommendations to the Security Council with regards to these matters.