Negotiations Over a Draft Statement on Afghanistan
Council members at expert level are scheduled to meet late this afternoon to begin negotiations on a draft presidential statement welcoming and reaffirming the conclusions of the 5 December Bonn Conference on Afghanistan. Germany, the lead country on Afghanistan in the Council, circulated the draft to Council members yesterday evening.
Members do not appear to have any fundamental differences over the substance of the draft text which closely adheres to the Bonn Conference conclusions. However, there seems to be some differences over whether the Council should be adopting a presidential statement on the conclusions of this conference. Following recent major conferences on Afghanistan like the London Conference of 28 January 2010 and the Kabul Conference of 20 July 2010, Council members issued a press statement rather than a presidential statement. If Council members come to an agreement over the type of statement to be issued, it is possible that it may be adopted tomorrow.
