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About What's In Blue

When the Security Council approaches the final stage of negotiation of a draft resolution the text is printed in blue. What's in Blue is a regular feed of insights produced by Security Council Report on evolving Security Council decisions. It is designed to help interested readers at UN Missions keep up with what might soon be "in blue". These insights supplement the Monthly Forecasts and other reports from SCR.

What's in the news

posted on Fri 24 May 2013

Middle East

• Kerry, Lavrov to meet on Syria in Paris on Monday. US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet privately in Paris on Monday to discuss their efforts to bring Syria's warring parties to a peace conference, a US official said on Friday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the two men would "continue their conversation (from) Moscow," a reference to their 7 May agreement to try to get the Syrian government and opposition to discuss an end to the more than 2-year-old civil war. (Reuters)
• Russia says Syrian regime may take part in peace talks. The Syrian government has agreed "in principle" to attend a conference proposed by Russia and the US on ending the country's civil war, Russia's Foreign Ministry said Friday, the first confirmation that President Bashar Assad's regime would be willing to take part in the talks with the opposition. Damascus has not issued a definitive statement of its own on the proposed talks. (AP)

Africa

• UN chief challenges African leaders over Congo. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is urging African leaders to implement a plan that the UN hopes will stabilise eastern Congo after years of turmoil. Ban told a news conference in Uganda that he expects regional leaders to find solutions as eastern Congo once again moves into another phase of hostilities sparked partly by the UN's deployment of new peacekeepers authorised to attack rebels. Ban said the force will be fully operational "in a matter of weeks." (AP)
• Death toll from Guinea opposition march rises to four. The official death toll from Thursday's clashes between Guinean opposition protesters and police and government supporters rose to four on Friday, meaning at least 22 people have now been killed in unrest since March. The government has denied accusations that opposition leaders were targeted by security forces and said the victims had been attacked by people on their own side. (Reuters)
• China 'offers troops' to UN Mali peacekeeping mission. China has offered soldiers to the new UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, UN officials say. Talks are underway, and more than 500 Chinese peacekeepers and engineers could potentially take part in the mission, according to UN officials. Around 6,000 African troops are currently in Mali providing security. (BBC)

Asia

• Taliban attack UN compound in Afghan capital. Taliban militants launched a coordinated attack on a UN compound in the center of the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Friday setting off explosions and battling the security forces. Kabul police chief Ayoub Salangi said four attackers had entered a UN compound. There was no information about anyone who had been inside the compound at the time of the attack. (Reuters)

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