The President French

I should like to inform the Council that I have received a letter from the representative of Côte d'Ivoire, in which he requests to be invited to participate in the consideration of the item on the Council's agenda. In conformity with the usual practice, I propose, with the consent of the Council, to invite that representative to participate in the consideration of the item without the right to vote, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter and rule 37 of the Council's provisional rules of procedure.

There being no objection, it is so decided.

The President French

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations.

After consultations among members of the Security Council, I have been authorized to make the following statement on behalf of the Council:

"The Security Council notes with concern the postponement of the first round of the presidential election, scheduled for 29 November 2009 in the 18 May 2009 communiqué of the Permanent Consultative Framework of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement, which was endorsed by all the main Ivorian political actors.

"The Security Council welcomes the positive steps taken by the Ivorian actors, in particular the publication of the provisional voters list and of the list of candidates. It further welcomes the 3 December 2009 communiqué of the Permanent Consultative Framework. It commends the Facilitator, President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso, for his continued efforts to support the peace process in Côte d'Ivoire.

"The Security Council takes note that the Permanent Consultative Framework considered, on the basis of a presentation by the Independent Electoral Commission, that the postponement of the elections was due to technical and financial constraints and that the first round of the presidential elections would be organized by the end of February or the beginning of March 2010. It urges the Ivorian actors to address the remaining tasks and to hold open, free, fair and transparent presidential elections in accordance with international standards at the earliest possible date.

"The Security Council notes again that the publication of a final voters list certified by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General is crucial for the holding of open, free, fair and transparent presidential elections. It urges the Ivorian stakeholders to meet their commitments to support the elections and to facilitate this process without delay, in particular during the 38-day phase during which the provisional list can be challenged before independent local electoral commissions and courts. It urges again the Ivorian authorities to allow equitable access to public media, consistent with the Code of Good Conduct for elections. It reiterates its intention to react as appropriate, consistent with its resolution 1880 (2009), towards those who would block the progress of the electoral process.

"The Security Council welcomes the signature by President Laurent Gbagbo on 17 November 2009 of several military rules and regulations, including seven decrees. It urges the Ivorian parties to make further concrete progress, before and after the elections, to advance the reunification and disarmament processes.

"The Security Council recalls that it will review the mandate and the troop level of the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) by 31 January 2010. It reiterates its determination to bring its full support to a credible electoral process in Côte d'Ivoire. It requests the Secretary-General to provide to it, in the report referred to in its resolution 1880 (2009), options for the future direction of UNOCI, in particular in light of the publication of the final voters list and of a credible electoral time frame, including preliminary indications on timing, benchmarks and modalities for a possible drawdown of the operation."

This statement will be issued as a document of the Security Council under the symbol S/PRST/2009/33.

The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.