SECURITY COUNCIL AND GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENTS DISCUSS KEY GLOBAL ISSUES

Source: unic.org

General Assembly Joseph Deiss today held discussions with this month's Security Council President Ertugrul Apakan, Turkey's Permanent Representative, a day after wrapping up the Assembly's annual opening session at which many speakers called for a realignment of United Nations power.

Only resolutions of the 15-member Council, not those of the 192-member Assembly, are legally binding. Many of the opening session speakers called for enlargement of the Council and reinforcing the Assembly's authority.

Mr. Apakan informed Mr. Deiss of the outcome of two high-level meetings of the Council on the maintenance of peace and security and counter-terrorism, which call for a strong partnership between the two bodies on these issues. Other items discussed included the situation in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Sierra Leone, Sudan and the Middle East.

The two men underlined the importance of a close and continuous dialogue between the presidents of these two principal organs to ensure enhanced cooperation and coordination in their work programmes.