Georgia
The Council unanimously renewed the mandate for the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG), which was set to expire 15 April, for six months.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has expressed concern regarding the attacks on the Kodori gorge in March, with Georgian officials accusing Russian helicopters of firing rockets into the valley. UNOMIG is participating in a joint investigation into the attacks. UNOMIG has also been keeping an eye on ongoing developments in the breakaway state of Abkhazia, with sporadic violence continuing after parliamentary elections in March failed to create a government there.
Democratic Republic of Congo
The Council also unanimously renewed the mandate for the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC), which was set to expire 15 April. Council members agreed not to downsize the current personnel deployment in the DRC of over 18,000 peacekeepers, military observers, police and civilian advisers.
Clashes in February between supporters of President Joseph Kabila and Jean-Pierre Bemba left dozens dead and sparked fears that the DRC's fragile political transition was under threat from resurgent violence. Resolution 1751 further underlines the need for greater political transparency in the DRC, and space for political opposition within the struggling democracy.
MONUC will also continue its cooperation with Congolese armed forces in combating the various remaining insurgent militias in the east of the country, which include the Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, the Mayi Mayi and the Ugandan rebels the Lord's Resistance Army.
Nepal
The Secretary-General's quarterly report on the UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) is due on 23 April, but will most likely be discussed in May. UNMIN has already successfully completed the first phases of registering and storing weapons of the Nepalese army and former Maoist rebels.
Western Sahara
The Secretary-General has recommended a further six-month extension to the work of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), which expires on 30 April. The Council began consultations on 20 April on the fate of MINURSO and the political process between Morocco and the Polisario Front. While the two parties hold "irreconcilable" positions on any future referendum - Polisario demands full independence while Morocco will not allow the option of independence in a referendum - UN officials are optimistic that a breakthrough is possible since both parties have agreed to conduct direct negotiations beneath UN auspices.
Algeria and Iraq
The Council unanimously condemned the bombings of 11 April in Algiers and of 13 April on the Iraqi parliament.
The Council has also recently deliberated on small arms, issues of climate change and climate security, and Cote d'Ivoire.
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