(S/2005/470)
On behalf of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1572 (2004) concerning Côte d'Ivoire, and in accordance with paragraph 7 (d) of Security Council resolution 1584 (2005), I have the honour to transmit herewith the interim report of the Group of Experts on Côte d'Ivoire.
I would appreciate it if this letter, together with its enclosure, were brought to the attention of the members of the Security Council and issued as a document of the Council.
(Signed) Adamantios Th. Vassilakis
Chairman
Security Council Committee
established pursuant to resolution 1572 (2004)
concerning Côte d'Ivoire
Annex
Letter dated 8 July 2005 from the Chairman of the Group of Experts on Côte d'Ivoire addressed to the Chairman of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1572 (2004)
On behalf of the members of the Group of Experts on Côte d'Ivoire, we have the honour to transmit herewith the interim report of the Group of Experts, in accordance with paragraph 7 (d) of Security Council resolution 1584 (2005).
(Signed) Atabou Bodian (Chairman)
Alex Vines Jean-Pierre Witty
Enclosure
Interim report of the Panel of Experts submitted pursuant to paragraph 7 (d) of Security Council resolution 1584 (2005) concerning Côte d'Ivoire
I. Summary
1. This is a progress report of the Panel of Experts on Côte d'Ivoire as requested by the Security Council in resolution 1584 (2005). Since mid-April the Panel has conducted to date over 100 official consultations in 13 countries, including Côte d'Ivoire and most of its neighbours. The Panel has liaised closely with other expert groups, United Nations agencies, the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) and the French forces there (Licorne). The Panel is pleased to note general awareness of resolutions 1572 (2004) and 1584 (2005) but notes that there is widespread confusion about the fine detail and recommends that the Committee examine this.
II. Introduction
2. Pursuant to Security Council resolution 1584 (2005) of 1 February 2005, the Secretary-General appointed a Panel of Experts on Côte d'Ivoire to examine and analyse information by UNOCI and the French forces; and to gather and analyse all relevant information in Côte d'Ivoire, countries of the region and, as necessary, in other countries, on flows of arms and related material, and provision of assistance, advice and training related to military activities.
3. This Panel was also requested in the resolution to report to the Security Council within 90 days from its establishment, through the Committee, of its progress. This is the progress report. A final report by this Panel with findings and conclusions will be submitted to the Committee, which will report to the Security Council prior to the expiry of the Panel's mandate in October 2005.
III. Methodology of the investigation
4. This Panel used evidentiary standards in its investigations similar to those used by the expert groups on Liberia (see S/2005/360) and Sierra Leone (see S/2000/1195). Wherever possible, the Panel relied on fully authenticated documentary evidence. Where this was not possible, the Panel required at least two credible and verifiably independent sources of information to substantiate a finding. The investigation is currently ongoing, so in this report the Panel will not outline detailed conclusions. It is currently investigating a number of cases to establish if violation of Security Council sanctions occurred. Where necessary, allegations against States, individuals and enterprises have been, or will be, put to those concerned, to allow them the right to reply.
5. The Panel of Experts consists of its chairperson and civil aviation expert Atabou Bodian (Senegal); an expert on weapons sanctions busting, Alex Vines (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland); and an expert on customs and investigation, Jean-Pierre Witty (Canada). The Panel is assisted by a consultant with police investigative and revenue experience, Agim de Bruycker (Belgium). The Panel's Chairman experienced a serious medical condition in mid-May and the customs expert Mr. Witty joined the Panel on 14 June; this affected the pace of the Panel's investigation.
6. The Panel began its mandate on 18 April 2005 and consulted with the Committee soon afterwards in New York. Following additional consultations with other United Nations agencies, States, individuals, non-governmental entities, academic institutes, think tanks and enterprises in New York, the Panel visited France and the United Kingdom in May for the same purpose. The Panel then visited the neighbours of Côte d'Ivoire: Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Senegal as was requested in the resolution (see annex for details). In Guinea and Burkina Faso the Panel travelled by land to the Ivorian border.
7. Late in May and in June the Panel embarked upon a second field mission to Portugal and Côte d'Ivoire. The Panel visited Abidjan and Yamoussoukro in the south, Bouaké, Korhogo and Ferkessédougou in the north and Wangolodougou in the far north of Côte d'Ivoire, close to the Malian and Burkina Faso frontier. This was followed late in June by a third mission to Togo, Senegal and Belarus. A mission to Ghana also occurred in mid-July, just prior to consultation with the Committee about this interim report.
8. The first priority of the Panel was to visit the countries of the region and Côte d'Ivoire. All neighbours of Côte d'Ivoire have been visited except Liberia. The Panel decided that, in accordance with resolution 1584 (2005), paragraph 7 (h), it would rely on the information provided by the Group of Experts established by resolution 1579 (2004) concerning Liberia. Its report (S/2005/360, paras. 75-83) covered allegations of recruitment in Liberia for armed groups in Côte d'Ivoire. The Panel also conducted a joint mission with its Liberia counterpart in Guinea and conducted an investigation on its behalf in Burkina Faso.
9. Cognizant of the report of the Secretary-General on inter-mission cooperation (S/2005/135) the Panel also actively sought to liaise with other United Nations agencies in New York and in the region whose work might overlap with sanctions. In New York the Panel met with officials from the Department for Disarmament Affairs, the Department of Political Affairs and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. In Africa, the Panel met in Senegal with the regional United Nations Office for West Africa and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The Panel also visited the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa in Togo and various United Nations Development Programme offices across the region. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees also assisted the Panel in Guinea.
10. In Côte d'Ivoire the Panel liaised closely with the political, police and military branches of UNOCI. The Panel was pleased by the assistance it encountered although coordination between the different branches of UNOCI clearly remains a challenge at times. The Panel inspected the airports of Abidjan, Yamoussoukro, Bouaké and Korhogo, but excluded port visits until the Panel's customs expert became operational. The Panel had hoped to visit the west of the country but in view of the violence in June in Duékoué that trip was postponed for security reasons. 11. The Panel also met with the French forces in Côte d'Ivoire as required under the resolution and was fully briefed by them on their efforts to monitor the embargo. 12. The political situation in Côte d'Ivoire remains fragile and unpredictable, as highlighted by the progress reports of the Secretary-General on UNOCI (such as S/2005/186 of 18 March 2005 and S/2005/398 of 17 June 2005). As part of its investigation the Panel is also examining the economic impact of the conflict on Côte d'Ivoire and the region, and the role that Ivorian natural resources play in funding military activities.
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