I now give the floor to Mr. Pronk.

I now give the floor to Mr. Pronk.

The President I thank Mr. Pronk for his briefing.

The President (spoke in Spanish) I thank Mr. Pronk for his comprehensive briefing.

Mr. Pronk touched upon every aspect of interest in the situation in Darfur.

In this framework, the Council was briefed by Jan Pronk, Special Representative of the Secretary General and head of the United Nations Advance Mission in the Sudan.

The open briefing was followed by informal consultations, where members had the opportunity to discuss with Mr. Pronk the different aspects of his briefing.

At this meeting, the Security Council will hear a briefing by Mr. Jan Pronk, Special Representative of the Secretary General for the Sudan and head of the peace support operation.

My Special Representative, Jan Pronk, and senior personnel from UNMIS will continue to support AU in its mediation efforts as the talks progress.

Finally, I wish to commend my Special Representative, Mr. Pronk, for his active contribution to addressing both the north south peace process and the situation in Darfur.

At this meeting, the Security Council will hear a briefing by Mr. Jan Pronk, Special Representative of the Secretary General for the Sudan and Head of the United Nations Mission in the Sudan.

Regarding the Darfur region, he referred to the persistence of violence, human rights violations and the difficulties of the humanitarian situation as well as the halt in the Abuja peace talks.

With the above in mind, my Special Representative, Jan Pronk, organized a meeting of special envoys to the Darfur peace process in Khartoum on 11 November.

On 11 January, the Special Representative of the Secretary General for the Sudan, Jan Pronk, briefed the Council on the situation in the Sudan and stressed that the Agreement initiated a process for peace consolidation.

UNMIS has also increased the number of military observers, United Nations police, and civilian staff in Abyei and my Special Representative, Jan Pronk, has undertaken a number of initiatives to reduce tension in the area.

Mr. Pronk Last Friday I was able to introduce the report (S 2005 57) before the Council relating to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the north and the south (see S PV.5119).

In accordance with the understanding reached in prior consultations, and under rule 39 of the Council's provisional rules of procedure, I give the floor to Mr. Jan Pronk, Special Representative of the Secretary General for the Sudan and head of the peace support operation.

The Special Representative of the Secretary General and Head of the United Nations Advance Mission, Jan Pronk, introduced the second report of the Secretary General (S 2005 68) issued on 4 February on the situation in Darfur pursuant to resolution 1556 (2004).

On 2 September, the Security Council held an open briefing to hear the Special Representative of the Secretary General for the Sudan, Mr. Jan Pronk, who presented the most recent report of the Secretary General on the situation in Darfur (S 2004 703), submitted in accordance with resolution 1556 (2004).

To oversee the implementation of the terms of the communiqué, the agreement provided for a high level Joint Implementation Mechanism that would be co chaired by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Sudan and my Special Representative, Jan Pronk, and include among its members partner Governments, the League of Arab States and, later, AU.

My Special Representative, Jan Pronk, who assumed his functions as head of mission on 1 August 2004, has also been leading the United Nations peacemaking effort in support of IGAD and the African Union mediated talks on Darfur.

As stated in my report on Darfur dated 23 December 2005 (S 2005 825), the seventh round of the peace talks led by the African Union (AU) opened in Abuja on 29 November in the presence of my Special Representative for the Sudan, Jan Pronk.

In conclusion, the Government of the Sudan reiterates its thanks and appreciation to the Security Council and the international community, as well as to the specialized agencies of the United Nations, in particular the United Nations Advance Mission in Sudan headed by Mr. Jan Pronk, for their efforts to define a working vision. The Mission will find us, as always, ready to cooperate in the achievement of its mandate.

Mr. Pronk About a year ago, in June 2004, the Security Council decided to task a United Nations mission to prepare for the monitoring foreseen in the Naivasha Agreement and to support the implementation of a peace agreement, once signed, between the Government of the Sudan and the Sudanese People's Liberation Army.

Indeed, it was because the African Union recognized early as Mr. Jan Pronk just mentioned the need to commit sufficient troops to the task in Darfur that the AU Peace and Security Council, at its meeting of 20 October 2004, decided to ramp up its personnel to a strength of 3,320.

The President (spoke in Spanish) In accordance with the understanding reached in the Council's prior consultations, and in the absence of objection, I shall take it that the Security Council agrees to extend an invitation under rule 39 of its provisional rules of procedure to Mr. Jan Pronk, Special Representative of the Secretary General for the Sudan and head of the peace support operation.

The President In accordance with the understanding reached in the Council's prior consultations, I shall take it that the Security Council agrees to extend an invitation under rule 39 of its provisional rules of procedure to Mr. Jan Pronk, Special Representative of the Secretary General for the Sudan and Head of the United Nations Mission in the Sudan.