Thursday August 14, 2014
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday evening held talks with a delegation of the UN Security Council at State House, Nairobi.The meeting centred on regional peace and security, particularly in South Sudan and Somalia.
The 15 member UN Security Council delegation included Mr. Mario Oyarzabal (Argentina), Mr. Michael Bliss (Australia), Mr. Mahamat Zene Cherif (Chad), Mr. Cristian Pedro Barros Melet (Chile), Mr. Zhao Yong (China), Mr. Remi Marechaux (France), Ms. Dina Kawar (Jordan) and Ms. Raimonda Murmokaite (Lithuania).
Others were Mr. Olivier Jean Michel Maes (Luxembourg), Mr. Usman Sarki (Nigeria), Mr. Oh Joon (South Korea), Mr. Alexander Pankin (Russia Federation), Mr. Eugene Richard Gasana (Rwanda), Mr. Mark Lyall Grant (UK) and Ms. Samantha Jane Power (US).
Mr. Grant – the current president of the UN Security Council – briefed President Kenyatta on talks between his team and the conflicting parties in South Sudan. He noted the progress in the search for peace in South Sudan.
Mr. Grant said his team was more satisfied with the progress of political reforms in Somalia, although instability caused by the Al-Shabaab held out the risk of a humanitarian crisis.
The meeting was also attended by UN Under-Secretary General and Director General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi, Ms. Sahle-Work Zewde and the UN Under-Secretary General and Special Envoy of the Secretary General for the Sudan and South Sudan, Mr. Haile Menkerios.
Later, the UN Security Council team met the IGAD Council of Ministers at the same venue.