               United Nations                                                                     S/RES/1492 (2003)
               Security Council                                                 Distr.: General
                                                                                18 July 2003




               Resolution 1492 (2003)
               Adopted by the Security Council at its 4789th meeting,
               on 18 July 2003

                    The Security Council,
                    Recalling its previous resolutions and the statements of its President
               concerning the situation in Sierra Leone,
                     Recognizing the continuing fragile security situation in the Mano River region,
               particularly the conflict in Liberia and the need to strengthen further the capacity of
               the Sierra Leone police and armed forces to enable them to maintain security and
               stability independently,
                     Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General of 23 June 2003
               (S/2003/663), particularly the options for drawdown of the United Nations Mission
               in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) described in paragraphs 32 to 40,
                     1.    Approves the recommendation of the Secretary-General, in paragraph 68
               of his report, that the drawdown of UNAMSIL should proceed according to the
               “modified status quo” option towards withdrawal by December 2004, and welcomes
               the intention of the Secretary-General to submit additional recommendations to the
               Council in early 2004 concerning a residual presence of the United Nations;
                     2.   Decides to monitor closely the key benchmarks for drawdown and
               requests the Secretary-General to report to the Council at the end of each phase, and
               at regular intervals, on the progress made with respect to the benchmarks, and to
               make any necessary recommendations on the planning of subsequent phases of the
               withdrawal;
                    3.    Requests the Secretary-General to proceed accordingly;
                    4.    Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.




03-43305 (E)
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