SIXTH COMMITTEE WORKING GROUP OF WHOLE TO CONSIDER DRAFT ARTICLES ON INTERNATIONAL WATERCOURSES

7 October 1996

Press Release
L/2814

SIXTH COMMITTEE WORKING GROUP OF WHOLE TO CONSIDER DRAFT ARTICLES ON INTERNATIONAL WATERCOURSES

19961007 The Sixth Committee (Legal) will meet from 7 to 25 October as a Working Group of the Whole to elaborate a framework for a draft convention on the law of the non-navigational uses of international watercourses. It held its first meeting this morning, electing Chusei Yamada (Japan) as its Chairman and Hans Lammers (Netherlands) as Chairman of its Draft Committee. It also approved the programme of work for its three-week session.

The Working Group has before it the report of the Secretary-General on the matter (document A/51/275 and Add.1), which contains replies received from various governments on aspects of the draft articles.

By its resolution 49/52 of 9 December 1994, the General Assembly had invited States to submit written comments and observations on the draft articles, the report states. As at 30 July 1996, comments and observations had been received from the following States: Colombia, Ethiopia, Finland, Guatemala, Hungary, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, United States, Venezuela and Switzerland.

The Sixth Committee is expected to meet again in formal session on 28 October, to begin its consideration of the establishment of an international criminal court.

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