ADMINISTRATIVE AND BUDGETARY COMMITTEE DEFERS CONSIDERATION OF SECRETARY-GENERAL'S PROPOSAL ON DEVELOPMENT ACCOUNT

20 March 1998

Press Release
GA/AB/3219

ADMINISTRATIVE AND BUDGETARY COMMITTEE DEFERS CONSIDERATION OF SECRETARY-GENERAL'S PROPOSAL ON DEVELOPMENT ACCOUNT

19980320 Action on Office Accommodation at Palais Wilson, in Geneva, Postponed

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) this morning recommended that the General Assembly defer consideration of the Secretary- General's report containing his proposal to redirect savings resulting from cuts in non-programme costs towards a development fund.

The Committee took that action by approving a draft decision, under which the Assembly's consideration of the report would be postponed until it received an additional report containing details on the modalities of the development account. The Committee is considering the Secretary-General's proposal as part of its discussions on the 1998-1999 programme budget.

In other action this morning, the Committee decided to recommend to the General Assembly that it take note of the Secretary-General's report on the implementation of resolutions 49/249 and 50/224, regarding classification of States into groups for peacekeeping assessments. The Chief of Contributions Services, Department of Management, Mark Gilpin, introduced the Secretary- General's report on Member States' classification for peacekeeping assessments.

Also this morning, the Committee considered the financing of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO); the United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT); and the United Nations Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA). The Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), C.S.M. Mselle, introduced the Advisory Committee's reports on peacekeeping.

The Committee agreed not to consider the budget for the Haiti missions until updated information was available, thus concluding its consideration of the financing of peacekeeping operations at this resumed session.

The Deputy Director of the Peacekeeping Finance Division, Department of Management, Yeo Bock Cheng, and the Chief of the Finance Management and Support Service, Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Compton Persaud, responded to delegates questions.

Fifth Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/AB/3219 54th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1998

Further this morning, the Committee discussed aspects of the United Nations pattern of conferences relating to the implementation of resolution 52/214, by which the Assembly had called for Id al-Fitr and Id al-Adha to be recognized as official United Nations holidays. Several delegations expressed initial support for a suggestion put forth by the representative of Uganda, to increase the number of official United Nations holidays from nine to 10. He also suggested that if necessary, non-religious holidays of the host country could be given optional status. The Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management, Rafiah Salim, spoke to Committee members on the issue of official holidays.

Under the same item, the Committee also discussed upgrading conference rooms and interpretation booths, as well as the press releases issued by the Department of Public Information (DPI). The Director of Programme Planning and Budget Division, Warren Sach, spoke on the issue of upgrading conference rooms and interpretation booths. The Chief of the News Coverage and Accreditation Service, Media Division, Department of Public Information (DPI), George Parker, responded to delegates' questions on press releases. Assistant Secretary-General for General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services Federico Riesco also addressed the Committee.

In addition this morning, the Committee postponed action on a text on the offer from the Swiss authorities for office accommodation at the Palais Wilson, in Geneva, pending consultations on the draft.

Making statements were the representatives of Algeria, United States, Bangladesh, United Kingdom (for the European Union), Japan, Portugal, Morocco, Slovakia, Cote d'Ivoire, Argentina, Indonesia (for the "Group of 77" developing countries and China), Tunisia, Syria, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, Uganda, Kuwait, Philippines, Russian Federation, Pakistan, Iran, Egypt, Canada, Nicaragua, China and the Dominican Republic.

The Committee will meet again on Monday, 23 March, following the plenary meeting of the General Assembly at 10 a.m.

Committee Work Programme

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) met this morning to begin discussing the financing of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO); United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT); United Nations Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA); and peacekeeping operations in Haiti. It was also expected to resume its consideration of administrative and budgetary aspects of financing of United Nations peacekeeping operations. Further, it was scheduled to resume its discussion on the Organization's pattern of conferences. (For background information on that item, see Press Release GA/AB/3218 of 19 March.)

Under the agenda item of the programme budget for the biennium 1998-1999, the Committee was expected to take action on two draft decisions. One is on office accommodation in Geneva and the other pertains to the Secretary-General's proposal to reduce and redirect non-programme costs.

Reports on Financing of Peacekeeping Operations

In his report on the revised budget for UNMOT (document A/52/772/Add.1), the Secretary-General recalls that the cost of maintaining the Mission for the period from 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998 was originally estimated at about $8 million gross ($7.4 million net). His revised budget estimate for the same period is almost $19.9 million gross (about $19 million net). The increase relates to the Council's decision -- through its resolution 1138 of 14 November 1997 -- to expand the Mission's mandate and extend it until 15 May.

The Secretary-General asks the General Assembly to appropriate and assess on Member States an additional $11.9 million gross ($11.5 million net) for the period from 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998. That amount is inclusive of almost $9.5 million gross ($9.2 million net) authorized by the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) for the period from 16 November 1997 to 31 March 1998. The $19.9 million would cover recurring costs (some $13.5 million) and non-recurring costs (about $6.4 million).

The revised budget would take into account updated information on the deployment of UNMOT, as well as changes due to its expanded mandate, according to the report. The total resources made available to the Mission since its inception at the end of 1994 to 30 June 1998 is $29.1 million gross, while estimated expenditures for the same period is $24.3 million gross.

The UNMOT was established in 1994 to assist the Government of Tajikistan and the United Tajik Opposition (UTO) in fulfilling their commitments to the process of national reconciliation and to the promotion of democracy. By resolution 1138 (1997), the Council expanded the size and mandate of the

Fifth Committee - 3 - Press Release GA/AB/3219 54th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1998

Mission to assist in the implementation of the General Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and National Accord in Tajikistan, which was signed on 27 June 1997. The Council decided to increase the number of military observers almost three-fold; extend the Mission until 15 May; and expand UNMOT's mandate to include the investigation of ceasefire violations.

In its report on financing UNMOT (document A/52/817), the ACABQ states that after hearing its questions and comments related to delays in the expansion of the Mission, the Secretariat had revised and reduced its estimates by $3.3 million. Despite that reduction, the Advisory Committee believes there is still potential for reduction in the estimates. For example, it believes there is potential for reduction in the estimates regarding deployment of military observers because, in its experience, missions rarely implement the deployment schedule planned.

In view of delays in procurement of goods and services budgeted for the period ending on 30 June, the ACABQ questions whether all the resources requested will be required during the remaining months of the financial period. Furthermore, it notes that procurement activity could only begin after the General Assembly approved it, in late March or April.

The Advisory Committee believes that the total cost of maintaining UNMOT for the period from 1 July to 30 June 1998 should not exceed $15 million gross, the report states. Taking into account the almost $8.3 million gross ($7.7 million net) already appropriated by the General Assembly, it recommends that the General Assembly appropriate and assess on Member States an amount of some $6.7 million gross for the period from 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998.

In its report, the ACABQ draws attention to the fact that the financial performance report for the period from 1 July 1996 to 30 June 1997 of UNMOT (document A/52/772) shows an unencumbered balance of $1.5 million gross ($1.3 million net). It says it will submit in due course its comments and observations to the General Assembly on the financial performance of peacekeeping operations and the cost estimates for the period from 1 July 1998 to 31 June 1999.

The Secretary-General's report on the financing of MINURSO (document A/52/730) was submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 1133 (1997), which increased the Mission's size in order to continue with its identification process.

The report recommends that appropriation of an additional amount of $17.8 million gross ($16.1 million net) for the operation of the Mission for the period from 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1988, bring the total for that period to $48.1 million gross ($44.6 million net). It also recommends the assessment of the amount of some $13.1 million gross ($11.9 million net) for the period

Fifth Committee - 4 - Press Release GA/AB/3219 54th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1998

ending 20 April; and the assessment of the amount of approximately $4.7 million gross ($4.2 million net) for the period from 21 April to 30 June 1998, in accordance with its monthly requirements, should the Council decide to extend its mandate beyond 20 April.

The Mission was established in 1991 to assist in implementing a peace plan proposed in 1988 by the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity (OAU), which included the holding of a referendum to allow the people of Western Sahara to choose between independence and integration with Morocco.

A subsequent report of the Secretary-General (document A/52/730/Add.2), also before the Committee, was submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 1148 (1998), by which the Council approved the deployment in MINURSO of the engineering unit required for demining activities and of administrative staff required to support the deployment of military personnel. The report provides for the additional appropriation of $4.1 million gross ($4 million net) in connection wit the demining activities.

The report updates MINURSO's budget for the period from 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998 to some $47.4 million gross (approximately $44.4 million net). Hence, it recommends an additional appropriation of $17.2 million gross ($16 million net) for the period 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998, inclusive of the amount of $9.3 million gross ($8.5 million net) already authorized by the Advisory Committee. It also recommends the assessment of approximately $11.1 million gross ($10.3 million net) for the period ending 20 April, and of $6.1 million gross ($5.7 million net) for the period from 21 April to 30 June 1998, should the Security Council decide to extend the mandate of MINURSO beyond 20 April 1998.

A report of the ACABQ on the financing of MINURSO (document A/52/816 and Corr.1), recommends that the Assembly appropriate the proposed additional amount of just under $17.2 million gross, which includes some $9.3 million gross already authorized, for the period from 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998. It also recommends approval of the assessment of some $11.1 million gross for the period ending 20 April, as well as that of $6.1 million gross for the period 21 April to 30 June, should the Security Council decide to extend the mandate of MINURSO beyond 20 April.

The Committee notes that the revised budget of $47.4 million for the period from 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998 includes the amount of $13.1 million related to the resumption of the identification process.

The financial performance report for the period from 1 July 1996 to 30 June 1997 (document A/52/730/Add.1) shows an unencumbered balance of $2.6 million gross (just under $2.2 million net), the report adds. The Advisory Committee will submit its comments and observations to the Assembly in a

Fifth Committee - 5 - Press Release GA/AB/3219 54th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1998

consolidated report on the financial performance of peacekeeping operations and the cost estimates for the period from 1 July 1998 to 30 June 1999.

Also before the Committee was the Secretary-General's report on the financing of MONUA (document A/52/799), submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 1149 (1998), which extended MONUA's mandate until 30 April 1998, including the military task force.

In his report, the Secretary-General asks the Assembly to appropriate an additional $25.7 million gross ($26 million net) for the period from 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998, bringing the revised budget for that period to $180.7 million gross ($176.4 million net). He also recommends the assessment of an additional amount of $16 million gross ($16.5 million net) for the period from 1 July 1997 to 30 April 1998, and of $9.7 million gross ($9.6 million net) for the following two months, based on the operation's monthly requirements, subject to the Security Council's extension of MONUA's mandate beyond 30 April.

The additional $25.7 million provides for the delayed repatriation of military personnel, the retention of a military task force of 955 contingent personnel and requirements for the completion of the in situ registration and disarmament of some 6,000 personnel of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) who were not previously reported to the United Nations. Annex I to the report indicates that most of the amount requested ($15.4 million) would be used for military personnel costs. Some $4.3 million would be used for supplies and services, while $3.4 million is expected for air operations, and $2.1 million for air and surface freight.

In its related report (document A/52/825), the ACABQ recommends that the General Assembly appropriate $20 million gross of the $25.7 million requested, for the maintenance of MONUA for the period from 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998. It says that the amount would cover the requirement of $15.4 million for additional military personnel. The total amount that would be appropriated for maintaining the Mission for the period from 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998 would thus be $175 million gross.

The Advisory Committee's figure takes into account the fact that no vacancy factor had been factored into the budget estimates for civilian personnel. Based on past experience, it states that recruitment for all the positions rarely takes place as planned. Therefore, it doubts whether all of the resources requested would be utilized. Also, it believes there is potential for savings in air operations for the period ending on 30 June. It notes that cost estimates for air operations are consistently underspent; often, fewer hours of air operations are used than are planned.

Fifth Committee - 6 - Press Release GA/AB/3219 54th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1998

In its report, the Advisory Committee draws attention to the fact that the financial performance report for the Mission for the period from 1 July 1996 to 30 June 1997 (document A/52/385/Add.1) shows an unencumbered balance of almost $3.6 million gross ($2 million net). It says it will submit its comments to the Assembly on the financial performance of peacekeeping operations and the cost estimates for the period from 1 July 1998 to 30 June 1999 in due course.

The MONUA was established by Council resolution 1118 (1997) to assist the Government of Angola and UNITA in consolidating peace and national reconciliation.

The Secretary-General's report on peacekeeping operations in Haiti (document A/52/798) contains the revised budget for operations in Haiti for the period from 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998, as well as the proposed budget for the period from 1 July 1998 to 30 June 1999. The estimates cover the maintenance of the United Nations Support Mission in Haiti (UNSMIH) for the month of July 1997, and the maintenance of the United Nations Transition Mission in Haiti (UNTMIH) for the period from 1 August to 30 November 1997.

In addition, estimates also cover the maintenance of the United Nations Civilian Police Mission in Haiti (MIPONUH) for the period from 1 December 1997 through 30 June 1998. The revised budget comes to $34.3 million gross (almost $33 million net). The budget estimates for MIPONUH for the period from 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998 come to about $17.7 million gross (almost $16.9 million net).

The Secretary-General asks the Assembly to appropriate and assess the amount of about $17.8 million gross (roughly $17 million net), inclusive of some $9.2 million gross (about $8.8 million net) authorized by the ACABQ for the period from 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998. The appropriation is in addition to the amount of some $15.1 million gross (about $14.5 million net) already appropriated and assessed.

Also, the Assembly is asked to appropriate and assess about $17.7 million gross (some $16.9 million net) for the period from 1 July 1998 to 30 June 1999. Further, it is requested to decide to continue to use the Special Account established for UNSMIH for both UNTMIH and MIPONUH.

On 28 November 1997, the Council established MIPONUH for one year, to continue providing international support to the Haitian Government's efforts to professionalize the country's national police force. The 30 November 1997 withdrawal of UNTMIH marked the end of a year-long transition from an international military presence in Haiti to a civilian monitoring operation. The UNTMIH began work in Haiti when the UNSMIH, which included 500 military troops, left the country in July 1997.

Fifth Committee - 7 - Press Release GA/AB/3219 54th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1998

In an annex to a related report of the ACABQ (document A/52/818), its Chairman transmits a letter from that body to the Secretary-General. The letter states that the Advisory Committee had been unable to consider the requests, due to fact that the information in advanced version it received had been confounded by amendments and revisions accompanying the draft. As a result, there was no basis for it to report to the Fifth Committee on the subject. The Chairman says the Secretary-General's report should be simplified and the amendments incorporated into the document.

Pending the finalization of the revised budget, the Advisory Committee authorized the Secretary-General to continue using the resources already available to him. Those amounts are the $15.1 million already appropriated and assessed by the General Assembly, and the amount of $9.3 million authorized by the Advisory Committee in December 1997.

A report of the Secretary-General regarding administrative and budgetary aspects of peacekeeping operations (document A/C.5/52/38) recalls that there are four categories into which States are grouped to determine their peacekeeping assessments. Member States in group D pay 10 per cent of the assessment rates established for the regular budget; those in group C pay 20 per cent of the regular budget assessment rates; States in group B pay 100 per cent of their regular budget assessment rates; while those in group A -- the permanent members of the Security Council -- pay the amounts not otherwise apportioned.

In its resolution 49/249 A of 20 July 1995, the General Assembly decided to move Portugal from group C to group B in gradual stages from 1995 through 1999, in line with a voluntary decision by its Government. In part B of that resolution, of 14 September 1995, the Assembly decided to move Belarus from group B to group C on the understanding that the reduction in the amounts to be assessed on Belarus beginning 1 July 1995 should be equal to the additional amounts assessed on Portugal. That decision was made on the basis that it would be adjusted as appropriate to conform with any future relevant decisions adopted by the Assembly.

Similarly, in its resolution 50/224 of 11 April 1996, the Assembly decided to move Greece from group C to group B in gradual stages from 1996 through 2000, in line with the voluntary decision of its Government and to begin moving Ukraine from group B to group C. That decision was based on the understanding that the reduction in the amounts to be assessed on Ukraine should be equal to the additional amounts assessed on Greece, and that the decision would be adjusted to conform with any future relevant decisions adopted by the General Assembly. It was stressed that the decision did not result in any change in the assessments for financing peacekeeping operations of other Member States.

Fifth Committee - 8 - Press Release GA/AB/3219 54th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1998

Subsequent assessments for peacekeeping activities have reflected those decisions, the report states. In 1998, however, the new scale of assessments for the regular budget resulted in a significant increase for Portugal, and a significant reduction for Belarus. As a result of that and the further phasing-in of the effects of Portugal's movement from group C to group B, the dollar amount of the increase in Portugal's peacekeeping assessments now significantly exceeds the dollar amount needed to bring the peacekeeping assessment rate for Belarus fully into line with other Member States in group C, that is 20 per cent of the regular budget assessment rate. Indeed, it exceeds the full amount of Belarus' contribution. No similar situation exists at this point, with respect to the implementation of General Assembly resolution 50/224, but one may in the future.

Notwithstanding the references in above mentioned resolutions to equal increases and reductions for Portugal/Belarus and Greece/Ukraine respectively, the report says the Secretariat believes that the Assembly had intended to reduce the assessments of Belarus and Ukraine to their levels as members of group C, only as those reductions were offset by increases in the assessments of Portugal and Greece, and that it was not the intent of the Assembly that the assessments of Belarus and Ukraine be below those that would otherwise apply to them as members of group C.

For that reason, the peacekeeping assessments for Belarus in 1998 have been calculated at the full rate normal for group C, with the balance of Portugal's increase being reflected in the relative overall share of group A in the usual way. The Secretary-General would intend to apply the same approach to Greece and Ukraine in future, should the same situation arise.

Drafts for Action

A draft decision on the proposed programme budget for the biennium 1998-1999 regarding the reduction and refocusing of non-programme costs (document A/C.5/52/L.24) would have the General Assembly decide to defer the consideration of the report of the Secretary-General on that subject together with the related report of the ACABQ, pending the submission of the detailed report of the Secretary-General on the sustainability of the development account, the modalities of its implementation, the specific purposes and associated performance criteria for the use of resources.

By the terms of another draft text (document A/C.5/52/L.23), the General Assembly would approve the proposal of the Secretary-General to accept the offer of the Swiss Authorities to place office accommodation at the Palais Wilson in Geneva at the disposal of the United Nations.

The Assembly would also note that the cost estimates of the move would amount to some $5.1 million, of which the contribution from the Government of

Fifth Committee - 9 - Press Release GA/AB/3219 54th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1998

Switzerland would amount to approximately $3.8 million. The balance of just under $2 million would be covered from existing resources available for the provision of accommodation at Geneva and thereby no additional resources would be required for the 1998-1999 biennium. No resources would be diverted from any other approved budgetary allocations.

The Assembly would urge the Swiss Authorities to ensure the extension of the rent-free arrangement beyond the year 2000 and request the Secretary-General to continue his efforts in that regard. The Assembly would also request the Secretary-General to submit to its next session a cost-benefit analysis on the use of the conference rooms at both Palais des Nations and Palais Wilson.

Statements on Financing of Peacekeeping Operations

C.S.M. MSELLE, ACABQ Chairman, introduced the Advisory Committee's reports on the financing of MINURSO; financing of UNMOT; financing of UNMIH; and the financing of MONUA.

DJAMEL MOKTEFI (Algeria) said his delegation wished to speak on the subject of MINURSO. The first problem was the high vacancy rate of both local -- 13.7 per cent -- and international -- 14.5 per cent -- staff on that mission. A detailed explanation was called for. Algeria also had difficulties with paragraph 7 of the ACABQ report, which stated that the ACABQ had been informed that consultations were now under way, at the request of Morocco, to create two additional identification centres in Morocco. Algeria was surprised by that new fact, since the agreements between the two parties provided for only nine centres. Algeria was not ready to grant the resources for that. Explanation from the Secretariat was requested on the initiative, which went beyond the mandate of the mission.

ROYAL WHARTON (United States) said he supported the expansion of MINURSO to enable the mission to successfully complete its activities of identifying voters, demining and those related to the movement of refugees. However, he noted with concern the spiralling costs related to the increased civilian component. The cost of maintaining international general service personnel was high, yet their functions could be undertaken by locally recruited staff. He asked for further clarification as to why so many international general service employees were needed.

The Secretary-General should be requested to take necessary steps to employ locally recruited staff to commence peacekeeping operations, he said. In addition, an earlier report of the Secretary-General on the mission should also be considered. In that report, there was information that over $2 million remained in an unencumbered balance, which should be credited to Member States. That should be done without delay.

Fifth Committee - 10 - Press Release GA/AB/3219 54th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1998

Regarding UNMOT, the Secretary-General's earlier report should also be discussed in the present session, he said. That report stated that an unencumbered balance of about $1.5 million should be credited to Member States. That should be undertaken without delay, he added.

MICHAEL BOYNTON (United States) asked whether there were unencumbered balances on which the Assembly had not yet acted. Those balances should be returned to States immediately. Regarding the mission in Angola, he would make further comments during the informal discussions. He would be interested in receiving further elaboration on a report on procurement to be issued regarding the mission.

HUMAYUN KABIR (Bangladesh) said that having studied the reports on UNMOT, his delegation had two questions. First, neither report had provided concrete information on the progress of demobilization and disarmament activities. What progress had been made on those areas? he asked. Also, the Secretary-General's report showed high vacancy rates for international and local staff, as well as for military observers, based on the proposed new set- up. Why was that vacancy rate so high, and what had been the effects of that rate on the performance of the mission?

NICHOLAS THORNE (United Kingdom), speaking on behalf of the European Union, said, on UNMOT, that in the ACABQ report of last year (document A/51/850) the ACABQ had expressed concern about the application of voluntary contributions. The ACABQ had undertaken to draft a further report on the subject. The Union was still looking forward to that follow-up. In 1992, document A/47/484 had been issued on the composition of groups of Member States apportioning the costs of peacekeeping missions and detailing the way the groups were compiled. Since 1992 there had been various changes in the way States were allocated to the groups. An update of that 1992 report was called for.

KAZUO WATANABE (Japan) expressed Japan's deepest condolences with regard to the recent helicopter crash in Guatemala of 17 March. Stating that Japan ascribed great importance to the United Nations support activities in Haiti, he said he had read with interest the ACABQ report on that issue. It was natural that when changes occurred in the terms and conditions of the mission that those costs would increase. Japan was prepared to pay for that increase, he said, noting that how an increase was justified was important. Accountability needed to be brought to bare. Accurate, updated figures were required, as the ACABQ had recommended in its report. Japan wished to determine why there had been a problem.

REGINA EMERSON (Portugal) asked the Secretariat for further clarification on the subject of the high vacancy rates. The Secretariat had

Fifth Committee - 11 - Press Release GA/AB/3219 54th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1998

been asked to inform the Committee whether international staff on peacekeeping operations were in fact carrying out the tasks for which they had been sent.

ABDESALAM MEDINA (Morocco) said his delegation wished to intervene in particular regarding MINURSO. Morocco had taken note of the remarks made this morning on the financing of that mission. Regarding paragraph 7 of the ACABQ report on the number of identification centres, he said the Fifth Committee should confine itself to the financial and administrative aspects of the subject. Morocco asked that the door be left open for a further statement on the issue.

Mr. MOKTEFI (Algeria) said that paragraph 7 appeared in the context of a report by a technical body that worked hand in hand with the Fifth Committee. The Advisory Committee had addressed its report to the Fifth Committee. The issue, which was a sensitive one, was contained therein. Algeria had been clear in its statement. There could be no question of financing two new centres in north Morocco. At no point had there been talk of 11 centres. Morocco should take a fresh look at the content of the Secretary-General's reports and relevant Security Council resolutions. The Fifth Committee only authorized the financing of politically mandated centres. Algeria rejected the contents of paragraph 7. The Committee should be apprised of any consultations on the subject. Algeria's position was unambiguous.

YEO BOCK CHENG, Deputy Director of the Peacekeeping Finance Division, Office of Programme Planning, Budget and Accounts, said that regarding the issue of using internationally recruited general service staff, the Assembly had called for a review in two resolutions, specific to two missions. However, in the preparation of the budget reports on missions for the upcoming period, the Secretariat had reviewed the need for internationally recruited general service staff, to see where such persons could be replaced by locally recruited staff.

On the question of the application of unencumbered balances for the missions being considered, he said that the Fifth Committee would find appropriate language in the drafts to be negotiated on the matter. Regarding the updating of resolution 47/484 concerning the grouping of Member States with respect to the ad hoc peacekeeping scale, he said he would transmit that request to the relevant Secretariat official.

Turning to the question of the preparation of the budget on the Haiti mission, he said that the situation was complicated by the fact that the Security Council provided short mandate extensions, and in each case modified the mandates, the names and the operational requirements. All those factors had added to the complexity of dealing with the budget. The Secretariat had submitted a revised budget which was immediately rendered obsolete by additional Council actions. The second revised budget had been submitted to

Fifth Committee - 12 - Press Release GA/AB/3219 54th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1998

the Advisory Committee, which had stated that the document should be resubmitted because some of the amounts were left open because of delays in information. A simplified budget document was now being resubmitted. Turnover of staff at the mission and at Headquarters had further delayed the report.

COMPTON PERSAUD, Chief, Finance Management and Support Service, Field Administration and Logistics Division, Department of Peacekeeping Operations, said he would answer questions regarding Tajikistan and the identification centres related to MINURSO's activities. On UNMOT, he said that the mission operated under difficult circumstances. Following the taking of hostages, strict security measures had been applied. The situation had created severe psychological pressure on personnel operating in the mission. As a result of the circumstances, the deployment of administrative support staff had been kept to a minimum, and would remain so until such time as reasonably safe circumstances could be assured by the Government. Negotiations on the matter were now being conducted. He remained hopeful that the situation would be addressed shortly. The absence of administrative staff had affected the operation of the remaining staff. The situation over the past few months had not allowed the deployment of civilian staff as planned.

There were not two centres being opened in northern Morocco, he said. There were two annexes that were operational at various times in the area. At any given time no more than nine centres were operational. The remaining questions would be addressed in the context of informal consultations, he added.

Mr. MOKTEFI (Algeria) thanked the Secretariat for the answers provided. It was clear that there was no talk about creating supplementary identification centres in northern Morocco. Rather, what was being discussed was the sending of travelling identification teams to the area. The total number of identification centres would remain at nine, as had been agreed. He noted for the record that information.

Administrative and Budgetary Aspects of Peacekeeping Operations

MARK GILPIN, Chief of Contributions Services, Department of Management, introduced the Secretary-General's report on the implementation of General Assembly resolutions 49/249 and 50/224, regarding classification of groups for peacekeeping assessments.

ANWARUL KARIM CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh), Committee Chairman, proposed that the Committee recommend to the General Assembly to take note of the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of General Assembly resolutions 49/249 and 50/224.

Fifth Committee - 13 - Press Release GA/AB/3219 54th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1998

The Committee did so.

JAN VARSO (Slovakia) said he looked forward to informal consultations on the preparation of a draft resolution to move Slovakia to group C as regarded contributions to peacekeeping operations. Slovakia was ready to cooperate with other countries to achieve that result.

Programme Budget for Biennium 1998-1999

CARLOS RIVA (Argentina) introduced the draft decision on reduction and refocusing of non-programme costs. He asked the Committee to adopt it by consensus. He pointed out a mistake in the Spanish version of the text.

NARCISSE AHOUNOU (Cote d'Ivoire) said his delegation had not been consulted and had not seen the draft. It would have wished to make amendments based on the report of the Secretary-General and of the ACABQ. However, in the spirit of consensus, Cote d'Ivoire would not oppose approval.

Mr. CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh), Committee Chairman, thanked the representative of Cote d'Ivoire for his intervention. He said he felt sure the Chairman of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China had been consulted.

PRAYONO ATIYANTO (Indonesia), speaking on behalf of the Group, concurred with the Chairman's statement.

RADHIA ACHOURI (Tunisia) drew attention to a technical difference between the French and English versions of the draft. She wished to associate herself with the statement made by Indonesia.

The Committee then approved the draft, as orally revised to reflect the problems in the Spanish and French versions.

Speaking after action, Mr. WATANABE (Japan) said that because of non- issuance of documentation, among other problems, the Committee had had to defer consideration of the subject. A decision on the exact modality and procedures of the development account must be taken soon. During the formal session, views had been expressed on the validity of the terms "non-programme" and "programme". Japan wished it could have been discussed in the informal session at least once. Mr. Riva should be thanked for the efforts that he had exerted. It was hoped that agreement could be reached during the second resumed session.

Mr. ATIYANTO (Indonesia), speaking on behalf of the Group of 77, also expressed support for the efforts of Mr. Riva. The Group had agreed to the decision with the provision that the Secretary-General should submit clear

Fifth Committee - 14 - Press Release GA/AB/3219 54th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1998

guidelines on the development account so that the Committee could take a solid decision. Members of the Group had already expressed their sincere views on the issue during the general debate.

TAMMAM SULAIMAN (Syria) said that now that the Committee had adopted the draft on deferral of consideration of the report, Syria wished to repeat that in the report of the Secretary-General the proposed difference between what is non-programme and programme was unacceptable. The views of the Group expressed on that subject should be reflected in his next report.

Mr. THORNE (United Kingdom), speaking for the European Union, said the Union had been prepared to accept, albeit with regret, the postponement of the issue to the Committee's second resumed session, in light of delegations' positions on the matter. He expressed appreciation for the work done by the item's coordinator. He would not repeat the Union's concerns, but they remained on the table and should be taken into account in the Secretariat's further work.

EVA SILOT BRAVO (Cuba) said her delegation would have preferred, before taking a decision, to have had the information it had requested. Specifically, Cuba had asked for an indication of a realistic figure as to possible reductions in costs. It had asked for the number of posts intended for elimination, as well as a breakdown of the related areas of work and the programmatic impact of such functions. In addition, she had asked what measures would be taken to streamline functions, in light of the possible overlapping of functions.

Pattern of Conferences

Next, the Committee took up implementation of General Assembly resolution 52/214, on the Organization's pattern of conferences. In that resolution, the Assembly decided that the two holidays of Id al-Fitr and Id al-Adha would be observed as official holidays at the United Nations. United Nations buildings were to be closed to the public on those days, and no meetings were to be held.

RAFIAH SALIM, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management, said she would not be in a position to advise the Committee on how to solve the matter of the two holidays. Instead, she would be guided by the Committee's decision.

Regarding questions posed by States yesterday on the legal authority of holidays for staff, she said the General Assembly set the total number of holidays for the staff. At present, that number was nine. Under rule 101.3 of the Staff Rules and Regulations, the Secretary-General was given the prerogative to specify what actual days were to be used for those nine

Fifth Committee - 15 - Press Release GA/AB/3219 54th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1998

holidays. Under the Staff Regulation 8, paragraph a, the Secretary-General was obliged to consult with the Staff Committee in making that decision, because it related to the welfare of staff.

The Secretary-General believed he had complied with the resolution in declaring the United Nations public holidays, she said. Under paragraph 5 of the resolution, the United Nations buildings were to be closed to the public on the two dates, while paragraph 6 said no meetings were to be held on those two dates. Regarding those provisions, the Secretary-General had complied fully. Unfortunately, the resolution had not referred to the number of holidays for the staff, thus the Secretary-General had been placed in a difficult -- even impossible -- position. The resolution had the two dates declared holidays while maintaining the limitation of nine days.

Acting under regulation 8, paragraph a and rule 101.3, the Secretary- General had declared two optional holidays for the staff to choose between, she continued. Those were Good Friday and Id al-Adha. That was because no existing holiday was to be replaced. The basis of the decision was simply that the nine days should coincide with holidays of the staff's children and spouses. There had been no other reason. The Secretary-General's decision would be made more workable if the Committee declared the second Id as a tenth staff holiday.

Mr. SULAIMAN (Syria) said that Syria was one of the delegations with an interest in the subject of the Muslim holidays. Resolution 52/214 had explicitly decided that the two holidays should be observed. The first sentence in paragraph 5 of that resolution made that clear. The current language was supposed to have been enough to make them official.

There could be a disjunction between world holidays and local holidays anywhere, he said. The United Nations was an international organization. Local criteria could not always coincide with that international character. Syria was still waiting for an answer on the question of the staff opinion poll on holidays. Staff consultation on the question had happened after the Assembly decision -- the circular was dated January 1998. The holidays should not be optional. Christmas was observed by everyone. They should be world and official holidays.

Mr. CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh), Committee Chairman, said that delegates should strive to make concrete proposals. A proposal had been made to increase the number of holidays from nine to 10. That was a good suggestion. Delegates were urged to make suggestions on how to make progress on the issue.

AHMED FARID (Saudi Arabia) said he had no concrete resolution to the situation. He simply wished to respond to the Assistant Secretary-General's comment. Saudi Arabia had written to Ms. Salim stating that the Secretary- General had not fully complied with the resolution. A new circular should be issued establishing that both of the Muslim holidays were official. The resolution should be enforced as written.

Mr. AHOUNOU (Cote d'Ivoire) said the Committee should seize the opportunity to ask the Secretariat questions. Who decided to raise the number of holidays? he asked. Was it the General Assembly? If so, it could be possible to propose 10 holidays, and so meet the concerns of the members of

Fifth Committee - 16 - Press Release GA/AB/3219 54th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1998

Islamic delegations.

Mr. SULAIMAN (Syria) said that the proposal of Cote d'Ivoire was a good one, and was consistent with the criteria of the International Civil Service Commission on the American Comparator.

NESTER ODAGA-JALOMAYO (Uganda) said he agreed that prolonged debate on merits and demerits of the question was unnecessary. He spoke as a member of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and shared concerns on the subject of the holidays. Tinkering with another religious holidays should be done carefully. Religions should not be played off against each other. He agreed with Syria that this was an international organization made up of 185 Member States. Local holidays were important but should not be the base of the argument. He suggested either increasing the holidays to 10 or making any of the non-religious local holidays optional.

ZIAD MONAYAIR (Kuwait) said that more of the Committee's time had been spent on the matter than should have been. The resolution was clear. There was no ambiguity to it, and no possibility of misinterpretation. If increasing the number of staff holidays to 10 days would resolve the problem and prevent further debate, his delegation could support that. Why had the Secretariat chosen Id al-Fitr as an official holiday and not Id al-Adha? he asked.

The CHAIRMAN said that had been because Id al-Fitr came in January, and the idea was to address the matter right off.

MARY JO ARAGON (Philippines) said her delegation agreed that there was need to resolve the issue and comply with the Assembly's resolution. The representative of Uganda had provided two options. Her delegation would support an increase of United Nations holidays from nine days to 10.

Ms. SILOT BRAVO (Cuba) said her delegation realized the importance of the issue. The proposal by the representative of Uganda should be considered. The Committee might be able to take a decision on the matter then.

NIKOLAI LOZINSKY (Russian Federation) said he regretted that the coordinator of the item, Singapore's representative, was not present today.

Fifth Committee - 17 - Press Release GA/AB/3219 54th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1998

He reminded the Committee of the agreement process last year. He asked that a brief account of presentations on the issue regarding votes cast by delegations at the December meeting of the Committee be distributed to it.

The CHAIRMAN asked the delegate to tell the Committee what information would be in that account.

Mr. LOZINSKY (Russian Federation) said the translation had been flawed. He had asked for dissemination of the summary records of the day on which the decision had been taken on the resolution.

Ms. ACHOURI (Tunisia) said she shared the views expressed by previous speakers, including the representatives of Syria, Uganda and Kuwait. The debate should not take a religious character. She supported the proposal put forth by the representative of Uganda. Either the number of official holidays should be increased to 10, or the two Islamic holidays should be adopted and the choice concerning local holidays be left to staff members.

Mr. ATIYANTO (Indonesia) said he supported the statement made by the representative of the Philippines and the proposal put forth by Uganda.

AMJAD SIAL (Pakistan) said bringing in summary records would further complicate the situation. The solution could be to increase the number of holidays from nine to 10, as speakers had said.

SEYED MORTEZA MIRMOHAMMAD (Iran) agreed that introducing summary records would confuse the matter. He supported increasing the number of official holidays.

Mr. KABIR (Bangladesh) said his delegation's first preference would be to increase the total number of holidays from nine to 10. If there was difficulty on that, one of the local holidays could be made optional, as had been suggested by the representative of Uganda.

Mr. WHARTON (United States) said his delegation was aware of the sensitivity of the question. On the issue of the increase of holidays to 10, the budgetary implications needed to be fully explored. His recollection of the informal discussions that had been held on the subject was that there had been no clear conclusion, so the language in the resolution had been left vague. At the current time the United States could not vote in favour of an increase of holidays.

AMANY FAHMY (Egypt) said that the only solution was to soundly implement resolution 52/214 and to increase the number of holidays to 10. It seemed desirable for the Assembly to find a way to increase the holidays. The interests of all countries could then be taken into consideration.

Fifth Committee - 18 - Press Release GA/AB/3219 54th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1998

Mr. SULAIMAN (Syria) said to the representative of the United States that when a day of holidays was added, that would not imply additional expenditures. There would be no budget implications. He should review his position. The overwhelming majority of delegations were in favour.

Mr. THORNE (United Kingdom), speaking on behalf of the European Union, said he was hesitant to get involved in such a sensitive debate. The Union was aware of the decision taken just before Christmas. The decision had been passed to the Secretariat. The continued repetition of well-known views was not particularly useful and perhaps should be taken up in informal consultations. The option of just adding one day to the list of holidays was not one that the Union could accept at the current stage.

Mr. ODAGA-JALOMAYO (Uganda) said he wished to approach the subject from the angle of the Committee's discussion of how to improve the work of the Fifth Committee. During the current discussion, he had been reminded of the issue of the decision-making process in the Committee. As long as there was no clear mechanism for decision-making, problems would continue.

Mr. CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh), Committee Chairman, said he agreed.

Mr. AHOUNOU (Cote d'Ivoire) supported the statement of Uganda. He said that once the United States position on a subject was known, the position of the European Union was also known. He stressed that if one holiday could not be added, two holidays of the host country should be abolished.

SAMUEL HANSON (Canada) said he knew of no system of mathematics whereby nine plus two minus zero equalled nine. It was difficult to see how the Secretary-General could have acted differently. Could Ms. Salim confirm that under the rules as they stood it was the Secretary-General in consultation with the staff who decided which days were to be taken off at which duty station?

ENRIQUE PAGUAGUA FERNANDEZ (Nicaragua) said his delegation was aware of the budgetary problems of the Organization and was aware of the realities and cultural values of peoples. Accordingly, Nicaragua would vote in favour of an increase of holidays.

Ms. SALIM, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management, confirmed that the General Assembly was the authority that declared the total number of days. Under the current Staff Rules and Regulations, it was the Secretary-General who decided which days were to be taken or not in all duty stations.

One way to address the problem and take into account the productivity and financial questions was to have the 10 holidays -- which would subtract

Fifth Committee - 19 - Press Release GA/AB/3219 54th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1998

eight hours from staff work hours -- but during 16 days in the winter have the staff work an extra half an hour. It was hoped that would address the worries of the United States.

CHEN YUE (China) said she had a follow-up view on the question of holidays. She said that regarding the proposal for an addition of one holiday, while she could not make a decision right that moment, she was confident that her delegation would approve that proposal.

Mr. SIAL (Pakistan) said the matter could be resolved without sacrificing the number of hours put in by staff members. The Assembly had decided that the two holidays should be observed. There was no ambiguity in the resolution. Both holidays had to be observed. The Assistant Secretary- General's proposal should be considered.

The Committee Chairman said that it appeared that some support was emerging for a possible solution. Adding one more holiday would require the staff to work 30 minutes extra for 16 days, to address the financial implications of the extra day.

Mr. LOZINSKY (Russian Federation) said the proposal made by the Assistant Secretary-General was not acceptable. Considering the Organization's already heavy workload, additional holidays should not be added. In the summary records there had been no mention of additional financial implications. To the contrary, one of the conditions had been that adding a holiday would not lead to additional financial implications. With the number of holidays set at nine, the Secretary-General was given the right, in consultation with the staff, to determine what those days would be.

The Chairman said he had arranged to have those summary records provided.

Mr. THORNE (United Kingdom), speaking for the European Union, explained that he had asked for the floor when the Chairman was saying that a resolution to the problem might be at hand. The Union could not immediately agree to what appeared to be the solution put forward by the Assistant Secretary- General, however sensible it seemed. The Union started from the premise that discrimination on any grounds was unacceptable. However, to resolve the problem in the manner proposed might lead to difficulties in the future. Further consideration was needed.

Ms. ACHOURI (Tunisia) said her delegation wished to repeat the proposal submitted by the representative of Uganda, which was a viable alternative for all parties. According to that proposal, two Muslim holidays would be added to the nine official days. Those two days would replace two days which

Fifth Committee - 20 - Press Release GA/AB/3219 54th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1998

corresponded to national holidays of the host country. Id al-Adha was coming shortly; a decision must be taken.

The Chairman said the Assistant Secretary-General had made her suggestion in response to concerns expressed in the Committee. However, the proposal should not be attributed to her; delegates would have to decide on the question and take full responsibility for their decision.

The Committee then turned to the matter of upgrading conference rooms, which was also under the item of pattern of conferences.

Ms. CHEN (China) said the upgrading of conference rooms and interpretation booths must be carried out in a timely manner. The Chinese interpretation booth in the Economic and Social Council Chamber was missing one set of interpretation equipment, which had been removed for repairs quite a long time ago.

She thanked the representative of Syria for raising the question of languages at the Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names. Of the Organization's six working languages, only English, French and Spanish had been available at the conference. All the Organization's languages should be treated equally. She asked the Assistant Secretary-General for Conference Services to provide further clarification.

Ms. SILOT BRAVO (Cuba) proposed that informal consultations should be recorded, given the difficulties Committee members had come across regarding the political thrust of resolutions which just disappeared. The Commission on the Status of Women had been forced to take decisions without adequate interpretation services. How could that situation have occurred and how would it be prevented in the future? she asked.

FEDERICO RIESCO, Assistant Secretary-General, Department of General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services, said that questions had been raised on the Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names, which had been held in January. Each conference adopted rules of procedure. Rule 34 of that conference had decided that English, French and Spanish would be the working languages of the conference. Any document prepared by the Secretariat was available in the three working languages, but where documents were submitted by participants, those were generally in the language of the submission.

Conferences had rules governing languages, as well as rules on practice according to which they were applied, he said. If the conference changed its rules, the Secretariat would change its work correspondingly. Inquiries were made during the conference about the language of documents, but no formal proposal had been made at the time of the conference regarding a change in the

Fifth Committee - 21 - Press Release GA/AB/3219 54th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1998

language of documents. The Secretariat abided by each organ regarding its rules and requirements.

Regarding the servicing of the Commission on the Status of Women, he said that was a good illustration of the difficulties in estimating resource requirements and planning resource allocation. The Commission had met for two weeks earlier in the month, in parallel with its open-ended working group, which had held 22 meetings. The Commission itself had added five meetings to its original 20 meetings. The Commission had planned to close its session on Friday, 13 March. It then requested a night meeting from 7 to 10 p.m. At that time, the Commission did not conclude its work. Interpretation services had been provided for an additional 20 minutes, and then the Commission had had to proceed without interpretation. Had the Commission made a request for additional services earlier, the Secretariat would have been able to accommodate its needs.

Mr. SULAIMAN (Syria) said his delegation wished to thank the Assistant Secretary-General for General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services for the enormous efforts made in terms of the reports provided. He hoped for a copy of his explanatory remarks that could be forwarded to delegations' capitals. He had made many valid points. The Fifth Committee should be able to adopt a resolution regarding translation of documentation emanating from the Secretariat. He stressed that the six languages were the official conference languages.

Ms. SILOT BRAVO (Cuba) said her delegation wished to ask Mr. Riesco whether the Organization had any provisions for avoiding predicaments such as the one that had occurred in the Women's Commission.

WARREN SACH, the Director of Programme Planning and Budget Division, referring to the issue of document A/52/829 and its availability, said that to put together the document there had been extensive consultations to try and verify the preliminary estimates that had been available last December. The figure proposed at that time -- of $900,000 -- had been put together in an hour or two. There had been further costing to do. The new figure was $1.3 million. The underlying calculation required to prepare the document had taken time. He regretted that it had not been available earlier.

Mr. RIESCO, Assistant Secretary-General for Conference Services, said that regarding the Cuban question, there were resource constraints. The key lay in how well the needs of an intergovernmental body could be anticipated. It was usually the case that with advance notice, services could be arranged. There was a certain amount of flexibility in the volume of servicing that could be provided.

Fifth Committee - 22 - Press Release GA/AB/3219 54th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1998

Ms. CHEN (China) said Mr. Riesco's explanation had helped China to understand the problem. She wondered how to proceed. China wished to take part in bilateral consultations to put forward specific proposals for the working languages of conferences.

Mr. CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh), Committee Chairman, said that the main task was to see how best to proceed with the implementation of the upgrading of the conference rooms and interpretation booths. He made two proposals: that the authorization to add $1.3 million come from the unspent balance of the 1996- 1997 budget allocation for conference rooms; and that note should be taken in the decision that the work should be completed in the current biennium. Those points would be articulated into a draft decision that he would present on Monday.

ALEKSEI A. DVINYANIN (Russian Federation), noting that his delegation ascribed great importance to the quality of written and simultaneous translation at the United Nations, said he had noted multiple mistakes in the translation of document A/52/820.

Mr. SULAIMAN (Syria) said that Syria had not had any response to its questions on press releases. Yesterday's press releases had not accurately reflected all that his delegation had said on the proposed code of conduct. Syria wished to stress that the substance of media releases should be taken from original languages, and not from the interpreted versions. If the problem was not addressed it would come up again and again.

GEORGE PARKER, Chief of News Coverage and Accreditation Service of the Media Division of the Department of Public Information (DPI), said that the point raised regarding the difference in the numbering of releases was a valid one. With the increased use of the Internet, the present numbering system made it difficult to locate French and English press releases from the same meeting. Starting in 1999, however the style used in official documentation would be adopted. The origin of the problem went back 10 years to a time when most press releases had been issued in English. All meetings coverage press releases would be identically numbered beginning next year.

On the second question raised by the representative of Syria, he said to write press releases using the original languages would create major budgetary problems, as the Meetings Coverage Section worked only in French and English, and had only a limited knowledge of other languages.

He said that another thing to take into account, was that there were two separate teams of press officers. Those two teams worked in close consultation, but produced different press releases. Every effort was made to assure concordance between the press releases.

Fifth Committee - 23 - Press Release GA/AB/3219 54th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1998

Attempts were also made to follow as closely as possible the statements made by delegates, he said. He noted that there had been only one correction issued during the main session of the General Assembly. Delegates could contact either the press officers or his office if there were problems with press releases, and corrections would be issued.

Mr. SULAIMAN (Syria) said he would not raise additional questions at the moment. He asked Mr. Parker to join the Committee when it held informal consultations on the matter.

Mr. MOKTEFI (Algeria) recalled that a decision had been made during the Assembly's main session to the effect that what was then called the Department of Public Information (DPI) -- now the Office of Communications and Public Information -- be called upon to disseminate all unofficial documentation, including press releases, in the Organization's six official languages. Had that work begun? he asked.

The CHAIRMAN said the press releases, which were not official records, should reflect the tenor of the discussion which took place. It would be appropriate to have those assigned to the Fifth Committee, in particular, which was a technical and political body, engaged on a longer-term basis so they could follow the line of the discussions and be familiar with the terms used.

The Committee was an intergovernmental forum, he continued. However, there seemed to be an imbalance between the coverage of intergovernmental interaction in the Committee and the Secretariat's documentation. Committee members felt that press releases needed to reflect the overall trend of discussion. That was important for members of the press, as well.

Mr. PARKER said he would be happy to attend the relevant consultations on the subject. He assured the Committee that the press officers hired were the best to be found. They were tested extensively prior to their engagement. The section's best press officers were assigned to the Fifth Committee because the subject matter was so technical.

Last year, a series of stand-alone background documents had been produced, including one on the budget and one on the Organization's scale of assessments, he said. In addition, the section had produced a round-up press release covering the Committee's work during the main session. Those initiatives were part of DPI's response to the needs of its growing readership, particularly in light of the use of the Internet.

All efforts would be made to provide balanced representation of the Committee's intergovernmental interactions and the Secretariat's documentation, he said. In response to the question posed by the

Fifth Committee - 24 - Press Release GA/AB/3219 54th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1998

representative of Algeria, he said that DPI was posting on the Internet all its unofficial documents in English and French. Efforts were being made to ensure that all such material produced by DPI was put on the Internet, but perhaps his colleagues in the Department should respond to any specific questions.

Office Accommodation at Palais Wilson

NORMA GOICOCHEA ESTENOZ (Cuba) said her delegation had problems with some parts of the draft. Paragraph c should be reformulated to indicate that resources to cover the cost of the move would come from section 27 F of the budget, on resources for administration in Geneva. Her delegation was not comfortable with the present wording, which stated that no additional resources would be required, but did not provide clarification on where resources would be found. It should be clear that those resources would be coming from section 27 F.

Paragraph e, by which the Secretary-General was requested to undertake a cost-benefit analysis on the use of conference rooms in Geneva, should be revamped, she said. She proposed that the paragraph be amended to read:

"Requests the Secretary-General to entrust the Office of Internal Oversight Services to submit to the General Assembly at its fifty-third session" -- or, as her delegation would prefer, at its fifty-second session -- "a cost benefit analysis on the use of conference rooms in Geneva".

After that paragraph, an additional one should be inserted wherein a decision would be made to consider the proposal to build the two conference rooms at the Palais Wilson in light of the above cost-benefit analysis. That paragraph would be worded as:

"Decides to consider the proposal to build the additional conference rooms in light of the above mentioned report".

In terms of the Secretary-General's planned use of the new office space, she noted that he proposed transferring the secretariat of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction to the Palais Wilson. Her delegation did not understand that idea, because of the limited mandate of that secretariat, which was set to expire in 1999. The text should contain some working to the effect that the Assembly would consider the use of that space at its fifty-fourth session.

OLIVIO FERMIN (Dominican Republic) expressed support for the proposal made by the Cuban representative.

Fifth Committee - 25 - Press Release GA/AB/3219 54th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1998

Mr. ODAGA-JALOMAYO (Uganda) said he understood that Committee members had been consulted on the text. Because his delegation had not been privy to that process, he had to take the floor.

He said that paragraph b, regarding the acceptance of the offer, should be worded differently to reflect the views of the Committee. The Committee accepted the move; its questions pertained to internal arrangements. He proposed that the wording read "accepts the offer of the Swiss authorities to provided office accommodation."

He was not comfortable with the language in paragraph c, he said. The Controller had said the Organization's share of costs related to the move to Palais Wilson would come from amounts set out for space at the Petit Sacconex, also in Geneva. That fact should be expressed more clearly.

On paragraph d, regarding extension of the rent-free arrangement beyond 2000, he said the United Nations was humbly requesting that the arrangement continue beyond the year 2000. Thus, a more friendly word than "urges" should be used.

The CHAIRMAN said consultations had only taken place in the formal meeting. He then summarized delegates proposals. He noted agreement on paragraph a and b. Paragraph c should contain specific reference to the fact that funds would be taken from the budget's section 27 F. On paragraph e, the Cuban delegate had suggested that the Oversight Office should submit a cost- benefit analysis on the use of conference rooms at the United Nations disposal in Geneva. Also, she had suggested that the fate of the two proposed conference rooms be decided after that study was available. Further, she had called for mention of the need to reconsider space allocation after the expiration of the mandate of the secretariat of the International Decade.

Mr. THORNE (United Kingdom), speaking on behalf of the European Union, said the Union would have had no difficulty accepting the text as it stood. Regarding the proposed changes, he had no problem with making a reference to section 27 F. The Union also had no problem with the proposal on the cost- benefit analysis, although it was not sure what the Oversight Office would be comparing. The Union did have a problem with holding up construction. He asked for clarification on the impact of such a hold-up.

Mr. SACH said that on the question of impact of the decision with regard to construction, occupancy of the Palais Wilson had originally been scheduled for March or April. As a result of delays, the new date for occupancy was 1 July. If there was a hold on construction, occupancy would again have to be deferred.

Fifth Committee - 26 - Press Release GA/AB/3219 54th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1998

Ms. GOICOCHEA ESTENOZ (Cuba) agreed that there would have to be informal consultations on the subject. There were no conference rooms in the Petit Saconnex -- all of the conference rooms were in the Palais des Nations. That was why it had nothing to do with the destruction of the Saconnex facility and there was need for a cost-benefit analysis. The issue should continue to be discussed. The transfer would not be held up only because of the construction of the rooms. Work continued at the United Nations despite construction.

Mr. CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh), Committee Chairman, said that the Committee, keeping in mind the suggestions made, should see how it could best come to a decision on the matter.

* *** *