SEABED COUNCIL RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF $5,011,700 BUDGET, THREE-WEEK SESSION
Press Release
SEA/1605
SEABED COUNCIL RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF $5,011,700 BUDGET, THREE-WEEK SESSION
19980828 (Reissued as received.)KINGSTON, 27 August (International Seabed Authority) -- The Council of the International Seabed Authority, by roll-call vote of 26 to 3 (Poland, Russian Federation and Ukraine), this afternoon recommended Assembly approval of the Authority's revised $5,011,700 budget for 1999.
The decision (document ISBA/4/C/11), proposed by Council President Joachim Koch (Germany), also recommended that "in view of the prevailing budgetary situation" there should be one three-week session next year (instead of two two-week sessions).
The draft resolution forwarded to the Assembly would authorize Secretary-General Satya N. Nandan "to establish the definitive scale of assessment for 1999 after 16 November 1998, based on the scale used for the regular budget of the United Nations for 1998". An amendment submitted by the Russian Federation on behalf of the Eastern European group, calling for use of the 1999 United Nations scale of assessment instead of the 1998 scale, was rejected by a vote of 26 to 3 (with Poland, Russian Federation and Ukraine voting in favour of the amendment).
The vote on the Council decision was requested by the Russian Federation following the vote on its proposed amendment. Council President Koch said he regretted that, despite efforts in consultations today, "it was unfortunately not possible to reach a consensus".
The Council's decision would have the Assembly decide that the amount of the agreed contribution by the European Community to the Authority's 1999 budget shall be $80,000. The Secretary-General would be authorized to transfer between appropriation sections up to 30 per cent of the amount in each section, and to utilize available funds in his custody (up to $1 million) in the event of shortfalls in cash flow next year.
The Assembly is asked to request the Secretary-General to seek appointment of a United Nations external auditor to audit the Authority for
1998. The Secretary-General would be requested to make a proposal for appointment of an auditor in 1999, "including the appointment of government auditors, or a private audit firm, in each case on the most cost-effective basis".
Latin American and Caribbean Group Statement
Chile, in a statement on behalf of the Latin American and Caribbean group, said that since there will be a second reading of the draft mining code in continued informal meetings of the Council, the Secretariat should provide for the next session, documents setting forth the positions of delegations on the various regulations reviewed. The Council should formally establish a procedure to ensure that the second reading "is conducted with the transparency which we all desire".
Informal meetings should continue to be held until the necessary consensus is achieved, before the draft code is formally taken up by the Council, Chile said.
Regarding elements of the code, he referred to the importance of provisions on protection of the marine environment. He said the Latin American and Caribbean group agreed that it was of utmost importance to continue organizing activities such as the recent seminar in China on strategies for controlling the environmental impact of mining on the seabed. Provision should be made in next year's budget for a second seminar on this issue.
The group also favoured organizing a seminar on confidentiality, and for the disclosure of certain information. Legitimate interests of companies investing large sums in seabed mining must be safeguarded, but there must be a balance between those interests and the need for the Authority to effectively discharge its responsibilities.
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