SEABED AUTHORITY APPROVES $5,011,700 BUDGET FOR 1999, DEFERS ACTION ON SCALE OF ASSESSMENTS
Press Release
SEA/1607
SEABED AUTHORITY APPROVES $5,011,700 BUDGET FOR 1999, DEFERS ACTION ON SCALE OF ASSESSMENTS
19980831 Adjourns Fourth Session 'Temporarily'; Fifth Session to Be Held 9-27 August, 1999(Reissued as received.)
KINGSTON, 28 August (International Seabed Authority) -- The Assembly of the International Seabed Authority temporarily adjourned its fourth session this morning, after adopting the revised $5,011,700 budget for 1999. The Assembly approved the budget by consensus on the recommendation of the Council of the Authority.
The budget decision (document ISBA/4/A/L.6) did not include a controversial provision approved by the 36-member Council relating to the scale of assessments (setting percentage amounts to be contributed by Authority members for the 1999 budget). The Council's decision yesterday, in two 26 to 3 votes, called for the use of the United Nations 1998 scale of assessments and not the 1999 scale, which was favoured by the Russian Federation and other Eastern European members.
Due to the lack of consensus on that issue, the Assembly decided to postpone further action on the scale of assessments until later this year, when it will meet for one or two days in New York. Secretary-General Satya N. Nandan said the United Nations Secretariat had indicated the meeting might be held at United Nations Headquarters between 12 and 16 October. (The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea provides that a majority of members of the Authority must be present in the Assembly to constitute a quorum for voting. The number of delegations at the session is 66, less than a majority of the 138 Authority members.) With action on the scale of assessments put off until the Assembly meets in New York, the fourth session was not concluded but was "adjourned temporarily" until the New York meeting. The Assembly also agreed to hold its fifth session in Kingston from 9 to 27 August 1999. The three-week session will be held instead of two two-week sessions, as a cost-cutting measure "in view of the prevailing budgetary situation". The Assembly resolutions also included provisions recommended by the Council relating to authority for the Secretary-General to transfer funds
between appropriation sections and to make use of available funds under his custody if needed to meet shortfalls in cash flow.
The President of the Assembly, Tadeusz Bachleda-Curus (Poland), made a statement on the work of the Assembly in the past two weeks. A number of delegations spoke in praise of the President's service to the Assembly.
On behalf of the Latin American and Caribbean group, Chile also reiterated the group's views concerning the decision to hold a single three-week session, emphasizing that the decision must not set a precedent for future sessions of the Authority. He expressed concern that the curtailed session may hinder progress on completing the mining code.
Chile said the next Assembly President is expected to be from the Latin American and Caribbean group, and the Netherlands agreed while adding that the President for the year 2000 would be from the Western European group.
Council's Final Meeting
Before the Assembly met, the Council held its final meeting to hear a review of its work by the Council President Joachim Koch (Germany). Members also spoke in tribute to the outgoing President, who is retiring from Government service.
Mr. Koch said the Council had progressed in its work on the draft seabed mining code, containing regulations concerning exploration for polymetallic nodules in the international seabed area. Mr. Koch said that in light of the discussions, the secretariat together with the President had prepared an informal revision of regulations 2 through 21 of the code. This document would be distributed later.
"Deep seabed mining is still far away, but it is important to have the rules in place", he said. The Council agreed that priority should be given to the mining code at the fifth session, he added.
The United States delegate said it remained "committed to the Law of the Sea Convention". Several delegates referred to an agreement that the next Council President would be from the African group.
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