COMMITTEE ON RELATIONS WITH HOST COUNTRY DEFERS ADOPTION OF DRAFT REPORT

Press Release
HQ/599

COMMITTEE ON RELATIONS WITH HOST COUNTRY DEFERS ADOPTION OF DRAFT REPORT

Malaysia Announced as Nineteenth Committee Member, Pending Assembly Endorsement

The Committee on Relations with the Host Country this morning deferred adoption of its draft report in order to give delegations more time to consider the text, following a request made by the representative of Cuba in his country’s first statement as a new Committee Member.

The General Assembly last year had endorsed the recommendation of the Committee that its membership be increased by four members, including one each from the African, Asian, Latin American and Caribbean and Eastern European States. The new members were from Cuba, Hungary and Libya. The Committee Chairman, Sotirios Zackheos (Cyprus) announced today that Malaysia had been chosen from the Asian Group of States as the nineteenth Committee member, pending endorsement by the General Assembly.

The representative of Cuba also spoke on the issue of travel restrictions imposed by the host country on some accredited United Nations delegations. He referred to repeated General Assembly resolutions requesting the removal of restrictions imposed by host countries on the movement of certain officials. The staff of the Cuban Mission, however, continued to face a 25-mile limit on travel. Requests made last year by Cuban diplomats to travel beyond that limit for academic activities or formal meetings of the United Nations had been refused without explanation. His Government had a right and a duty to object to such discriminatory procedures by the host country authorities, which could only be for political reasons as Cuba did not represent a threat to United States’ security.

The representatives of the Russian Federation, Iraq and China also urged the United States, as the host country, to remove the travel restrictions imposed on their mission staff.

The United States Government regarded the travel issue very seriously, that country’s representative said. It would therefore proceed very carefully on that complex issue. Travel restrictions on certain delegations had been based on congressional legislation concerning national security. In no way had those restrictions been applied to official United Nations travel. Moreover, such restrictions had been consistent with international law to

Host Country Committee - 2 - Press Release HQ/599 199th Meeting (AM) 27 October 1999

which the United Nations was a party, and to the Headquarters Agreement between the host country and the United Nations. There was no contradiction between fulfilling his country’s obligations as a host country and safeguarding its national security. A new study was underway on some aspects of travel controls, which might lead to their amendment. The United States Mission was carefully reviewing the note from the Cuban Mission and would address each point in its reply.

Also this morning, the representative of Malaysia, participating as an observer, sought Committee action to address the hesitancy of New York City landlords to rent apartments to United Nations diplomats.

The United States representative said that issue was “coming to a head” because of the indebtedness of the diplomatic community. It was not possible presently to assess the pervasiveness of the problem, but perhaps the bureau could discuss whether or not it was appropriate for the Working Group on Indebtedness to consider the issue.

The Committee will meet next at a date to be announced in the Journal.

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