FIFTH COMMITTEE ELECTS TWO VICE-PRESIDENTS AND RAPPORTEUR

Press Release
GA/AB/3382

FIFTH COMMITTEE ELECTS TWO VICE-PRESIDENTS AND RAPPORTEUR

Approves Programme of Work for Fifty-fifth Session

In its organizational meeting this afternoon, the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) approved its programme of work for the fifty-fifth Assembly session and elected Park Hae-yun (Republic of Korea) and Jasminka Dinic (Croatia) as two of its three Vice-Chairmen. Eduardo Manuel da Fonseca Fernandes Ramos (Portugal) was elected the Committee's Rapporteur.

The election of the third Vice-Chairman was postponed pending the conclusion of consultations within the African Group of States. The programme of work was approved on the understanding that adjustments would be made during the course of the session, as required. The Committee also took up the status of its documentation for the session.

Among the 45 agenda items to be considered during the coming session, the Committee has before it financing of the United Nations peacekeeping operations; reports of the Office of Internal Oversight Services and of the Board of Auditors; proposed budget for the biennium 2000-2001; review of the efficiency of the administrative and financial functioning of the Organization; issues of human resources management; and improving the financial situation of the United Nations. Substantive meetings of the Committee are scheduled to start on 27 September.

Also this afternoon, the Committee approved the nomination of Wu Gang (China) to the Committee on Contributions for the remainder of the term of office of Ju Kuilin, who resigned from that Committee. His term expires on 31 December 2002.

Taking up requests for exemption under Article 19 of the Charter from Burundi, Comoros, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova, Sao Tome and Principe, and Tajikistan, the Committee postponed a decision until next week. [Article 19 is the section of the United Nations Charter which establishes that should a Member State fall behind in its payments by an amount equal to its assessments for the two most recent years, it will lose its entitlement to vote in the General Assembly, unless the Assembly decides its failure is a consequence of factors beyond its control.]

Fifth Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/AB/3382 2nd Meeting (PM) 19 September 2000

Regarding some $1.63 million in programme budget implications of a draft resolution, by the terms of which the Assembly would convene a three-day special session of the General Assembly to address the problem of HIV/AIDS, the Committee decided to continue debate on that matter at a later date.

Speaking at today’s meeting were the representatives of Kenya, Cameroon, Botswana, France (on behalf of the European Union and associated States), Nigeria (on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China), Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, Pakistan, New Zealand, Syria, United States, Libya, Tajikistan, Comoros, Japan and Canada.

The Committee Chairman, Gert Rosenthal (Guatemala), made a short introductory statement; and the Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), Conrad S.M. Mselle, and the Director of Programme Planning and Budget Division of the Office of Programme Planning, Budget and Accounts, Warren Sach, responded to questions raised in the discussion.

The Committee will hold a short meeting at 10 a.m. on Friday, 22 September, to conclude its consideration of the organizational matters and to elect its remaining Vice-Chairman.

Fifth Committee - 3 - Press Release GA/AB/3382 2nd Meeting (PM) 19 September 2000

Committee Work Programme

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) met this afternoon, to elect its Vice-Chairmen and Rapporteur; take decisions on the status of its documentation and organization of work; make an appointment to the Committee on Contributions; consider requests for exemption under Article 19 of the Charter; and take up programme budget implications of a draft on the problem of HIV/AIDS in all its aspects.

On the status of documentation, the Committee had before it a draft (document A/C.5/55/L.1), which lists the items allocated to the Fifth Committee for consideration during the fifty-fifth session of the Assembly. Annex I to the document indicates status of preparedness of documentation as of 1 September, for consideration during the main part of the session. Annex II indicates the status of documentation to be considered during the resumed part of the session.

Regarding the appointment of a member of the Committee on Contributions, the Committee had before it a note by the Secretary-General (document A/55/102/Add.1) advising of the resignation of Ju Kuilin (China) from the Contributions Committee. Another note from the Secretary-General (document A/C.5/55/5) informs the Assembly that China has nominated Wu Gang for appointment to that Committee for the remainder of the Mr. Ju's term, which expires on 31 December 2002. The document also contains the candidate's curriculum vitae.

By a letter dated 17 July addressed to the Chairman of the Fifth Committee (document A/C.5/55/2), the President of the General Assembly transmits a letter from the Chairman of the Committee on Contributions concerning requests for exemption from sanctions established under Article 19 of the Charter, from Burundi, Comoros, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova, Sao Tome and Principe and Tajikistan. An appendix to the letter contains sections of the Contributions Committee’s sixtieth session report dealing with Article 19.

[Article 19 is the section of the United Nations Charter which establishes that should a Member State fall behind in its payments by an amount equal to its assessments for the two most recent years, it will lose its entitlement to vote in the General Assembly, unless the Assembly decides its failure is a consequence of factors beyond its control.]

The Committee on Contributions noted that the number of countries falling under Article 19 had been increasing slowly in recent years, reflecting the growth and persistence of arrears for a number of Member States. The Committee also emphasized the strictly exceptional nature of exemptions from Article 19 sanctions, noting that four of the States now requesting exemption had been granted such exemptions in the past, two of them continuously since 1996.

The Committee recommended that Burundi, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and the Republic of Moldova be permitted to vote until 30 June 2001. Regarding the Comoros, Sao Tome and Principe, and Tajikistan, the Committee concluded that despite their serious economic problems, the continuing failure to pay the necessary minimum amount was not due to conditions beyond those countries' control. Accordingly, the Committee was not able to recommend that the General Assembly grant them exemptions under Article 19 of the Charter or extend such exemptions any further.

Regarding programme budget implications of draft resolution A/54/L.88/Rev.1, the Committee had before it a statement submitted by the Secretary-General (document A/C.5/54/65), according to which in case of the adoption of the draft, estimated costs would amount to $1,628,900. This requirement would be subject to established procedures for the use of the contingency fund, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 41/213. By the terms of draft resolution A/54/L.88/Rev.1, the General Assembly would decide to convene a three-day special session of the General Assembly to review and address the problem of HIV/AIDS in all its aspects and to coordinate international efforts to combat it.

The report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) on this matter (document A/55/376) notes that conference- servicing requirements for the session are estimated at $542,400, on the assumption that the special session would be held in New York for three days in May 2001. Provision is made in the programme budget for the biennium 2000-2001 for meetings programmed at the time of budget preparation and authorized subsequently. Consequently, no additional appropriation is required under section 2, General Assembly affairs and conference services. In this regard, the Advisory Committee points out that there is a potential for overprogramming, and requests that the capacity for delivery of services and for absorption of additional requirements be carefully monitored.

Other requirements would arise in connection with the strengthening of the secretariat of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), which is to serve as the secretariat for the special session ($633,800); travel of representatives of least developed countries ($136,000); and requirements for protocol ($20,200), public information ($585,200) and central support services ($253,700). With regard to travel requirements, the Advisory Committee questions the rationale for the expenditures for travel and subsistence for two protocol officers from Geneva and Vienna, and the requirements for three round trips between New York and Geneva, listed under strengthening of the UNAIDS secretariat.

Recalling that, on 5 September 2000, the General Assembly adopted the draft in question as resolution 54/283, the Advisory Committee states that, subject to the provisions for the operation and use of the contingency fund, implementation of that resolution could require $1.63 million over and above the resources in the programme budget for the biennium 2000-2001, as follows: $790,000 under section 1 (Overall policy-making, direction and coordination); $585,200 under section 26 (Public information); and $253,700 under section 27 (Management and central support services).

Statement

Committee Chairman GERT ROSENTHAL (Guatemala) made a short introductory statement, saying that he would make every effort to make sure that the Fifth Committee made progress in the work assigned to it.

Election of Vice-Chairmen and Rapporteur

The CHAIRMAN informed the delegates that Park Hae-yun (Republic of Korea) and Jasminka Dini (Croatia) had been nominated for the posts of Vice-Chairs of the Committee, from the Groups of Asian States and Eastern European States, respectively. ALBINA CHEPKOECH CHEBOMUI (Kenya) said that the representative of Algeria had been nominated from the Group of African States.

MARTIN BELINGA-EBOUTOU (Cameroon) said that there were some serious misunderstandings within the African group, and suggested that the election of the Vice-Chairman from the African Group of States should be postponed.

COLLEN VIXEN KELAPILE (Botswana) supported the proposal by Cameroon.

The Committee then elected by acclamation Park Hae-yun (Republic of Korea) and Jasminka Dini (Croatia) as its Vice-Chairs. The election of the third Vice- Chairman was postponed until the conclusion of consultations within the African Group.

Eduardo Manuel da Fonseca Fernandes Ramos (Portugal) was elected the Committee s Rapporteur, also by acclamation.

Organization of Work

The CHAIRMAN introduced the programme of work, informing the Committee about the decisions of the Assembly regarding the importance of prompt start of the meetings and the need for effective use of scarce resources. He said that the draft programme of work was drawn up on the basis of the decision of the General Assembly contained in paragraph 13 of the report of the Assembly’s General Committee, which stated that the Fifth Committee should complete its work by Friday, 1 December. In accordance with regulation 153 of the Rules of Procedure, no resolution involving expenditure should be recommended by a Committee, unless accompanied by an estimate of expenditures prepared by the Secretary-General. Also, in accordance with General Assembly resolutions 45/248 B and 52/220, the Fifth Committee was the appropriate Main Committee entrusted with responsibilities for administrative and budgetary matters.

GUILLAUME GAUBERT (France), speaking on behalf of the European Union and associated States, said that the work programme this year promised to be even busier than in previous years. Among many other questions on the agenda, a matter of particular importance to the Union included the peacekeeping scale of assessments, discussion of which would allow reform of the system of contributions. Results-based budgeting was a concept familiar to all and was important. The item on human resources management was also of particular importance.

His country was awaiting with interest a Secretary-General’s report on the reform of human resources management, he continued. Budgets for the two international Tribunals should be forwarded to the Committee by the beginning of October, even if their work was also before other bodies, and documentation should be published in time for a thorough examination of issues before the Committee.

HASSAN MOHAMMED HASSAN (Nigeria), speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, congratulated the Chairman and other Bureau members on their election. The Group of 77 appreciated the efforts of the Bureau and the Secretariat in suggesting a programme of work, and supported the revision and adoption of the programme of work on a weekly basis. The late submission of documentation, however, was of continuing concern to the Group. A large number of reports were yet to be issued. This chronic state of affairs affected the smooth functioning of the Committee’s work and should be addressed under the relevant agenda item. It was of utmost importance that the Secretariat comply with the six-week rule for submission of documents so that all delegations would have sufficient time to review them. The Group reiterated the need to abide by extant rules and regulations governing distribution of draft resolutions and decisions in all the official languages prior to their adoption.

He also said that informal consultations should be conducted in a transparent manner and should be announced well in advance, to enable all delegations to participate. Parallel informal consultations should not be held. The Committee should strive to conclude its work on time without resorting to late night and weekend meetings. Should the Committee be unable to accomplish its work in the main part of the fifty-fifth session, the Bureau should plan to hold a longer first resumed session.

ERNESTO HERRERA (Mexico) congratulated the Chairman and all the members of the Bureau on their election. He was pleased that the region of Latin America and the Caribbean would preside over the work of the Committee. His delegation had studied the programme of work with interest and noted that priority had been given to the scale of assessment. Mexico was prepared to make every effort to support the programme of work and to ensure compliance with General Assembly mandates given to the Committee. He trusted that the programme of work would contain sufficient flexibility so that decisions could be made in a timely fashion.

Considering the methodological link between both the regular budget and the peacekeeping scales of assessment, Mexico felt that it was essential that whatever decision the General Assembly took on the special scale should occur after the adoption of the regular scale, he said. Sufficient time should also be given to allow consideration of the impact which the regular budget scale would have on the peacekeeping scale.

CARLOS ALBERTO MICHAELSEN DEN HARTOG (Brazil) congratulated the Chairman and the other Bureau members on their election. He also thanked the Secretariat and the Permanent Representative of Australia for her tireless work and able leadership in carrying out the work of the Committee during its last session. There were many important items for consideration on the agenda. The most important was to establish a programme of work which represented a balance of interests of all delegations. In the preliminary distribution of informal consultations, he noted that little time had been allocated for consideration of the medium-term plan and the 2002-2003 programme budget outline. It was Brazil’s understanding that the programme of work should be adapted each week so as to make sure that enough time was set aside to carry out work on items which required decision by the end of the year. His delegation would work in a constructive spirit to obtain the goals of the Committee.

DULCE MARIA BUERGO RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) said that her delegation fully supported the comments by Nigeria on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. With regard to the programme of work, she agreed with those who emphasized the importance of maintaining balance in the distribution of items. There were special items which would require decisions before the end of the session. It was of particular importance to consider the regular scale of assessments and the Secretary- General’s proposal for the next biennial budget. In addition, the reports on human resources reform were of utmost importance.

She went on to say that she had taken note of the proposal to begin on Monday, 2 October, with the programme budget for the biennium 2000-2001, and to commence consideration of the scale of assessments for the apportionment of the expenses of the United Nations at almost at the same time. Emphasis should be placed on the regular budget scale, since a decision on it would be the first step towards an in-depth consideration of the peacekeeping scale. Perhaps the programme should be adjusted in the light of this. She also noted that although there were items scheduled for next week, some reports to be considered had not yet been issued. That could delay the work of the Committee. The report of the Committee on Conferences had not been issued.

In connection with medium-term plan items, she said that the documentation on that item had mostly been issued, so the consideration should be moved up. Regarding the new format of the medium-term plan, she recalled that the new plan format might have an impact on the regular budget and budgeting cycle. With regard to the meeting scheduled to consider the question of improving the financial situation of the Organization, she hoped that the report of the Secretary-General would be available for this. Many of reports planned for November were scheduled to be presented simultaneously, and adjustments might be needed in the schedule of their presentation so the Committee would be in a better position to discuss the items.

AIZAZ AHMAD CHAUDHRY (Pakistan) associated himself with the statement by Nigeria and assured the Chairman of his delegation’s cooperation. Several issues on the programme were of particular importance to his delegation.

WEN CHIN POWLES (New Zealand) said that her delegation had no particular problem with the work programme and welcomed the fact that the discussion of the two scales of assessments would start at the same time. The programme reflected the priorities of the reform programme of the Secretary-General.

ABDOU AL-MOULA NAKKARI (Syria) also supported the comments made on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, and said the programme of work should attach priority to some items, including the medium-term plan, human resources and the financing of peacekeeping operations. The proposed programme did not reflect those priorities, however. Everyone knew that certain items needed to be resolved at this session, including the scale of assessments for the United Nations budget. The programme was not balanced in allocating the proper number of meetings to items of particular importance. Priority should also be given to those items which had been deferred from previous sessions. All draft resolutions should be circulated 24 hours before their adoption in all official languages. He also affirmed that no night and weekend sessions should be held.

DONALD S. HAYS (United States) said the agenda would be very challenging. His delegation would work with the Bureau to seek consensus and find solutions. Priority should be given to several issues, many of which included resource planning. At the core, however, was the need to develop a comprehensive reform of both scales of assessment, to put the Organization on a sound financial basis. As for time allotted to discussions, balance needed to be achieved in that respect. The suggestion that the schedule should be reviewed weekly had merit. The first weeks should not be overly packed so that delegates could familiarize themselves with the issues. He supported the statement by the representative of Mexico that both scales should allow for a transparent and coherent process. Since decisions on the regular budget had implications for the peacekeeping budget, that should be taken into consideration.

KHALIFA O. ALATRASH (Libya) congratulated the Chairman and the other members of the Bureau on their election. He supported the statement by the Group of 77 and also the remarks by the delegations of Mexico, Brazil, Cuba and Syria on the programme of work, particularly on setting priorities in that programme and on allowing sufficient time for consideration of the scale of assessment, the budget framework and the peacekeeping budget. He noted that the programme of work should be amended weekly according to the priorities set by Member States.

The CHAIRMAN said that he had noted that each delegation would like to have the programme of work structured in a slightly different way. He also noted the appeal for transparency, on the one hand, and flexibility, on the other. The programme of work should be considered a first navigational chart. It could be adjusted with time and depending on circumstances. If the documentation for a particular item was not available on time, debate on that item would obviously not be possible. The Secretariat had assured him that the Committee would have the necessary documentation in sufficient time for it to carry out its work, even if in a pressured way.

The Committee then approved its programme of work.

Ms. BUERGO RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) said that in light of the Chairman’s remarks, her delegation was confident that the Committee would be able to carry out its work in the manner that he had proposed.

The CHAIRMAN then said that a brief meeting next week might be necessary to complete the election of Bureau members. It was his intention to work closely with the Bureau, which needed to be established as quickly as possible. Once the African Group informed him that it had reached agreement on a nomination, a brief meeting on that subject would be convened.

The Chairman also proposed that, in accordance with the precedent set by past Chairmen, meetings should commence on time. He was surprised that no one had questioned the Committee’s ability to finish its work by 4 or 5 December. While the Committee would try to comply with that schedule, it currently had some leeway to incorporate matters that could not be postponed to a later session.

Appointment to Committee on Contributions

The Committee then recommended the General Assembly appoint Wu Gang (China) to serve on the Committee on Contributions until 31 December 2002.

Requests for Exemptions under Article 19 of Charter

Mr. GAUBERT (France), speaking on behalf of the European Union and associated States, said that the exemptions under Article 19 were examined by the General Assembly on the basis of the recommendations of the Committee on Contributions. The Union welcomed the fact that a number of countries had been able to reduce their arrears below the level where Article 19 sanctions applied, and that three of the States granted exemption until 30 June 2000 had reduced their arrears. The Union reaffirmed the importance of all States honouring their obligations and advocated more rigorous application of Article 19 sanctions. The Union endorsed the recommendation on the granting of exemptions for the three Member States. However, such exemptions should be granted strictly on an exceptional and temporary basis.

ABDUKAKHOR NUROV (Tajikistan) said that the issue under discussion was of particular importance to his delegation. He would like the issue to remain open until next week.

MAHMOUD MOHAMED ABOUD (Comoros) said that his country had been affected by a serious crisis for the last three years. For that reason, it had difficulty in paying its dues to the Organization. The situation was beyond his Government’s control, for his country had been suffering from a separatist crisis. A small country without resources, it should not become a victim of its poverty. As of next year, he hoped that his country would be able to honour its obligations. His Government was concerned about the situation, and it was requesting the Committee’s understanding and asking to be allowed to pay in steps for this year and the next.

Following the request from the representative of Tajikistan, the Committee decided to take up the item at its next meeting.

Programme Budget Implications

The CHAIRMAN said that although the General Assembly had adopted the resolution on the holding of the special session, it had been understood that since the ACABQ and the Fifth Committee had not been able meet at the time, the programme budget implications would be presented for examination by the General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session.

CONRAD S.M. MSELLE, Chairman of the ACABQ, then introduced that Committee’s report.

Mr. GAUBERT (France), speaking on behalf of the European Union, said that the challenge posed by HIV/AIDS must be taken up as a matter of priority. That could be done only if all actors, both regional and international, were committed to common and coordinated actions. The General Assembly was an irreplaceable forum in that respect. France understood that the special session should be held before September 2002, and that the General Assembly would decide on the date and modalities for preparation of the session. The statement of financial implications and the ACABQ’s report were useful. They deserved the Committee’s full attention, and France wanted to discuss these at a later meeting. Useful discussion could only really take place once the General Assembly had decided on the modalities and date of meeting.

THOMAS A. REPASCH (United States) said that it was appropriate that one of the Committee’s first items of consideration was the item on holding of a special session on HIV/AIDS. On the specific aspects of the budget, he wanted to note that there had been a procedural anomaly in that the Assembly had decided to consider it without the prior approval of its programme budget implications. He also noted that there seemed to be inconsistency in wording used in the first paragraph of the report A/54/65, which said that the session was supposed to be held as soon as possible, preferably by May 2001, but not later than the end of the fifty-sixth session. However, the ACABQ report mentioned that it should be held no later than the end of the fifty-sixth session. He asked whether the Secretariat was prepared to hold the conference next year, and whether it would be able to make the necessary preparations by then. In paragraph 5 of the ACABQ report, the Advisory Committee questioned the rationale for certain travel costs. He wanted to hear more discussion on that. He also wanted to know what had led the ACABQ to decide to agree to the programme budget implication as proposed.

He said he also had a question on Annex 3 to the General Assembly report, which detailed the items of expenditure for public information programmes. He noted that the Department of Public Information (DPI) had a large budget for the biennium and that funds had been provided for such events. The DPI should respond to those events and prioritize its work accordingly. The United States would expect that it would absorb the costs within its budget for 2001 or for the following year.

ARATA FUJII (Japan) supported the special session, but he was concerned about procedure in this case.

Responding to questions, WARREN SACH, Director of Programme Planning and Budget Division, Office of Programme Planning, Budget and Accounts, said that regret had been expressed that the statement of programme budget implications had not been available before the adoption of the resolution. While the calculations had been available, the Fifth Committee was not in session, so the implications had not been reviewed prior to the adoption of the resolution. Regarding the availability of resources, he said one of the reasons the resolution had been “pushed through”, as quickly as it was, was that this would allow the substantive preparation to begin as soon as possible. The need to bring two protocol officers from Vienna and Geneva was based on the extreme time constraints and the large number of participants expected for the special session. The three New-York- Geneva round trips were needed to carry out liaison between the offices in Geneva and New York in preparation for the conference.

As for provisions for public information, he said that the normal practice was to include a separate provision for non-recurrent expenses for special sessions and conferences in programme budget proposals. For this reason, the additional resources for proper public information coverage and promotion had been included in the statement of budget implications.

Also responding to questions, Mr. MSELLE said that there had been questions about the need to convene a special session “no later than the end of the fifty- sixth session”; however, that was a direct quote from the resolution. As for the need to travel, he said that while there was a need to ensure liaison between the offices in New York and Geneva, modern means of communications made the Advisory Committee doubt the need for several round trips in question. It also asked if it was essential to have two protocol officers travel to New York. However, the Advisory Committee did not reduce the estimates, leaving it to the Fifth Committee to consider the question.

Mr. REPASCH (United States) said that the recommendations in the ACABQ report and those in the statement by the Secretary-General were a little different: one referred to the “regular session” and the other said “session”. There was a difference, for one ended in December and the other went on until the next session. Also, the question of travel and subsistence should be taken into account when planning for the event.

Mr. MSELLE said that now a regular session lasted 12 months. Although resumed, it was still a regular session. “No later than the end of fifty-sixth session” meant no later than September 2002.

Ms. BUERGO RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) said that HIV/AIDS had devastating implications for the planet, and it was necessary to urgently address the problem. The use of the contingency fund and the unusual procedure, however, raised some questions. In the light of the clarifications just received and in view of the commitment of States to implement the decisions of the General Assembly, her delegation supported the recommendations to begin substantive preparations for the special session.

JOHN ORR (Canada) supported the holding of the special session. However, the resources requested for the three-day conference were more than had been requested for the Millennium Summit. That was a cause for concern. He also asked for clarifications regarding the make-up of the $790,000 requested under section 1 and had questions regarding the $542,000 for conference services requirements and the mention of “a potential for overprogramming” in the ACABQ report. He asked if that amount was included in the request. He also asked, if most of the costs would occur at the time of the Summit, what would be approved to allow for the planning.

Responding to questions posed by delegations, Mr. SACH said that the primary question was the composition of the $790,000 under section 1 in paragraph 15 of the Assembly’s report A/54/65. The main part of that was for strengthening the UNAIDS secretariat. That was referred to in paragraph 13 of the same report. With regard to the timing of the requirements, approval for provisions for strengthening the UNAIDS secretariat was needed immediately so that substantive preparations could go ahead. Other expenses could be decided on at a later date.

Mr. MSELLE said that, in response to the question of Canada, the Secretariat had indicated that conference servicing requirements for the special session were $542,400. No additional resources had been requested. Overprogramming of meetings was a normal practice and was based on the assumption that some meetings would be cancelled. However, the representative of Secretary-General had indicated that they were coming close to the point where overprogramming might not be possible. He had indicated to the ACABQ that they were monitoring that situation very carefully.

The CHAIRMAN asked the delegations that had expressed concerns if they would be in a position to support the consensus required by the General Assembly.

Mr. GAUBERT (France) said that his delegation would like to continue consideration of the item so that the Committee could have an opportunity to express its views in a less formal session.

The CHAIRMAN then said that as the Committee was not yet in a position to make a recommendation, consultations could continue at another meeting.

Mr. NAKKARI (Syria) reiterated the need for draft decision and resolutions to be distributed 24 hours in advance of their consideration, in all six official languages.

Mr. BELINGA-EBOUTOU (Cameroon) said that Cameroon was no longer interested in holding the post of Vice-Chairman of the Committee.

The CHAIRMAN then proposed that the Committee hold a brief meeting on Friday, 22 September, at 10 a.m., to complete the appointment of the Bureau and to enable the Chairman to begin discussions with the rest of the Bureau on the organization of work.

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