Resumed Fifty-fifth General Assembly

Fifth Committee

66^th Meeting (AM)

FIFTH COMMITTEE HEARS CALL FOR ASSEMBLY ACTION IN CURRENT SESSION

ON UNSPENT BALANCE OF EAST TIMOR MISSION

On Issue of Proposed Regulations for Senior Officials,

Committee Envisages Deferral of Embassy Consideration Until 56^th Session

As the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) concluded its consideration of the financing of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) for 1 December 1999 to 30 June 2000, the Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) recommended that the General Assembly take action on that Mission’s unspent balance of some $57.9 million at its current session.

CONRAD S.M. MSELLE also recommended an interim amount of $282 million gross be appropriated and assessed for UNTAET for the six-month period from 1 July to

31 December 2001.  As for the request to apply special arrangements -– including unliquidated obligations for goods and services rendered but not verified –- as outlined in Article IV of the United Nations Financial Regulations, the ACABQ would examine that issue in its report on the financing of the Mission from 1 July 2001 to 30 June 2002.  It would submit the relevant report at the fifty-sixth session of the Assembly next September.

Before opening the morning’s debate, Acting Committee Chairman COLLEN VIXEN KELAPILE (Botswana) reminded delegations that the report of the Secretary-General on financing of UNTAET for 1 December 1999 to 30 June 2000 (document A/55/925), had been introduced in a general statement by Assistant Secretary-General for Programme Planning, Budget and Accounts and United Nations Controller, Jean-Pierre Halbwachs, at the first meeting of this resumed session.  He also noted that UNTAET was one of the five “missions in transition” for which no budget had been submitted.

The Committee next turned its attention to the Secretary-General’s report on proposed regulations governing the status, basic rights and duties of senior officials, which had been discussed briefly earlier in the week.  At that time, it was noted that the Secretary-General had consulted several senior officials to address concerns regarding what degree of impartiality, neutrality, objectivity and sense of responsibility could be guaranteed.  Some delegations had also expressed concern at the late issuance of the report, as well as the fact that comments from the special rapporteurs of the Commission on Human Rights had not been included.

This morning, the representative of Sweden, speaking on behalf of the European Union, supported the view expressed by several delegations at the last meeting that consideration of the item should be deferred pending comments from the group of Human Rights special rapporteurs.

The Acting Chairman then proposed that the Committee request the Secretariat to prepare a draft decision whereby the Committee would recommend that the Assembly defer consideration of the report to its 56^th session.

While not objecting to that decision, the representative of Syria said he wished to make a statement on the report.  He agreed to address the Committee tomorrow, when it will take action on the item.

The Fifth Committee is expected to meet again tomorrow at 10 a.m.

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