Committee on Relations

with Host Country

210^th Meeting (PM)

HOST COUNTRY COMMITTEE MEETS TO DISCUSS TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS, VISAS

The issues of travel restrictions and entry visas were the focus of discussions, as the Committee on Relations with the Host Country met this afternoon.

Cuba’s representative raised two issues.  First, she said that host country authorities had denied the First Secretary of her Permanent Mission a one-day travel permit yesterday to attend a seminar in Washington, D.C.  Describing the 25-mile travel restrictions on diplomats and staff of certain countries as discriminatory, selective and unfair, she said the Washington event -- sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank, which has observer status with the United Nations -- was part of the preparatory process for the International Conference on Financing for Development.  It was aimed at forging a common Latin American position to be presented at the Conference, to be held in Monterrey, Mexico, next month.

Second, she asked whether the host country authorities had adopted new procedures for checking diplomatic baggage at airports and to which countries they applied.  Would it be necessary to obtain special advance authorization to have diplomatic baggage excluded from such checking?  Under what authority were such procedures adopted?

To the first issue, the United States delegate responded that the invitation for the Washington meeting had been sent to the Cuban Ministry of Finance, and not to the Mission in New York.  An official from Havana and others from the Cuban Interest Office in Washington, D.C., had also represented their country at the meeting. 

To the second issue, he said that, although it was the first time the host country had heard of that issue, authorities would be happy to look into the matter if the Cuban representative would present her questions in writing.

Iraq’s representative said his Mission had been accustomed to receiving entry visas for delegates participating in United Nations work in three weeks.  Recently, however, issuance had been delayed for more than seven weeks.

The United States representative stressed that, with the exception of one application, visas had been issued in less than seven weeks.  The one exception had been occasioned by the loss of the application and the three-week time-frame was still applicable.

Also this afternoon, the Committee welcomed Sichan Siv, the new representative of the host country, and Marjorie Tiven, Mayor Michael Bloomberg's appointee to the New York City Commission for the United Nations and Consular Corps.

The Committee on Relations with the Host Country will hold its next meeting at a date to be announced.

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