SEABED COUNCIL SEEKS AGREEMENT ON SCALE OF ASSESSMENTS

(Reissued as received.)

KINGSTON, 13 August (International Seabed Authority) -- The Council of the International Seabed Authority agreed in Kingston this morning to appoint an informal group to look for agreement between differing positions on the scale of assessed contributions to the Authority for 2003-04.

The Council was continuing its deliberations, begun yesterday afternoon

(12 August), on the biennial budget proposed by the Secretary-General (ISBA/8/A/6-ISBA/8/C/2) and recommended by the Finance Committee (ISBA/8/A/7-ISBA/8/C/3).  The Committee recommended that the maximum rate of assessment of member States be set at 22 per cent, down from 25 per cent, in line with a similar decision taken by the United Nations General Assembly in 2000 regarding that organization’s scale.  

The debate was initiated yesterday by Japan, which maintained that a reduction to 22 per cent, applicable to that country, should already have been implemented by the Authority for 2002. However, the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States yesterday, and the African Group today, opposed any reduction that would lead to an increase in their members’ rates.

After much debate yesterday, delegates were unable to arrive at a consensus on the maximum rate, and Council President Fernando Pardo Huerta (Chile) urged them to consult overnight.  At the start of this morning’s meeting the President said various contacts had been made between delegates and that it was necessary to hold informal consultations to arrive at a consensus.  He suggested that discussion in a smaller forum was a more practical approach to finding a solution.

In response to this proposal, the Russian Federation agreed in principle to trying to reach a compromise through consultations but wanted the assurance that all the regional and special interest groups making up the Council would be represented in the consultations.  The Sudan also expressed concern that the group might be restricted to those who participated in yesterday’s debate, excluding other delegations that had not yet stated their positions.

Nigeria, speaking for the African Group, said they unanimously opposed a reduction of the ceiling rate to 22 per cent, as the change would ultimately lead to an increase in the assessed contributions of other members, even though special circumstances this time (a $1.7 million surplus being used to reduce assessments for 2003-04) would bring about a one-time reduction in the dollar amounts payable by each member of the Authority.

Secretary General Satya N. Nandan said that while a “core group” (Argentina, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, China, Fiji, France, Germany, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Namibia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Russian Federation, United Kingdom) had been selected based on their interventions yesterday, other Council members were welcome to join in the discussions.  President Pardo Huerta added that any proposals emerging from the group discussions would be presented to the Council as a basis for further deliberations and a final decision.

The Council will resume work at a time to be announced.

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