Ad Hoc Committee on Assembly

Resolution 51/210

39^th Meeting (AM)

NEGOTIATIONS ON COMPREHENSIVE ANTI-TERRORISM CONVENTION AT CRITICAL

STAGE, SAYS CHAIRMAN AS COMMITTEE CONCLUDES ELEVENTH SESSION

Negotiations on a draft comprehensive convention on international terrorism had reached a critical stage, Rohan Perera (Sri Lanka), Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee established by General Assembly resolution 51/210, said today as that body concluded its eleventh session by adopting its draft report.

“I urge delegations to remain active during the up-coming intersessional period in order to sustain the momentum we have built at the current session,” he said, encouraging delegations to continue their bilateral contacts with a view to reaching a compromise solution on outstanding issues with respect to the draft convention.

The Chairman said the report on the just-ended session contained three chapters and an annex, part A of which contained an informal summary of general comments made during the Committee’s thirty-eighth meeting, on 5 February.  Part B contained an informal summary of comments made during the general exchange of views and the results of informal consultations and bilateral contacts concerning the draft convention.  Part C contained an informal summary of comments made during informal consultations on convening a high-level conference under the auspices of the United Nations.  The summary was for reference purposes only and should in no way be taken as the record of the discussions, he noted.

Before the Committee adopted a draft recommendation asking the General Assembly’s Sixth Committee (Legal) to establish a working group to finalize the draft convention and discuss the convening of a high-level conference under United Nations auspices, the representative of the United States sought clarification regarding the recommendation’s financial implications.

The Committee Secretary said that the working group would meet during the time originally reserved for Sixth Committee meetings and therefore no additional meetings would be required.

Egypt’s representative suggested changing the part of the annex dealing with the proposed high-level conference to read “a majority of” delegations, rather than “some” delegations, supported the proposal in order to better reflect what had happened during the session.  However, Egypt would not break the consensus if the change could not be made.

The Chairman informed her that his summary reflected the established practice and format of capturing a range of views, but did not quantify them.  It could not be altered.

Pakistan’s representative wished the record to reflect his statement that part B of the annex was a compilation of some, but not all, proposals put forward, as well as to stress that the proposal of the Organization of the Islamic Conference remained on the table and should remain the basis for future negotiations.

The Chairman said all proposals remained on the table.

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For information media • not an official record