Sixty-second General Assembly

Fifth Committee

51^st Meeting (PM)

BUDGET COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS $7 BILLION FOR FINANCING 15 PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS,

AS IT CONCLUDES SECOND RESUMED SESSION

 

Texts Also Address Peacekeeping Support Account, Procurement Reform,

Recommendations on Changes to Contingent-Owned Equipment Reimbursement Rates

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) recommended an appropriation of almost $7.08 billion for the financing of United Nations peacekeeping, as it concluded its second resumed session this afternoon.

With the peacekeeping financing year running from 1 July to 30 June each year, the amounts to be approved for the maintenance of the Organization’s 15 active missions in 2008-2009 are as follows (including prorated shares of the support account and the United Nations Logistics Base in Brindisi, Italy):

-- $315.08 million for the United Nations Mission in Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT);

-- $47.7 million for the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO);

-- $601.58 million for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH);

-- $1.24 billion for the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC);

-- $1.57 billion for the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID);

-- $47.86 million for the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF);

-- $57.39 million for the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP);

-- $680.93 million for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL);

-- $105.01 million for the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE);

-- $207.2 million for the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK);

-- $631.69 million for the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL);

-- $858.77 million for the United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS);

-- $180.84 million for the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT);

-- $497.46 million for the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI);

-- $36.08 million for the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG).

The Committee recommended approval of support account requirements for 2008-2009 in the amount of $273.92 million, including 1,122 continuing and 98 new temporary posts.  The total amount for the United Nations Logistics Base would amount to $45.77 million.

By the terms of a draft resolution on the support account, the Assembly would reaffirm the need for adequate funding for the backstopping of peacekeeping, as well as the need for justification for that funding.  It would also request the Secretary-General to ensure a clear chain of command, accountability, coordination and an adequate system of checks and balances, while also emphasizing the importance of interaction with troop-contributing countries.

In relation to the ongoing reform of United Nations peacekeeping, the Assembly would request detailed information on mechanisms in place and measures taken to address the management challenges in connection with the new organizational structure of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and newly-established Department of Field Support, and the improvement that the new structure has brought about.  The Assembly would also emphasize that ongoing management reforms must be fully taken into account when presenting additional proposals for reform and reaffirm that the support account funds shall be used for the sole purpose of backstopping and supporting peacekeeping operations at Headquarters.

By a separate draft, the Committee also addressed the issues of procurement reform, including procurement governance, internal controls, accountability, ethics, vendors, procurement opportunities for vendors from developing countries, ensuring best value for money, awarding of contracts, competitive bidding process, sustainable procurement, delegation of authority, outsourcing, human resources management, enterprise resource planning and other matters.

The Assembly would reaffirm the need for the procurement system to be transparent, open, impartial and cost-effective, based on competitive bidding and fully reflecting the international character of the United Nations.  It would note ongoing improvements made by the Secretary-General in procurement reform at Headquarters and in the field missions, while also noting with concernpossible weaknesses in the internal control environment, owing to the splitting of procurement responsibilities between the Department of Management, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Field Support.  The Secretary-General would be requested to take concrete steps in that regard and encouraged to further strengthen the internal control framework within the Procurement Division.

By another text, the Assembly would accept the audited financial statements of United Nations peacekeeping operations for the period from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007 and request the Secretary-General to ensure full implementation of the recommendations of the Board of Auditors and the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) in that regard.

Acting on the reformed procedures for determining reimbursement to Member States for contingent-owned equipment, the Committee recommended that the Assembly take note of the Secretary-General’s report on the matter, as well as the report of the 2008 Working Group on Contingent-Owned Equipment, and endorse the conclusions and recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, subject to the provisions of the draft.

The Assembly would also invite the Working Group to reconsider its recommendation that the ceiling of overstock of major equipment be increased from 10 to 20 per cent.  In this connection, the Assembly would take note of the comments of the Advisory Committee, which stated that, while providing additional reserves, the proposed increase in overstock capacity might result in significant financial implications for the Organization.

All but one of the 25 drafts approved today were approved without a vote.

Consensus could not be reached on a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which was approved by a vote of 124 in favour to 2 against (Israel, United States), with 1 abstention  (Australia) (Annex II).

Prior to the vote on the draft as a whole, the Committee decided to retain several paragraphs referring to and reiterating previous Assembly resolutions that called for Israel to pay some $1.12 million for the damage resulting from a 1996 incident at the UNIFIL headquarters in Qana, Lebanon.  That decision was taken by a vote of 74 in favour to 4 against ( Australia, Canada, Israel, United States), with 45 abstentions (Annex I).

In other action, the Committee approved an oral draft decision, by the terms of which the Assembly would continue to suspend the application of the four-year maximum limit for appointments of limited duration until 31 December 2008 and authorize the Secretary-General to reappoint, under the 100 series of the staff rules, those mission staff, whose service under the 300 series has reached that limit, provided that their functions have been found necessary and their performance has been fully satisfactory.

Action on Drafts

The Committee first approved, without a vote, a draft resolution on the report of the Board of Auditors on the United Nations peacekeeping operations (document A/C.5/62/L.38), by the terms of which the General Assembly would accept the audited financial statements of the United Nations peacekeeping operations for the period from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007 and endorse the recommendations of the Board and the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) on the matter.

It would also reiterate that the issue of outstanding assessments is a policy matter of the Assembly, and urge all Member States to make every possible effort to ensure the payment of their dues in full.

The Assembly would request the Secretary-General to ensure full implementation of the recommendations of the Board of Auditors, including those relating to the cancellation of unliquidated obligations and the system of assets management, as well as related recommendations of the Advisory Committee in a prompt and timely manner.  The Secretary-General would also be requested to continue to indicate an expected time frame and priorities for the implementation of the Board’s recommendations, as well as the office-holders to be held accountable and measures taken in that regard.  In his future reports on the matter, the Secretary-General would be requested to continue to provide a full explanation for delays in the implementation.

The Committee then approved, also without a vote, a draft resolution on procurement reform (document A/C.5/62/L.39), as orally corrected.

By its terms, the Assembly would reaffirm the need for the procurement system to be transparent, open, impartial and cost-effective, based on competitive bidding and fully reflecting the international character of the United Nations, and note ongoing improvements made by the Secretary-General in procurement reform at Headquarters and in the field missions.  It would also recall its previous resolutions regarding the need to ensure that specifications are not deliberately tailored to predetermine the choice of supplier and that the principle of separation of responsibilities of the requisitioning and approving officers is maintained.

The Assembly would urge the Secretary-General, as a matter of priority, to submit a report on procurement governance and other issues, with full justification of the reasons for the delay in its issuance.  It would also note with concernpossible weaknesses in the internal control environment, owing to the splitting of procurement responsibilities between the Department of Management, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Field Support.  The Secretary-General would be requested to take concrete steps in that regard and to report thereon in the context of his report on the governance of United Nations procurement.  He would also be encouraged to strengthen further the internal control framework within the Procurement Division by developing a more robust regime for oversight of vendors, including subcontractors, as well as effectively addressing vendor misconduct and suspension.

The Assembly would request the Secretary-General to continue to ensure proper accountability and training of all those involved in procurement and to consider a proper mechanism for monitoring compliance with ethical behaviour norms.  It would also request that ethics guidelines for procurement staff be issued, as a matter of priority, and reiterate its previous request for proposals on possible amendments to the existing regulations to address the issues of potential conflict of interest, such as the employment of former United Nations procurement officers by suppliers and vice versa.  The Secretary-General would also be requested to continue to simplify and streamline the vendor registration process, share responsibilities among various organizations, and take into account different circumstances and varying levels of Internet access in countries.

By the draft, the Assembly would also request the Secretary-General to launch the pilot project for the independent bid protest system and to report on the experience gained as part of the comprehensive proposal concerning the implementation of the system, which shall be subject to prior approval of the Assembly.  It would further note the Secretary-General’s efforts to promote procurement opportunities for vendors from developing countries and countries with economies in transition, as well as the fact that their participation in United Nations procurement reached 53 per cent in 2006, compared to 45 per cent over the preceding four years.  The Assembly would also decide that contract bundling shall not be used as a tool to restrict international competition in procurement and request the Secretary-General to further enhance transparency in decision-making and continue to improve procurement efficiency.

By other provisions of the text, the Assembly would ask for the inclusion in OIOS annual reports of all cases of application of exigency and high-risk cases referred to the Headquarters Committee on contracts on which it decided to provide comments; and request the Secretary-General to ensure that, on matters relating to procurement in the field, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Field Support follow the principles of objectivity and impartiality in advising the Procurement Division.

The Committee then took up a draft resolution on the support account for peacekeeping operations (document A/C.5/62/L.57), by the terms of which the Assembly would reaffirm its role with regard to the structure of the Secretariat, and stress that proposals to amend the overall departmental structure, the format of the budgets and the biennial programme plan, are subject to its review and approval.  The Assembly would also reaffirm its role in carrying out a thorough analysis and approval of human and financial resources and policies to ensure full and efficient implementation of all mandated programmes and policies.

Further to the text, the Assembly would emphasize that ongoing management reforms must be fully taken into account when presenting additional proposals for reform and reaffirm that the support account funds shall be used for the sole purpose of backstopping and supporting peacekeeping operations at Headquarters.  Any changes in this limitation would require prior approval of the Assembly.

Reaffirming the need for adequate funding for the backstopping of peacekeeping, as well as the need for justification for that funding, the Assembly would also request the Secretary-General to ensure a clear chain of command, accountability, coordination and maintenance of an adequate system of checks and balances, while also emphasizing the importance of interaction with troop-contributing countries.  The Secretary-General would also be urged to define explicitly the role and duties of the Deputy-Secretary-General in peacekeeping reform, including in relation to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the Department for Field Support, the Department of Political Affairs and the Department of Management.

In the context of the comprehensive report to be submitted at the second part of its resumed sixty-third session, the Assembly would also request detailed information on mechanisms in place and measures taken to address the management challenges in connection with the new organizational structure of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations/Department of Field Support, and the improvement that the new structure has brought in support for peacekeeping operations and special political missions, as well as to the coordination among relevant bodies.

Further by the draft, the Assembly would note with concern the late submission of the budgets of some peacekeeping operations, which puts considerable strain on the work of the General Assembly and the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions.  While recognizing the challenges in preparing the budget proposals and related reports, it would request the Secretary-General to intensify his efforts to improve the quality and timely issuance of peacekeeping documents and urge him to continue to identify measures to increase the productivity and efficiency of the support account.

Stressing the importance of complementarity of efforts and avoiding duplication between integrated operational teams and substantive components of the Secretariat, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General to report thereon, and to provide a clear definition of the roles and responsibilities of the integrated operational teams, in the comprehensive report to be submitted at the second part of its resumed sixty-third session.

In connection with the Office of Military Affairs, the Assembly would decide to establish a number of posts within its current structure and request a comprehensive report on the implementation of the strengthening of the Office and its impact.

The Assembly would decide to reduce the non-post resources of the support account by some $1.9 million and request the Secretary-General to consider applying the reduction, inter alia, to the consultancy requirements.  For the financial period from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009, it would decide to maintain the current funding mechanism for the support account.

Taking note of the account’s performance for the period from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007, the Assembly would decide not to transfer some $2.01 million, which represents the excess of the authorized level of the Peacekeeping Reserve Fund for 2007-2008 and apply it to the support account requirements for the period from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008.  The total amount of about $13.8 million (the unencumbered balance and other income for the period ended 30 June 2007, the support account fund balance in respect of several previous financial periods, and the excess of the authorized level of the Peacekeeping Reserve Fund for 2006-2007) would be applied to the support account requirements for 2006-2007.

For the 2008-2009 financial period, the Assembly would approve the support account requirements in the amount of $273.92 million, including 1,122 continuing and 98 new temporary posts and their related post and non-post requirements.

The text was approved without a vote.

The Committee then approved, without a vote, as orally corrected, a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Logistics Base in Brindisi, Italy (document A/C.5/62/L.50), by the terms of which the Assembly would take note of the Base’s financial performance report for the period from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007 and approve its cost estimates for 2008-2009 in the amount of $45.77 million.

Also before the Committee was a draft resolution on the reformed procedures for determining reimbursement to Member States for contingent-owned equipment (document A/C.5/62/L.56), by the terms of which the Assembly would take note of the Secretary-General’s report on the matter, as well as the report of the 2008 Working Group on Contingent-Owned Equipment and endorse the conclusions and recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, subject to the provisions of the draft.

In connection with the Working Group’s recommendation that the overstock of major equipment be increased from 10 to 20 per cent, the Assembly would take note of paragraph 6 of the report of the Advisory Committee, which states that the proposed increase in overstock capacity would provide needed additional reserves, which could be utilized if equipment was not functional or had to be replaced. While agreeing with the recommendation of the Working Group, ACABQ noted, however, that a ceiling of 20 per cent for equipment overstock may result in significant financial implications for the Organization.  In this connection, it also noted that a review of three large missions (the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), the United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS) and the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID)) where inland transportation of major equipment from the port of disembarkation to the unit locations is costly, showed an indicative estimated financial impact of $33.2 million per annum.

By the terms of the draft before the Committee, the Assembly would invite the Working Group to reconsider its recommendation at its next meeting.  It would also request the Secretary-General to submit an update on the arrangements for recreational leave allowance, for its consideration at the second part of its resumed sixty-third session.

The draft was approved without a vote.

As agreed following informal consultations, the Committee then considered an oral draft decision on the use of 300-series and 100-series appointments.  By the terms of the text that was distributed in the room, the Assembly would continue to suspend the application of the four-year maximum limit for appointments of limited duration until 31 December 2008 and authorize the Secretary-General to reappoint, under the 100 series of the staff rules, those mission staff members whose service under 300-series contracts has reached the four-year limit by 31 December, provided that their functions have been reviewed and found necessary and their performance has been confirmed as fully satisfactory.

The Committee approved the oral draft decision without a vote.

United Nations Controller, WARREN SACH, then introduced a note by the Secretary-General on the financing of the support account for peacekeeping operations and the United Nations Logistics Base at Brindisi, Italy (document A/C.5/62/30), which reflects the resources to be approved for 2008-2009 in respect of each peacekeeping mission, including the prorated shares of the support account and of the United Nations Logistics Base at Brindisi, Italy.  He said the note had been issued in accordance with the prorating procedures approved by the Assembly in its resolution 50/221 B of 7 June 1996.  The figures in relation to the prorated share for each mission would be included in the final reports of the Fifth Committee.

The Committee took note of that document.

Next, the Committee approved without a vote a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Operation in Burundi (document A/C.5/62/L.35), by which the Assembly would take note of the contribution to the Operation as at 31 March 2008, including credits in the amount of $27.5 million.

With regard to the mission’s financial performance report for 2006-2007, the Assembly would decide Member States that have fulfilled their financial obligations to the Operation would receive their respective share of the unencumbered balance and other income of about $30.73 million.  The share of the States that have not fulfilled their financial obligations would be set off against their outstanding dues.  The decrease of $378,700 in the estimated staff assessment income would be set off against the credits from the unencumbered balance and income.

The Committee also approved without a vote a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (document A/C.5/62/L.49) as orally corrected, by which the Assembly would take note of the contributions to the Mission as at 30 April, including outstanding contributions of $67 million, noting with concern that only 52 Member States had paid their assessments in full.

The Assembly would decide to appropriate to the Operation’s Special account an amount of $475 million for the maintenance of the Operation for the period 2008-2009.

A draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (document A/C.5/62/L.40) would have the Assemblytake note of the status of contributions to the Force as at 31 March 2008, including the outstanding contributions in the amount of $19.1 million, as well as the fact that only 41 Member States had paid their assessed contributions in full.

The Assembly would decide to appropriate $2.5 million to the Special Account for the maintenance of the Force for the period 2006-2007, in addition to the $46.77 million already appropriated for the Force for the same period under the terms of its resolution 60/270 of 30 June 2006.

It would further decide to appropriate $3.65 million to the Special Account for the period 2007-2008, in addition to the $48.85 million dollars already appropriated for the same period under the terms of its resolution 61/280.

In addition, the Assembly would decide to appropriate $54.85 million for the maintenance of the Force for the period 2008-2009.

The Committee approved that draft text without a vote.

It went on to approve, without a vote, a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (document A/C.5/62/L.48) that would have the Assembly take note of the status of contributions to that Mission as at 31 March 2008, in addition to the fact that only 36 Member States had paid their assessed contributions in full.

The Assembly would then decide to appropriate $1.19 billion for the maintenance of the Mission for the period 2008-2009.

In connection with the financing of the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor, the Committee approved a draft resolution (document A/C.5/62/L.37), recommending that the Assembly take note of the status of contributions to that Mission and the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor as at 31 March 2008, including the contributions outstanding in the amount of $10 million.

The Assembly would further decide that Member States that have fulfilled their financial obligations to the Mission would be credited their respective share of the net cash available in the Mission’s account in the amount of $3.85 million as at 30 April 2008, from the unencumbered balance and other income in the amount of about $31.84 million in respect of the financial period ended 30 June 2006.  Those States would be encouraged to apply those credits to any account where they have outstanding assessments.  The credits of those Member States that have not fulfilled their financial obligations to the Mission would be set off against their outstanding dues.

Prior to action on that draft text, Controller WARREN SACH said that, should the Assembly adopt the draft, the Secretariat would adjust the amount of Member States’ respective share of credits for the period ended 20 June 2006.  Those shares had been previously approved in resolution 61/282 and the Secretariat would inform Member States individually of the impact of those adjustments on the amount of their outstanding assessments for the Mission where applicable.  The adjustment would supersede actions taken earlier in respect of the disposition of credits and would be reflected in the status of contributions schedule and financial statements of the Mission for the period ending 30 June 2008.

Also without a vote, the Committee approved a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (document A/C.5/62/L.43), by which the General Assembly would take note of the status of contributions to that Mission as at 31 March 2008, including the outstanding contributions in the amount of $61.3 million, and the fact that only 76 Member States had paid their assessed contributions in full.

The Assembly would then decide to appropriate $16.44 million to the Special Account for the Mission for its maintenance for the period 2007-2008, in addition to the $160.6 million already appropriated for the same period under the terms of its resolution 61/249 C.

The Assembly would decide to appropriate $172.84 for the maintenance of the Mission for the period 2008-2009.

The Committee further approved, also without a vote, as orally corrected, a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (document A/C.5/62/L.53), by which the Assembly would take note of the status of contributions to the Mission as at 30 April, including outstanding contributions in the amount of $26.5 million.  It would note with concern that 66 Member States had not paid their assessed contributions in full.

The Assembly would decide to appropriate the amount of $100.38 million for the maintenance of the Mission for the period 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009.

The Committee approved, without a vote, a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (document A/C.5/62/L.41), by which the Assembly would note the status of contributions to that Mission as at 31 March 2008, including the outstanding contributions of $9.3 million, and would note with concern the fact that only 69 Member States had paid their assessed contributions in full.

The Assembly would decide to appropriate $34.48 million for the maintenance of the Mission for the period from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009.

By a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (document A/C.5/62/L.44), which the Committee approved without a vote, the Assembly would take note of the status of contributions to the Mission as at 31 March 2008, including the contributions outstanding in the amount of $171.5 million, as well as the fact that only 63 Member States had paid their assessed contributions in full.

The Assembly would decide to appropriate $574.9 million for the maintenance of the Mission for the period from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009.

The Committee then approved, also without a vote, a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (document A/C.5/62/L.54), by which the Assembly would take note of the status of contributions to the Mission as at 31 March 2008, including the contributions outstanding in the amount of $48.9 million, as well as the fact that only 96 Member States had paid their assessed contributions in full.

Taking note of the Secretary-General’s note on the financing arrangements for the Mission for the period from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2007, the Assembly would decide to appropriate to the Special Account of the Mission an additional amount of $9.8 million for the maintenance of the Mission, in addition to the amount of $220.9 million already appropriated by resolution 61/285.

The Assembly would further decide to appropriate to the Special Account the amount of $198 million for the Mission’s maintenance for the period from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009.

By a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (document A/C.5/62/L.45), the Assembly would take note of the status of contributions to the Mission as at 30 April 2008, including the contributions outstanding in the amount of $71 million.  It would note with concern that only 65 Member States had paid their assessed contributions in full.

The Assembly would decide to appropriate to the Special Account for the Mission the amount of $603.7 million for the maintenance of the Mission for the period from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009.

The Committee then turned to the financing of the United Nations peacekeeping forces in the Middle East.

It approved without a vote a draft resolution on financing of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (document A/C.5/62/L.46), by which the Assembly would take note of the status of contributions to the Force as at 31 March 2008, including the $15 million in outstanding contributions.  It would note with concern that only 49 Member States had paid their assessed contributions in full.

The Assembly would decide to appropriate $45.73 million for the maintenance of the Force for the period from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009.

The Committee then took up consideration of the draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) (document A/C.5/62/L.47), by which the Assembly would take note of the status of contributions to UNIFIL as at 31 March 2008, including the outstanding dues in the amount of some $145 million, noting with concern that only 74 Member States have paid their assessments in full.

Noting significant projected under-expenditure for the period from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General to take measures to improve budget forecasting with respect to the Force, bearing in mind the unpredictable nature of peacekeeping.

The Assembly would also stress once again that Israel should strictly abide by relevant resolutions and pay about $1.12 million for the damage resulting from a 1996 incident at UNIFIL headquarters in Qana, Lebanon.

The Assembly would decide to appropriate to the Mission’s Special Account an amount of $650.76 million for the Mission’s maintenance for the period 2008-2009.

A recorded vote was requested by the United States on preambular paragraph 4 and operative paragraphs 4, 5 and 21 of the draft resolution referring to the incident in Qana, as well as on the draft as a whole.

In explanation of the vote before the vote, the representative of the United States said his country strongly supported UNIFIL.  To use funding resolutions to pursue claims against a State or States was not correct.  His delegation had opposed previous resolutions, since they had required Israel to pay for the cost of an incident that had taken place in 1996.  The procedure to be followed was that the Secretary-General pursued settlement of claims against State or States.  The current text politicized the work of the Fifth Committee, which should be avoided now and in the future.

While expressing full support for UNIFIL, the representative of Israel said that he was forced to vote on the resolution, as his country had done in previous years.  While it required him to break from the consensus on the draft, it was a necessary reaction to a highly questionable procedure.  Indeed, there was no precedent for a particular Member State to bear sole financial responsibility for damage sustained by a peacekeeping operation.  He reaffirmed the principle of collective responsibility, as detailed in Article 17 of the Charter, and absorbing such costs within the general budget for peacekeeping operations.  UNIFIL should be no exception.

Hence, he said, the practice of calling on Israel to subsume financial responsibility for damage sustained by a peacekeeping force contradicted the Charter, which read that “all future and existing peacekeeping missions shall be given equal and non-discriminative treatment in respect of financial and administrative arrangements”.  All States concerned with upholding appropriate standards and transparency should vote against the resolution, which was politically motivated and called into question the objectivity and relevance of the world body.

The representative of Antigua and Barbuda, speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, reminded delegations that Group of 77 members were co-sponsors of the draft resolution.

The Committee then approved preambular paragraph 4 and operative paragraphs 4, 5 and 21 in a recorded vote of 74 in favour to 4 against (Australia, Canada, Israel, United States) with 45 abstaining (Annex I).

The Committee then approved the draft text as a whole, as orally amended, by a recorded vote of 124 in favour, 2 against (Israel and United States) with 1 abstention (Australia) (Annex II).

In explanation of the vote after the vote, the representative of Slovenia, speaking on behalf of the European Union, said the European Union had abstained on the votes of the separate paragraphs because the text was inappropriate.  The broader aspects of the situation had been debated earlier, in 1996, when the European Union had made its position clear.  Resolutions of the Fifth Committee should be confined to budgetary matters.

The representative of Lebanon said his country complied with the principle of collective responsibility, according to which costs were born collectively.  That principle, however, did not contradict the general principle of the responsibility of the State for its internationally wrongful acts and for the consequences of such acts, including compensation for material damage resulting from such acts.  That principle was safeguarded in the Charter and was implied in resolution 55/235.  Based on the principle of State responsibility, 15 previous resolutions had asked for compensation for the damages incurred as the result of the 1996 attack by Israel on the United Nations peacekeeping post of Qana, which had caused the death of over 100 Lebanese, mostly children and elderly.  That request was reiterated today.

He said his delegation expressed serious reservations regarding some contents of the budget report and the performance report of the Force.  Paragraph 11 referred to contacts of the Head of the Tel Aviv Office in terms of liaising, cooperating and maintaining relations with the troop-contributing countries and other United Nations entities located in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.  Most of the troop-contributing countries, as well as other United Nations entities, could be contacted from the UNIFIL house in Beirut, or from the Headquarters in New York.

He requested that all the violations of the Blue Line, whether air, ground or sea violations, should not only be recorded in the performance reports of UNIFIL, but also that the party responsible for such violations be clearly indicated.  “We all know which party is responsible for over 1,460 air violations during the performance reporting period,” he said.

The representative of Israel said that regrettably, today’s vote was a repetition of political manoeuvring of some Member States to pin both the blame and costs for the unfortunate Qana incident on Israel.  Hizbullah had long employed a strategy of hiding behind and within the United Nations and civilian infrastructure, to carry out deadly terrorist attacks against Israel.  Indeed, Hizbullah terrorists, and the dangerous circumstances that had led to the incident in the first place, continued to threaten regional peace and security and went virtually ignored.  Moreover, the use of civilians and United Nations infrastructure as shields was a growing phenomenon and gravely threatened the future of peacekeeping missions.  A number of recent reports of the Secretary-General illustrated the pressing dangers that a rearmed Hizbullah presented to the region.  Hizbullah adapted its modus operandi to UNIFIL.  However, those issues should be dealt with in the political bodies, like the Security Council, not the Fifth Committee.

He added that Israel was the twenty-fourth largest contributor to peacekeeping.  There could be no question as to his delegation’s support for peacekeeping.  That could not be said for the Member States that singled out Israel for condemnation. It was known that Israel paid its contributions to peacekeeping on time and in full each year.  It did so because it respected and supported the collective nature of financing peacekeeping forces.  As the number of peacekeeping operations increased, the role of peacekeeping and peacekeepers attained greater and greater significance.  Israel called on all Member States to avoid politicizing such issues.

Australia’s representative said that her delegation was a strong supporter of UNIFIL, but had abstained in the voting on the draft before the Committee because it did not support inclusion of political language in a financial resolution.

The representative of Canada regretted that consensus had not been possible because of inappropriate paragraphs contained in the text.  Those paragraphs undermined the understanding that political considerations did not have a place in resolutions on financing of peacekeeping resolutions.  It was, moreover, inappropriate to target one party for criticism and non-compliance.  It was to be hoped that in the future those paragraphs would not be included.

The representative of El Salvador said his delegation had not been able to vote, but supported the four paragraphs, as well as the resolution as a whole.

The Committee then took up a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (document A/C.5/62/L.36), approving it without a vote.  By the text, the Assembly would take note of the status of contributions to the Mission as at 31 March 2008, including the credits in the amount of $89.5 million.

In connection with the disposition of assets of the Mission, the Assembly would encourage Member states that are owed credits for closed peacekeeping accounts to apply those credits to any accounts where the Member State concerned has outstanding assessments.

The Committee, also without a vote, approved a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Mission in the Sudan (document A/C.5/L.55), by which the Assembly would take note of the status of contributions to the Mission as of 30 April, including outstanding contributions of $167.3 million.  It would note with concern that only 30 Member States had paid their assessed contributions in full.

The Assembly would decide to appropriate $820.72 million for the Mission’s maintenance for the period 2008-2009 to the Special Account of the Mission.

Prior to action on the draft, the Committee’s Chairman said that many delegations had highlighted the fact that the late submission of documents had led to the undesirable situation of considering reports in only one of the official languages, or only in unedited advance copy.  Some delegations had the impression that the numbering of paragraphs in both advance copy and unedited copy were referring to the same content.  Regrettably, in the case of UNMIS, same numbering of paragraphs in the advance and unedited copy of the ACABQ report did not refer to the same content.  The use of the advance copy of the ACABQ report by some delegations had caused some confusion.  As a result, there was a different understanding and interpretation of the paragraphs in the ACABQ report referred to in the draft.

He said that, unfortunately, on one hand, the correction in the numbering of paragraphs was fully understood and conveyed.  On the other hand, for the delegations concerned, the correction was not fully conveyed and explained.  Therefore, one delegation’s preferred outcome had not been reflected in the draft resolution approved during informal consultations.  However, in the interests of agreeing on the budget of UNMIS, the said delegation had demonstrated its full flexibility and had agreed to join consensus on the draft.

Speaking after the approval of the draft, the representative of Japan said that he was pleased to have the UNMIS budget adopted.  He also explained that, in the course of consultations, it was stated that the deal had been reached.  Therefore, his delegation had left the meeting, only to be informed later that the issue had been reopened without his delegation being informed.  Some delegations had insisted that the mistakes in submitted paragraphs were noticed in the course of Friday consultations.  Therefore, the problem was not the late submission of the document concerned, but a not entirely authentic proceeding with the consultations.  He had some reservations regarding attributing the problem to late submission of documents.  Everyone should be clear on who followed due procedures and who did not.  Not to complicate the matter, however, his delegation had decided to exercise flexibility and go along with consensus.

A draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (document A/C.5/62/L.42) was also approved without a vote.  By the text’s terms, the Assembly would take note of the status of contributions to the Mission as at 31 March, including the outstanding contributions of $46.8 million, as well as the fact that that only 68 Member States had paid their assessed contributions in full.

The Assembly would decide to appropriate $1.75 million to the Mission’s Special Account for its maintenance for the period 2007-2008, in addition to the $46.47 million already appropriated for the same period under the terms of General Assembly resolution 61/290.

The Assembly would further decide to appropriate $45.6 million dollars for the maintenance of the Mission for the period 2008-2009 to the Mission’s Special Account.

The Committee then approved without a vote, and as orally corrected, a draft resolution on the financing of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (document A/C.5/L.51), by which the Assembly would take note of the status of contributions to the Operation as at 30 May, including outstanding contributions of some $345 million -- 27 per cent of the total -- noting with concern that only 64 Member States had paid their assessed contributions in full.

The Assembly would decide to appropriate to the Operation’s Special Account $1.5 billion for its maintenance for the period 2008-2009.

The Committee then took up a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (document A/C.5/62/L.52), by the terms of which the Assembly would take note of the status of contributions to the Mission as at 30 April, including the outstanding amount of $45 million (some 25 per cent of the total assessments).  For the financial period 2008-2009, the Assembly would appropriate some $301.12 million for the maintenance of the Mission.

The draft was approved without a vote, as orally corrected.

And finally, the Committee approved, also without a vote and as orally corrected and amended, a draft decision (document A/C.5/62/L.58), by the terms of which the Assembly would defer, to its next session, consideration of several documents, an overview of the financing of the United Nations peacekeeping operations; a comprehensive report on conduct and discipline; and a report on peacekeeping best practices.

Prior to action on the draft, the representative of Egypt, speaking also on behalf of India, requested that the first four reports mentioned in the draft -- the Secretary-General’s and ACABQ reports on the updated financial position of closed missions and consolidation of peacekeeping accounts -- be removed from the draft.  He regretted that the Committee had been unable to achieve consensus on those issues and was not sure that the Committee was following the right course of action by deferring them.  The issues had been discussed for several years, with the same outcome.

The representative of Slovenia, on behalf of European Union, also expressed regret that the Committee, while close to agreement, had been unable to reach agreement on those important items.  However, if no agreement was reached, it was the practice of the Fifth Committee to defer the issues to one of its future sessions.  That was why the decision, as it stood, was the right way to proceed.  If the Committee decided to go with the proposals by Egypt, she wanted to know what it would mean for the future sessions.  She believed the issue should be looked at further.

The representative of Singapore said that there was no consensus on the items discussed and no progress had been made for several years.  He, therefore, did not see any possibility of reaching agreement in the near future, and requested that the reports be removed from the decision.

The representative of Algeria expressed support for the proposal of Egypt.

The representative of Japan said it had not been the first time the issue had been discussed and it seemed to be clear that the Committee was far from consensus.  He, therefore, supported Egypt’s proposal.

The representative of Syria supported the request made by Egypt, saying that the Committee had spent many hours on the issues and that no results had been achieved.  Moreover, consensus could not be reached in the near future.  The first four reports should, therefore, be removed from the draft decision.

The representative of Lebanon said he supported Egypt’s proposal.

The Committee’s Secretary, responding to the representative of Slovenia, said that should the Committee adopt the Egyptian proposal, the four reports referred to would not appear in the informal consultations for the sixty-third session.  Even if those reports would not be deferred, the Secretary-General was mandated to provide updated financial data on closed peacekeeping missions.  If the reports on the consolidation of peacekeeping accounts were not deferred, those reports would not appear in any informal consultation in the sixty-third session.

Following approval of the text, Slovenia’s representative thanked the Secretary for his explanation and said that in the interest of time, the European Union had gone along with the decision.  However, it was a new practice that she did not want to see in the future.  The issues were important.  She realized that no agreement could be reached on closed missions, and a new report would be coming during the sixty-third session, which would be given proper consideration.  As for the consolidation of peacekeeping accounts, she did not want to prejudge that the Committee would never be able to come to agreement.  The proposal could lead to additional payments to troop contributors, and she was not seeking a solution in self-interest.  It would benefit Member States and the Organization, as a whole.  She had agreed to removing those reports from the decision on the understanding that the European Union would bring the issues up, probably during the next session.

The representative of Australia agreed with the European Union on the working methods of the Committee, saying that she was disappointed that, at this instance, the working methods had not been followed.  She hoped that it was an exception.  She attached great importance to consolidation of peacekeeping accounts and closed peacekeeping missions.  Nonetheless, she understood from the Secretary that items could and would be considered at future sessions.

The representative of Egypt thanked other delegations for supporting the proposal and clarified that Egypt and India, along with a group of like-minded countries, had submitted several proposals on closed missions.  Attempts had been made for many years to solve the problem in a balanced manner, but that was not possible.  That was why he thought that, regardless of the methods of work, the issues that the Committee could not agree on should not be deferred.  Valuable time could better be dedicated to more important issues that could bring consensus.  On the consolidation of peacekeeping accounts, there had been many views.  For the record, he was neither supportive or against the proposal, but the Committee just could not get any consensus among delegations.  Again, time would be better allocated to time-bound issues and issues that could bring consensus.

The representative of Singapore said that he agreed with the proposal to delete the consolidation of accounts issue.  The Committee had tried very hard, but with the session particularly long and attention focused on time-bound issues, he saw no way to reach agreement in the foreseeable future.  Like Egypt, he did not oppose or agree to consolidation of peacekeeping accounts in substance, but given the unique situation and many issues before the Committee, it was better not to discuss those issues until a better time in the future.

Rights of Reply

The representative of Lebanon said that, according to the Israeli delegate, what had happened in Qana in 1996 had been “unfortunate”.  It was not only “unfortunate”, but it was also a criminal targeted attack against civilians, mainly children.  Some of them who had survived the first Qana massacres had fallen victim to the second Qana massacre in 2006.  Hizbullah did not exist in 1978 when Lebanon had been invaded for the first time, nor in 1992 when the country was invaded for the second time.  Hizbullah was a resistance group against occupation.

He said Lebanon condemned terrorism in all its forms, including State terrorism.  The problem in the region, however, was the occupation.  If Israel was concerned about security, it should withdraw from all the lands it now occupied in Lebanon.  Israel could start respecting Council resolution 1701 by providing Lebanon with maps of cluster munitions it had used in Lebanon that still claimed victims.

Other Matters

The representative of Slovenia, speaking on behalf of the European Union, referred to a letter sent by the Secretary-General to the General Assembly on 5 June, regarding resources for associated costs related to the Capital Master Plan, as well as for the enterprise resource planning.  She said the Union was committed to ensuring that renovation would proceed on time and within the approved budget.  The Union recognized that certain urgent measures must be taken to avoid further delays, even though they had not been scrutinized by the Fifth Committee, yet.  The detailed proposals for the associated costs would undergo full scrutiny at the main part of the sixty-third session.

She said that, on the subject of $10.4 million to ensure continuity of preparatory actions for introducing enterprise systems in the United Nations, she was concerned that the approval granted by the Assembly to the concept of enterprise resource planning did not justify the allocation of resources in the manner proposed.  She reiterated the support the European Union attached to the concept, and looked forward to detailed proposals during the main part of the sixty-third session.

She asked for a full breakdown of the allocation of the resources proposed under the interim measure, namely $9.5 million for associated costs and $13.2 million for the data centre, and how the latter specifically related to the forward movement of the Capital Master Plan.  She asked what would happen if the Committee did not pronounce itself on the letter.  Further, she wanted a full breakdown of resources proposed.

Responding to Slovenia, Mr. SACH said that that the letter did not seek the approval of the Committee, but sought to fully share with Member States the status of two major projects. It also sought to demonstrate the impact of the absence of decisions with regard to the two operations, so that the scrutiny of the Committee next fall would be carried out against the background that certain actions were needed to avoid recalculating and increasing the costs. Within the framework of resolution 62/87, the Secretary-General had been asked to make every effort to absorb associated costs for Capital Master Plan, and the Secretariat saw that as an active mandate that it must follow. To stop Capital Master Plan, absent a decision on associated costs, would not be prudent and would result in substantial additional costs for Member States in terms of the delay. He also presented a breakdown of Capital Master Plan costs.

Regarding the moving of the data centre to Long Island City, he said that the cost of some $13.2 million was foreseen, in that regard.  The reason the information was shared was that enterprise resource planning was a long and complex process that required a great deal of integrated planning. Procurement elements had to be programmed. The letter presented anticipated resources in the second part of the year to avoid cessation of the project. It did not represent the implementation of a new enterprise resource planning system, but were in course with resolution 62/283, which determined that the Organization should replace Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) with another system.

The representative of the United States said that his delegation wished to join the European Union in expressing concern over the proposals of the Secretariat in regard to the Capital Master Plan and enterprise resource planning, including a proposal to establish a back-up data system in Long Island. There were serious issues regarding the authority of the Secretariat to move forward with those proposals. He urged the Secretariat not to move forward on those proposals until the Fifth Committee and General Assembly had an opportunity to further discuss the issues and make some decisions.

Responding to Slovenia, Mr. SACH said that the letter did not seek the approval of the Committee, but sought to fully share with Member States the status of two major projects.  It also sought to demonstrate the impact of the absence of decisions with regard to the two operations, so that the scrutiny of the Committee next fall would be carried out against the background that certain actions were needed to avoid recalculating and increasing the costs.  Within the framework of resolution 62/87, the Secretary-General had been asked to make every effort to absorb associated costs for the Capital Master Plan, and the Secretariat saw that as an active mandate that it must follow.  To stop the Capital Master Plan, absent a decision on associated costs, would not be prudent and would result in substantial additional costs for Member States in terms of the delay.  He also presented a breakdown of Capital Master Plan costs.

Regarding the moving of the data centre to Long Island City, he said that the cost of some $13.2 million was foreseen, in that regard.  The reason the information was shared was that enterprise resource planning was a long and complex process that required a great deal of integrated planning.  Procurement elements had to be programmed.  The letter presented anticipated resources in the second part of the year to avoid cessation of the project.  It did not represent the implementation of a new enterprise resource planning system, but were in course with resolution 62/283, which determined that the Organization should replace the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) with another system.

The representative of the United States said that his delegation wished to join the European Union in expressing concern over the proposals of the Secretariat in regard to the Capital Master Plan and enterprise resource planning, including a proposal to establish a back-up data system in Long Island.  There were serious issues regarding the authority of the Secretariat to move forward with those proposals.  He urged the Secretariat not to move forward on those proposals until the Fifth Committee and General Assembly had an opportunity to further discuss the issues and make some decisions.

The representative of Slovenia, on behalf of the European Union, said that the sixty-second session, on the whole, had been a successful one.  The regular budget and the peacekeeping budgets had been agreed upon and the Committee had some important issues.  The next session would not be easy, she said, but it would be just as successful as the current one.  One issue, though, had been hampering the smooth running of the Committee, namely the lack of readiness of documentation for the session and the resulting need for the Committee to consider reports in just one official language.  She urged the Secretary-General and the ACABQ to see to it that that would not happen again.

The representative of Antigua and Barbuda, on behalf of the Group of 77 developing countries and China, thanked all who had facilitated the work of the Committee but reiterated, once again, concerns about the late issuance of reports.  The Committee had had to try to follow the contents of documents it had to pronounce itself on immediately after their introduction.  The Group cautioned against the recurrence of that situation in the future, taking into account the magnitude of issues and reports the Committee would have to deal with in the sixty-third session.

The representative of Egypt, speaking on behalf of the African Group, thanked all involved in the work of the Committee.  He aligned himself with the statement made on behalf of the Group of 77 and the European Union on the lateness of reports.  He hoped the same situation would not be faced in the future.

The representatives of Mexico (on behalf of the Rio Group), Canada (speaking also on behalf of Australia and New Zealand), Argentina, Dominican Republic, France, Netherlands, Brazil, Benin, Czech Republic and Cuba also expressed thanks to all who had assisted the Committee in its work.

In closing remarks, the Committee’s Chairman, Hamidon Ali ( Malaysia) thanked members of the Bureau and Committee Members who had worked long hours, until deep into the night.  He also thanked all of the Secretariat staff who had assisted him.

ANNEX I

Vote on Separate Paragraphs/Lebanon Force Budget

The fourth preambular paragraph and operative paragraphs 4, 5 and 21 of the draft resolution on financing of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (document A/C.5/62/L.47) were retained by a recorded vote of 74 in favour to 4 against, with 45 abstentions, as follows:

In favour:  Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zimbabwe.

Against:  Australia, Canada, Israel, United States.

Abstain:  Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, United Kingdom.

Absent:  Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burundi, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Jamaica, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Moldova, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nauru, Nigeria, Norway, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Suriname, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Zambia.

ANNEX II

Vote on Lebanon Force Budget

The draft resolution on financing of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (document A/C.5/62/L.47) was approved by a recorded vote of 124 in favour to 2 against, with 1 abstention, as follows:

In favour:  Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zimbabwe.

Against:  Israel, United States.

Abstain:  Australia.

Absent:  Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burundi, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Jamaica, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Moldova, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nauru, Nigeria, Norway, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Suriname, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Zambia.

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For information media • not an official record