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5 October 1998

On Friday afternoon, the Assembly concluded the general debate. The President of the fifty-third session delivered closing remarks, which have been issued as a press release in both English and Spanish. A total of 180 speakers addressed the Assembly during the general debate, including 26 Heads of State, one Vice-President, one Crown Prince, 15 Prime Ministers, 14 Deputy Prime Ministers/Ministers for Foreign Affairs, 105 Foreign Ministers, six other Ministers, 11 Chairmen of Delegation and one observer. Also on Friday, the President announced that Equatorial Guinea had made the necessary payment to reduce its arrears below the level established in Article 19 of the Charter. Thirteen Member States still remain in that category.

This morning, the plenary will consider the report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization -- you will recall that the Secretary-General introduced his report on 21 September, before the opening of the general debate. Sixteen speakers have been inscribed under this item. Also this morning, the Assembly will take action on draft resolution A/53/L.2/Rev.1, on the Emergency assistance to Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and St. Kitts and Nevis.

As I mentioned on Friday, the Main Committees are beginning their substantive work today. Special Political and Decolonization Committee, Third and Fifth Committees are meeting today, and Second Committee is holding informal consultations on its programme of work and will begin its general debate tomorrow.

Tomorrow morning, after the address by the President of Botswana, the Assembly will hold a commemorative meeting marking the fiftieth anniversary of United Nations peacekeeping. The President will make an opening statement, which will be issued as a press release. The Secretary-General will also make a statement, as will the Chairmen of the regional groups and a representative of the Host Country.At the end of this segment of the meeting, the Assembly is scheduled to adopt a declaration. The draft text of the Declaration is available in document A/53/L.5. In the second segment of the observance, to begin around 11:30, after the remarks by the Secretary-General , President of the Security Council and the President of the Staff Committee, the Secretary-General will present the Dag Hammarskjold medals to the families of Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold, Commandant Rene de Labarrriere and Count Folke Bernadotte. Members of each family will then deliver their remarks.

There will be a note to correspondents on the racks early this afternoon outlining the press arrangements for the events of the day.

In the afternoon, the plenary will take up the consideration of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development (item 37).