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25 November 1998

It was announced in the plenary this morning that the General Committee will meet on Tuesday, 1 December to consider the inclusion of an additional item in the agenda of the fifty-third session and to decide on the allocation of item 167 entitled Armed aggression against the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This morning, the plenary first considered item 32 -- Zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic. The report of the Secretary-General was circulated in document A/53/488 and a draft resolution, circulated in document A/53/L.41 and Corr.1 was introduced by the representative of Argentina. There were six other speakers under this item. The Assembly adopted the draft, as orally amended, by a recorded vote. The vote was 126 in favour, none against and one abstention. Two delegations spoke in explanation of vote after the vote. The Assembly then turned to the joint consideration of items 58 and 60, that is, Strengthening of the United Nations system -- with the report of the Secretary-General under the item contained in document A/53/170 -- and Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly, with seven inscribed speakers. Also today, the Assembly should complete the general debate under the item entitled United Nations reform: measures and proposals, and hear the final 20 inscribed speakers. Morning and afternoon sessions are scheduled for today.

No plenary meetings are scheduled for Friday, and on Monday the Assembly will consider the Situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the morning and the Question of Palestine in the afternoon.

As for the work of the main committees, the Second Committee will hold informal consultations both this morning and this afternoon on a series of draft resolutions before it. This afternoon, it will also meet formally to take action on several draft resolutions, including two on the report of the Economic and Social Council; two on macroeconomic policy questions; and one each on the Implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Implementation of the decisions of the World Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States. The Fifth Committee will begin this morning the consideration of the Budgetary and financial situation of the organizations of the United Nations system and then proceed with informal consultations on the scale of assessments. This afternoon, it will hold informal consultations on the United Nations common system.

Both the Second and the Fifth Committee are scheduled to meet on Friday. The Second Committee is scheduled to complete its work at the current session and the Fifth Committee will hold informal consultations the whole day on several issues before it.