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2 December 1998

This morning, the plenary is hearing the remaining 11 speakers in the debate of The situation in the Middle East. The representatives of Qatar and Egypt introduced draft resolutions L.52 and L.53 (including the corrigenda in the English, Spanish and Russian versions). The Assembly is expected to take action on these drafts, as well as on the four drafts on the Question of Palestine (L.48-51). It was also announced in the plenary this morning that the reports of the First Committee will be taken in the plenary in the morning (not afternoon) of 4 December, while the item 160, Global implications of the year 2000 date conversion problem of computers will now be considered on Monday, 7 December. The latest tentative schedule of the plenary is contained in document A/INF/53/3/Add.4, which is now available. The Assembly also agreed this morning that in view of the large number of speakers already inscribed for the observance of the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (102 Member States and four observers), the statements in the plenary will be limited to five minutes.

This afternoon, the Assembly will observe the fiftieth anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. A representative of Armenia will introduce a draft resolution contained in document A/53/L.47, and 16 other speakers are to address the Assembly on this item.

Tomorrow morning, the plenary will hold open-ended informal consultations on item 30: United Nations reform: measures and proposals, concentrating on the preparations for the Millennium Assembly. It will be a closed meeting.

Tomorrow afternoon, the plenary will consider the reports of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee.

Also tomorrow, the Ad Hoc Committee of the General Assembly for the Announcement of Voluntary Contributions to UNRWA will meet in the morning.

This morning, the Open-Ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council and Other Matters Related to the Security Council held its first organizational meeting at the current session and appointed the Permanent Representatives of Sri Lanka and Sweden as its Vice-Chairmen.

The Fifth Committee remains the only main committee still continuing its work at the current session. It will hold informal consultations this morning, this afternoon and this evening on a series of draft resolutions before it.