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30 September 1998

Yesterday afternoon, the Assembly decided without a vote on a two-year extension of Mrs. Sadako Ogata's appointment as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Also yesterday, draft resolution A/53/L.1 on assistance to Bangladesh in the wake of the devastating floods was introduced. The Assembly is expected to take action on this draft at the end of the plenary meeting tomorrow morning.

Before the opening of the plenary meeting this morning, the President of the fifty-third session had meetings with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Namibia and Malaysia. He also met this morning with the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Singapore and Sri Lanka. This afternoon he will meet with the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Conference.

This morning, the general debate was resumed with statements by the Prime Minister and Minister for External Affairs, Legal Affairs and Labour of Dominica, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Jamaica, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bhutan, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Cameroon, Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Iraq, Bolivia and Tajikistan, and Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Saint Lucia.

The general debate will continue this afternoon with statements by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Senegal, Prime Minister of Slovenia, Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Bahamas, Myanmar and Cape Verde, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Tourism and Information of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Prime Minister, Minister for National Security, Foreign Affairs, Finance, Planning and Information of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Vanuatu, and Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Zambia and Belarus.

The lists of speakers for today and tomorrow are on the side table.