Back to Home Page

Back to General Assembly

23 NOVEMBER 1999

There is no plenary meeting today. Tomorrow, the General Assembly will conclude discussion of the item on oceans and the law of the sea, and will then take action on three draft resolutions which I reported on yesterday.

The Assembly will then consider two other items: building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal; and zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic. The discussion on cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity has been postponed.

Also tomorrow, the General Committee will meet to take up a request for the inclusion in the agenda of an item entitled "International recognition of the Day of Vesak (A/54/235). The sponsors are seeking the international observance of the Day -- the most sacred day to millions of Buddhists -- at Headquarters and at other United Nations Offices.

The Sixth Committee (Legal) will conclude its work this morning after taking action on a final draft resolution (A/C.6/54/L.15/Rev.1). It contains a draft International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, which is being recommended to the Assembly for its adoption.

Copies of the appointments of Assembly President Theo-Ben Gurirab are available in room 378 and also from the Internet. At 9:30 a.m., he met with the 12 members of the Coffee Club to discuss Security Council reform. The 12 are: Argentina, Benin, Canada, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, Spain and Syria. This was followed by a meeting with the Prime Minister of Namibia, Mr. Hage Geingob.

At 10:30 a.m., the President met with the President of the Law of the Sea Tribunal, Mr. Chandrasekhara Rao. They discussed the work of the Tribunal, based in Hamburg, Germany. The Assembly President indicated the importance of the Tribunal, especially for developing countries that are trying to exploit the living resources of the sea. Its work, he added, was important for the environmentally sound development of the oceans.

At noon, the President is meeting with the Permanent Representative of Australia and Chairman of the Fifth Committee, Ms. Penny Wensley. Later today, he is scheduled to attend a memorial mass for the late President of Tanzania, Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere, at the Holy Family Church located at 315 East 47^th Street. This evening, the President will attend a dinner hosted by the Permanent Representative of Senegal, Ambassador Ibra Deguene Ka.