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6 DECEMBER 1999

The General Assembly, this morning, is considering items on cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe as well as with the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization. The Assembly will also take action on a draft resolution dealing with the Preparatory Commission, and one on multilingualism in the UN Secretariat.

As the meeting got under way, the Assembly decided to include in its current agenda two additional items -- "International recognition of the Day of Vesak" and to consider it directly in plenary, as recommended by the General Committee (A/54/250/Add.2), and "Financing of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor" and to allocate it to the Fifth Committee, as requested by the Secretary-General (A/54/236 and Add.1).

Responding to another request by the Secretary-General, the Assembly decided to hold elections on 2 March 2000, simultaneously with the Security Council, to elect a member of the International Court of Justice to serve for the remainder of the term of Judge Stephen Schwebel, President of the Court, who has resigned effective 29 February 2000, but whose term would have expired on 5 February 2006 (A/54/624).

At the time of the briefing, the Assembly was hearing a number of speakers before taking action on the draft resolution on multilingualism (A/54/L.37). By adopting that text, introduced by France, the Assembly requests the Secretary-General to appoint a senior Secretariat official as coordinator of questions relating to multilingualism throughout the Secretariat and to submit a report in 2001.

The Secretary-General’s report on the subject (A/54/478) says he is committed to promoting the learning of all official and working languages of the Organization by Secretariat staff and to ensuring that adequate human and financial resources are available for maintaining the teaching of those languages. The importance of developing the linguistic competence of Secretariat staff is recognized and is reflected in the current budget and in the proposed programme budget for the 2000-2001 biennium. The report draws attention to the information materials produced and disseminated by the Department of Public Information aimed at furthering global awareness of the multicultural nature and linguistic diversity of the Organization. It concludes by stating that the Secretariat continues to follow the policy of promoting the learning and use of the official and working languages of the Organization in all its activities, and that, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 50/11, the Organization is exerting every effort to continue to promote multilingualism.

By adopting the resolution on cooperation between the UN and the CTBT Organization (A/54/L.48), to be introduced by Austria, the Assembly invites the Secretary-General to take the appropriate steps to conclude with the Executive Secretary an agreement to regulate the relationship between the United Nations and the Preparatory Commission. The agreement would then be submitted to the General Assembly for its approval.

Also this morning, the Assembly heard 10 speakers on cooperation between the United Nations and the OSCE, including Foreign Minister Knut Vollebaek of Norway, OSCE Chairman-in-Office. Austria, which will succeed Norway as OSCE Chairman, also spoke. A draft resolution under this item will be submitted at a later date.

In his report on the subject (A/54/537), the Secretary-General says that good contacts have been established and maintained with OSCE officials and representatives, that cooperation between the two organizations takes place on a multitude of levels and, during the past year, has intensified in peacekeeping efforts in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The relationship between OSCE and UNHCR has developed into a comprehensive strategic partnership, according to the report, which also cites the growing cooperation between OSCE and the Economic Commission for Europe and the United Nations Development Programme, and with the UN Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the human rights field.

The Secretary-General states that the authorization by the Security Council, in its resolution 1244 of 10 June 1999, to establish an international civil presence in Kosovo required an integrated approach with a clear distribution of labour. Agreement was reached with the OSCE to take the lead role in institution-building in Kosovo and in the creation of institutions of democracy, pluralism, human rights and the rule of law. The cooperation established between OSCE and the United Nations in Kosovo and elsewhere in the Balkans bears testimony to the complementarity of the two organizations and the many advantages that stand to be gained from a rational division of labour based on their respective strengths. The Secretary-General is sure that this valuable practical experience of cooperation and burden-sharing can be usefully applied in future undertakings where the United Nations is working side by side with one or several regional organizations.

This afternoon, the Assembly will take action on various reports of the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) (A/54/573-584). These include reports on the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples; implementation of the Decolonization Declaration, which is also a plenary item; the effects of atomic radiation; international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space; the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East; the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories; comprehensive review of the whole question of peacekeeping operations in all their aspects; questions relating to information; East Timor; and Non-Self-Governing Territories.

Tomorrow, the Assembly will take up the item on the return or restitution of cultural property to the countries of origin (A/54/436).

I wish to draw attention to the latest programme of work of the plenary, A/INF/54/3/Add.4, available on the racks today. It covers the period from today through 14 December, the tentative date for the closing of the main part of the regular session.

This morning, the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) is considering the financing of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). The Secretary-General’s proposed budget for UNMIK, for the period from its inception on 10 June 1999 to 30 June 2000, provides for a total strength of 9,812 personnel and amounts to $456,451,200 gross, including $200 million previously authorized by the Assembly (A/54/494). In its related report (A/54/622), the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions recommends that, for the period in question, the Assembly appropriate $427,061,800 gross for UNMIK, including the $200 million already authorized. The ACABQ notes that the size, scope and mandate of UNMIK are unique in the United Nations, and it recognizes the difficulties inherent in preparing the initial budget for such a mission without the benefit of precedent or operational experience. The Advisory Committee says it for this reason that it has indicated that its recommendations for reductions in post and other resources can be revisited in future budget submissions on the basis of experience.

Concerning the appointments of Assembly President Theo-Ben Gurirab, this morning he met with the Foreign Minister of Andorra, Mr. Albert Pintat Santolaria, and the Permanent Representative, Ambassador Juli Minoves-Triquell. He is presiding over this morning’s plenary meeting and will do so again this afternoon. This evening, the President will attend a reception hosted by the Chairman of the Fifth Committee, Ambassador Penny Wensley (Australia), in honour of the bureau, delegates and secretariat of the Committee.