Sixth Committee (Legal) — 64th session
Observer status for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean in the General Assembly (agenda item 169)
- Item proposed by France and Malta (A/64/232)
Summary of work
Background
The item was included in the agenda at the request of France and Malta.
Consideration at the sixty-fourth session
At the 26th meeting, on 9 December, the representative of Malta, on behalf of France and Malta, introduced a draft resolution entitled “Observer status for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean in the General Assembly” (A/C.6/64/L.19).
Statements were made by the representatives of Iran (Islamic Republic of), France, Malta, Tunisia, Cyprus, Portugal, Turkey, Senegal, Colombia, Saint Lucia, Pakistan, Peru, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Egypt, Liechtenstein, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Chair and the Secretary of the Committee also spoke.
Some delegations expressed their support for the granting of observer status in the General Assembly to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean at the current session of the Assembly. It was stated that sufficient time was allocated for the consideration of the topic at the current session and that, taking into account support for the granting of observer status to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) in the Assembly expressed during the debate and the recognition of the fact that PAM met relevant criteria established by the Assembly, the Committee should take action at the current session.
However, a point was made that there was no urgency in considering this request at the current session of the General Assembly and that this issue required further consideration by the Committee at the next session of the Assembly. The view was expressed that, since more time may be needed for studying this request in order to reach a consensus, the action on this item should be deferred until the next session of the Assembly.
A suggestion was made to revise the working methods of the Committee so as to have consistent criteria for the granting of observer status in the General Assembly. Some delegations spoke in favour of considering the criteria for the granting of observer status in the Assembly by the Committee at the next session of the Assembly.
Statements on procedural issues were also made.Action taken by the Sixth Committee
At its 27th meeting, on 14 December, the Committee adopted draft resolution A/C.6/64/L.19 without a vote. The representatives of Argentina and Iran (Islamic Republic of) spoke in explanation of position after the adoption of the draft resolution. Under this draft resolution, the General Assembly would decide to invite the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean to participate in the sessions and the work of the General Assembly in the capacity of observer; and request the Secretary-General to take the necessary action to implement the resolution.
Subsequent action taken by the General Assembly
