GA/AB/3082

ADMINISTRATIVE ASPECTS OF PEACE-KEEPING OPERATIONS AMONG ISSUES DISCUSSED AS FIFTH COMMITTEE BEGINS FINAL WEEK OF RESUMED SESSION

The representative of Ireland, also speaking for the European Union on the administrative and budgetary aspects of peace-keeping operations, called for a cost-benefit analysis of the operation of the United Nations Logistics Base in Brindisi, Italy. The question of whether to establish 33 posts to manage the Base should be considered in the context of the debate on how to finance support activities for peace-keeping -- either through the regular budget or the peace-keeping support account. He spoke also for Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Norway.

During this part of the resumed session, the Committee would consider financial reports, audited statements and reports of the Board of Auditors; administrative and budgetary aspects of financing peace-keeping operations; aspects of the 1996-1997 budget; the United Nations financial situation; the scale of assessments; the common system; and the funding of peace-keeping missions. It is expected to consider a report of the Secretary-General on how to save $14 million in addition to the $140 million in savings he had indicated in an earlier part of the resumed session.

During the largely procedural discussions on whether to ask the General Assembly to take note of some reports on the review of United Nations efficiency, Cuba's representative said that the reports on the strengthening of oversight mechanisms should be taken up at the next session of the Assembly, not merely noted and disposed of by the current session.

The representative of the United States opposed the Committee Chairman's proposal to take note of the reports on how to improve oversight functions and

* The meeting number on Press Release GA/AB/3081 of 3 June should have been 64th (Resumed) Meeting instead of 65th.

Fifth Committee - 2 - Press Release GA/AB/3082 65th Meeting 10 September 1996

on the procedures for implementing parts of the Convention of Privileges and Immunities. The latter deals with such issues as dispute settlement between the United Nations and other parties, third-party claims for personal injuries, deaths and loss of property in relation to peace-keeping missions.

The representative of the Netherlands expressed regret that the Committee had not yet determined how to assess the Czech Republic and Slovakia for peace-keeping operations. The longer the delay, the greater the arrears, he added. Similar sentiments were expressed by Mexico's representative, who added that the issue should be considered in the next Assembly session.

France's representative said he was waiting for instructions from Paris on how to proceed with the question of creating new legal and procedural mechanisms for managing United Nations resources and addressing alleged cases of fraud.

The Secretary-General's reports on financial and auditors' statements, on the administrative and budgetary aspects of peace-keeping and on the financing of United Nations Mission in El Salvador (ONUSAL) were introduced by Yeo Bock Cheng, Deputy Director of Peace-keeping Financing Division of the Department of Administration and Management. The report on the inventory control system at Headquarters was introduced by Allan Robertson, of the Office of Conference and Support Services.

The reports of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) were introduced by the Committee's Chairman, C.S.M. Mselle.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. today, 10 September, to take up the financing of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) and the United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia (UNOMIL). It would consider the financing of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR), United Nations Confidence Restoration Operation in Croatia (UNCRO), the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force (UNPREDEP) and the United Nations Peace Forces Headquarters as well as the United Nations common system.

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