A/32/PV.99 General Assembly

The Assembly will first consider the report of the FitLh Committee on agenda item 105 [A/32/410/. 12. I invite representatives to turn first to the three decisions of the Fifth Committee set forth in paragraph 14 of the report. Those decisions relate to the draft calendar of conference~. In the Committee they were adopted by consensus. May I consider that the General Assembly takes note of the decisions of the Fifth Committee?

The General Assembly will now take a decision on the two draft resolutions recommended by the Fifth Committee in paragraph 20 of its report [A/32/410]. 14. Draft resolution I is entitled "Pattern of conferenc~s". The Fifth Committee adopted that draft resolution by consensus. May I consider that the General Assembly decides to adopt draft resolution I? Draft resoll,tion I was adopted (resolution 32/71). A/32/PV.99

Under operative paragaphs 1 and 2 of the draft resolution just adopted, the General Assembly has decided to retain the Committee on Conferences, composed of 22 States Members of the United Nations, and has requested the President of the General Assembly, after consultations with the chairmen of the regional groups, to appoint Member States, on the basis of an equitable geographical balance, to serve on the Committee for a three-year term. I' shall proceed to the necessary consul- tations and report to the Assembly on that matter at a later date. 17. I now invite representatives to turn to paragraph 21 of the report of the.Fifth Committee in document A/32/410. In that paragraph the Committee recommends that the General Assembly should approve recommendations 2, 4 and 5 as set forth in paragraph 168 of the report of the Committee on Conferences [A/32/32]. The Fifth Com- mittee adopted that recommendation without a vote. May I consider that the General Assembly decides to do the same?

We have concluded our- consider- ation of agenda item 105, with the exception of the appointment of the members of the Committee on Con- ferences. 19. The Assembly will turn now to the report of the Fifth Committee on agenda item 110, dealing with the United Nations pension system [A/32/421]. The Assembly will now take decisions on the three draft resolt·tions recom- mended by the Fifth Committee in paragraph 23 of that report. 20. Draft resolutions I A and I B are entitled "Investments of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund in transnational corporations and in developing countries". I shall first put to the vote draft resolution I A.

We shall now turn to draft reso- lution I B. The Fifth Committee adopted it by consensus. May I consider that the Assembly adopts draft reso- lution I B?

I now put before the Assembly draft resolution II entitled "Report of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Board". The Fifth Committee adopted draft resolution II by consensus. May I consider that the Assembly adopts it also? Draft reso?ution 1I was adopted (resolution 32/74j. 25. At the 45th meeting of the Fifth Committee on 17 November Mr. Michael Okeyo, Chairman of the Staff Pension Board, stated2 that the Pension Board would study at its next session the provisions in the Pension Fund regulations relating to one-third lump-sum pension benefits as well as those relating to payment of a pension to a survivor without a reduction of the primary beneficiary's pension. 26. We had expected that a record of that matter would appear in the report of the Eifth Committee on the United Nations Pension System. Because of previous agreements reached in the Fifth Committee earlier this year on the inclusion of such item, that matter was not included in the report of the Fifth Committee. 27. Since my Government has such strong feelings with regard to the subject, I wanted to be very sure that the exchange between my delegation and the Chairman of the Pension Board was reflected in the record of this meeting.

The General Assembly will now consider agenda item 130. After extensive consultations with all interested delegations, I have been authorized to make the following statement: "As most members are undoubtedly aware, long and thoughtful consideration has been given in recent consul- tations to the gracious invitation extended by the Government of the Philippines to the General Assembly to meet next year in Manila [A/32/246/Rev.l and Add.I]. I have been advised that, although it was evident "During my meetings with the chairmen of regional groups I consistently expressed the view that a decision of this magnitude, involving, as it does, the entire General Assembly, should rest on a broadly based consensus, and urged all concerned to demonstrate conciliation rather than divisiveness. Taking these factors into accouilt, the sponsors of the draft resolution contained in document A/32/246/Rev.I and Add.! have advised me that they will not press their draft resolution to a vote. "In announcing this decision, I wish to add that I feel sure I speak for all members in extending to the Government of the Philippines our deepest gratitude for its generous offer to host our next session. By extending this offer, the Philippines not only has provided one more illustration of the hospitality for which it is so rightly renowned but also has given us a useful and necessary reminder of our obligation always to bear in mind the desirability of holding additional mee.::ngs of United Nations and other international bodies in the developing countries whenever feasible. Therefore, 011 both counts I request the Philippine delegation to convey to its Govern- ment my own deep appreciation and that of the entire membership for its thoughtful and generous offer." May I take it that the General Assembly takes note of that statement? It was so decided (decision 32/421). 29. In accordance with the previously agreed procedure for this plenary meeting, I shall now call on the chairmen of the regional groups and other representatives who have asked to speak. 30. I now call on the representative of the United Republic of Cameroon, who will speak on behalf of the African States.

It is with particular interest and with great care that the African group of States weighed the offer of the Philippine Government to host the next regular session of the General Assembly in Manila. 32. There can be no doubt that this gesture, whose importance and scope are obvious to us, attests to the unvarying devotion of the Philippin~s to the objectives and principles of the United Nations Charter, and also to its political will to contribute through its hospitality to the strengthening of the capacity of our Organization to fulfIl its historic mission in the world and at the same time give tangible expression to its vocation of universality. 33. Tl:e African group is extremely touched by the fact that this offer was made by a representative of the third world, and would thus give our Assembly its first oppor- tunity to hold a session in the developing world.

I call on the Chairman of the Asian group, the representative ofPapua New Guinea.

Mr. President, on behalf of the Asian group of States I should like first to express our sincere appreciation for the kind words you have just uttered relating to the generous offer of the Philippine Government contained in document A/32/246/ Rev.I. 37. I am sure that there is no one in this Organization who has not heard of or experienced the hospitality and gracious nature of the Philippine people. This is known world wide, for it has been demonstrated by the number of successful international conferences convened there. 38. Members of the Assembly are aware that one of the most pressing problems of our time is the efforts of the third-world States to achieve higher economic and social standards that are compatible with the desires expressed in the Charter of the United Nations. Such an offer, therefore, can be clearly seen as a positive move to encourage the international community to come face to face with the actual realities of the under-developed and developing States. 39. Mr. President, you are no doubt aware-and I believe that also of other Members of this Organization-that it is in the context of "unified feeling" that this Organization will be guiden towards taking correct decisions. This spirit of conciliation rather than divisiveness, as expressed by you, is the underlying reason why the Asian group requests that the offer be deferred for the time being. On the other hand, it is our strong conviction that such offers should not be fIled away indefinitely but should be constantly kept in mind by the international community. 40. On behalf of my Government, my delegation expresses its appreciation to the First Lady, Mrs. Marcos, her dele- gation and her Government for the wonderful offer which they made to host the general debate of the thirty-third session of the United Nations General Assembly in Manila. They spent much time and effort to see that the offer was accepted by the General Assembly but, unfortunately, due to practical considerations, the issue does not come to reality at this time.

I call on the Chairman of the Eastern European group, the representative of the German Democratic Republic.

The delegations of the States of 43. On their behalf I should like tll express to the Government of the Philippines our sincere gratitude for its magnanimous Lrlvitation and, at the same time, to assure it that we are very sympathetic to the reasons given by the Philippine Government, as set forth in d0cument Aj32j246jRev.1. 44. I would venture here, on behalf of the delegation of the German Democratic Republic, to note with gratitude the hospitality of the Government and the people of the Republic of 'tt'le Philippines that was demonstrated to the Head of the Government of the German Democratic Republic in his recent official visit to Manila. Fruitful talks ~ with the President of the Republic of the Philippines, Mr. Marcos, have demonstrated mutual understanding on the most important issues of international development. 45. There is no doubt that it would be very useful and valuable for the United Nations and its Member States to be able to take advantage of the opportunity to penetrate ever more deeply into the multifaceted problems and conditions of developing countries and to study them. The States of Eastem Europe, on the basis of considerations of principle~have always been attentive to the just demands of the non-aligned States, particularly in their struggle to overcome colonialism, racism and economic backwardness. 46. On the other hand, we cannot fail to take into account the justification of certain practical considerations ex- pressed by many States to the President of the General Assembly, and it flows from this that the holding of the session of the General Assembly entails some organizational and practical problem: which give t: ~Tounds for con- sidering that in normal conditions it is not viable to convey all the machinery of this Organization to places outside Headquarters. 47. Furthermore, in the view of our delegations, it is undeniable also that the holding of the session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, or one of the stages of the session, is among those questions which can be resolved only with the total consent of all States Members of the United Nations. 48. We entirely agree with and support the statement just made here by our greatly respected President of the thirty-second session of the General Assembly, Comrade Mojsov. 49. In conclusion, I should like, on behalf of the dele- gations of the Eastern European States, to thank both th~ Government of the Philippines and the President of the General Assembly, as well as all others who took part in the discussion of the question, for the position they took in connexion with the consultations on this item of the agenda and their flexibility in those discussions.

I call on the Chuir.nan of the group of Latin American States, the representative of Venezuela. 52. The countries of the Latin American group are deeply grateful for the invitation of the Government of the Philippines, which so genefOusly offered us its capital, Manila, to serve as the site of the next session of the Assembly and which has always shown great interast in the problems of our Organization and, in particular, of the developing countries. 53. We are sure that the Government of the Philippines will understand the difficulties of a IT''!terial nature that would be faced especially by the developing countries, difficulties which-on this occasion-prevent us from meeting in Manila. 54. We would have been particularly pleased to be the guests of a people to which we are linked by ties of common ancestry and with which we know that we would have felt perfectly at home. Many of us have already had the opportunity of enjoying that Philippine hospitality. 55. Mr. President, we should be most grateful if you would transmit to the Government of the Philippines the appreciation of the Latin American group for its very kind invitation.

I nQw call on the representative of Canada who is the Chairman of the group of Western European and other States..

Mr. President, on behalf of the members of the group of Western European and other States I should like to speak at this point to associate myself with the statement which you yourself have just made. 58. Members of our group were very appreciative of the generous invitation extended in this plenary hall by Mrs. Marcos, the First Lady of the Philippines and the head of the delegation to this session of the General Assembly, to hold th'.~ thirty-third session of the General Assembly in Manila in 1~78 [see 15th meeting, para. 186J. 59. My group has also been grateful for the spirit of accommodation exhibited by the delegatif)n of the Philip- pines and by the Foreign Minister in allowing ample time for consultations on the proposal, and for his efforts to meet some of the concerns expressed by modifying his Government's original invitation. 60. This session of the General Assembly has been very workmanlike in its approach to the many problems with which it has been faced, and it is worthy of note that a number of issues have been resolved by consensus. Cer- tainly the proposal that the next session of the General Assembly, or some part of it, should be held away from New York, was ofsuch importance for us all that a decision could not have been taken on it realistically except on the basis of a common agreement. 62. In conclusion, I should like to reiterate the appre- ciation of the group of Western European and other States to the Government of the Philippines and to the members of the Philippines delegation on this occasion.

Mr. President, to your own expression ofgratitude and that of the chairmen of the regional groups I wish to add my own statement of appreciation to the Government of the Philippines for its generous offer to act as host to the next session of the General Assembly in Manila. 65. I have had the pleasure of enjoying personally the tremendous hospitality which the Government and people of the Philippines accord their guests. Thus I am particu- larly appreciative of the fact that the Philippines was prepared to extend this offer to the entire membership of the United Nations. I would therefore ask the delegation of the Philippines to convey my gratitude to its Government for its generosity. 66. As the President of the General Assembly said a few moments ago, the Philippines has both prOVided an additional illustration of its well-known hospitality and forcefully reminded us of our obligation always to bear in mind the desirability of holding additional meetings in the developing world whenever feasible. Again, I wish to extend to the Government of the Philippines, and in particular to the First Lady of the Philippines, Mrs. Imelda Marcos, who so kindly delivered this invitation to us, my personal gratitude for their generous offer.

Mr. President, my dele- gation sincerely appreciates the felicitous way in which you have expressed the consensus of the General Assembly. I shall not fail to convey, as y.ou desire, its deepest gratitude for the invitation to hold the opening ceremony and general debate of the thirty-third session of the General Assembly in Manila. We understand the practical considerations that led a number of members to believe that it was not feasible to accept our invitation at the present time. 68. I take this opportunity, Mr. President, to thank you for the spirit in which you conducted the consultations with the various regional groups, and to thank all dele- gations for their understanding and appreciation, particu- larly, and very specially, those that honoured us by sponsoring the draft resolution on the invitation, and the chairmen of the various regional groups who spoke here this morning. 69. When the First Lady of the Philippines, speaking as the personal representative of the President of the Re- 70. Mrs. Marcos wanted to build brfdges, to build such a bridge as described in The Bridge on the Drina, the famous novel by your own compatriot, Mr. President, the Nobel Prize winner Ivo Andric. In that novel, set at the ~:me of the Ottoman Empire, the lands of the southern Slays were cut off from Istanbul by the confluence of two turbulent rivers, and the only way to cross was by means of a ferry run by a giant of unpredictable temper. Sometimes he would ferry travellers on their important business, some- times he would not, depending on his mood, the weather or the payment. A little boy from a nearby village never forgot that. When, by his merits and the Sultan's favour, he rose to be the Grand Vizir of the Empire, he decreed the building of a bridge over those dangerous waters, so that for ever after rich merchants and poor pea5r.nts, serfs and lords, Moslem and Christian, would bless his name. And so it was done, at the cost of much suffering and countless treasure. And ever after, travellers from every land were able to cross the river Drina on their various errands in peace and security. 71. That is what our First L~dy,· speaking for the Government of the Philippines wanted to do. We wanted to build a bridge that all of us, rich and poor, weak and strong, from East and West and North and South, might use, freely and safely, without depending on the mercy of unpre- dictable giants. 72. My delegation is sorry that it has not been possible at this time for delegations to accept my Government's invitation to the General Assembly to meet in Manila next year. 73. None the less, the invitation stands. In the Asian custom and tradition, an invitation to hospitality should be refused the first time. Then it must be repeated a second time, and again refused. It is only when it is made a third time, that it may be accepted. 74. Mr. President, please convey to the General Assembly that the President and people of the Philippines are prepared to offer them their hospitality a second an1 a third time, or however many times it may be necessary, to build a bridge that will bring all of us-in the first words of the Charter of the United Nations, "We the peoples of the United Nations"-closer together, in mutuality and under- standing, in order that we may continue labouring for the peace and security of our world. The meeting rose at 12.15 p.m.