A/47/PV.109 General Assembly

Before we cQnsider the item Qn the agenda fQr this mQrning, the General Assembly will pay tribute tQ the memQry Qf the late King Qf the Belgians, His Majesty King BaudQuin I. On behalf Qf the General Assembly, I shQuld like tQ cQnvey heartfelt cQndQlences tQ the GQvernment and the people Qf Belgium and tQ the bereaved family. I invite representatives tQ stand and Qbserve a minute Qf silence in tribute tQ the memory Qf the late King Qf the Belgians. The members Qf the General Assembly Qbserved a minute Qf silence.

I now call Qn the representative Qf the United Republic Qf Tanzania, whQ will speak Qn behalf Qf the GrQup Qf African States. Mr. NYAKYI (United Republic Qf Tanzania): On behalf Qf the States members Qf the African GrQup Qf States, which I am privileged tQchair in this month Qf August, I wish tQ express to the Government and the peQple Qf Belgium Qur prQfQund sadness and deep SQrrQW Qver the untimely death Qf His Majesty King BaudQuin, whQse sudden death was annQunced tWQ weeks agQ. At 62, the late King had many mQre years Qf service tQ give tQ the people Qf Belgium and, indeed, tQ the whQle wQrld. He will be deeply missed, not Qnly by the peQple Qf Belgium, whQm he lQved and served SQ well, but also by many peQple arQund the wQrld whQ had CQme tQ knQw, respect and admire the late King. In my own cQuntry, ~anzania, which was privileged tQ receive him and Queen FabiQla in a State visit during his reign, he was deeply respected and admired. His reign saw the b,~ds Qf friendship and cQQperatiQn between the tWQ cQuntries and, indeed, between the peQples Qf Belgium and Africa, strengthened and deepened. The period also saw Belgium use its con:»iderable influence in Africa to suppor~ and encoura98 regional cooperation through the establishment and strengthening of regional tran~port and communication links. No doubt the close li~k~ between Africa and the European Community, can be at~ributed to the support of Belgium during the reign of King Baudouin. But the late King's 40-year reign will probably be remembered most as the period during which Belgians were finally able to settle their long-running constitutional problem. Although in the nature of things the credit for this outstanding achievement has gone to the political authorities involved in the 30-year negotiations, there is no doubt that they could not have succ~eded without the support of the King's considerable authority and prestige. FurthermOre, in order to succeed, the negoti~tions needed an atmosphere of peace, tranquillity and stability, which the Belgian monarchy has come to symbolize. We joi~ the people and the Government of Belgium a~d the bereaved family in mourning the passing away of a great leader, ~ great monarch who ma~e an invaluable contribution to human understanding and cooperation. We extend to them, and especially to He= Majesty Queen Fabiola, our deep sympathy and sincere condolences.

I now call on the representative of Fiji, who will speak on behalf of the Group of Asian States. Asian Group and of associating the Group with the tribute you, Mr. President, have paid to the late King Baudouin of the Kingdom of Belgium. The late King's contribution to the stability and development of Belgium, its former territory and Europe is widely recognized and much appreciated. He will be sadly missed, not only by the people of Belgium, but also by the international community. On behalf of the Asian Group, I wish to express our sincere sympathies and condolences to the royal family, the Government and the peoples of Belgium on their loss. The PRESIPENt: I call on the representative of the Republic of Moldova; who will "speak on behalf of the States MembeJ:s of the Eastern European Group. Mr. SNEGUR (Republic of Moldova): X am speaking on behalf of the ;'" '. 19 Permanent Missions of the States members of the Eastern European Group. We were very sad to learn two weeks 8g0 of the sudden passing of His Majesty King Bsudouin X, ICing of the Belgians. We in Eastern Europe highly appreciated the tireless efforts of His Majesty to create favourable conditions for the harmonious development of - the multinational, multicultural, multilingual Belgian society. It is our deep belief that the political and spiritual legacy of King Baudouin I will be of great importance for the Belqians, the Europeans and all the peoples of the world in their everlasting st~uggle to create decent living conditions for all human beings. I wish to express sincere condolences to the people and Government of Belgium and heartfelt sympathy to Queen Fabiolaand to all members of the bereaved royal family. The PRESIPENT: I call on the representative of Colombia, who will speak on behalf of the Latin American and Caribbean Group. Mr. JARAMILLQ (Colombia) (interpretation from Spanish): On behalf of the Latin American and Caribbean Group, it is my honour to pay tribute to the memory of His Majesty King Baudouin X. We remember His Majesty ICing Baudouin X as an example of tolerance and determination that exalted the spirit of a nation which is a model of unity and solidarity. His visits tQ the main centres of Qur OrganizatiQn bring to mind memQries of his cosmQPolitanand conciliatQry nature, demonstrated during the crises that he resolutely faced during his public life. Than.ks to his broad knowledge of the ways of the world, his experience Qf the world and his ability to anticipate the dilemmas of a changing environment, he was able tc exercise wise and prudent mediation at a time when , his country faced the new realities of pQlitical transition so critical to its historical develQpment. His interest in science and technQlogy. in the socio-ecQnQmic development Qf natiQns and in global issues and prQblems. particularly those related tQ the environment and relati~ns among natiQns. reflected his cQnstant. cQnstructive cQmmitment to the CQmmQn gQQd Qf mankind. His sense of duty. his human qualities. his CQntact with his peQple. his respect fQr his ancestQrs and fellQw citizens. his discretion. his determination and unity Qf purpQse all won him the highest esteem nQt Qnly of his natiQn but alsQ Qf the internatiQnal communit~ at large. TQday we wish to call special attentiQn to thQse human qualities. that excellence. the work he did at the head Qf a natiQn which. like many Qthers. i.as experienced the dilemmas Qf cultural richness and diversity and the challenges of maintaining natiQnal unity. The Latin American and Caribbean Group joins the rest Qf the internatiQnal cQmmunity in this well-deserved tribute to the memQry of His Majesty King Baudouin I. His life was a mQdel of prudence. discretiQn and respect, qualities essential and critical to the success Qf friendly relatiQns amQng the peoples Qf the internatiQnal cQmmunity.

1 call Qn the representative Qf Malta. whQ will speak on behalf Qf the Gro~p Qf Western European and Other States. Group of Western European and Other States. It is with deep sorrow that r wish to pay tribute to the memory of King Baudouin I, King of the Belgians, who passed away on 31 July. In his long reign of over 42 years King Baudouin r established strong relationships with various Heads of State and enjoyed widespread respect in the international community. The large participation of foreign monarchs, presidents and other dignitaries at King Baudouin's funeral earlier this month is the most recent manifestation of this profound respect. In this forUITI I shall limit myself to recalling the significant presence of King Baudouin at United Nations Headquarters for the World Summit ~or Children, held in September 1990. I should like to conclude by expressing my Group's sincere and heartfelt condolences to and feel~ngs of sympathy for the Government and people of Belgium, and the bereaved f.amily of the late King Baudouin I.

I call on the representative of the United States of America. Mr. HICKS (United States of America): On behalf of the host country, I wish to say tha~, along with the world community, the United States mourns the passing of its good friend and close ally King Baudauin I. The King was a man of great humanity and unswerving principle, dedicated to the causes of unity and tolerance. As he was loved by his people, he will be missed by all of us. M~y I extend our sincere condolences to his family and the people of Belgium.

I call on the representative of Belgium. thank you. Sir. and other representatives very sincerely. for the tributes that have just been paid to the memory of His Majesty King Baudouin. During the 40-odd years of his reign King Baudouin I followed Belgium's foreign relations very closely. Through the many official visits he paid and received he acquired a vast and deep knowledge of international problems. His interest in our Organization. which he had recently visited during the World Summit for Children, and his personal relationship with the Secretary-General made him very much aware of the role of the United Nations in the world. That is why the passing of His Majesty King Baudouin I is a sad loss, not only for all Belgians, but also for the entire international community. The tribute that you have paid him is additional proof of this, and I thank you for it.

T.he Assembly has before it a draft resolution circulated in document A/47/L.64. The draft resolution is a consensus text. It is the result of extensive informal consultations, which began eight months ago. An important result of these consultations was the formation of an open-ended working group on agenda item 31, under the chairmanship of Mr. Stanley Kalpage, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, and Mr. Karukubiro Kamunanwire, Permanent Representative of Uganda to the United Nations. The result of the group's intensive work during this time period is the draft resolution before us. The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft resolution. May I take it that the Assembly aecides to adopt draft resolution A/47/L.64? The draft resolution ~as adopted (resolution 47/233). explanation of position on the resolution just adopted. I remind him that explanations of position are limited to 10 minutes and should be made by delegations from their seats. Mr. SENILOLI (Fiji): I have the honour of speaking on behalf of the Asian Group in explanation of vote on the resolution on the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly. Before doing so, I would like to congratulate and thank you, Mr. President, for your initiative in undertaking to rationalize the work of the General Assembly so that it better harmonizes with its mandate as envisaged by the Charter. I would also like to thank Ambassador Stanley Kalpage of Sri Lanka and Ambassador Karukubiro Kamunanwire of Uganda for their tireless efforts and patience in co-chairing the open-ended ad hoc committee. The first step in the revitalization, as stated in the resolution, is the reduction of the number of the Main Committees of the General Assembly from seven to six, so as better to reflect the changes that have occurred in international relations. While agreeing with the reduction, the Asian Group is not happy with the interim solution, because the allocation is not equitable. This year, the Asian Group is losing a second chairmanship, and overall it is sacrificing a lot in order to go along wi.th the consensus. The Asian Group, however, has decided to support the resolution because of the understanding that this interim arrangement should in no way be construed as a legal basis for future decisions, that the interim solution is applicabl~ only to the forty-eiq~th session of the General Assembly, and that an onqoinq process will be pursued durinq the forty-eiqhth session to reach a final solution.

Allow me to emphasize the importance of the resolution that has just been adopted. Durinq the consultati~ns the decisive factor was the desire of all Member States to make a siqnificar.t contribution to th~ efforts to revitalize the General Assembly. I would like to stress the contribution of the co-chairmen of the open-ended workinq 9rouP On thi~ ite~ - Mr. Stanley Kalpaqe, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka and Mr. Karukubiro Kamunanwire, Permanent Representative of Uqanda. I would also like to thank all Member States for their constructive efforts& which have culminated here today. The resolution is an essential foundation for further action reqardinq revitalization of the General Assembly by Member States. May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of aqenda item 311 It was so decided. Thp. meeting rose at 11.20 a.m.