A/47/PV.96 General Assembly

Before taking up the item on our agenda for this meeting, I must with deep regret inform the General Assembly that Judge Manfred Lachs, member and former President of the International Court of Justice, passed away on 14 January 1993 in ~he Hague. Judge Manfred Lachs, a distinguished diplomat and jurist, had a long and close association with the United Nations, in particular as Chairman of the Sixth Committee of the General Assembly for three sessions of the Assembly and as a member of the International Law Commission. He had been a member of ~e Court since 1967 and was its President from 1973 to 1976. I am sure that I interpret the sentiments of the General Assembly in expressing its condolences to the President of the Court and hiD colleagues. I would also like to ask the delegation of Poland to accept and to transmit to the Government of Poland and Judge Manfred Lachs's bereaved family our expression of sympathy at this sad loss. I invite the General Assembly to stand for one minute in silent tribute to the memory of Judge Manfred.Lachs. The members of the General Assembly observed a minute of silence. AG~A ITEM a (continued) ADOPTION OF THE AGBNDA AND ORGANIZATION OF'WORIt (a) REQUES~ rOR THE INCLUSION OF ANADD:ii:TIONAL ITEM SUBMITTED BY THE SECR~ARY-GENERAL (Al47/881 and Add.1) (b) REQUEST FOR THE INCLUSION OF AN ADDITIONAL SUB-ITEM SUBMITTED BY THE SECRETARY-GENERAL (Al47/884)

Unless there is any objection, I shall take it that the General Assembly agrees that, under the circumstances desoribed in the notes by the Secretary-General, the provision of rule 40 of the rules of procedure, which vou~d require a meetin9 of the General Committee OD the question of the inclusion and allocation of an item and a sub-item, should be waivod. ~was so decided. The PRESIDEEr: We shall first turn to the request contained in the note by the Secretary-General cir~ulated in document Al411881. In connection with the request, a report by the Secretary-General on the financing of the United Nations Operation in Mozambique has been issued as document Al471881/Add.1. In his note, the Secretary-General, pursuant to rule 15 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly, requests that an additional item of an important and urgent character, entitled "Fi~ancing of the United Nations Operation in Mozambique", be placed on the agenda of the forty-lSeventh session. Owing to the nature of the item, the Secretary-General further requests that the item be allocated to the Fifth Committee. May I take it that the General Assembly, on the proposal of the Secretary-General, wishes to include in the agenda of its forty-seventh session an item entitled "Financing of the United Nations Operation in MOZambique" and to allocate it to the Fifth Committee? ~s so decided.

The Chairman of the Fifth Committee will be informed of the decision just taken. The Assembly will now consider the request contained in the note by the Secretary-General circulated in document A/47/884. In his note, the Secretary-General informs the Assembly that the death of Judge Manfred Lachs of Poland has resulted in a vacancy in the International Court of Justice and dle-aws the attention of the Assembly to the provisions in the Statute of the InternatioD~l Court of Justice whereby the members of the Court shall be elected by the General Assembly and the Security Council and whereby the Security Council is to fix the date of the election. The Secretary-General further informs the Assembly that, at its 3170th meeting, on 4 February 1993, the Security Council, by its resolution 805 (1993)-, decided that t..he election to fill the vacancy should take place on 10 May 1993 at a meeti~g of the Security Council and at a meeting of the General Assembly at its forty-seventh session. Inasmuch as agenda item 15 of the forty-seventh session of the Assembly, entitled ~Elections to fill vacancies in principal organs", does not include a sub-it~m relating to the election to fill this vacancy, it is proposed, pursuant to rule 15 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly, that such a sub-item be included in the agenda of the forty-seventh session. May I take it that the General Assembly, on the proposal of the Secretary-General, wishes to include in the agenda of its forty-seventh session an additional sub-item of item 15, entitled "Election of a member of the International Court of Justice"? It was so decided.

As indicated in the note by the Secretary-General, the General Assembly will consider the sub-item on 10 May 1993. TENTATIVE PROGRAMME OF WORK

I should like to remind members that, in accordance with decision 47/422 of 9 December 1992, the First Committee will be· meeting from 8 to 12 March 1993 to consider agenda item 63, "Review of the implementation of the recommendations and decisions adopted by the General Assembly at its tenth special session". The Fifth Committee will also hold meetings beginning S March 1993 for about two weeks to consider several items allocated to it that have remained pending, as well as the new agenda item just inscribed on the agenda of the Assembly, "Financing of the United Nations Operation in MOZambique". (De Presidem;,) The General ~ssembly will thus meet subsequently to cODsid.r the reports of the First e41drifth Committees. The Assembly will also meet in plenary, at a date to be announced in the Journal of the United Nations, to consider ,,-genda it.m 22, "Th. situation of democracy and human rights in Haiti", pursuant to General Assembly resolution 47/20 of 24 November 1992. %be mqeting rose at 11,05 a,m.,