A/55/PV.102 General Assembly

Before proceeding, I should like to draw the attention of the General Assembly to document A/55/745/Add.10. In the letter contained in that document, the Secretary-General informs the President of the General Assembly that, since the issuance of his communications contained in document A/55/745 and addenda 1 to 9, Haiti and Vanuatu have made the necessary payments to reduce their arrears below the amount specified in Article 19 of the Charter. May I take it that the General Assembly duly takes note of the information contained in that document?

The General Assembly will now proceed to the election of 27 ad litem judges of the International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, for a four-year term of office commencing on the day of the completion of this election. By its resolution 1329 (2000) of 30 November 2000, the Security Council decided to establish a pool of ad litem judges of the International Tribunal. To that end, it decided to amend articles 12, 13 and 14 of the Statute of the International Tribunal. In that resolution, the Security Council further requested the Secretary- General to make practical arrangements for the election, as soon as possible, of 27 ad litem judges, in accordance with article 13 ter, of the Statute of the International Tribunal as so amended. In connection with the election today of the 27 ad litem judges, I should like to bring the following matters to the attention of the General Assembly. First, in accordance with article 13 ter, paragraph 1, of the Statute of the International Tribunal as amended by Security Council resolution 1329 (2000), the 27 ad litem judges of the International Tribunal shall be elected by the General Assembly from a list of candidates submitted by the Security Council. At its 4316th meeting, on 27 April 2001, the Security Council, in accordance with article 13 ter, subparagraph 1 (c), of the Statute of the International Tribunal, established in resolution 1350 (2001) a list of 64 candidates, taking due account of adequate representation of the principal legal systems of the world and bearing in mind the importance of equitable geographical distribution. The list was formally conveyed to the President of the General Assembly by a letter dated 27 April 2001 from the President of the Security Council. The letter was issued as document A/55/917. Secondly, in accordance with article 13 ter, subparagraph 1 (d), of the Statute of the International Tribunal, the Holy See and Switzerland, the two non- member States maintaining Permanent Observer Missions at United Nations Headquarters will participate in the election in the same manner as the States Members of the United Nations. On this occasion, I am happy to welcome here the representatives of the Holy See and Switzerland. Finally, I should like to draw the attention of the Assembly to the documents relating to the election. The memorandum by the Secretary-General concerning the election of judges of the International Tribunal is contained in document A/55/918 and addendum 1. The list of 64 candidates can be found in paragraph 6 of document A/55/918, and the 8 withdrawals can be found in addendum 1 to that document. Therefore at present there are 56 candidates. The curricula vitae of the candidates are contained in document A/55/919 and addenda 1 and 2. In that connection, may I bring to Members’ attention the provision of article 13 of the Statute of the International Tribunal as amended, which reads as follows: “The permanent and ad litem judges shall be persons of high moral character, impartiality and integrity who possess the qualifications required in their respective countries for appointment to the highest judicial offices. In the overall composition of the Chambers and sections of the Trial Chambers, due account shall be taken of the experience of the judges in criminal law, international law, including international humanitarian law and human rights law.” As representatives are aware, the election of judges will take place in accordance with the relevant provisions of article 13 ter of the Statute of the International Tribunal. In addition, given the similar nature of the election of judges of the International Court of Justice and the election of judges of the International Tribunal, it was decided at the time of the election of judges in 1993, 1997, 1998 and 2001 to follow similar election procedures in the General Assembly. In his memorandum, the Secretary-General suggests that these precedents be applied to the election of ad litem judges of the International Tribunal. May I take it that the Assembly agrees to that suggestion?

In accordance with article 13 ter, subparagraph 1 (d), of the Statute of the International Tribunal, as amended, the candidates who receive an absolute majority of the votes of States Members of the United Nations and of the two non-member States shall be declared elected. The consistent practice of the United Nations has been to interpret the words “absolute majority” as meaning a majority of all electors, whether or not they vote or are allowed to vote. The electors, for this purpose, are all 189 Member States and the two non- member States, namely, the Holy See and Switzerland. Accordingly, 96 votes constitute an absolute majority for the purpose of electing judges of the International Tribunal. If in the first ballot the number of candidates obtaining an absolute majority is less than 27, a second ballot will be held and balloting will continue, in the same meeting, until 27 candidates have obtained an absolute majority. Following the practice in the election of judges of the International Court of Justice, the Secretary- General suggests in his memorandum that any second and subsequent balloting shall be unrestricted — I repeat, that any second and subsequent balloting shall be unrestricted. It is further suggested that, following the practice in the election of the judges of the International Court of Justice, if more than 27 candidates obtain an absolute majority of votes in the first ballot, a second ballot will be held on all candidates and balloting will continue, at the same meeting, until 27 candidates, and no more, have obtained an absolute majority. May I take it that the Assembly agrees to the procedure I have just outlined?

Today, as on all the previous occasions when the General Assembly has met to elect judges of ad hoc international tribunals, Mexico takes the floor to explain the reasons why, since the first such occasion, it has decided not to participate in these elections. On all those occasions Mexico, a country committed to the promotion and protection of human rights and to full compliance with the norms of international humanitarian law, has stated that in establishing such tribunals the Security Council went beyond its powers, given that the Charter of the United Nations contains no explicit provision granting the Council the authority to create jurisdictional mechanisms of this nature. Mexico has also expressed its conviction that once the Statute of the International Criminal Court is in force — a body whose establishment did follow the norms of international law — the establishment of new ad hoc tribunals will not be necessary. In addition, Mexico has stated that it will continue to pay in a timely manner its assessed contributions for the funding of those tribunals, strictly abiding by the decisions adopted in this regard by the General Assembly. This continues to be Mexico’s position. Nevertheless, Mexico has taken note of the important contribution the tribunals have made to combating impunity by bringing to justice individuals who have committed serious crimes of international significance, thus ensuring the rule of law. In this connection, the work done by the ad hoc criminal tribunals since their establishment has had undeniable legal effects, establishing international jurisprudence which has made possible the strengthening and development of international humanitarian law. The ad hoc criminal tribunals have played a central role in putting international humanitarian law into practice — especially with regard to the norms enshrined in the 1949 Geneva Conventions, which constitute the most authoritative expression of international humanitarian law currently in force. By virtue of those Conventions, which Mexico ratified in 1952, the High Contracting Parties committed themselves to respecting, and ensuring respect for, the Conventions in all circumstances, in accordance with their common article 1. It is for all these reasons that Mexico will henceforth participate fully in the election of judges for special tribunals, putting the importance of the work done by these legal bodies above its principled reservations with regard to how they were set up. This decision takes effect immediately and has not been previously communicated to the States putting forth candidates for this election. The delegation of Mexico has taken various criteria into account in deciding whom to vote for in this election. Among those is the desirability of having the composition of the Tribunal reflect as broadly as possible the diversity of legal systems and traditions in existence throughout the various regions, as well as the principle of gender equality.

I would like to say that I have been instructed to inform the Assembly that the following candidates would like to withdraw their candidacies: Mr. Chifumu Kingdom Banda, Mr. Isaac Chibulu Tantameni Chali and Mr. Mphanza Patrick Mvunga. There is thus only one Zambian candidate, namely, Ms. Irene Chirwa Mambilima. Archbishop Martino (Holy See): The Holy See has attentively followed the proceedings of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991. The Holy See regards the Tribunal as an instrument of the international community to express its condemnation of violations of international humanitarian law. Although the Holy See is a non- member State that maintains a permanent observer mission at the United Nations, it nevertheless appreciates that it is invited to participate in the election of ad litem judges to the Tribunal in the same manner as the States Members of the United Nations, in accordance with article 13 ter, paragraph 1 (d), of the Statute of the International Tribunal as amended by the Security Council in resolution 1329 (2000) of 30 November 2000. In this regard, I would like to inform the Assembly that the Holy See, in accordance with the practice in similar cases and for the sake of impartiality, has decided to abstain from casting its vote on the individual candidates for the office of ad litem judge of the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. The Holy See wishes to reiterate its confidence in the choices that will be made by the international community, and it extends its sincere best wishes to the ad litem judges who will soon be elected to serve the cause of justice and peace in the world.

Representatives will have noticed that the delegation of Burundi has nominated three candidates. I would like to inform the Assembly that I have received instructions to announce that Burundi would like to retain only one candidate, namely, Mr. Léopold Ntahompagaze. The two other candidates, Mr. André Ntahomvukiye and Mr. Zacharie Rwamaza, are therefore withdrawn.

The Assembly has heard the statements by the representatives of Zambia and Burundi announcing the withdrawal of a total of five candidates. We will proceed to the first round of balloting taking those statements into account. The names of the candidates just withdrawn will therefore be removed from the ballot papers. Before we can proceed with the voting process, we need to produce new ballot papers. It is for that reason that I now intend to suspend the meeting for 15 minutes.

The General Assembly will now proceed to the first unrestricted ballot to elect 27 ad litem judges. Taking into account the statements made by the representatives of Zambia and Burundi, the ballot papers to be distributed will have 51 candidates. I should like to remind Members that, pursuant to rule 88 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly, no representative shall interrupt the voting except on a point of order on the actual conduct of the voting. We shall now begin the voting process. I request representatives to use only those ballot papers that have been distributed. Only those candidates whose names appear on the ballot papers are eligible for election. Representatives will indicate the 27 candidates for whom they wish to vote by placing crosses at the left of their names on the ballot papers. Ballot papers on which more than 27 names are marked will be considered invalid. I repeat, ballot papers on which more than 27 names are marked will be considered invalid. Votes may be cast only for those whose names appear on the ballot papers.

The result of the voting is as follows: Number of ballot papers: 174 Number of invalid ballots: 2 Number of valid ballots: 172 Abstentions: 1 Number of members voting: 171 Required absolute majority: 96 Number of votes obtained: Mr. Amarjeet Singh (Singapore) 162 Ms. Chikako Taya (Japan) 145 Mr. Romeo T. Capulong (Philippines) 141 Mr. Arthur Chaskalson (South Africa) 141 Mr. Claude Hanoteau (France) 137 Mr. Mohamed Al Habib Fassi Fihri (Morocco) 133 Ms. Maureen Harding Clark (Ireland) 132 Mr. Guibril Camara (Senegal) 130 Mr. Lal Chand Vohrah (Malaysia) 130 Mr. Albin Eser (Germany) 129 Ms. Ivana Janü (Czech Republic) 129 Mr. Volodymyr Vassylenko (Ukraine) 127 Mr. Rafael Nieto-Navia (Colombia) 126 Mr. Hans Henrik Brydensholt (Denmark) 123 Mr. Mauro Politi (Italy) 122 Ms. Sharon A. Williams (Canada) 122 Ms. Carmen María Argibay (Argentina) 121 Mr. Per-Johan Lindholm (Finland) 121 Ms. Christine Van Den Wyngaert (Belgium) 119 Mr. Joaquin Martin Canivell (Spain) 113 Mr. Ralph Riachy (Lebanon) 111 Mr. Hassan Bubacarr Jallow (Gambia) 108 Mr. Krister Thelin (Sweden) 108 Ms. Fatoumata Diarra (Mali) 105 Mr. Albertus Henricus Joannes Swart (Netherlands) 105 Mr. György Szénási (Hungary) 99 Ms. Vonimbolana Rasoazanany (Madagascar) 93 Mr. Pierre G. Boutet (Canada) 84 Mr. Stefan Trechsel (Switzerland) 82 Ms. Irene Chirwa Mambilima (Zambia) 74 Ms. Jane Hamilton Mathews (Australia) 68 Mr. Aydin Sefa Akay (Turkey) 59 Ms. Lucy Asuagbor (Cameroon) 58 Mr. Oscar Ceville (Panama) 58 Mr. Léopold Ntahompagaze (Burundi) 57 Mr. Cenk Alp Durak (Turkey) 54 Mr. Jeremy Badgery-Parker (Australia) 51 Mr. Cesar Pereira Burgos (Panama) 51 Mr. Augustin P. Lobejón (Spain) 47 Ms. Flavia Lattanzi (Italy) 40 Mr. Roberto Bellelli (Italy) 38 Mr. Sourahata Babouccar Semega-Janneh (Gambia) 35 Mr. Dick F. Marty (Switzerland) 34 Mr. John Foster Gallop (Australia) 28 Mr. Robert Roth (Switzerland) 27 Mr. Moïse Ebongue (Cameroon) 25 Ms. Suzanne Mengue Zomo (Cameroon) 25 Ms. Ayla Songor (Turkey) 23 Mr. Aykut Kiliç (Turkey) 19 Mr. Tom Farquhar Shepherdson (Australia) 19 Mr. Mathew Epuli (Cameroon) 11

Having obtained an absolute majority, the following 26 candidates, listed in alphabetical order, are elected ad litem judges of the International Tribunal: Ms. Carmen María Argibay (Argentina), Mr. Hans Henrik Brydensholt (Denmark), Mr. Guibril Camara (Senegal), Mr. Joaquin Martin Canivell (Spain), Mr. Romeo T. Capulong (Philippines), Mr. Arthur Chaskalson (South Africa), Ms. Maureen Harding Clark (Ireland), Ms. Fatoumata Diarra (Mali), Mr. Albin Eser (Germany), Mr. Mohamed Al Habib Fassi Fihri (Morocco), Mr. Claude Hanoteau (France), Mr. Hassan Bubacarr Jallow (Gambia), Ms. Ivana Janü (Czech Republic), Mr. Per-Johan Lindholm (Finland), Mr. Rafael Nieto- Navia (Colombia), Mr. Mauro Politi (Italy), Mr. Ralph Riachy (Lebanon), Mr. Amarjeet Singh (Singapore), Mr. Albertus Henricus Joannes Swart (Netherlands), Mr. György Szénási (Hungary), Ms. Chikako Taya (Japan), Mr. Krister Thelin (Sweden), Ms. Christine Van Den Wyngaert (Belgium), Mr. Volodymyr Vassylenko (Ukraine), Mr. Lal Chand Vohrah (Malaysia) and Ms. Sharon A. Williams (Canada). There remains one seat to be filled. The Assembly should proceed to another ballot to fill the remaining vacancy. However, in view of the lateness of the hour, I should like to suggest that we suspend the meeting until 3 p.m. in order to continue with the balloting. In accordance with the decision taken earlier, that ballot will be unrestricted.

Very briefly, I would like, through you Mr. President, to express our thanks to the delegations that so strongly supported the Italian candidates in this election. I wanted to suggest that in order to facilitate the rest of the proceedings, we could take the other two Italian candidates, who were not elected in the first ballot, off the list of candidates. The names of Mr. Bellelli and Ms. Lattanzi should therefore be removed from the list of candidates.

I also simply wish to announce the withdrawal of three of the four Turkish candidates, namely, Mr. Aykut Kiliç, Ms. Ayla Songor and Mr. Cenk Alp Durak. The remaining Turkish candidate for the seat yet to be filled is therefore Mr. Aydin Sefa Akay.

First of all, I would like to thank all those who voted for our candidate, Mr. Hassan Bubacarr Jallow. To facilitate the balloting in the next round, I would like, on behalf of the Gambia, to withdraw the candidacy of Mr. Sourahata Babouccar Semega-Janneh.

The Swiss delegation would like to thank all the delegations that gave their support to the three Swiss candidates. We would like to announce the withdrawal of the candidacies of Mr. Dick F. Marty and Mr. Robert Roth, while confirming the continued candidacy of Mr. Stefan Trechsel.

I wish to announce that the delegation of Panama is withdrawing the candidacy of Mr. Oscar Ceville, while reaffirming that of Mr. Cesar Pereira Burgos.

As announced this morning, the General Assembly will now proceed to another unrestricted ballot to fill the remaining vacancy on the International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed on the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991. I wish to inform Members that, by note verbale dated 12 June 2001, the Permanent Mission of Australia to the United Nations has announced that Mr. Jeremy Badgery-Parker, Mr. John Foster Gallop and Mr. Tom Farquhar Shepherdson have decided to withdraw their names from the list of candidates. Accordingly, their names and the names of the nine candidates whose withdrawal were announced before the suspension have been struck from the ballot papers. I should like to remind Members that, pursuant to rule 88 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly, no representative shall interrupt the voting except on a point of order on the actual conduct of the voting. We shall now begin the voting process. I request representatives to use only those ballot papers that have been distributed. Only those candidates whose names appear on the ballot papers are eligible for election. Representatives will indicate the one candidate for whom they wish to vote by placing a cross at the left of his or her name on the ballot papers. Ballot papers on which more than one name is marked will be considered invalid. Votes may be cast only for those whose names appear on the ballot papers.

The result of the voting is as follows: Number of ballot papers: 162 Number of invalid ballots: 1 Number of valid ballots: 161 Abstentions: 2 Number of members voting: 159 Required absolute majority: 96 Number of votes obtained: Ms. Vonimbolana Rasoazanany (Madagascar) 57 Mr. Stefan Trechsel (Switzerland) 22 Ms. Jane Hamilton Mathews (Australia) 20 Mr. Pierre G. Boutet (Canada) 15 Mr. Cesar Pereira Burgos (Panama) 15 Mr. Aydin Sefa Akay (Turkey) 13 Ms. Irene Chirwa Mambilima (Zambia) 9 Mr. Augustin P. Lobejón (Spain) 4 Mr. Léopold Ntahompagaze (Burundi) 4 Ms. Lucy Asuagbor (Cameroon) 0 Mr. Moïse Ebongue (Cameroon) 0 Mr. Mathew Epuli (Cameroon) 0 Ms. Suzanne Mengue Zomo (Cameroon) 0

Since no candidate has obtained an absolute majority, the Assembly will have to proceed to another ballot to fill the remaining vacancy. In accordance with the decision taken earlier, that ballot shall be unrestricted. I call on the representative of Burundi.

My delegation would like to congratulate those who were elected this morning. In order to speed the process, we wish to withdraw our candidate from the ballot. We express our sincere gratitude to all the delegations that voted for our candidate.

I call on the representative of Panama.

The delegation of Panama wishes to withdraw the candidature of Mr. Cesar Pereira Burgos in order to speed the election process. I take this opportunity to thank delegations for their support for our candidate.

I call on the representative of Spain.

My delegation thanks those delegations that voted for our two candidates. We wish to withdraw the candidature of Mr. Augustin P. Lobejón.

Members have heard the statements just made by the representatives of Burundi, Panama and Spain. I take it that those representatives are informing the General Assembly that Mr. Léopold Ntahompagaze, Mr. Cesar Pereira Burgos and Mr. Augustin P. Lobejón, on the list of candidates established by the Security Council, have decided to withdraw their names from the list. Accordingly, those names should be struck from the ballot paper. In view of the fact that new ballot papers will need to be prepared to take into account the withdrawal that has just been announced, I propose to suspend the meeting for 10 minutes. May I take it that the Assembly agrees to that proposal?

The General Assembly will now proceed to the third unrestricted ballot to fill the remaining vacancy. Taking into account the statements by the representatives of Burundi, Panama and Spain, the ballot papers to be distributed will therefore have 10 candidates. I should like to remind Members that, pursuant to rule 88 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly, no representative shall interrupt the voting except on a point of order on the actual conduct of the voting. Ballot papers are now being distributed. I request all delegations to use only those ballot papers that have been distributed. Only those candidates whose names appear on the ballot papers are eligible for election. Representatives should indicate the candidate for whom they wish to vote by placing a cross at the left of his or her name on the ballot paper. Any ballot paper on which more than one name is marked will be considered invalid. Votes may be cast only for those whose names appear on the ballot papers.

The result of the voting is as follows: Number of ballot papers: 158 Number of invalid ballots: 1 Number of valid ballots: 157 Abstentions: 2 Number of members voting: 155 Required absolute majority: 96 Number of votes obtained: Ms. Vonimbolana Rasoazanany (Madagascar) 90 Mr. Stefan Trechsel (Switzerland) 24 Ms. Jane Hamilton Mathews (Australia) 20 Mr. Pierre G. Boutet (Canada) 13 Mr. Aydin Sefa Akay (Turkey) 9 Ms. Irene Chirwa Mambilima (Zambia) 5 Ms. Suzanne Mengue Zomo (Cameroon) 1 Ms. Lucy Asuagbor (Cameroon) 0 Mr. Moise Ebongue (Cameroon) 0 Mr. Mathew Epuli (Cameroon) 0

Since again no candidate has obtained an absolute majority, the Assembly will have to proceed to another ballot to fill the remaining vacancy. In accordance with the decision taken earlier, that ballot shall be unrestricted.

In the light of the results just announced for the last ballot, and in the interests of having a conclusion to this balloting today, I should like to announce the withdrawal of the Australian candidate, Ms. Jane Mathews. I would like to thank colleagues who have given us their support, and I hope that we may have a successful outcome to the next round.

First, I should like to congratulate those candidates who were elected during the first run. I also thank the countries that supported our candidate. I should like to inform the Assembly that the candidature of Mr. Aydin Sefa Akay is withdrawn.

I should like to inform the Assembly that the candidature of Ms. Irene Mambilima is being withdrawn. I should like to thank all the countries that have supported us, and I hope that this will contribute to a speedy conclusion of the vote.

I should like to thank the representatives here who supported Canadian candidates. However, in the light of the ballots received in the last round, I should like also to withdraw our candidate, Pierre Boutet, and wish us all the best of luck in concluding these elections.

In view of the fact that new ballot papers will need to be prepared to take into account the withdrawals that have just been announced, I propose to suspend the meeting for 15 minutes. May I take it that the Assembly agrees to that proposal?

The General Assembly will now proceed to the fourth unrestricted ballot to fill the remaining vacancy. Taking into account the statements made by the representatives of Australia, Canada, Turkey and Zambia, the ballot papers to be distributed will therefore bear the names of six candidates. Before we begin the voting process, I should like to remind Members that, pursuant to rule 88 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly, no representative shall interrupt the voting except on a point of order on the actual conduct of the voting. We shall now begin the voting process. I request representatives to use only those ballot papers that have been distributed. Only those candidates whose names appear on the ballot papers are eligible for election. Representatives will indicate the one candidate for whom they wish to vote by placing a cross at the left of his or her name on the ballot papers. Ballot papers on which more than one name is marked will be considered invalid. Votes may be cast only for those whose names appear on the ballot papers.

The result of the voting is as follows: Number of ballot papers: 148 Number of invalid ballots: 0 Number of valid ballots: 148 Abstentions: 2 Number of members voting: 146 Required absolute majority: 96 Number of votes obtained: Ms. Vonimbolana Rasoazanany (Madagascar) 120 Mr. Stefan Trechsel (Switzerland) 25 Ms. Suzanne Mengue Zomo (Cameroon) 1 Ms. Lucy Asuagbor (Cameroon) 0 Mr. Moïse Ebongue (Cameroon) 0 Mr. Mathew Epuli (Cameroon) 0

Having obtained an absolute majority, Ms. Vonimbolana Rasoazanany of Madagascar is elected an ad litem judge of the International Tribunal. Having obtained an absolute majority, the following 27 candidates are elected ad litem judges of the International Tribunal for a four-year term beginning 12 June 2001: Ms. Carmen María Argibay (Argentina), Mr. Hans Henrik Brydensholt (Denmark), Mr. Guibril Camara (Senegal), Mr. Joaquin Martin Canivell (Spain), Mr. Romeo Capulong (Philippines), Mr. Arthur Chaskalson (South Africa), Ms. Maureen Harding Clark (Ireland), Ms. Fatoumata Diarra (Mali), Mr. Albin Eser (Germany), Mr. Mohamed Al Habib Fassi Fihri (Morocco), Mr. Claude Hanoteau (France), Mr. Hassan Bubacarr Jallow (Gambia), Ms. Ivana Janů (Czech Republic), Mr. Per-Johan Lindholm (Finland), Mr. Rafael Nieto-Navia (Colombia), Mr. Mauro Politi (Italy), Ms. Vonimbolana Rasoazanany (Madagascar), Mr. Ralph Riachy (Lebanon), Mr. Amarjeet Singh (Singapore), Mr. Albertus Henricus Joannes Swart (Netherlands), Mr. György Szénási (Hungary), Mr. Chikako Taya (Japan), Mr. Krister Thelin (Sweden), Ms. Christine Van Den Wyngaert (Belgium), Mr. Volodymyr Vassylenko (Ukraine), Mr. Lal Chand Vohrah (Malaysia) and Ms. Sharon Williams (Canada). I take this opportunity to extend to the ad litem judges the congratulations of the Assembly on their elections and to thank the tellers for their assistance. We have thus concluded this stage of our consideration of agenda item 166.