62ND UNGA PRESIDENT PLANS FOR TAIWAN ISSUE

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000741 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TW UNGA XE ZO SUBJECT: 62ND UNGA PRESIDENT PLANS FOR TAIWAN ISSUE DISCUSSION ¶1. Action Request Para 5. ¶2. Summary. UN General Assembly President-elect H.E. Mr. Srgjan Kerim convened informal consultations of the 62nd UNGA General Committee on September 6 to discuss procedures for considering the request for inscription of a new agenda item on Taiwan. The Chinese urged the Committee to follow past procedure and restrict discussion to two states speaking in favor of inscription and two against. Eighteen committee members agreed but two supporters of Taiwan objected to any restrictions on the debate. When the Committee convenes on September 19, it will have to agree on the procedure as well as decide whether to inscribe the item on the agenda of the General Assembly. End Summary. ¶3. China led the discussion of how the General Committee should deal with the request to inscribe a new item, "Urging the Security Council to process Taiwan's membership application pursuant to rules 59 and 60 of the provisional rules of procedure of the Security Council and Article 4 of the Charter of the United Nations". The proposal was submitted by Belize, Burkina Faso, El Salvador, the Gambia, Honduras, Kiribati, Malawi, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Solomon Islands, Swaziland and Tuvalu. The Chinese PR said that China is resolutely against inclusion of the item on the agenda. He asked members of the Committee to follow past practice and settle the matter within the General Committee. He proposed: a) The General Committee would hear two speakers for and two against after which the Committee Chair (GA President) would make a ruling. (In the past the ruling has been that there was no agreement to inscribe). b) In order to save time, no delegations should speak when the Report of the General Committee is considered in the General Assembly Plenary. ¶4. China's procedural proposal was supported by Bahamas, Benin, Botswana, Cyprus, DRK, Egypt, France, Iceland, Iraq, Jamaica, Mauritius, Moldova, Russia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Turkmenistan, UK and Uruguay. The U.S. did not make a statement but privately assured the Chinese and the GA President that we support the procedure proposed by China. The Representative of Palau, however, pointed out that the proposed procedural approach was not consistent with Rule 43 of the General Assembly Rules of Procedure which indicates that those members who have asked for inscription of an item should be permitted to speak. Gambia supported Palau's position but Honduras, also a sponsor of the inscription request, said that they would be flexible as to the procedure. ¶5. The issue of whether to limit debate as well as the issue of whether to inscribe the item will be before the General Committee when it meets on September 19. The outcome of General Committee action will be considered by the General Assembly Plenary on September 21 when it will be asked to adopt the Committee Report. ACTION REQUEST: USUN requests instructions (for the General Committee and Plenary) on whether to speak in support of the Chinese procedural proposal? Vote for it? Speak against inscription of the Taiwan item? Vote against inscription? KHALILZAD