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