Cablegate: 62nd Unga Adopts the Report of the General

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PP RUEHAT
DE RUCNDT #0782 2641736
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 211736Z SEP 07
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2637
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UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000782

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL UNGA PHUM CH TW
SUBJECT: 62ND UNGA ADOPTS THE REPORT OF THE GENERAL
COMMITTEE

REF: A. SECSTATE 131494
B. USUNNY 00773
C. SECSTATE 128329

1.(U) The UN General Committee (GC) met September 19 to
inscribe items on the agenda of the 62nd UNGA, which opened
September 18, and to allocate them to the Main Committees or
Plenary. The UNGA plenary will meet September 21 to consider
the General Committee's Report. With the exception of two
items, the process of inscription and allocation was
non-controversial. As anticipated (ref A), the most heated
discussion focused on whether to inscribe an item pertaining
to UN membership for Taiwan(ref B). Following a vote to
limit debate to four speakers (24(U.S.)-3-0), the General
Committee decided not to inscribe that item, but Taiwan
supporters are likely to reopen the issue in the Plenary.

2. (U) Human Rights Council: The General Committee of the
General Assembly decided by consensus to defer a decision on
whether to allocate consideration of the Report of the Human
Rights Council to the plenary or the Third Committee. USUN
spoke in favor of allocation to the Third Committee (ref C),
and Egypt, speaking on behalf of Africa, made a strong
statement along the same lines. Six other African states
concurred in statements of their own: Mauritius, Botswana,
DRC, Sudan, Gambia, and Senegal. Russia also supported this
view. Iceland, Finland, Cyprus, the UK, France, and Uruguay,
however, spoke in favor of deferring the decision to allow
for further discussion. The GA President will now consult
with delegations to try to reach an agreement on the
allocation. No date was set for further consideration of the
matter. Last year, the allocation was deferred for a month,
until late October, but the report was ultimately allocated
to the Third Committee.
KHALILZAD

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