53rd United Nations General Assembly Opens

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53^rd United Nations General Assembly Opens

NEW YORK, 10 September 1998: The Fifty third (53^rd)
Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) was declared
opened at around 3 o’clock on 9 September 1998 at the United
Nations Headquarters in New York. The temporary President, H.E.
Hennady Udovenko of Ukraine, presided over the earlier part of
the Assembly’s first plenary meeting of the 53^rd UNGA. In a brief
opening remark Mr. Udovenka invited the General Assembly to observe
the International Day of Peace with a moment of meditation.

On a proposal by the temporary President, the General Assembly
appointed nine (9) members of the Credentials Committee as follows:
China; Fiji; Jamaica; Mali; New Zealand; Russia; the United States
of America; Venezuela and Zimbabwe. The Committee will examine
and report on credentials of representatives to the 53^rd UNGA.
The Assembly later proceeded to elect H.E. Didier Opertti of
Uruguay by acclamation as the President for the 53^rd UNGA.

The Assembly also elected on the opening day the Chairmanship
of its six (6) Main Committees and are as folows: First Committee
(Disarmament and International Security): H.E. Andre Mernier
of Belgium; Second Committee (Economic and Financial): H.E. Ambassador
Bager Asadi of Iran; Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and
Cultural): H.E. Ambassador/Permanent Representative M. Ali Hachani
of Tunisia; Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolinization):
Mr. Pablo Macedo of Mexico; Fifth Committee (Administrative and
Budgetary): H.E. Ambassador/Permanent Representative Dr. Movses
Abelian of Armenia; and Sixth Committee (Legal): H.E. Ambassador/Permanent
Representative Jagalsaikhany Enkhasikhan of Mongolia. The chairmanships
of the Main Committees were elected based on an equitable geographical
distribution as well as on expertise and experiences. Twenty
one Vice Presidents for the Assembly were also appointed.

While the opening of the 53^rd UNGA is earlier than normal
during this year, the General debate in the Plenary will begin
on 21 September until 2 October 1998. The President of the Federated
States of Micronesia, H.E. Jacob Nena, is set to address the
Assembly on the morning of 24 September 1998, as the first speaker
on the day’s first session. President Nena will deliver a national
statement on behalf of the FSM, and in his capacity as the current
Chairman of the South Pacific Forum, will also take up important
issues of regional concern in his address.

A reception to be hosted by FSM Ambassador and Permanent Representative
Masao Nakayama in honor of President Nena’s visit to New York
on the occassion of the 53^rd UNGA will be held in the evening
of 21 September 1998 at the United Nations Plaza.