At the UN, Votes on Peacekeeping Split and Israel Debt, Building Fix and School's Out for Summer

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN

UNITED NATIONS, June 27 -- "School's out for summer." With that quotation from rocker Alice Cooper, Germany's representative to the UN General Assembly's Fifth Committee put an end to the Committee's end of session flurry of  work, complete with adoption of peacekeeping budgets, reports on the Capital Master Plan to renovate the UN, and contested votes involving Israel.

            On the restructuring of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, about which the Committee met deep into the night some weeks ago, the Committee agreed "to establish the post of Under-Secretary-General for Field Support until 30 June 2008." After that, UN Controller Warren Sach read a statement that the Secretariat understands that the establishment is for two years, and not one.

            Mr. Sach also provided an update on the Capital Master Plan. He stated that the UN is about to announce the selection of a construction manager, and the lease of 70% of the needed space within blocks of the UN. Sources tell Inner City Press it is at 305-311 East 46th Street; these sources indicate the building has a history of violations, including involving the elevator system.

            Egypt's representative contested Mr. Sach's report, questioning why the promised advisory board has not been established, and saying that there has been "zero progress."

            "That's a value judgment," Mr. Sach replied. He acknowledged that the Plan is now behind scheduled, but said that the CMP's executive director -- "a distinguish architect" whom Sach left unnamed -- is about to be named.  "We don't have liquidity needs," Sach said. Asked about the (still unnamed) construction manager, Mr. Sach expressed his, and by extension the Secretariat's, "reasonable level of comfort."

UNIFIL at night (5th Committee also met at night)

            The contested vote occurred on the "Financing of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon," or UNIFIL. Four paragraphs in the 38-paragraph resolution refer to requiring Israel to pay $1,117,005 "resulting from the incident at Qana on 18 April 1996."  Voting against these paragraphs were five countries: the United States, Israel, Canada, Australia and Palau. (One wag asked, what happened with the Marshall Islands?) Voting against the entire resolution on these grounds were only the U.S. and Israel, with Australia abstaining.

            There followed a series of folksy thank-yous, to a Canadian staffer who coordinated breakfasts throughout the session, to Mr. Sach and to Mr. Saha of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions. The Fifth Committee's resolutions are slated to be endorsed en masse by the General Assembly on June 29. We'll be there...

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