December 10, 1996

decision to finance December 1997 ICC PrepCom meetings

Fifth Committee

1. On Monday, December 9, 1996, the UN's Fifth Committee

(Administrative and Budget Cttee.) met from 9:30pm-1:30am to

discuss the "pattern of conferences," with particular focus on

the issue of whether the Fifth Committee should certify that the

scheduled December 1997 meetings for the International Criminal

Court (ICC) called for by the Sixth Committee can take placeh

within the limits of the existing UN budget. After

approximately two hours of discussion, the Fifth Committee

decided to amend the schedule, including alteration of Fifth

Committee meetings, in order to accommodate the Sixth

Committee's scheduled meetings for 1997.

2. On December 3, 1996 a Note by the Secretariat, entitled the

Programme Budget for the Biennium 1996-1997 (A/C.5/51/22/Add.1),

listed the scheduled meetings for 1997 and whether these

meetings could be accommodated by Conference Services. The

December 1997 meetings were listed as "cannot be accommodated."

This was a move by the Secretariat to press the Fifth

Committee to be more frugal and realistic with its use of

conference services.

3. Due to the efforts of many of the "Like-minded" Sixth

Committee representatives and Coalition members who informed the

"Like-minded" Fifth Committee representatives of the

significance of the December 1997 PrepCom meetings on the ICC,

the Fifth Committee representatives were well-aware of the

importance of these meetings.

4. A revision in Paragraph 4 of the Pattern of Conferences

document, (to be released), supported by the "Like-minded" Fifth

Committee delegates, in essence, allows conference services for

the December 1997 PrepCom meetings on the ICC.