Jul 24, 1987
UNCTAD-VII: FOCUS ON GROUPS MEETINGS AND "NON-PAPERS".
GENEVA, JULY 23 (IFDA/CHAKRAVARTHI RAGHAVAN) – The focus of conference activities Thursday morning was mainly on regional meetings, where the groups were trying to assess the various "non-papers" put forward or in the process of being done, by the chairmen of the four committees of the Conference. These "non-papers" are intended to provide a basis for further work in the Committees – drafting of a report of conclusions and recommendations on policies and measures in their respective fields. By Wednesday night, the chairman of the Committee one on resources, Amb. Makato Taniguchi of Japan had put forward a paper covering debt, with material relating to resources and related monetary questions still to be given. In Committee two, dealing with commodities, Chairman Carlos Perez del Castillo of Uruguay had put forward his paper. In Committee four dealing with LDCS, chairman Martin Huslid of Norway had formulated a paper on policies and measures, but the issues there relating to debt is still in process of formulation and expected to be put forward later Thursday. In Committee three, dealing with international trade and chaired by Am. Chak Mun See, the bureau of the Committee and group coordinators were at work till late into Wednesday night, looking at the proposals of the group of 77, documents before the Conference, and a working paper tabled by the group B countries – covering part of the agenda, but no particular conclusions on policy and measures beyond a work programme for the secretariat in the nature of studies and technical assistance programmes. The chairman’s text in this groups is expected to be formulated and put forward later Thursday. The Committees technically have time till Friday to complete their work, whereupon the contact group of the president is to take over. While the group 77, and its constituent regional groups are still assessing the situation and how to proceed, the limited time available for Committee work, and the tactics of group B delegations in not engaging in specifics, mean that entire negotiating process will now be transferred to the president’s contact groups. Given the stance of the group B in Committees, the chairmen’s texts, particularly in some of the Committees, might not even provide a middle ground on which the president’s contact group could begin its work. This is expected to be particularly so in the Committee on resources.