The General Assembly this morning, acting concurrently with the Security Council, elected Gonzalo Parra-Aranguren of Venezuela to the International Court of Justice to serve the remainder of the term of Judge Andres Aguilar Mawdsley, of Venezuela, who died on 24 October 1995 and whose term would have ended on 5 February 2000.

Elections to the Court require an absolute majority in both the Council and the Assembly, voting independently. In the Assembly voting, Mr. Parra- Aranguren was elected on a second ballot. He had obtained 73 votes out of a total of 145 valid ballots cast in the first round, and 97 of a total of 143 in the second. The required majority was 94. Mr. Parra-Aranguren was elected on the Security Council's first ballot. The other candidates were Judges Julio A. Barberis of Argentina, and Franscisco Villagran Kramer of Guatemala.

Since 1985, Mr. Parra-Aranguren has been a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. He has also been a member of the Legal Advisory Committee of Venezuela's Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1984, and on the Legal Advisory Council of the National Congress since 1990.

In other actions this morning, the Assembly decided to include in the agenda of its fiftieth session three additional items concerning the financing of three peace-keeping missions: the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina; United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium (UNTAES); and United Nations Preventive Deployment Force (UNPREDEP). The three new items were allocated to the Assembly's Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary).

In addition, the Assembly decided to reopen the item concerning financial reports and audited financial statements and reports of the Board of Auditors, in order to consider a report on the inventory control system for non-expendable property at Headquarters.

Also this morning, the Assembly President, Diogo Freitas do Amaral (Portugal), informed the Assembly that 39 Member States were in arrears in the payment of their financial contributions to the United Nations within the terms of Article 19 of the Charter. The representative of Syria spoke on a point of order concerning that issue.

At the outset of the meeting, the Assembly observed a minute of silence in tribute to the memory of the late King Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho, who died on 15 January. Statements expressing condolences to the Government and people of Lesotho and to the bereaved family were made by the representatives of the United Republic of Tanzania (on behalf of the African States), India (on behalf of the Asian States), Belarus (on behalf of Eastern European States), Colombia (on behalf of Latin American and Caribbean States), Portugal (on behalf of Western European and Other States) and the United States, as the host country. The Permanent Representative of Lesotho, Percy Metsing Mangoaela, expressing gratitude, said his country had lost one of its most illustrious sons.

The Assembly will next meet on a date to be announced.

For further details please see source:
MEETINGS COVERAGE

For further details please see official record:
A/50/PV.101

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