INTERVENTION BY MR. PRAYONO ATIYANTO MEMBER OF THE INDONESIAN DELEGATION AT THE CLOSING OF THE THIRD RESUMED SESSION OF THE FIFTH COMMITTEE OF THE 52ND SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

New York, 21 August 1998

Mr. Chairman,

It would remiss for the Group of 77 and China not to express a few closing remarks at the conclusion of the work of the third-resumed session of the Fifth Committee which also ends the work of the Fifth Committee in the 52nd session of the General Assembly.

Let me therefore, express, on behalf of the members of the Group of 77 and China, our deep appreciation to you for your genuine and fine efforts in leading the work of the Fifth Committee through out the 52nd session of the General Assembly in 1997 and 1998. We were always inspired by your expertise and able Chairmanship which lead the way to the important achievements and valuable learning experiences.

We would also like to express our gratitude to the member of the bureau of the Fifth Committee of the 52nd session of the General Assembly for their dedication in ensuring that the work of the Fifth Committee was brought forward. This is particularly true as seen in their efforts to employ innovative ideas and flexibilities when designing the agenda and programme of work for the Committee

We would also like to extend our thanks to all the staff of the Secretariat of the Fifth Committee and other substantive departments, Department of Conference Services and all conference officers, sound engineers, and also the Department of Public Information for all their invaluable assistance in the work of the Fifth Committee and the Group of 77 and China throughout the 52nd Session of the General Assembly.

In addition, we would like to thank all of our partners for their cooperation. In this regard, we would like to say that we enjoyed working together with them in the many negotiations that took place during the 52nd session of the General Assembly. What is of importance for us is that we work in a spirit of constructive and genuine partnership in addressing the many issues of common interest so as to move the work of the Fifth Committee forward.

Mr. Chairman,

To have differences is only natural. People meet in the United Nations from various backgrounds and with distinctive customs and habits for generations. Some people grow impatient with this. In fact one might occasionally think that their way is best, and not others. What should be important is that we can learn from other people, and as a basis to all understanding, we should be willing to learn and willing to listen.

Moreover, when we look upon the failures in the United Nations, we should not be disheartened, because if we are prepared to learn from these failures, eventually we will use this machinery better and more effectively. We will also learn one important thing, and that is, no machinery works unless people make it work. And I think that is the main lesson for us to remember today.

Mr. Chairman,

The Group of 77 and China is looking forward to the next meeting of the Fifth Committee of the 53rd Session of the General Assembly. Many important issues must be tackled during the 53rd Session and we hope that we will have more productive and effective meetings. In this regard, we would like to stress again the need to fully redress the problems of the late issuance and submission of reports and documents by the Secretariat which have become chronic problems in this organization. We further hope that the Secretariat will spare no effort to address this problem so as to enable the Fifth Committee to make timely decisions on the many issues of particular importance to the developing countries.

Mr. Chairman,

Permit me also to express my best wishes to the distinguished representative of Argentina, Mr. Carlos Riva, who will leave New York very soon and, on behalf of my colleagues in the Group of 77 and China, to thank him most sincerely for all his contribution to the work of the Group of 77 and China and the Fifth Committee in the 52nd session of the General Assembly.

Let me just finally say, and on a more personal note, a few words in my national language " sekali lagi selamat den semoga anda selalu berhasil dalam karier anda di mesa datang, serta semoga Allah Yang Maha Kuasa memberkahi anda dengan kesehatan yang balk", which means, once again congratulation and I wish you the best of success in your career in the future. May God the All Mighty bless you with good health.

Thank you.