OAS TO CALL SPECIAL ASSEMBLY SESSION TO CONSIDER BUDGET ISSUES

August 19, 1998

The Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly is to meet in a special session set for November 12 and 13, to consider matters concerning the hemispheric body's budget for next year.

The decision was taken by the Permanent Council on Wednesday as it met under the chairmanship of Uruguay's ambassador, Antonio Mercader. The twenty-fifth special General Assembly session is also to approve member state quotas and consider other matters having to do with the organization's program-budget and funding.

Wednesday's Council sitting also decided to ask the Inter-American Juridical Committee, --currently holding its annual session at its Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, headquarters-- to prepare an up to date report on legal steps most conducive to enhancing measures to prevent, combat and eliminate terrorism, as a matter of priority. The item was proposed by the Alternate Representative of Argentina to the OAS, Juan Jos� Arcuri, whose country is to host the Second Inter-American Specialized Conference on Terrorism on a date to be determined.

OAS Secretary General C�sar Gaviria meanwhile delivered an oral report on the Meeting of Ministers of Education that was held in Brasilia, Brazil, July 20 and 21. Mr. Gaviria described the meeting as "the first successful follow-up effort coming out of the Second Summit of the Americas," to be held under the auspices of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI).

The Permanent Council, the second-ranking OAS decision-making body, also noted and referred to the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs for consideration requests it had received from the governments of Turkey and Thailand seeking to become permanent observers to the Western Hemisphere organization.

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