Charter Committee considers maintenance of international peace and security, dispute settlement, rationalization of United Nations procedures.

Charter Committee considers maintenance of international peace and security, dispute settlement, rationalization of United Nations procedures

Proposals for the maintenance of internationalpeace and security, peaceful settlement of disputes and the rationalization of existing United Nations procedures were the focus of the deliberations of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization at its 1987 session (5-27 February, New York).

In a concluding statement, CommitteeChairman Andrzej W. Kakolecki (Poland) said that "modest but promising progress' had been made by the Committee in 1987 and that sterile and fruitless debate had been avoided.

A constructive discussion of the rationalizationof existing procedures of the United Nations had taken place, and discussion of the Romanian proposal on the resort to a commission of good offices had led to a promising new development as well, he said.

A number of constructive proposalshad been submitted concerning the maintenance of international peace and security, Mr. Kakolecki further observed.

Maintenance of international peace and security

Under the item on maintenance ofinternational peace and security, the Committee considered a revised working paper--submitted by Belgium, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand and Spain-- containing a draft declaration on the prevention and removal by the United Nations of disputes, situations which may lead to international friction or give rise to a dispute and matters which may threaten the maintenance of peace and security.

Several paragraphs of the Westernpaper were provisionally accepted, including one paragraph stating that the Security Council should consider "encouraging and, where appropriate, endorsing efforts at the regional level to prevent or remove a dispute, situation or a matter in the region concerned' as well as a paragraph stating that the Security Council should, at an early stage, consider making use of Charter provisions for requesting an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on any legal question.

Another provisionally accepted textconcerning the role of the Secretary-General, asked him to consider approaching the States directly concerned in a dispute, situation or matter in an effort to prevent it from becoming a threat to the maintenance of international peace and security. The Secretary-General was also to consider making full use...