unanimously agreed that ICAO should give highest priority in its legal work program to this proposal. Identification of a preferred additive for use in the manufacture of explosives, and other related technical measures, were the subject of meetings in March and November of the ICAO Ad Hoc Group of Specialists on the Detection of Explosives, which includes the United States. At the end of the year, a draft convention was being prepared.

The Assembly also adopted a strong resolution against unlawful interference, specifically the destruction of civil aircraft in flight. This resolution was initiated by France in view of the bombing of its UTA Flight 172 over Niger on the opening day of the Assembly. The resolution incorporated elements of a draft resolution circulated by the United States and called on the Council to complete in the shortest possible time the security program adopted in its resolution of February 16. The Assembly endorsed the proposed program for a new ICAO mechanism for increased security assistance to states, which had also been recommended in the February resolution.

During the meeting of the Assembly, the United States pledged $100,000 as a special voluntary contribution toward a trust fund established within ICAO on aviation security. Also, the United States offered to ICAO the use of two experts from the Federal Aviation Administration to work on ICAO's aviation security program. The experts were to begin work in ICAO headquarters in 1990.

OTHER ASSEMBLY ACTION

The U.S. Delegation to the Assembly was headed by Edmund Stohr, the U.S. Representative to ICAO, and included representatives from the Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration and Department of State. Admiral James Busey, newly appointed as Federal Aviation Administrator, made an opening statement for the United States.

In a secret ballot, the Assembly reelected the United States to the 33-member ICAO Council in Category I (10 states of chief importance in air traffic); the United States received 123 out of a possible 131 votes. A strong effort was made by 41 African states to increase the Council from 33 members to "at least 36 states" by having the Assembly immediately approve, without the required advance notification or justification, another amendment to the convention. The Assembly decided that the Council should study the matter with a view to convening an extraordinary session of the Assembly in 1990 to consider the issue. The Assembly approved, with U.S. support, an amendment to the Convention on International Civil Aviation which, when ratified by the requisite 108 contracting states, will increase the size of the ICAO Air Navigation Commission from 15 to 19 members.

The Assembly could not reach agreement on the matter of possible noise restrictions on subsonic jet aircraft that do not meet the noise certification

requirements in Annex 16. Consequently, this subject also was referred to the extraordinary Assembly on the understanding that no unilateral action would be taken by states in the meantime. A resolution was adopted urging the Council to elaborate with a high degree of priority concrete measures to prevent and eliminate use of illicit drugs and other substances by crew members, air traffic controllers, mechanics and other staff of international civil aviation.

The Assembly urged states to take measures, in consultation with users and airport operators, to alleviate airspace and airport congestion without prejudice to safety. Through its Economic Commission, the Assembly also reviewed the Council's work in the air transport field and reviewed the issues of trade in services, tariff enforcement and computer reservation systems.

The Assembly approved, by consensus, a regular budget of $106.7 million for the 1990-1992 triennium. The budget, in accord with the recommendations of the Finance Committee and the Council, represented negative growth of 3 percent in real terms from the 1987-1989 triennial budget. The Assembly also approved a Council recommendation regarding the disposition of $8.8 million in unrealized budget surplus from previous years. As approved, the surplus will be disposed of as follows: (1) $2 million toward an increase in the ICAO Working Capital Fund; (2) $6.2 million to be returned to member states as credits toward their 1990-1992 assessments (the United States is assessed 25 percent of the total); and (3) $600,000 returned to those member states which qualify under the ICAO incentive payment scheme, according to the dates on which they paid their assessments (the U.S. share amounts to $62,000).

With Assembly approval, ICAO adopted a new program budget format for 1990-1992 to bring it in line with other major UN system agencies. In 1990-1992 the new program budget format will be used concurrently with ICAO's traditional (appropriation category) budget to facilitate ICAO's complete transition to the program budget in 1993-1995.

IRAN AIR 655 INCIDENT

In March the Council returned to a discussion of Iran Air Flight 655, which was mistakenly shot down by the USS Vincennes during a military engagement in the Persian Gulf in July 1988. This incident had been the subject of an ICAO fact-finding investigation and report in 1988 (see United States Participation in the UN, 1988). After discussion at three meetings, the Council adopted a resolution reaffirming its policy of condemning the use of weapons against civil aircraft in flight, deeply deploring the tragic incident, and urging states to take all necessary measures to safeguard the safety of air navigation.

ICAO STATISTICS DIVISION

The eighth session of the ICAO Statistics Division was held at ICAO headquarters from April 11 to 20; 47 contracting states, including the United

States, attended. The 17 recommendations adopted included elimination of the reporting form for fleet and traffic statistics of small carriers; it was argued that much of the data could be collected by other means. The division also recommended enhancement of the ICAO programs for collection of data for traffic by flight stage and airport financial statistics.

The division emphasized the need for increased availability and timeliness of ICAO statistics. A recommendation was made that ICAO should develop, as a matter of high priority, a comprehensive program for increased automation of the collection, analysis, and transmission of aviation statistics among ICAO members, aviation authorities, airlines, airports and other interested parties.

ICAO REGIONAL AIR NAVIGATION MEETING

The Second Caribbean/South American Regional Air Navigation (CAR/SAM RAN) meeting was held at Santiago, Chile, May 2-20. More than 12 years had elapsed since a major ICAO meeting had focused attention on the regional plan of air navigation facilities and services for that area. Because there had been many important technological developments in that time, the report of the meeting contained more than 220 recommendations and conclusions for final action by the ICAO Council. The meeting, which was attended by representatives of 33 contracting states and 9 international organizations, selected the chairman of the U.S. Delegation, Garland Castleberry (FAA), to chair the implementation working group.

CONTINUING AIRWORTHINESS PANEL

The second session of the Continuing Airworthiness Panel was held at ICAO headquarters from November 27 to December 6. This meeting, which was attended by members from 16 contracting states and observers from three international organizations, took the following actions, all of them supported by the United States:

Agreement on a description of continuing airworthiness requirements, ranging from the time aircraft are designed through production and service life until they are retired;

Proposed amendment of ICAO Annex 6, Part I, on Operation of Aircraft, to establish or strengthen requirements to ensure that aircraft operators continue airworthiness of aircraft in their fleets;

Proposed amendment of ICAO Annex 8, on Airworthiness of Aircraft, to establish or strengthen requirements of national airworthiness authorities in their roles as states of registry and/or design for continuing airworthiness assurance;

Establishment of plans for guidance material to supplement the proposed new provisions of Annexes 6 and 8 by a new ICAO continuing airworthiness manual, as well as by possible revisions to the Airworthiness Technical Manual;

Agreement to examine the implications of leasing arrangements and aging aircraft in relation to airworthiness.

Working groups were set up to speed the work in each of these areas. The Panel also concluded that the proposed revisions to Annexes 6 and 8, if implemented, would make a significant contribution to assuring the continuing airworthiness of all aircraft.

International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

In 1989 no countries acceded to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) convention. As of December 31, 1989, the membership remained at 166

countries.

ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL, 44TH SESSION

The ITU's Administrative Council (44th session) met in Geneva from January 30 to February 3, with closing meetings in Nice, France, from May 24 to 25, coinciding with the opening of the ITU's 13th Plenipotentiary Conference. All decisions of consequence were deferred to the conference. The Council, of which the United States is a member, reviewed the draft 1990 Union expenditure budget, which formed the basis for deciding upon the budget ceilings which were adopted at the conference. In other actions, the Council reviewed and endorsed a number of basic documents for discussion at the conference, including documents on publications policy, financial and other implications of adding additional working languages to the Union, upgrading computer applications for frequency management, electronic remote access to the International Frequency Registration Board data banks, and the changing nature of the telecommunications environment. A surprising development was the announcement at the January session by incumbent Secretary General Richard Butler of Australia that he would not run for a second term at the Plenipotentiary Conference.

PLENIPOTENTIARY CONFERENCE

The ITU held its 13th Plenipotentiary Conference from May 23 to June 30 in Nice, France. Over 1,100 delegates from 143 of the ITU's member countries and 15 observer organizations attended this first meeting of the ITU's supreme body since 1982. Ambassador C. Travis Marshall headed the 40-member U.S. Delegation. The principal purposes of the conference were to revise the ITU's basic instrument, consider proposals for restructuring the ITU, and establish the policies to guide the Union's activities until the next Plenipotentiary

Conference, including: (1) establishing the program of conferences for revising the Radio Regulations; (2) setting annual spending ceilings until the 1994 Plenipotentiary Conference; (3) reviewing staff matters; and (4) electing officials.

POLITICAL ISSUES

During the preceding Plenipotentiary Conference at Nairobi in 1982, attempts to expel Israel from the ITU consumed nearly 4 of the Conference's 6 weeks. Careful advance preparation facilitated a less disruptive handling of political issues at Nice. Israeli-Arab issues were the most difficult. An antiapartheid resolution passed after minimum debate. Cuban statements attacking the United States required a rebuttal.

The Mideast

An early attempt to curtail debate and press for a secret procedural vote on a proposal by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Syria to expel Israel became stalled in parliamentary maneuvers. After further behind-the-scenes discussions, Arab members agreed to limit themselves to an hour of presentations in support of their position. Ambassador Sonia Landau, U.S. Coordinator and Director, Bureau of International Communications and Information Policy, Department of State, and a senior member of the U.S. Delegation, presented the U.S. position opposing the Arab initiatives as contrary to the concept of universality and of a broad political nature inappropriate for consideration in a technical specialized agency. The Representative of Saudi Arabia, chosen by the Arab delegations to coordinate the Israeli expulsion effort, then publicly agreed that, having presented their case, the resolution's sponsors would not pursue further proposals to expel Israel.

Midway through the conference, Saudi Arabia introduced a resolution, cosponsored by 28 countries, condemning Israeli actions regarding telecommunications services in the occupied territories and directing the Administrative Council to form a committee to study the matter. Ambassador Landau spoke forcefully against this resolution. The U.S. Delegation obtained the necessary four cosponsors (The Netherlands, Canada, Denmark and New Zealand) to call for a secret ballot. The resolution was adopted by a vote of 61 to 36 (U.S.), with 26 abstentions. Saudi Arabia also proposed a change in the draft language of the new basic instrument which would have allowed expulsion of a member for "proven destruction of telecommunications facilities." Saudi Arabia did not raise this issue in plenary session, however, after the United States and France obtained the support of other Security Council Permanent Members in opposition to the proposed change.

Despite speculation that the PLO would seek full membership in the ITU at Nice, it did not apply. However, the conference approved without debate a Secretariat proposal to change the PLO nameplate to read "Palestine" without