LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL Hon. CLEMENT J. ZABLOCKI, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: From September 18 to December 18, we served as members of the U.S. delegation to the 34th session of the United Nations General Assembly. We were appointed as delegates by President Carter and confirmed by the Senate. This report sets forth our joint observations on our experience. Supplemental views and additional materials appear in a separate section at the end of this report. It is our hope that this report will be useful to the committee and to the entire Congress in considering U.N.-related legislation. (V) BENJAMIN S. ROSENTHAL. Developments in international law. Administrative and budgetary issues.. APPENDIXES I. International Conference preparation seminar for the U.S. delega- tion to the 34th session of the U.N. General Assembly. II. Factsheet on the U.S. mission to the U.N.. III. Agendas of General Assembly committees. D. The North-South dialog and the new international economic VI. Reports by Representatives Rosenthal and Winn to the Congress. VII. Statements by Representative Rosenthal at the 34th U.N. General (VII) H. Administrative and budgetary matters.. V. The Iranian situation... U.N. Security Council resolutions__ U.S. application to the International Court.. INTRODUCTION The General Assembly, the principal political organ of the United Nations in which all U.N. members are represented, meets regularly every year from September to December to debate issues of world concern. The U.S. delegation to the General Assembly traditionally consists of the Permanent U.S. Representative to the United Nations, plus public delegates appointed by the President for each General Assembly session and confirmed by the Senate. The appointment of public delegates brings distinguished Americans to the U.N. and demonstrates to U.N. member states the United States' commitment to the world organization. The public delegates to the 34th session included two senior members of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and three other Americans selected from the public at large. U.S. delegates and alternates to the 34th General Assembly were: Representatives Hon. Donald F. McHenry, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Hon. Benjamin S. Rosenthal, U.S. Representative from the State of New York. Hon. Larry Winn, Jr., U.S. Representative from the State of Kansas. Hon. Esther L. Coopersmith, Washington, D.C. Alternate Representatives Hon. William L. Dunfey, Hampton, N.H. Hon. Howard Rosen, Milburn, N.J. Hon. Richard W. Petree, Ambassador, Deputy U.S. Representative on the Security Council. We accepted appointment to the U.S. delegation in full knowledge of the additional responsibilities involved. From the outset, we understood that only by participating fully in the U.S. mission's special briefings, regular delegation meetings, and official receptions as well as in our General Assembly assignments, could we fulfill what we believed to be our obligation as delegates. Both of us spent a significant part of the fall of 1979 in New York at the General Assembly session. Our assignment meant unavoidable absences from our traditional congressional responsibilities, and we were well aware that our constituents were not generally enthusiastic about the United Nations. At the same time we believed that our assignment could sharpen our understanding of the United Nations, both its strengths and weaknesses, and that it could assist our continuing work as members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee which considers legislation on U.S. participation in U.N. organizations and programs. (1) |