§ Sir John Osbornasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what were the reasons for the United Nations Council for Namibia holding a conference in Thailand on Namibia on 21 May; what was the cost of organising this conference; and what was the Government's contribution to this cost.
§ Mr. RifkindThe meeting was held under the authority of General Assembly resolution 36C (1983) on the question of Namibia, on which the United Kingdom abstained. This resolution authorised the council to hold a series of plenary meetings in Asia in 1984. We have asked the secretary-general to provide detailed information on the costs of the meeting, which were met from the United Nations regular budget. It has been our longstanding policy, taking into account legal considerations, to meet in full our assessed contribution to that budget.
§ Sir John Osbornasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the Government's policy towards the activities of the United Nations Council for Namibia.
§ Mr. RifkindWe do not recognise the claim of the United Nations Council for Namibia to be the legal administering authority for Namibia. We made clear our concern that the council's meeting in Bangkok represented a departure from General Assembly resolution 31/140 which requires all meetings to be held at the appropriate headquarters location.