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Editorial Note

Proceeding through a complicated parliamentary situation in one meeting on December 12 (on the assessments question), the Fifth Committee successively rejected the Soviet draft resolution, the Indian draft resolution, the joint draft resolution of Cuba-India-Israel-Mexico-Pakistan, [Page 206] and the United States and Canadian draft amendments to the draft Syria-United Kingdom resolution. The Committee then, in a series of votes, adopted the latter resolution, which inter alia accepted the scale of assessments adopted by the Committee on Contributions together with a recommendation that the Contributions Committee review this scale of contributions in 1952, taking into account views expressed by Members during the Sixth Session of the General Assembly.

The United States voted against the Soviet draft resolution, the Indian draft resolution, and the joint 5-power draft resolution. For its own draft amendment, the United States was joined by one other Member. The United States was one of nine to vote for the Canadian draft amendment. The United States was one of three Members to vote against the joint Syria-United Kingdom resolution.

The United States Representative (Vorys) made two statements during the December 12 meeting. The first was to speak against the Soviet draft resolution. The second, briefly, was in support of the United States position that the ceiling principle should be established “immediately as the best means of strengthening support for all United Nations activities.” Representative Vorys described the question as “a vital political matter.”

For the proceedings of the Fifth Committee on the contributions question on December 12, see GA (VI), Fifth Committee, pages 149–153.

For an overview of the proceedings of the Fifth Committee on the assessments question, see “Report of the Fifth Committee” (UN Doc. A/2019), in GA (VI), Annexes, fascicule for Agenda Item 44, “Scale of Assessments for the apportionment of the expenses of the United Nations: report of the Committee on Contributions”.