160. Telegram 5235 From the Mission to the United Nations to the Department of State, October 22, 1975, 1557Z.1 2
TELEGRAM
Department of State
USUN 5235
R 221557Z OCT 75
FM USMISSION USUN NY
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 3149
INFO AMEMBASSY
ROME
USMISSION GENEVA
USMISSION OECD PARIS
USMISSION EC
BRUSSELS
USDEL MTN GENEVA UNN
USUN 5235
E.O. 11652: N/A
TAGS: UNGA
SUBJ: 30TH UNGA-AGENDA ITEM 60: FOOD PROBLEMS
REFS: (A) USUN 4895;
(B) USUN 5122
SUMMARY: FOLLOWING THE INTRODUCTION OF THIS ITEM BY WFC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR HANNAH, REPRESENTATIVES OF 62 COUNTRIES PARTICIPATED IN AN ESSENTIALLY NON-CONTROVERSIAL DEBATE. IN A SENSE, LDC APPEALS FOR A MORE RAPID IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECISIONS OF THE WFC WERE MATCHED BY DC INDICATIONS OF “BEST EFFORTS”. SOVIET BLOC STATEMENTS WERE GENERAL AND CAREFULLY AVOIDED ANY COMMITMENT. THE ISSUE OF GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF THE WFC SECRETARIAT DID NOT EMERGE. IFAD RECEIVED GENERAL ENDORSEMENT THOUGH ONLY IRAN AND THE U.S. INDICATED SPECIFIC CONTRIBUTIONS. DISCUSSION OF THIS AS WELL AS OTHER PENDING ISSUES WILL RESUME FOLLOWING THE MEETING OF INTERESTED GOVERNMENTS SCHEDULED FOR ROME AT THE END OF OCTOBER. END SUMMARY.
1. AS REPORTED REFTEL (A), THIS ITEM WAS INTRODUCED BY WORLD FOOD COUNCIL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JOHN HANNAH WHO REPORTED ON PROGRESS IN IMPLEMENTING THE OPERATIONAL DECISIONS OF THE WORLD FOOD CONFERENCE AND ON THE RECENT MEETING OF THE AD HOC WORKING GROUP OF INTERESTED COUNTRIES DEALING WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT.
2. REPRESENTATIVES OF 62 COUNTRIES PARTICIPATED IN THE SUBSEQUENT DEBATE WHICH WAS ESSENTIALLY NONCONTROVERSIAL. WITH ONLY NUANCES OF EMPHASIS, ALMOST ALL SPEAKERS ACCEPTED THE NEED TO PROVIDE IMMEDIATE EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE AS WELL AS TO WORK TOWARD THE LONG TERM GOAL OF INCREASING FOOD PRODUCTION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.
3. PREDICTABLY, LDC’S CHIDED THE DEVELOPED WORLD FOR NOT ACHIEVING THE WFC FOOD AID TARGET AND CALLED FOR INCREASED ASSISTANCE TO AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT INCLUDING RELATED AREAS SUCH AS FERTILIZER INPUTS. A CONSTANT THEME, THOUGH NEVER SPELLED OUT IN DETAIL, WAS THE NEED FOR A CLEARER DEFINITION OF THE WFC RESPONSIBILITIES, ESPECIALLY IN RELATION TO OTHER UN AGENCIES. THE SWEDISH PROPOSAL TO ESTABLISH AN EMERGENCY GRAIN RESERVE WAS SUPPORTED BY SEVERAL SPEAKERS. OTHER LDC THEMES INCLUDED THE NEED TO SURVEY POTENTIAL NEW LAND RESOURCES, MARKET ACCESS FOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS (A PARTICULAR PET OF LA COUNTRIES), AND SUPPORT FOR THE INTERNATIONAL UNDERTAKING ON WORLD FOOD SECURITY. NIEO AND GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE WFC SECRETARIAT WERE RAISED ONLY BE A FEW LDC SPEAKERS. MANY SPEAKERS NOTED APPROVINGLY THE CONSENSUS ACHIEVED AT THE WORLD FOOD CONFERENCE AND AT THE 7TH SPECIAL SESSION AND URGED A RAPID IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMMITMENTS AGREED TO IN THOSE FORA.
4. STATEMENTS BY DC REPS REAFFIRMED THEIR CONCERN WITH THE BASIC PROBLEM AS WELL AS THEIR INTERNATIONAL COMMITMENTS, AND REVIEWED THE STEPS TAKEN TO IMPLEMENT THESE COMMITMENTS. EC-9 SPOKESMEN QUESTIONED THE DECISION TO HOLD THE NEXT WFC SESSION IN GENEVA RATHER THAN ROME. STATEMENTS BY SOVIET BLOC REPS EMPHASIZED THE NECESSITY FOR INTERNAL STRUCTURAL REFORMS BY DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AS A NECESSARY PRECONDITION FOR AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT, CAREFULLY AVOIDED ANY SPECIFIC COMMITMENTS TO THE INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS FOLLOWING FROM THE WFC DECISIONS, AND WOUND UP WITH THE LITANY OF DETENTE, DISARMAMENT, AND NIEO. A COPY OF THE U.S. STATEMENT WAS TRANSMITTED REFTEL (B).
5. THE PROPOSED ESTABLISHMENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT RECEIVED UNANIMOUS SUPPORT THOUGH ONLY THE U.S. AND IRAN ANNOUNCED SPECIFIC INTENTIONS TO CONTRIBUTE. SEVERAL LDC SPOKESMAN EXPRESSED THE DESIRE THAT THE FUND BE LOCATED IN A DEVELOPING COUNTRY, DURING THE DISCUSSION, MOROCCO RENEWED ITS OFFER TO HOST THE FUND AND EGYPT CIRCULATED A FORMAL NOTE PROPOSING CAIRO AS THE HEADQUARTERS. EC-9 SPOKESMEN WERE UNANIMOUS IN SUPPORTING THE LOCATION OF THE FUND IN ROME. SPECIFIC ISSUES ON THE PROPOSED FUND WERE NOT ADDRESSED DURING THIS DEBATE. HOWEVER, THE DEBATE ON THIS ITEM WILL BE RESUMED FOLLOWING THE MEETING OF INTERESTED GOVERNMENTS SCHEDULED FOR THE END OF OCTOBER.
6. ALMOST NONE OF THE SPEAKERS ADDRESSED THE TWO ITEMS PENDING BEFORE THE 30TH UNGA; I.E. RECONSTITUTION OF THE UN/FAO INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMITTEE AND VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAM. NOR HAVE RESOLUTIONS ON THESE ITEMS BEEN OFFICIALLY CIRCULATED AS YET. MISSION ASSUMES THAT THEY WILL BE CONSIDERED WHEN THE DEBATE RESUMES LATER THIS SESSION. MOYNIHAN
- Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy Files. Unclassified. Repeated to Rome, the Mission to the U.N. in Geneva, the Mission to the OECD in Paris, the Mission to the EC in Brussels, and the Delegation to the Multilateral Trade Negotiations in Geneva. ↩
- The Mission summarized the discussion on World Food Council and World Food Conference items at the 30th United Nations General Assembly. ↩