International Atomic Energy Agency General Conference (Unofficial electronic version)	GC(42)/2 22 June 1998 GENERAL Distr. Original: ENGLISH
Forty-second regular session

1. In accordance with Rule 2 of the Rules of Procedure of the General Conference^1/, the Director General hereby notifies all Members of the Agency that the forty-second regular session of the General Conference will open at the Austria Center Vienna^2/ on Monday, 21 September 1998, at 10 a.m.

2. During the weekend preceding the opening of the Conference's session (Saturday, 19 September and Sunday, 20 September 1998), facilities will be made available for group meetings. Member States are strongly urged to avail themselves of those facilities with a view to achieving early agreement on organizational matters and thereby contributing to the smooth running of the session, ensuring - where necessary - that their representatives arrive in Vienna in time to participate in pre-session group meetings and the associated group decision-making. Meeting rooms may be reserved through the Secretariat's Conference Service Section (tel. no.: + 43 1 2060/21323).

3. Pursuant to Rule 11 of the Conference's Rules of Procedure, the Director General has drawn up the attached provisional agenda for the session in consultation with the Board of Governors. In the annotation to each item a suggestion is made, for consideration by the General Committee, as to where it should first be discussed - in plenary or in a committee.

4. Should the Director General receive by 22 August 1998 any request under Rule 13 for inclusion of a supplementary item in the agenda, such an item will, unless Rule 21 applies, be placed on a list which will be circulated not later than 1 September 1998.

1. Election of Officers and Appointment of the General Committee

2. Applications for Membership of the Agency

3. Message from the Secretary-General of the United Nations

4. Statement by the Director General

5. Arrangements for the Conference

   (a) Adoption of the Agenda and Allocation of Items for Initial Discussion

   (b) Closing Date of the Session and Opening Date of the Next Session

   (c) Criteria or Guidelines for Consideration of Requests for the Restoration of Voting Rights

   (d) Streamlining the Work of the General Conference

6. Contributions to the Technical Co-operation Fund for 1999

7. General Debate and Annual Report for 1997

8. Election of Members to the Board of Governors

9. The Agency's Accounts for 1997

10. The Agency's Programme and Budget for 1999 and 2000

11. Scale of Assessment of Members' Contributions Towards the Regular Budget

12. Measures to Strengthen International Co-operation in Nuclear, Radiation and Waste Safety

    (a) Report on Measures to Strengthen International Co-operation in Nuclear, Radiation and Waste Safety

    (b) Safety of Transport of Radioactive Materials

    (c) Study of the Radiological Situation at the Atolls of Mururoa and Fangataufa

13. Strengthening of the Agency's Technical Co-operation Activities

14. Plan for Producing Potable Water Economically

15. Strengthening the Effectiveness and Improving the Efficiency of the Safeguards System and Application of the Model Protocol

16. Measures Against Illicit Trafficking in Nuclear Materials and Other Radioactive Sources

17. Article VI of the Statute

18. Implementation of the Agreement Between the Agency and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea for the Application of Safeguards in connection with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

19. Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions Relating to Iraq

20. Israeli Nuclear Capabilities and Threat

21. Applications of IAEA Safeguards in the Middle East

22. Examination of Delegates' Credentials

23. Elections to the Agency's Staff Pension Committee

24. Report on Contributions Pledged to the Technical Co-operation Fund for 1999

1. Election of Officers and Appointment of the General Committee^3/ (Plenary)

   Under Rule 34 of the Rules of Procedure, the General Conference will be called upon to elect a President. The President will propose for election the names of eight Vice-Presidents and the name of a Chairman of the Committee of the Whole. Also, under Rule 40, the Conference is required to appoint a General Committee consisting of the President, the eight Vice-Presidents, the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole and five additional members elected on the proposal of the President.

2. Applications for Membership of the Agency (Plenary)

   The Conference will have before it a recommendation by the Board of Governors regarding an application for membership of the Agency. Document GC(42)/3 contains a Board recommendation regarding the application by Benin.

3. Message from the Secretary-General of the United Nations (Plenary)

   It is expected that a message from the Secretary-General of the United Nations will be delivered.

4. Statement by the Director General (Plenary)

   The Director General proposes to make a statement to the Conference.

5. Arrangements for the Conference
   1. Adoption of the Agenda and Allocation of Items for Initial Discussion (General Committee)

      The General Committee is required to report to the Conference under Rule 42(a) on the provisional agenda set forth in the present document and on any supplementary or additional items (Rules 13 and 15). The Conference will then approve the agenda (Rule 14) and allocate the items for initial discussion.

   2. Closing Date of the Session and Opening Date of the Next Session (General Committee)

      The Conference is required, under Rule 8, to set the closing date of the session and, under Rule 1, to set the opening date of the forty-third (1999) regular session after considering recommendations made by the General Committee.

   3. Criteria or Guidelines for Consideration of Requests for the Restoration of Voting Rights (Comittee of the Whole)

      This sub-item is included pursuant to decision GC(41)/DEC/8.C. adopted by the General Conference last year. The Board of Governors, in document GC(42)/10, recommended to the General Conference the criteria or guidelines which should govern the future consideration of requests for the restoration of voting rights.

   4. Streamlining the Work of the General Conference (Committee of the Whole)

      Under this sub-item the General Conference will have before it recommendations for streamlining the work of the General Conference, which were endorsed by the Board of Governors at its June 1998 session (GC(42)/4).

6. Contributions to the Technical Co-operation Fund for 1999 (Plenary)

   Member States will be urged to pledge contributions to the Technical Co-operation Fund for 1999 and attention will be drawn to the fact that such pledges of contributions can be made during the session.

7. General Debate and Annual Report for 1997 (Plenary)

   Under Article V.E.4 of the Statute, the Conference is required to consider the Agency's Annual Report for the year 1997, which the Board has approved (GC(42)/5).

   As part of the ongoing efforts to streamline the work of the General Conference, it is recommended that there be a limitation of the time allowed to speakers under this item to 15 minutes in the general debate.

8. Election of Members to the Board of Governors (Plenary)

   The Conference will be called upon to elect 11 Members to the Board^4/. Under Rule 83, the President will indicate to the Conference those elective places on the Board which must be filled so as to ensure that after the end of the session the Board will be constituted in accordance with Article VI.A of the Statute. In document GC(42)/9 the Board informs the Conference of the designations it has made for membership on the Board in 1998-99.

9. The Agency's Accounts for 1997 (Committee of the Whole)

   In accordance with Rule 12(i), the Agency's accounts for 1997, together with the External Auditor's report thereon and the report of the Board, are being communicated to the Conference in document GC(42)/6.

10. The Agency's Programme and Budget for 1999 and 2000 (Committee of the Whole)

    Under Article V.E.5 of the Statute, the Conference is called upon to approve the Agency's budget for 1999 and a corresponding proposed programme of work in accordance with estimates for the Agency's expenses which the Board, pursuant to Article XIV.A, is submitting to it in document GC(42)/7.

11. Scale of Assessment of Members' Contributions Towards the Regular Budget (Committee of the Whole)

    Pursuant to Article XIV.D of the Statute, a proposed scale of assessment of Members' contributions towards the Regular Budget for 1999 will be submitted to the Conference.

12. Measures to Strengthen International Co-operation in Nuclear, Radiation and Waste Safety
    1. Report on Measures to Strengthen International Co-operation in Nuclear, Radiation and Waste Safety (Committee of the Whole)

       Under this sub-item, the General Conference will have before it documentation describing the measures being taken by the Agency to strengthen international co-operation in these areas.

    2. Safety of Transport of Radioactive Materials (Committee of the Whole)

       This sub-item is included in the provisional agenda pursuant to resolution GC(41)/RES/12 adopted by the General Conference last year. A report on the implementation of the resolution is before the Conference in document GC(42)/11.

    3. Study of the Radiological Situation at the Atolls of Mururoa and Fangataufa (Committee of the Whole)

       A document containing the Executive Summary of the Main Report of the study is being submitted to the forty-second regular session of the General Conference for its consideration (GC(42)/INF/3).

13. Strengthening of the Agency's Technical Co-operation Activities (Committee of the Whole)

    This item is included in the provisional agenda to enable the Director General to report (in document GC(42)/INF/4) on the implementation of resolution GC(41)/RES/13 as requested in its operative paragraph 7.

14. Plan for Producing Potable Water Economically (Committee of the Whole)

    This item is included in the provisional agenda to enable the Director General to report on the implementation of resolution GC(41)/RES/14 as requested in its operative paragraph 7 (GC(42)/1).

15. Strengthening the Effectiveness and Improving the Efficiency of the Safeguards System and Application of the Model Protocol (Committee of the Whole)

    This item is included in the provisional agenda pursuant to resolution GC(41)/RES/16. The Director General will report to the General Conference on the implementation of the resolution as requested in its operative paragraph 9 (GC(42)/12).

16. Measures Against Illicit Trafficking in Nuclear Materials and Other Radioactive Sources (Committee of the Whole)

    This item is included in the provisional agenda to enable the Director General to submit a report to the General Conference as requested in operative paragraph 4 of resolution GC(41)/RES/17.

17. Article VI of the Statute (Committee of the Whole)

    This item is included in the provisional agenda pursuant to General Conference resolution GC(41)/RES/20 (Amendment of Article VI of the Statute) and decision GC(41)/DEC/10 (Article VI of the Statute).

    The Conference will have before it a report dealing with these matters.

18. Implementation of the Agreement Between the Agency and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea for the Application of Safeguards in connection with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (Plenary)

    This item is included in the provisional agenda pursuant to operative paragraph 5 of resolution GC(41)/RES/22, in which the General Conference decided last year to remain seized of this matter and to include in the agenda for its forty-second regular session an item with this title.

19. Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions Relating to Iraq (Plenary)

    This item is included in the provisional agenda pursuant to resolution GC(41)/RES/23 adopted by the General Conference last year. It is expected that, as requested in operative paragraph 8 of the resolution, the Director General will report to the Conference on his efforts to implement the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions relating to Iraq.

20. Israeli Nuclear Capabilities and Threat

    This item has been included in the agenda at the request of Kuwait on behalf of a group of Arab States members of the Agency. An explanatory memorandum, required under Rule 20 of the Rules of Procedure of the General Conference, is contained in document GC(42)/8.

21. Application of IAEA Safeguards in the Middle East (Plenary)

    This item is included in the provisional agenda pursuant to resolution GC(41)/RES/25 adopted by the General Conference last year. It is expected that the Director General will report to the Conference on the implementation of the resolution as requested in its operative paragraph 9.

22. Examination of Delegates' Credentials (General Committee)

    Under Rule 28 the General Committee, meeting as a credentials committee, will examine the credentials of all delegates and report thereon to the Conference.

23. Elections to the Agency's Staff Pension Committee (Plenary)

    It is expected that the Conference will be called upon to elect one or more members to the Agency's Staff Pension Committee.

24. Report on Contributions Pledged to the Technical Co-operation Fund for 1999 (Plenary)

    It is expected that pledges of contributions to the Technical Co-operation Fund for 1999 will be obtained during the Conference and that a report thereon will be communicated to the Conference by the President.

^2/ The Austria Center Vienna is located Am Hubertusdamm 6, 1220 Vienna, next to the Vienna International Center.

^3/ As stated in paragraph 2 of the cover note, facilities are being made available for area groups to meet during the weekend preceding the opening of the Conference's session. It is hoped that this measure will help area groups to reach agreement on their nominees for membership of the General Committee before Monday morning so that the work of the Conference can proceed without delay.

^4/ The terms of office of Argentina, Belgium, Colombia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Malaysia, Namibia, New Zealand, Portugal, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates will expire at the end of this year's regular session (see document GC(40)/RES/DEC/(1996), decision number GC(40)/DEC/9).

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