Arrangements On West Irian Costs

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29910, 25 August 1962, Page 11

Arrangements On West Irian Costs

(N Z.P A.-Reuter—Copyright)

NEW YORK, August 24. Details of financial arrangements to put into effect the Netherlands-Indonesian agreement on West New Guinea were announced in the United Nations vesterdav.

The United Nations Secre-tary-General (U Thant) said in a statement on the agenda for the forthcoming General Assembly session that he hoped the agreement would be given the highest priority. AM costs incurred by the United Nations under the agreement would be met by the Governments of Indonesia and the Netherlands on an equal basis. Referring to the cease-fire, U Thant said that at the request of the two Governments, he had undertaken “certain functions” under this understanding as an extraordinary measure to give the earliest possible effect to the cessation of hostilities The costs incurred in this respect were also being met by the two Governments. The details were contained in a hitherto undisclosed letter from U Thant to the Indonesian and Dutch Gov-

ernments. The letter said the Secretary-General would prepare, in consultation with the two Governments, a budget covering the total anticipated costs -ivolved in the administration of the territory and would ask the two Governments to make advances. The funds would be treated as “trust funds” and be administered in accordance with established United Nations regulations and rules relating to trust funds reserve and special accounts and. in particular United Nations financial regulations relating to arrangements in respect of:— “(A) The maintenance of an internal financial control to provide for ah effective current examination and/or review of financial transactions in order to ensure the .regularity of the receipt, custody and disposal of the funds, the conformity of obligations and expenditure with the purposes and rules relating to the trust funds, and the economic use of these resources.

”'B> Providing that no obligations shall be incurred until allotments or other appropriate authorisations have been made in writing and under the authority of the Secretary-General.

“(C) Maintaining a special separate account for all funds received in trust from the Governments.” U Thant’s letter said that as soon as possible after termination of United Nations responsibility a.n audited financial statement would be given the Governments. Any balance would be refunded in equal shares.

£lm An Acre.— Property developers have bought a little Methodist church occupying a fifth of an acre in High ; treet. Bromley, Kent, for £200,000 —making the land it stands on worth £1 million an acre. The money, which goes to the church trustees, works out at nearly £3OOO for each foot of the 63ft frontage—London, Aug. 23