May I first take this opportunity to thank you for your untiring efforts to resolve the key outstanding issues and to move us forward to substantive work. It is certainly not a lack of skills or efforts if this goal has eluded us. My delegation could have supported both the original Amorim. proposal and your proposal. And we do believe that intensive consultations on this issue must continue. We are not convinced however that the underlying problems outside this conference can be resolved through further fixes in the so-called Amorim proposal or any variants thereof. It is obvious that a large majority of delegations in this room could accept the Amorim proposal. It is of little help however, if some delegations can only accept the proposal as a basis for consultations but not as a basis for consensus.

We therefore believe that the time has come to deflect what useful work the conference can do until the key outstanding issues have been resolved. It is in this sense that I would like to welcome the initiative of the distinguished Ambassador of Myamnar. We will carefully examine his proposal. There may be various ways for the conference to engage in substantive work. My delegation is ready to explore all possible avenues to this end and we do hope that other delegations will join constructively in this effort.

Thank you very much Mr. President.