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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, June 07, 2003

St. Lucian FM Elected New President of UN Assembly

The United Nations General Assembly on Friday elected Julian Hunte, foreign minister of the Caribbean island state of St. Lucia, as president of its 58th session.


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The United Nations General Assembly on Friday elected Julian Hunte, foreign minister of the Caribbean island state of St. Lucia, as president of its 58th session.

Hunte, 60, will succeed Jan Kavan of the Czech Republic, who has been president of the 57th session since September 2002.

Also elected were 21 vice presidents and chairpersons of the assembly's six main committees for its new session, which will open on Sept. 16.

Addressing the assembly, Hunte said, "Some continue to questionthe relevance of the United Nations, without offering a viable alternative that respect the very principles of democracy and rights that they profound, within their own borders."

"The truth is that worldwide, people are deeply committed to the United Nations," he stressed. "Although there may be cause forconcern, we have no reason for despair about the United Nations and the principles and multilateral approaches for which it stands."

The assembly, the UN's main deliberative organ, is composed of representatives of all UN member states. Its functions include approving the budget and programming of the UN and electing the non-permanent members of the Security Council.

While the assembly's decisions have no legally binding force for governments, they represents the world opinion on major international issues.

The assembly presidency rotates each year among five groups of states -- African, Asian, Eastern European, Latin American and theCaribbean, and Western European and other states.


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