The Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges,
In compliance with a request made to it by the Assembly, at its meeting of 5th May, 1951, for an opinion as to whether, from the standpoint of procedure, the proposals made by the Committee on General Affairs in Chapters I and II of its Report for " the organisation of Debates in the Assembly concerning problems connected with world policy and relations with the Parliaments of North America, " are in order,
Considering Rule 41 of the Rules of Procedure, which deals with the work of Committees,
Considering the emphasis which is laid both in the Statute and in the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly on the need for the latter body to retain constant control over its work,
EXPRESSES ITS OPINION that the Committees have no right of initiative and are only entitled to report on questions which are expressly referred to them by the Assembly,
that the Committees may not interpret the general competence which is assigned to them as investing them with a right to raise and introduce into the debates of the Assembly, solely
at their own initiative, any questions whatever that are relevant thereto,
that, in consequence, the proposals of the aforesaid Committee on General Affairs cannot be considered as being in order, in the light of the above definition of its attributions,
Recognises that the concern expressed by the Committee on General Affairs in regard to the timely examination of urgent questions which may arise in the interval between the regular Sessions of the Assembly is a matter for careful consideration by the latter body, and
Suggests that the Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges be instructed to submit proposals for a solution of this problem before the close of the current sessionNote.