Presiding officer imposes five- and three-minute limits for rights of reply at U.N. assembly

The presiding officer at the United Nations General Assembly proposed limiting rights-of-reply to five minutes for a first statement and three minutes for a second, and the assembly adopted the limits without objection. "There being no objections, it is so decided," the presiding officer said after the proposal was presented.

The presiding officer said the limits are being applied under article 72 of the assembly rules and described enforcement measures: when a delegation exceeds its assigned time, "the presidency will immediately call them to order by automatically turning off their microphone." A countdown clock will appear on the screen to assist delegations with time management, and members were reminded to read replies from their seats, in keeping with assembly procedure.