United Nations, June 6 - The official delegation of Argentina to the ongoing UN General Assembly on Women 2000 has decided to take on the position of the SLAC (Some Latin American Countries) bloc in the discussions here on reproductive rights.

The SLAC is campaigning for more access of women to health services for women particularly in reproductive and sexual concerns, and for the legalisation of abortion for women who have unwanted pregnancies due to rape and whose health will be endangered if they continue to carry the child full term.

The realignment of the Argentina delegation firmed up after a meeting with nongovernment organizations that are attending the special session, which is being held until Friday, June 9, to assess the gains and obstacles to achieving gender equality which Argentina and 188 other UN member countries committed to in Beijing in 1995.

This decision is crucial for tomorrow's negotiations, where the issue women and health would be discussed at the General Assembly. This chapter includes controversial topics that Argentina had always trouble with, such as abortion, family planning, sex education and emergency contraception.

The current session, also known as Beijing Plus 5, because it is held five years after the Fourth International Conference on Women in the Chinese capital, will come out with a document to reaffirm and renew the member states' commitment during the 1995 conference.

In a meeting at the UN last March to prepare the Beijing Plus 5 conference, the SLAC bloc was formed inside the G-77, the group comprising the developing countries.

The SLAC has the support of the European Union and JUZCANS (the block composed of Japan, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand).

During yesterday's meeting, Carmen Storani, President of the Women's Council of Argentina and Mabel Bianco, who is in charge of the AIDS program of the health ministers, spoke in favor of Argentina joining the SLAC block.

The theme of the ongoing UN special session is "Women 2000: Gender, Equality, Development and Peace for the 21st century."

It is assessing the outcomes of the campaigns of governments, the international community and the civil sector society or nongovernment organizations on 12 priority concerns identified in Beijing, namely: women and poverty, women and health; education and training for women; violence against women; women and armed conflict; women and economy; women in power and decision-making, institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women, human rights and women, women and media, women and environment, and the girl child. (Isis International/Manila-Global Women's Media Team)

* The Global Women's Media Team (GWMT) for the UN General Assembly Session to Review the Beijing Platform for Action is composed of NGO women and women journalists from Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe. The GWMT is coordinated by Isis International-Manila and generously supported by UNIFEM-East and Southeast Asia, UNIFEM-South Asia, Canadian International Development Agency-Southeast Asia Gender Equity Programme, UNDP-Latin America and the Caribbean,UNDP-Mongolia, British High Commission in Vanuatu, Foundation for Sustainable Society, Inc,; National Centre for Cooperation in Development (NCOS-Pilipinas) WomenAction and the World Council of Churches.