A/RES/54/268 Page 3 9. Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,3 and requests the Secretary-General to ensure their full implementation; 10. Requests the Secretary-General to take all necessary action to ensure that the Mission is administered with a maximum of efficiency and economy; 11. Also requests the Secretary-General, in order to reduce the cost of employing General Service staff, to continue efforts to recruit local staff for the Mission against General Service posts, commensurate with the requirements of the Mission; 12. Decides to reduce the appropriation authorized for the Mission in respect of the period from 1 July 1998 to 30 June 1999 under the terms of General Assembly resolutions 52/228 B of 26 June 1998 and 53/18 A of 2 November 1998 from the amount of 60 million dollars gross (55,918,800 dollars net) to the amount of 46,031,077 dollars gross (43,001,827 dollars net), equal to the amount apportioned among Member States in respect of the period from 1 July 1998 to 31 March 1999, and to extend the period covered by the apportionment until 30 June 1999; 13. Decides also to appropriate to the Special Account for the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara the amount of 49,317,037 dollars gross (45,078,102 dollars net) for the maintenance of the Mission for the period from 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2001, inclusive of the amount of 2,339,659 dollars gross (1,979,841 dollars net) for the support account for peacekeeping operations and the amount of 365,778 dollars gross (325,461 dollars net) for the United Nations Logistics Base, to be apportioned, as an ad hoc arrangement, among Member States at a monthly rate of 4,109,753 dollars gross (3,756,509 dollars net), in accordance with the composition of groups set out in paragraphs 3 and 4 of General Assembly resolution 43/232 of 1 March 1989, as adjusted by the Assembly in its resolutions 44/192 B of 21 December 1989, 45/269 of 27 August 1991, 46/198 A of 20 December 1991, 47/218 A of 23 December 1992, 49/249 A of 20 July 1995, 49/249 B of 14 September 1995, 50/224 of 11 April 1996, 51/218 A to C of 18 December 1996 and 52/230 of 31 March 1998 and its decisions 48/472 A of 23 December 1993, 50/451 B of 23 December 1995 and 54/456 to 54/458 of 23 December 1999, and taking into account the scale of assessments for the year 2000, as set out in its resolutions 52/215 A of 22 December 1997 and 54/237 A of 23 December 1999, and for the year 2001,4 subject to the decision of the Security Council to extend the mandate of the Mission beyond 31 July 2000; 14. Decides further that, in accordance with the provisions of its resolution 973 (X) of 15 December 1955, there shall be set off against the apportionment among Member States, as provided for in paragraph 13 above, their respective share in the Tax Equalization Fund of the estimated staff assessment income of 4,238,935 dollars approved for the Mission for the period from 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2001; 15. Decides that, for Member States that have fulfilled their financial obligations to the Mission, there shall be set off against their apportionment, as provided for in paragraph 13 above, their respective share of the unencumbered balance of 1,423,377 dollars gross (603,627 dollars net) in respect of the period from 1 July 1998 to 30 June 1999; 3 A/54/841/Add.7. 4 To be adopted by the General Assembly. /...