text: E/CN.4/Sub.2/1990/L.4. E/CN.4/Sub.2/1990/SR.24 page 3 9. Mr. ILKAHANAF said that although he could see the logic of Mrs. Palley's opinion, the Sub-Commission had been discussing the matter of secret voting since 1989 and had been unable to agree. The time had come to consult the Economic and Social Council, as proposed in draft resolution E/CN.4/Sub.2/1990/L.4. He had therefore voted against the motion. 10. Mr. JOINET said that he had voted against the motion because he did not want the Sub-Commission to spend time discussing the question of secret voting session after session. Draft resolution E/CN.4/Sub.2/1990/L.4 had therefore had to be considered. 11. Mr. SADI and Mrs. KSENTINI said that they had voted against Mrs. Palley's motion because the Sub-Commission must solve the question once and for all. The Economic and Social Council should decide, as proposed in draft resolution E/CN.4/Sub.2/1990/L.4. 12. The CHAIRMAN invited Mr. Treat to introduce draft resolution E/CN.4/Sub.2/1990/L.4. 13. Mr. TREAT said that there was now general acceptance of the idea of voting by secret ballot in the Sub-Commission, but various side-issues had been raised. Secret ballots were needed in order to enhance the Sub-Commission's independence. That did not mean that the Sub-Commission was not already independent or lacking in integrity. It was, however, very important that it should have the appearance of integrity. Lobbying was a valuable and normal practice, but intensive country-to-country lobbying at the level of ministries of foreign affairs placed some members in an awkward position. Mrs. Daes had recounted a case in which a member had lost his post because of a vote which he had cast in the Sub-Commission. He did not want that to happen again. 14. At a previous meeting Mr. Yimer had apparently suggested that the Sub-Commission's decisions to vote by secret ballot had been taken for 
analysis: This text appears to be related to the functioning and procedures of a United Nations Sub-Commission, discussing the issue of secret voting and the need for independence and integrity. The text does not seem to be related to any specific economic, social, or environmental issue, but rather focuses on the internal workings of the Sub-Commission.