General Assembly Session 49 meeting 89

The President

I should like to invite the General Assembly to consider the positive recommendation by the Security Council (A/49/722) on the application of the Republic of Palau for admission to membership in the United Nations.

In addition to the countries listed in document A/49/L.58, the following countries have become sponsors of that draft resolution: Antigua and Barbuda, Belgium, Cape Verde, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Finland, Greece, Guatemala, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Mauritius, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia and Zimbabwe.

We shall now consider draft resolution A/49/L.58 on the admission of the Republic of Palau to membership in the United Nations.

May I take it that the General Assembly accepts the recommendation of the Security Council and adopts draft resolution A/49/L.58 by acclamation?

The President

I therefore declare the Republic of Palau admitted to membership in the United Nations.

I request the Chief of Protocol to escort the delegation of the Republic of Palau to its place in the General Assembly Hall.

The President

It is my pleasure on this historic occasion to welcome, on behalf of the General Assembly, the Republic of Palau as a full Member of the United Nations. I congratulate the Republic of Palau and I congratulate the United Nations on the admission of its 185th Member State.

I wish the Government and people of Palau peace, prosperity, happiness and every success for the future. I wish to assure Palau of the full support of the United Nations as it takes its rightful place in the international community as a free, independent, sovereign and peace-loving State.

I now call on the representative of Guinea, who will speak on behalf of the Group of African States.

Mr. Dione (Guinea)

At a time of uncertainty and upheaval in other aspects of international relations, we are happy today to welcome the Republic of Palau into the great family of Member States of the United Nations. I am very pleased, on behalf of the African States Members of the United Nations, to congratulate this new State and welcome it most warmly. Once again our Organization has proved that with every day that passes it is moving towards universality, which is one of its major goals.

The Republic of Palau has a long, rich and diverse history and is a country of many cultures, customs and traditions. Nevertheless, it has taken over 200 years for the inhabitants of Palau to be allowed to become masters of their own destiny. In proclaiming their sovereignty on 1 October 1994, the people of Palau gave tangible proof that all countries, large or small, rich or poor, see their destiny as intimately linked to the noble purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter. We are therefore convinced that Palau's entry into the United Nations will enrich our Organization by further increasing its diversity, because, let us never forget, a civilization encompassing all peoples must be a marriage of all the different civilizations, living in harmony. In this regard, as in other fields, the Republic of Palau has many political, economic and strategic advantages. In the realization of the noble objectives of peace and cooperation between all States, the Republic of Palau can expect the African States Members of the United Nations to be ready to cooperate closely with it on all matters of common interest.

I could not conclude without asking the delegation of Palau to pass on to the people and Government of Palau the hope of the African Group in New York that Palau's cooperation with the United Nations and its Member States will be fruitful and benefit all peace-loving and justice-loving nations.

The President

I call on the representative of Singapore, who will speak on behalf of the Group of Asian States.

Mr. Chew (Singapore)

On behalf of the Member States of the Asian Group, I have the honour and privilege of congratulating the Republic of Palau on its admission as the 185th Member of the United Nations. I should also like warmly to welcome Palau to this Organization. The admission of Palau, which was until recently a Trust Territory of the United States, strengthens the principle of universality, upon which the United Nations is based, and which is an important principle for its effective functioning.

The Republic of Palau encompasses an area of some 178 square miles and has a small population, but it is a significant producer of phosphate, canned fish and agricultural produce. In the last few years we have seen a number of small countries, mainly from Europe, admitted to the United Nations. Today I am particularly pleased to welcome a small State from the Pacific region to the United Nations family.

Although small States, especially island States like Palau, are especially vulnerable because of their size, their small population and narrow economic base, there is reason to be optimistic about their growth prospects and their viability. The experience of many small countries has shown that, with hard work and far-sighted policies, they can succeed and prosper. However, for their efforts to succeed, the international community has an equal responsibility to assist them. In this regard, I am confident that Palau's membership in the United Nations will enable it to benefit from the assistance that the United Nations and its specialized agencies can offer.

On its part, Palau will undoubtedly contribute to the work and purposes and principles of the United Nations. The Member States of the Asian Group and other Members of the United Nations as a whole will extend their cooperation to Palau and will work closely with it.

The President

I call on the representative of Hungary, who will speak on behalf of the Group of Eastern European States.

Mr. Nathon (Hungary)

In my capacity as Chairman of the Group of Eastern European States for this month, I have the honour and the privilege to welcome, on behalf of the members of the Group, the Government and people of Palau on the occasion of that country's admission to the United Nations.

The admission of a new State is always a demonstration of how the principle of the universality of the United Nations is being furthered. It also demonstrates that all the principles and values embodied in the Charter remain in effect. The broad membership can enhance cooperation between Member States to promote within the framework of the United Nations such noble ideals as peace, freedom, justice and economic and social development.

The Group of Eastern European States, many of whose members are also small States, are especially pleased to welcome Palau into the international community. We are convinced that membership will provide the people of Palau with new perspectives and opportunities in the international arena and within the family of the United Nations.

We are today witnessing a rapid change in our Organization. The United Nations is becoming increasingly involved in resolving political conflicts, fostering economic and social development and ensuring respect for human rights. All Member States, regardless of their size, bear their own responsibilities in this endeavour.

We are certain that the Republic of Palau, as a new Member State of the United Nations, will participate actively in the work of our Organization. I can assure the delegation of Palau that the members of the Eastern European Group will be reliable partners. We look forward to working with the Republic of Palau to achieve the noble objectives of the United Nations.

The President

I call on the representative of Saint Lucia, who will speak on behalf of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States.

Mr. Odlum (Saint Lucia)

The accession of Palau to the General Assembly of the United Nations is a fitting moment for the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States to muse somewhat on the question of size and sovereignty. The Group comprises countries which are as diverse in culture as they are in size and resources. This diversity was celebrated as recently as last weekend, at the Summit of the Americas. All the diversity of the Americas burst out into a new spirit of freedom: freedom to speak, regardless of size; freedom to participate in the processes of justice, humanity and ecological preservation, regardless of size.

Today we welcome Palau into the United Nations, an institution which traditionally respects not size and resources, but the right of every people, every speck of dust, to participate in the human process of living, expressing views, debating ideas and arriving at the warm glow of consensus. There is a particular significance in the accession of Palau. The significance lies in the fact that Palau, a tiny but strategically located, island in the West Pacific, north of Indonesia, with a population of about 16,000 struck a vibrant cord of dissent in 1982. This small American-administered island held up an agreement for a compact of free association because of the creeping fear that Palau would become a repository for nuclear materials.

Towards the middle of the 1980s, the United States had clearly begun to pay far more attention to the strategic importance of its Micronesian holdings as bases for use against Soviet threats and for the testing of strategic missiles. This year, at the sixty-first session of the Trusteeship Council, the President of the Republic of Palau was able to report confidently that there was full agreement between the United States and Palau on the Compact of Free Association. A plebiscite was taken, and even the challenges of concerned interests in the courts attest to the fact that democracy is alive and well in Palau.

The cessation of the cold war has changed the theatre of possibilities that now face the people of Palau, and they can now participate in this forum for free expression, to pursue not only their right to dissent, but also the self-development of their people in the international community.

In the new spirit of international cooperation, the Administering Authority itself must be commended for painstakingly taking this Territory through the paces of trusteeship and preparing this small nation to take its place among the nations of the world.

The Latin American and Caribbean Group warmly welcomes Palau to this distinguished body. We welcome it as it joins this forum, not only to seek a better economic and social advantage for the people of Palau, but to share in the search for truth and sustaining values, and to do so in a spirit of tolerance and freedom of inquiry.

The President

I call on the representative of Spain, who will speak on behalf of the Group of Western European and Other States.