| Date | 10 November 1998 |
|---|
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Agenda item 3
Credentials of representatives to the fifty-third session of the General Assembly
(b) Report of the Credentials Committee (A/53/556)
The Acting President
The draft resolution recommended by the Credentials Committee in paragraph 11 of its report reads as follows:
"The General Assembly,
"Having considered the report of the Credentials Committee and the recommendation contained therein,
"Approves the report of the Credentials Committee."
Mr. Al-Kidwa (Palestine)
I only wish to make the following observation outside the framework of the procedures of the General Assembly on the report of the Credentials Committee.
It is well known to all members that the Twelfth Ministerial Conference of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries recognized that the participation of Israel in the work of the General Assembly should be in accordance with international law. Consequently, the credentials of Israel should not cover the territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem/Al-Quds.
It is also well known that the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement instructed the Chairman of that Bureau to send a letter to the Chairman of the Credentials Committee to let him and the Committee members know what the heads of State or Government of the Non-Aligned Movement had decided. We have been given to understand that this letter was conveyed to the Committee after it had convened its first meeting. Therefore, we hope that -- regardless of the fact that the Committee and the General Assembly will have already acted on the issue in question -- the next report of the Credentials Committee will reflect that as an objective fact.
The Acting President
We shall now proceed to consider the draft resolution recommended by the Credentials Committee in paragraph 11 of its report.
I shall now call on those representatives who wish to speak in explanation of vote before the voting.
May I remind delegations that explanations of vote are limited to 10 minutes and should be made by delegations from their seats.
Mr. Abdelaziz (Egypt)
I wish at the outset, on behalf of the delegation of Egypt, to thank the Chairman and the members of the Credentials Committee for the report contained in document A/53/556.
The delegation of Egypt recognizes that the draft resolution before us is always adopted by consensus. Egypt will join the consensus on the draft this year, and wishes to register that the credentials of the delegation of Israel apply only to Israel in its borders of 4 June 1967 and not to the territories occupied by Israel since 1967, including Al-Quds/Jerusalem. Our acceptance of the consensus adoption of the report does not constitute any recognition of Al-Quds/Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
This is in keeping with the provisions of international law and international legitimacy. Our position was expressed at the Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement held in Durban last September, which underlined the following:
"The Israeli representation in the work of the United Nations General Assembly should be in consonance with international law. Consequently, we have to confirm that the Israeli credentials do not cover the territories occupied since 1967, including Al-Quds/Jerusalem."
This position is also contained in a letter of 21 October addressed by the Permanent Representative of South Africa, as representing the head of the Movement, to the Chairman of the Credentials Committee. That letter was not mentioned in the report before the Assembly today.
Mr. Zamaninia (Iran)
I am taking the floor to express the reservation of my delegation regarding the part of the report of the Credentials Committee contained in document A/53/556 that relates to the credentials of Israel. My delegation notes that draft resolutions on this subject are routinely adopted without a vote. Hence, in line with the position of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran on this issue, my delegation wishes to dissociate itself from the part of the report that refers to the approval of the credentials of Israel.
The Acting President
We have heard the last speaker in explanation of vote before the voting, and we shall now take a decision on the draft resolution recommended by the Credentials Committee in paragraph 11 of its report (A/53/556).
The Credentials Committee adopted the draft resolution without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?
The Acting President
We have thus concluded this stage of our consideration of sub-item (b) of agenda item 3.
