General Assembly Session 54 meeting 84

The Acting President

We will now proceed to take action on draft resolution A/54/L.58.

The report of the Fifth Committee on the programme budget implications of the draft resolution is contained in document A/54/671.

I should like to announce that, since the introduction of draft resolution A/54/L.58, the following countries have become sponsors: Argentina, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Guyana, Haiti, Madagascar, Mali, the Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Samoa, Seychelles, United Republic of Tanzania and Uruguay.

May I take it that the Assembly decides to adopt draft resolution A/54/L.58?

The Acting President

May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of sub-item (f) of agenda item 20?

The Acting President

The Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 50.

The Acting President

Members will recall that the General Assembly held a debate on this item at its 72nd plenary meeting on 7 December 1999.

In this connection, the Assembly has before it a draft resolution issued as document A/54/L.47/Rev.1.

Mr. Gounaris (Greece)

On behalf of the sponsors and as agreed during informal consultations on document A/54/L.47/Rev.1, I would like to make the following oral correction: the fourth preambular paragraph should follow the fifth preambular paragraph, in order to have a consistent chronological order of all relevant conventions mentioned in the text.

The Acting President

The Assembly will now take a decision on draft resolution A/54/L.47/Rev.1, as orally corrected.

I should like to announce that since the introduction of the draft resolution, the following countries have become sponsors: Albania, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Burundi, Colombia, Croatia, Romania and Ukraine.

May I take it that the Assembly decides to adopt draft resolution A/54/L.47/Rev.1, as orally corrected?

The Acting President

I give the floor to the representative of Algeria, who wishes to speak on a point of order.

Mr. Sai (Algeria)

I would like to make one correction: Algeria has withdrawn from the list of sponsors of this draft resolution.

The Acting President

The Secretariat takes note of that fact.

I call on the representative of Greece.

Mr. Gounaris (Greece)

On behalf of my Government, I would like to express our deepest appreciation to all Member States for the valuable support rendered to the resolution just adopted. Their constructive participation during informal consultations on the draft text made possible its adoption today by consensus for the first time since the introduction of this agenda item in 1973.

Cooperation between Member States, transparency of information and open exchanges of views between parties concerned are indeed instrumental in achieving mutually acceptable solutions to the issue of return or restitution of cultural property to the countries of origin.

I would like once more to express our gratitude to the sponsors of this resolution and ask Member States to pursue further their efforts, especially through the relevant committees of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, to promote the resolution's implementation.

The Acting President

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 24?

The Acting President

Members will recall that the General Assembly held a debate on this item at its 58th plenary meeting, on 19 November 1999.

I now give the floor to the representative of Finland to introduce draft resolution A/54/L.71.

Ms. Korpi (Finland)

I have the honour to introduce, on behalf of the European Union and all the other sponsors, the draft resolution on assistance in mine action, contained in document A/54/L.71. Since the publication of this draft resolution, entitled "Assistance in mine action", the following countries have joined as sponsors: Angola, Colombia, Malta, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Thailand.

In order to make the text consistent with the version finalized in negotiations and submitted to the Secretariat, let me make the following oral corrections.

First, in the first preambular paragraph, the titles of the resolutions should be cited. After "18 December 1997", the words "on assistance in mine clearance" should be added; and also after "17 November 1998", the words "on assistance in mine action" should be added.

Secondly, in the sixth line of the tenth preambular paragraph, the word "and" should the added after the comma. In the last line, the word "for" should be added after the word "and".

Thirdly, in operative paragraph 2, line 4, the word "and" should be added after the comma, and the word "those" should be replaced by "these".

Fourthly, at the end of operative paragraph 9, the following words should be added: "in annex II to his report on this agenda item in 1998".

Fifthly, in operative paragraph 19, line 4, the words "progress made" should be deleted.

The agenda item "Assistance in mine action" puts before us an area of tremendous humanitarian suffering. Almost one third of the world's nations are, to some extent, contaminated by millions of anti-personnel landmines and pieces of unexploded ordnance. The purpose of this draft resolution is to help reduce the number of mine victims by enhancing international cooperation in humanitarian mine action. It is aimed at supporting and making easier the work of the United Nations and all other actors involved in mine action in the field, be it in mine clearance, victim assistance, mine awareness or other mine action activities. The draft resolution again emphasizes the important role of the United Nations in the effective coordination of mine action activities, as well as the role of the United Nations Mine Action Service as the focal point for mine action within the United Nations system. It encourages the Secretary-General to further develop a comprehensive mine action strategy and emphasizes the importance of developing a comprehensive information management system for mine action.

There have been important developments in the field of mine action in 1999, many of which are reflected in the draft resolution. The draft notes the entry into force on 1 March 1999 of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction and the First Meeting of the States Parties to the Convention in May 1999, in Maputo, at which measures were taken, among other things, to provide assistance for mine clearance, rehabilitation, the social and economic reintegration of mine victims and mine-awareness programmes.

The draft resolution welcomes the mine action coordination centres already established under the auspices of the United Nations, as well as the creation of international trust funds for mine clearance and mine assistance. It further welcomes the initiation of the revision of international mine-clearance standards and the development of guidelines for the use of mine-detection dogs and mechanical mine-clearance equipment. Much emphasis is placed in the draft resolution on victim assistance, as well as on the need for age- and gender-appropriate mine-awareness programmes and child-related rehabilitation.

The negotiations on this draft resolution were lengthy, and we hope that the result will lead to further enhancement of international cooperation in the field of mine action. I would like to express our gratitude to all the delegations that gave their support during the negotiations and our hope that this important draft resolution will be adopted by consensus.

The Acting President

I would like to announce that since the introduction of draft resolution A/54/L.71 Senegal has become a sponsor.

The Assembly will now take a decision on draft resolution A/54/L.71, as orally corrected.

May I take it that the Assembly decides to adopt draft resolution A/54/L.71, as orally corrected?

The Acting President

I give the floor to the representative of Finland speaking on a point of order.

Ms. Korpi (Finland)

There seems to be some confusion regarding the sponsors of resolution 54/191, which has just been adopted.

May I inform the Assembly that Andorra had also signed on as a sponsor on time. Andorra should therefore be added as a sponsor of this resolution.

The Acting President

May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 35?

The Acting President

It is my understanding that, after the necessary consultations, consideration of this item may be deferred to the fifty-fifth session of the General Assembly. May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to defer consideration of this item and to include it in the provisional agenda of the fifty-fifth session?

The Acting President

This concludes our consideration of agenda item 62.

The Acting President

I call on the representative of Cameroon to introduce draft resolution A/54/L.72/Rev.1.

Mr. Belinga-Eboutou (Cameroon)

Some days ago I drew the attention of the international community to the need for emergency assistance to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to Djibouti and to Somalia. Today I have the honour to call for continued assistance to the Sudan. In that connection, I wish on behalf of the Group of African States to introduce draft resolution A/54/L.72/Rev.1, entitled "Emergency assistance to the Sudan", under agenda item 20 (b).

Above and beyond its humanitarian assistance to the Sudan through Operation Lifeline Sudan, we urge the international community to continue its much-appreciated active participation in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Sudan. The draft resolution has been the subject of intensive consultations and has won the agreement of the donor community, represented by the European Union, by China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Japan, Norway and the United States, and by the International Committee of the Red Cross. On behalf of the African Group, I wish to extend to them and to all other participants in the consultations our thanks for their positive contribution and for their greatly appreciated assistance to the Sudan.

The draft resolution is very similar to resolution 53/1 O of 17 December 1998; in a sense, it is an updated and extended version of that resolution. It expresses the Assembly's appreciation to the donor community, United Nations agencies and governmental and non-governmental organizations for their multifaceted contributions, and acknowledges with appreciation the cooperation by the Government of the Sudan with the United Nations in getting supplies to affected areas.

It stresses the need for Operation Lifeline Sudan to be operated and managed effectively with a view to ensuring its transparency, with the full involvement and cooperation of the Government of the Sudan, and in adherence to the principles of neutrality and impartiality and within the principles of national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Sudan.

It calls upon all donors and upon the international community at large to increase their multifaceted assistance, because of the Sudan's enormous needs in the areas of health care, social and communication infrastructures, in fighting epidemics, and in terms of support for programmes for the rehabilitation of infrastructure and for the reintegration of populations.

It stresses the imperative of ensuring the safety and security of humanitarian personnel and the need for all parties to continue to facilitate the work of humanitarian organizations in order fully to demonstrate the international community's solidarity with the people of Sudan.

Finally, it expresses the wish to see the humanitarian tragedy of the Sudanese people end as soon as possible. It therefore calls for an early resolution to the conflict in the Sudan and commends the work of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the initiative of Egypt and the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in this connection.

That is the basic structure of the draft resolution now before the General Assembly. As I said earlier, there have been intensive consultations on this draft resolution, with the active participation of the donor community.

It is our hope that the draft resolution will be adopted by consensus, which would have a positive impact on the conduct of international humanitarian operations in the Sudan and on the efforts of all parties to settle the conflict swiftly and peacefully. Above all, however, United Nations personnel in the Sudan would be encouraged by this support from the international community.

The Acting President

I wish to announce that the following countries have become sponsors of draft resolution A/54/L.70: Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, the Republic of Moldova, Thailand and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

India has become a sponsor of draft resolution A/54/L.72/Rev.1.

The Assembly will now take a decision on draft resolution A/54/L.70, entitled "Safety and security of humanitarian personnel and protection of United Nations personnel", as orally revised in the course of the 80th plenary meeting.

I call on the representative of the Secretariat.

Mr. Jin Yongjian (Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services)

As members are aware, paragraph 14 of draft resolution A/54/L.70 reads as follows:

"Recognizes the need to strengthen the Office of United Nations Security Coordinator and the need for a full time Security Coordinator to enable the Office to enhance its capacity in the discharge of its duties, in consultation with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and appropriate agencies within the Inter-Agency Standing Committee".

That paragraph, as it stands, does not give rise to programme budget implications at this stage. The Secretary-General will review the United Nations security arrangements and will report to the General Assembly as appropriate.

The Acting President

May I take it that the Assembly decides to adopt draft resolution A/54/L.70, as orally revised?

The Acting President

Under sub-item (b) of agenda item 20, the General Assembly will now take a decision on draft resolution A/54/L.72/Rev.1, entitled "Emergency assistance to the Sudan".

May I take it that the Assembly decides to adopt draft resolution A/54/L.72/Rev.1?

The Acting President

I shall now call on those representatives who wish to speak in explanation of vote or position.

May I remind delegations that explanations of vote are limited to 10 minutes and should be made by delegations from their seats.

Ms. Savage (United States)

Today, the United States joined consensus on the humanitarian assistance resolution on Sudan.

We joined consensus despite the resolution's serious shortcomings and inaccuracies. While we agree with the importance of supporting a robust, United Nations-led humanitarian effort in the Sudan, we regret that this year's resolution did not accurately reflect the true situation facing both the victims of war and the providers of life-saving relief.

Since 1983, the civil war in the Sudan is estimated to have caused the deaths of some 2 million persons and the displacement of 4 million more. There are, in addition, some 400,000 persons languishing in refugee camps in neighbouring countries. This year's humanitarian resolution does not even begin to describe the situation facing the southern Sudanese. The resolution does not describe the Government's periodic imposition of relief-flight bans to areas affected by large-scale population displacements. In the past three months, the oil fields of western Upper Nile, in particular, have been subject to ethnic cleansing, leaving thousands displaced. At the same time, flight bans by the Government on United Nations operations have denied critical relief to the thousands who have lost their homes. It is for this reason that we support humanitarian relief operations outside the United Nations umbrella.

The resolution also fails to describe the Government of Sudan's continued aerial bombardment of civilian population centres and humanitarian relief operations, including the bombing of clearly marked hospitals and schools. Such attacks transgress international humanitarian law. The resolution does not mention the horrible practice of slavery, supported by Government-funded militias, that continues along the border areas between North and South Sudan, as described by the United Nations Special Rapporteur for human rights in the Sudan. While we recognize that opposition forces have also been accused of diverting relief supplies and impeding the efforts of humanitarian workers, the main impediment to effective relief operations has been the Sudanese Government.

The United States is committed to a single, unified peace process under the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development. The United States firmly supports the United Nations Operation Lifeline Sudan in its mission to alleviate suffering in the Sudan. The United States has consistently been the largest donor to the Sudanese relief effort. In 1999, the United States committed over $95 million to assistance programmes in the Sudan in both Government-and rebel-controlled areas. We have contributed nearly $1 billion in relief to the Sudan since the establishment of Operation Lifeline Sudan in 1989.

Despite multiple peace initiatives over the years, it appears that we are still far from a lasting and just peace in the Sudan. Although humanitarian conditions and food security appear to be improving in many areas, the situation remains vulnerable. With the continual cycle of war, drought and famine ever present in the Sudan, the international community must stay vigilant. This is not the time for the international community to reduce its support for assistance programmes in the Sudan, nor is it the time for us to lessen our resolve to end this terrible war.

Mr. Von Kaufmann (Canada)

Canada joined consensus on resolution 54/96 J on emergency assistance to the Sudan. We did so to show Canada's continuing support for humanitarian assistance for the people of the Sudan.

However, we continue to have reservations about some of the language contained in the text and its potential effects on a coordinated international effort to effectively deliver humanitarian assistance to all affected populations in the Sudan. Unfortunately, not all of these concerns were taken into account. This has resulted in a resolution that contains unbalanced elements.

Despite an ongoing peace process, violations of humanitarian and human rights law continue to be perpetrated by both sides to this conflict, with especially negative effects on the civilian population. To date, the United Nations has noted that nearly 2 million people have been killed since 1983 and that in excess of 4 million remain internally displaced. We therefore call on all parties to respect their obligations under international law. Moreover, as we have noted previously, the humanitarian situation in the Sudan has not sufficiently changed to merit the decision to biennialize this resolution, a move which we oppose.

Canada vigorously supports the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) peace process, including the 1994 Declaration of Principles. Both the Government of the Sudan and the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) have accepted the Declaration of Principles as the basis for negotiations. Canada commends the decisions taken in July 1999 by the Government of the Sudan and the SPLM to recommit themselves to the IGAD peace process, including their support for the establishment of a talk secretariat and the appointment of a special envoy to facilitate the peace process and allow continuous negotiation between the parties.

Canada urges the parties to establish a general and comprehensive ceasefire with an effective monitoring mechanism as part of the negotiated solution to the conflict and in accordance with the Declaration of Principles. In the interim, we welcome the recent decision by the Government of the Sudan to extend for a further period of three months the ceasefire for all the areas of military operation and the announcement by the SPLM to extend the humanitarian ceasefire within the same period for Bahr al Ghazal and parts of the Upper Nile. Canada welcomes the signing by the Government of the Sudan of the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction and encourages its early ratification.

We continue to be concerned by the difficulty of ensuring full, safe and unhindered access for humanitarian workers to all affected populations. Canada deplores the killing of humanitarian workers in the Sudan earlier this year, which underlines the need to ensure the protection of United Nations and other international and national personnel. The Government of Canada also emphasizes the importance of ensuring humanitarian access and, in this context, acknowledges the decision taken by the Government of the Sudan to permit United Nations access to the Nuba Mountains. This must be accompanied by ongoing humanitarian access to the Nuba people. Furthermore, Canada urges all parties to refrain from imposing restrictive measures, including flight bans, which hinder the ability of humanitarian agencies to provide needed assistance.

We continue to be concerned by references in the resolution that interfere with the management of Operation Lifeline Sudan and with independent humanitarian assistance activities that are not part of the operation. As Operation Lifeline Sudan constitutes the basic framework for assistance to the Sudan, it is therefore paramount that all parties in the Sudan operate in accordance with the 1994 tripartite Agreement and that the principles and guidelines of Operation Lifeline Sudan, as well as the principles contained in General Assembly resolution 46/182, are duly respected by all to ensure the efficiency, effectiveness and transparency of the operation.

As in the past, Canada will continue to fully support the humanitarian work of Operation Lifeline Sudan to provide humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations and to support the IGAD secretariat in the peace process.

Recognizing that there can be no military solution to Sudan's problems, Canada encourages a negotiated and just resolution to the civil conflict as the only sustainable means of bringing peace, security and well-being to the Sudanese people.

Mr. Rahmtalla (Sudan)

The delegation of Sudan has requested the floor in order to express its gratitude to all our partners from the donor community that agreed to support this resolution by consensus on the basis of its humanitarian nature. We thank them and appreciate their cooperation in achieving consensus on the resolution just adopted.

I do not wish to speak at length, but let me state that the accusations we have heard today have been made previously in different contexts and in other forums, and were answered then, and that they were motivated by political considerations. We do not wish to consider these political motives in detail.

The Government of Sudan is a party to Operation Lifeline, and, as is well known, to the tripartite Agreement between the Government of the Sudan, the United Nations and the rebel movement. That operation is considered to be a model one and has never before been undertaken by any Government. This is the first time that the Government of the Sudan has agreed that humanitarian relief assistance would be provided to the rebel movement that is taking up arms against the Government. Violations committed by that rebel movement in the southern Sudan are described in great detail in the report of the Secretary-General submitted under this item.

I should like to urge those representatives who spoke in explanation of vote today to re-read the report of the Secretary-General, which outlines in detail the breaches committed by the rebel movement in Sudan. That is all I have to say at this point.

The Acting President

The Assembly has thus concluded its consideration of sub-item (b) of agenda item 20.

The Acting President

The report of the Fifth Committee on the programme budget implications of draft resolution A/54/L.36 is contained in document A/54/665.

I now give the floor to the representative of Saint Lucia to introduce draft resolution A/54/L.36.

Mr. Hunte (Saint Lucia)

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