UNdemocracy - General Assembly Session 59 meeting 71

Date	10 December 2004

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A-59-PV.71 2004-12-10 15:00 10 December 2004 [[10 December]] [[2004]] /

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Agenda item 20

Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples

Report of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) (A/59/478)

The President

The Assembly has before it six draft resolutions recommended by the Special Political and Decolonization Committee in paragraph 38 of its report and two draft decisions recommended by the Committee in paragraph 39 of the same report.

We will now take a decision on draft resolutions I to VI and on draft decisions I and II one by one. After all the decisions have been taken, representatives will again have the opportunity to explain their votes or positions.

Draft resolution I is entitled "Question of Western Sahara".

favour

against

abstain

absent

Draft resolution I was adopted by 50 votes to none, with 100 abstentions (resolution 59/131).

favour=50 against=0 abstain=100 absent=41

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

The President

Draft resolution II is entitled "Question of New Caledonia". The Special Political and Decolonization Committee adopted draft resolution II without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?

Draft resolution II was adopted (resolution 59/132).

The President

Draft resolution III is entitled "Question of Tokelau." The Special Political and Decolonization Committee adopted draft resolution III without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?

Draft resolution III was adopted (resolution 59/133).

The President

Draft resolution IV is entitled "Questions of American Samoa, Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Guam, Montserrat, Pitcairn, Saint Helena, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the United States Virgin Islands". This draft resolution is in two parts; part A is entitled "General", and part B is entitled "Individual Territories".

The Special Political and Decolonization Committee adopted draft resolution IV without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

Draft resolution IV was adopted (resolution 59/134).

The President

Draft resolution V is entitled "Dissemination of information on decolonization".

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Draft resolution V was adopted by 170 votes to 3, with 1 abstention (resolution 59/135).

favour=170 against=3 abstain=1 absent=17

The President

Draft resolution VI is entitled "Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples".

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against

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absent

Draft resolution VI was adopted by 167 votes to 2, with 4 abstentions (resolution 59/136).

favour=167 against=2 abstain=4 absent=18

The President

We now turn to draft decision I, entitled "Question of Gibraltar". The Special Political and Decolonization Committee adopted draft decision I without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?

Draft decision I was adopted.

The President

Draft decision II is entitled "Increase in the membership of the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples". The Special Political and Decolonization Committee adopted draft decision II without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

Draft decision II was adopted.

The President

I shall now call on delegations wishing to speak in explanation of vote or position on the resolutions just adopted. May I remind delegations that explanations of vote are limited to 10 minutes and should be made by delegations from their seats.

Mrs. Kamboj (India)

My delegation shares the general sense of disappointment that, breaking from tradition, the two parties, Algeria and Morocco, have been unable to arrive at a consensus this year on the annual resolution on the question of Western Sahara (draft resolution I in document A/59/478). Our abstention in the vote should not, however, be interpreted as our being in favour of either of the parties. The Government of India is supportive of efforts aimed at a comprehensive and mutually acceptable political solution to the question of Western Sahara. We believe that such a solution can be reached through dialogue and in a spirit of cooperation between the two sides.

Ms. Martina (Ukraine)

Ukraine shares the position expressed in the Fourth Committee by the representative of the Netherlands on behalf of the European Union in explanation of vote on draft resolution I, on the question of Western Sahara. My country stands for achieving a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution to the dispute over Western Sahara, based on an agreement between the two parties which would provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara in the context of arrangements consistent with the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter.

In our view, today's vote does not serve that purpose. The delegation of Ukraine regrets that the established tradition of consensus on a draft resolution on this matter has not been preserved. We believe that the interested parties could have exerted more effort in order to achieve such an outcome. Therefore, the delegation of Ukraine decided to abstain. That position should not be interpreted as being in favour of either of the parties.

Mr. Awad (Egypt)

We abstained in the vote on draft resolution I, on the question of Western Sahara. The Egyptian decision to abstain was taken in the light of our deep conviction that an effective and lasting political solution to the question of Western Sahara will be possible only through direct dialogue between the parties concerned. Such a political solution could create stability and strengthen fraternal relations among the countries of the Maghreb.

Mr. Williams (United Kingdom)

I would like to explain the United Kingdom's votes on draft resolution V, on the dissemination of information on decolonization, and on draft resolution VI, on the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. As members will have seen, the United Kingdom voted against both those resolutions.

With regard to the resolution on the dissemination of information on decolonization, the United Kingdom remains of the view that the obligation that this text places on the Secretariat to publicize decolonization issues represents an unwarranted drain on the scarce resources of the United Nations. The resolution is therefore unacceptable to the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom also continues to find some elements of the resolution on the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples to be unacceptable.

Despite our negative votes on those resolutions, the United Kingdom remains committed to modernizing its relationship with the overseas territories, taking fully into account the views of the peoples of the territories and continuing to further the process of informal dialogue with the Special Committee of 24 over the coming year.

The President

The Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 20. The General Assembly has thus concluded its consideration of all the reports of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) before it.