General Assembly Session 61 meeting 2

The President

May I invite the General Assembly to direct its attention to section I of the report of the General Committee. In that section, the Committee took note of the information contained in paragraph 2.

May I request the General Assembly to now direct its attention to section II, entitled "Organization of the session", which contains a number of recommendations concerning the General Committee, rationalization of work, the opening and closing dates for the session, the schedule of meetings, the general debate, the conduct of meetings, et cetera. All of those recommendations concern established practice. Therefore, rather than going through them one by one, I believe it would be better and much more efficient to address all of those organizational matters concerning the General Assembly as a whole. Are there any comments on this approach?

As there are no comments, we shall proceed accordingly.

May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to take note of all of the information that is requested to be taken note of and to approve all the recommendations that the General Committee has made in section II of the report?

The President

I call on the representative of Georgia on a point of order.

Mr. Chitaia (Georgia)

Is it the President's suggestion that the General Assembly adopt every recommendation made yesterday by the General Committee? If that is the case, then I have an objection, especially as regards item 42 of the provisional agenda.

The President

We will come to that item in due course.

Having just adopted the recommendation contained in paragraph 15, on waiving the requirements of rule 67 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly to declare a meeting open, I should like to endorse the practical suggestion that has been made at previous sessions, namely, that each delegation designate someone to be present in the meeting rooms at the scheduled time.

Next, I should like to direct the Assembly's attention to section III of the report, entitled "Observations on the organization of the work of the General Assembly".

May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to take note of the information contained in that section, concerning the timely submission of draft proposals for the review of their programme budget implications?

The President

May I now invite members to turn their attention to section IV of the report, dealing with the adoption of the agenda. The question of the allocation of items will be dealt with subsequently in section V.

In section IV the General Committee took note of the information contained in paragraphs 44 to 49. In paragraph 50, the General Committee recommends that the consideration of item 38 of the draft agenda, entitled "Question of the Malagasy islands of Glorieuses, Juan de Nova, Europa and Bassas da India", be deferred to the sixty-second session and that the item be included in the provisional agenda of that session. May I take it that the Assembly approves that recommendation?

The President

With respect to paragraph 51, the General Committee decided not to recommend the inclusion of item 41 of the draft agenda.

Mr. Beck (Solomon Islands)

First of all, as this is the first time we take the floor during this session, the delegation of Solomon Islands would like to congratulate you, Madam, on your election as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-first session.

Solomon Islands would like to register its concern and disappointment regarding the manner in which the General Committee adopted its working methods in terms of deciding on the items to be included in the agenda for this session, in particular items 41 and 155. My delegation feels that we are continuing to abuse the concept of United Nations reform. By invoking time pressures, we justify denying the rights of States to participate in the debates that shape the agenda.

We need to walk the talk of ownership of this institution. My delegation feels that the principles and values of the United Nations have been violated. As the President is aware, one of the primary roles of the United Nations is the maintenance of international peace and security. Articles in the Charter allow Member States to bring to the attention of the General Assembly any situation that threatens international peace. Our being denied a chance to speak also goes against the principles of democracy and universality. Let us not use the Charter principles when they suit us and cover them up when they do not.

My delegation hopes that the time will come when all Members, big and small, are given equal respect. Reforms, we hope, will lead to a true and honest engagement of the presidency with all Members. Solomon Islands had a similar experience last year. The reason for our being denied the floor in the General Committee was said to lie in considerations regarding the Summit Outcome document. We were assured that it would not set a precedent. This year, in the spirit of United Nations reform, we were again denied a chance to speak. The point my delegation is trying to make is that we need to have an open, transparent and inclusive process in which the Member States shape the outcome of our discussions, rather than being dictated to by paper rules. Ownership of the Assembly rests with Member States. We can only strengthen multilateralism by working together collectively.

As a small island State, Solomon Islands would like its comments reflected in the record of this meeting. We hope history and time will look favourably upon our case.

Finally, the delegation of Solomon Islands looks forward to working with you, Madam President. We assure you of our steadfast cooperation.

Mr. Beck (Palau)

I extend my congratulations to you, Madam President.

I wish to associate our delegation with the remarks made by the representative of the Solomon Islands.

I was prepared yesterday to deliver Palau's statement to the General Committee in support of the draft resolution we co-sponsored, entitled "A proactive role for the United Nations in maintaining peace and security in East Asia". Unfortunately, and despite what we view as the very clear command of rule 43 of the rules of procedure, which ensures that a member of the General Assembly shall be entitled to seek inclusion of any item in the General Assembly's agenda and to discuss it, we were prevented by the Committee from presenting our views. We do not agree with that decision. We want that noted for the record. We note that such a limitation of debate on such an important issue does not serve the United Nations.

Mr. Wang Guangya (China)

The Chinese delegation is firmly opposed to the inclusion of items 41 and 155 in the agenda of the sixty-first session of the General Assembly. We believe that the overwhelming majority of the Members of the United Nations are similarly opposed to the inclusion of those items. I therefore consider the content of paragraphs 51 and 59 of the report of the General Committee to be correct, and we accordingly support it. I trust that the content of those two paragraphs will also be supported by the overwhelming majority of the Members of the United Nations, for the decision of the General Committee upholds principles and justice.

Mr. Oubida (Burkina Faso)

My delegation would like to add its voice to those of previous speakers, in particular the representatives of Solomon Islands and Palau, with regard to the situation we experienced during yesterday morning's meeting of the General Committee. Burkina Faso is of the view that in the process of the revitalization of the General Assembly, our main objectives are to ensure the effectiveness of the Assembly, its complete compliance with the rules governing its functioning and the reaffirmation of the right of each State to bring before the General Assembly any issue that it deems necessary for the Assembly's consideration.

Yesterday we were prepared to defend that position before the General Committee, in particular with regard to agenda item 155 and to agenda item 41, on a proactive role for the United Nations in maintaining peace and security in East Asia. Regrettably, we were frustrated at having been refused our legitimate right to address the General Assembly and other Assembly bodies to express the viewpoint of our country and state our positions on issues we consider of interest to us and to the United Nations. Again, we would like to denounce that situation and call for the transparent, courteous and clear implementation of rule 43 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly.

We were opposed, in principle, by a majority. But a majority is not a machine; sometimes the majority is mistaken. And on this issue, the majority that spoke was mistaken, because it rejected our right to express ourselves. We are Member States on an equal footing with other countries. We have the right to express ourselves on any subject that we feel is of interest. Therefore, we would like to rise up against such concepts of the majority, which will necessarily lead us astray. We thus insist upon the principle of holding a debate on the issue concerning the role that the United Nations should play in preventing all conflict in East Asia.

Mr. Mavroyiannis (Cyprus)

I am taking the floor to support the statement just made by the representative of the People's Republic of China, in favour of upholding the decision taken yesterday by the General Committee not to include the items in question in the agenda of the General Assembly.

We believe that the issue of Taiwan was definitively resolved by resolution 2758 (XXVI), and that the People's Republic of China is the only lawful Government and the only legitimate representative of China to the United Nations. To that end, I wish to reiterate my country's strong support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the People's Republic of China and for the one-China policy.

Mr. Muhumuza (Uganda)

My delegation wishes to register its support for the decision of the President, which is clearly in line with General Assembly resolution 2758 (XXVI) of 1971 on the question of China's representation in the United Nations.

Mr. Hussain (Pakistan)

Since our delegation is taking the floor for the first time, we take this opportunity, Madam, to warmly congratulate you on your election as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-first session. We assure you of our fullest cooperation in ensuring successful deliberations at this important session.

We would like to register our full support to the recommendation from the General Committee in paragraph 59 of its report (A/61/250), by which it was decided that the item relating to the 23 million people of Taiwan would not be included in the agenda of the sixty-first session. We believe that that decision is in conformity with earlier resolutions adopted by the General Assembly, in particular resolution 2758 (XXVI) of 1971, which settled the question of the representation of China by affirming the People's Republic of China as the only legitimate representative of China to the United Nations. That resolution clearly recognized Taiwan's position as an integral province of the People's Republic of China. The resolution will continue to guide the position of my delegation and of the overwhelming majority of the United Nations membership on the issue.

It is unfortunate that despite the clear conclusion reached year after year -- that Taiwan, being an integral part of China, cannot stake its claim to membership of this world body -- certain countries have once again sought to impose this issue on the United Nations membership. Contrary to the assertion that the inclusion of the item will help in the preservation of peace and stability in East Asia, we believe it would encourage secessionist activities in the Taiwan Strait and that it would lead to blatantly undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the People's Republic of China and would thus be in contravention of resolution 2758 (XXVI).

Another important aspect of the issue is that nothing new or exceptional has happened concerning the situation pertaining to Taiwan since the sixtieth session that warrants the reopening of the issue. This year in particular, given the loaded agenda that we have to deal with, we have serious time constraints.

The acceptance of this item would be blatant interference in the internal affairs of a Member State. We must not encourage such a precedent. All such attempts to manipulate the procedures have proved futile in the past and have only consumed the precious time of the entire membership of the United Nations.

Based on those considerations and given that the results are well known to the General Assembly year after year, and in the interest of time, our delegation would propose that we should close the debate on this agenda item and not allow a non-issue to divert the focus of this important session of the General Assembly.

Mr. Maqungo (South Africa)

Since this is the first time we have taken the floor since your assumption of the presidency, Madam, we wish to congratulate you and to commend you for the very businesslike manner in which you are conducting our work.

Delegations that have spoken before mine -- Cyprus, Pakistan and Uganda -- have indicated so eloquently their support for the intervention made by the representative of the People's Republic of China with regard to supporting the recommendations of the General Committee made in respect of item 41 and item 155 and appearing in paragraphs 51 and 59 respectively. We join those delegations in supporting those recommendations by the General Committee.

In the interests of brevity, we wish to indicate only that the matter was resolved by the General Assembly through its resolution 2758 (XXVI) and therefore no longer requires our attention.

Mrs. Papadopoulou (Greece)

I am taking the floor in support of the statement made by the representative of the People's Republic of China and the position expressed therein in favour of upholding the decision taken yesterday in the General Committee not to include the items in question in the agenda of the sixty-first session of the General Assembly.

The validity of resolution 2758 (XXVI), whereby the issue of China's representation in the United Nations was resolved from the political, legal and procedural points of view, should be respected. Greece has always supported the principle of the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the People's Republic of China.

Mr. Wim Mra (Myanmar)

Since my delegation is taking the floor for the first time at the present session, I should like to congratulate you, Madam, on your assumption of the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-first session.

The United Nations, in admitting the People's Republic of China as a Member, decided by resolution 2758 (XXVI) that the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate representative of China to the United Nations, acknowledging that there is only one China. The question of China's representation in the United Nations was settled once and for all by that resolution. The reopening of the issue thus cannot serve any useful purpose.

Moreover, the General Committee yesterday decided not to recommend the inclusion of items 41 and 155 of the draft agenda in the agenda of the sixty-first session of the General Assembly. The delegation of Myanmar opposes the inclusion of those items in the agenda.