General Assembly Session 62 meeting 3

The Acting President

Members will recall that when we adjourned the meeting this morning, the Assembly was considering paragraph 58 of the report of the General Committee regarding the recommendation of the General Committee on item 165 of the draft agenda, urging the Security Council to process Taiwan's membership application pursuant to rules 59 and 60 of the provisional rules of procedure of the Security Council and to Article 4 of the Charter of the United Nations.

We have 43 speakers still inscribed on the list for this afternoon. I would therefore strongly appeal to members to be as brief as possible in their statements on this subject so that we may finalize our work on the report this afternoon.

Mr. Menan (Togo)

Like numerous delegations that took the floor earlier, the Togolese delegation has always supported the principle of one China -- one and indivisible -- in accordance with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations pertaining to the territorial integrity of States. Togo is of the view that Taiwan is an integral part of China, and the issue of the admission of Taiwan as a Member of the United Nations is something that would seriously compromise international peace and security.

In addition, Togo is pleased to number the People's Republic of China among its many partners, and a partner with whom only two days ago we celebrated the thirty-fifth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. As a result, Togo welcomes the decision taken by the Committee not to take up this issue on the agenda for the current session of the General Assembly. In this regard, Togo fully supports the declaration made by the Permanent Representative of the People's Republic of China and counts itself firmly among those countries that stand up for the principle of respect for the provisions of resolution 2758 (XXVI), recognizing the Government of the People's Republic as the sole legitimate representative of the Chinese people to the United Nations.

Mr. Wolfe (Jamaica)

Let me commence by saying that Jamaica had the benefit, as a member of the General Committee, of having actively participated in the informal and formal meetings of the Committee when this item was considered. Thus, we strongly endorse the decision taken by the General Committee in respect of item 165 of the draft agenda. Let me go on to say that Jamaica firmly adheres to the People's Republic of China's one-China foreign policy, a policy that the Government of Jamaica has consistently supported since the People's Republic of China joined the United Nations and the subsequent establishment of diplomatic relations between Jamaica and the People's Republic of China in 1972. The Government of Jamaica continues to regard the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate representative of the people of China and affirms its high regard for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the People's Republic of China.

Accordingly, our Government does not recognize any separate entity purporting to represent the people of China in the United Nations and other multilateral forums or whose representation could cause a deviation from the one-China policy.

Mr. Hackett (Barbados)

I am taking the floor to speak in support of the recommendation of the General Committee contained in paragraph 58 of its report (A/62/250). The recommendation is in keeping with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations as well as with General Assembly resolution 2758 (XXVI), and it reflects the will of the overwhelming majority of Member States. Given the fact that the majority of the world's nations recognize and adhere to the principle of one China, to which Barbados fully subscribes, Barbados is of the view that there should be no need for the General Assembly to debate the Taiwan issue at every session of the Assembly.

We are of the belief that resolution 2758 (XXVI), adopted at the twenty-sixth session of the Assembly, in 1971, has resolved the issue of China's representation in the United Nations politically, legally and in terms of procedure. In accordance with that resolution, the Government of Barbados considers that the representatives of the Government of the People's Republic of China are the only legitimate representatives of China in the United Nations. That resolution, we further believe, should serve as the legal basis and political principle guiding the United Nations and its affiliated agencies in handing Taiwan-related issues.

Since 1993, the General Committee, at successive sessions of the General Assembly, has unequivocally refused to include the so-called issue of Taiwan's participation in the United Nations in the agenda of the Assembly. The United Nations is an intergovernmental organization composed of sovereign States, and maintaining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Member States and non-interference in the internal affairs of Member States are among the cardinal principles enshrined in its Charter. Barbados therefore believes that the Taiwan question should be resolved by the Chinese people themselves.

We fully support the statement made by the Permanent Representative of China on this issue.

Mr. Duale (Somalia)

I take this opportunity warmly to congratulate Mr. Srgjan Kerim on his election as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-second session. We wholeheartedly support his presidency. We also thank his immediate predecessor, the President of the Assembly at its sixty-first session, Her Excellency Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa.

I take this opportunity to state the firm position of my Government that the People's Republic of China is the sole legitimate representative of the Chinese people, including those of Taiwan, which we consider to be an integral part of China. We further believe in the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of one China. We therefore strongly support the decision of the General Committee not to recommend the inclusion of item 165 of the draft agenda in the agenda of the sixty-second session. We fully support that decision.

Ms. Tareo (Marshall Islands)

At the outset, I sincerely congratulate Mr. Srgjan Kerim on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-second session.

I am speaking today in support of the request made by various Member States to have a supplementary item included in the agenda of the sixty-second session of the General Assembly, relating to the question of the representation of Taiwan in the United Nations. The Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands reiterates its full support for the ongoing quest of the people of Taiwan to be permitted to participate in the United Nations. Under Article 4 of the Charter, membership of the Organization is open to all peace-loving States which accept the obligations of the Charter and are able and willing to carry out those obligations.

Taiwan is a peace-loving State committed to the protection and promotion of human rights. It is an active, constructive member of the international community. Taiwan is also ready and willing to accept and carry out the obligations of the United Nations Charter. Taiwan is a sovereign State in which 23 million people have democratically elected representatives to their Government. Only that Government can be the legitimate representative of the people of Taiwan in the United Nations.

The principle of universality, as expressed in the United Nations Charter, is completely contradicted by the continued exclusion of a peace-loving, free and democratic State from this Organization. There is no justification for this ongoing exclusion. In today's world, where the maintenance of regional and international peace and security is becoming our most important priority, it is increasingly important to ensure that this body is a truly global institution, inclusive of all nations and that can come together to address the most pressing issues of our time. Therefore, I urge all Member States to support the inclusion of this item in our agenda for the upcoming General Assembly session.

This issue has been allowed to go unaddressed for too long. It is time to put political and strategic interests aside and to take positive action to ensure that the people of Taiwan can be represented in this global body.

Mr. Adamou (Niger)

The Republic of the Niger firmly believes in one indivisible China: the People's Republic of China. Our position is in keeping with General Assembly resolution 2758 (XXVI) and with the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, in particular non-interference in the internal affairs of Member States. In the view of Niger, the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole representative of the Chinese people, including those of Taiwan, which is an integral part of the People's Republic of China. Accordingly, the delegation of Niger supports the recommendation of the General Committee not to include the question of Taiwan in the agenda of the sixty-second session of the Assembly.

Mr. Khoc (Sudan)

On behalf of the Sudanese delegation, I should like to congratulate Mr. Srgjan Kerim on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-second session. We assure him of our continued support and cooperation.

The Sudanese delegation supports the recommendation of the General Committee for the non-inclusion of item 165 of the draft in the agenda. My delegation supports the one-China policy as adopted by the General Assembly in 1971 through resolution 2758 (XXVI).

The United Nations is an intergovernmental organization that comprises only sovereign States, including China. On that basis, my delegation supports the non-inclusion of item 165 of the draft agenda.

Mr. Dlamini (Swaziland)

At the outset, the delegation of the Kingdom of Swaziland wishes to unequivocally place it on the record that it objects to and protests the decision of the General Committee to recommend that this matter not be included as an agenda item of this session. Further, the delegation of the Kingdom of Swaziland protests the entire manner in which the whole issue has been handled. In this regard, my delegation associates itself with what has already been said, particularly by the delegations of Palau, the Gambia and others.

I would go into detail, but as the President has requested, for the sake of time, I will not repeat what has already been stated, apart from mentioning a couple of things.

The delegation of Swaziland finds it very curious that in this Hall there are thinly veiled attacks against the States that are raising this matter, as if they have committed some unknown offence. Those Member States, of which the Kingdom of Swaziland is one, have every right, like those other Member States which oppose this matter, to their point of view. As a matter of fact, if we turn back the hands of time, three decades ago the delegation of Taiwan was sitting in this very Hall. When its membership was under threat, no such thinly veiled attacks were made; instead, the matter was debated on its merits. In any event, it is the sign of a weak argument when one leaves the substance of the argument and attacks the people who are making that argument.

Further, we find it curious that there is concern about the appearance of this matter now and again. Naturally, the matter will appear again and again until it is dealt with properly, by being allowed to go through the normal processes.

The actions of the Secretary-General do not in any way help this matter when the Secretary-General usurps the powers that are exclusively reserved for Member States. It is neither the place nor the time for the Secretary-General to decide that an application or correspondence directed to an organ of this institution is not receivable. With the greatest respect, that is a decision that is reserved for the Members.

The people of Taiwan -- 23 million of them -- have suffered serious injustice within and beyond the precincts of the United Nations. The root cause of that injustice is resolution 2758 (XXVI). I want to conclude by mentioning a few problems with that resolution. As a matter of fact, contrary to what has been alleged today, that resolution was merely a decision of a simple majority; the record is available for anyone to inspect.

The resolution is problematic in another way. On the one hand, it sought to be an application by the People's Republic of China to join the United Nations. But curiously, mischievously and simultaneously it also sought to expel -- and indeed it did expel -- a Member of the Organization, a founding Member at that. One has to ask, what of the formation of the United Nations itself? What of the resolutions that, according to resolution 2758 (XXVI), were adopted by a body that included a Member that was not supposed to be there?

To claim that resolution 2758 (XXVI) resolved the matter once and for all is just a pie-in-the-sky wish. The matter is before us, and it will continue to be so until it is fully resolved.

I will conclude with one or two further points on resolution 2758 (XXVI). The resolution is couched in such ambiguous terms that it is very difficult for anyone to say that it is the final resolution of this body on the matter. Further, because of the manner in which it is couched, the resolution has been repadded, amplified, interpreted and reinterpreted to include things that were not originally in it.

Under the circumstances, we align ourselves with the call for this matter to be referred back to the General Committee for reconsideration so that it can be dealt with properly and so that the matter can follow its proper course.

Mr. Giorgio (Eritrea)

I am taking the floor to briefly state Eritrea's position on the agenda item under discussion, namely Taiwan's representation at the United Nations. My delegation supports the statement made by the Permanent Representative of the People's Republic of China. In that regard, the State of Eritrea wishes to reiterate its position of maintaining the one-China policy, which is consistent with the Charter of the United Nations and resolution 2758 (XXVI), of 1971. That resolution, in its third preambular paragraph and in its operative paragraph, clearly states that the People's Republic of China is the only lawful and legitimate representative of China to the United Nations. Therefore, my delegation supports the recommendation made by the General Committee with respect to the non-inclusion of the item on Taiwan's representation at the United Nations in an agenda of the General Assembly.

Mr. Hunte (Antigua and Barbuda)

Antigua and Barbuda supports the adoption of the General Committee report (A/61/250) and the Committee's recommendation not to include item 165 of the draft agenda in the work of the sixty-second session of the General Assembly. The recommendation of the General Committee conforms to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and to General Assembly resolution 2758 (XXVI) and reflects the will of the majority of Member States. The United Nations should not be a place where separation of territory of its Member States is supported. The maintenance of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Member States and non-interference in the internal affairs of Member States are among the fundamental principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

Mr. Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury (Bangladesh)

We support the General Committee's recommendation not to include item 165 of the draft agenda in the agenda of the General Assembly. Bangladesh is consistent in its position that there is only one China and that Taiwan is an integral part of China. General Assembly resolution 2758 (XXVI), of 1971, has settled once and for all the issue of representation of China in the United Nations.

Ms. Pierce (United Kingdom)

The United Kingdom supports the General Committee recommendation that item 165 of the draft agenda not be included in the agenda of the sixty-second session. The United Kingdom's position on Taiwan has not changed. We urge both the Chinese Government and the Taiwanese authorities to avoid any action that may increase tension across the Taiwan Strait.

We are strongly opposed to the use of force to resolve this issue, and we would welcome renewed efforts by both sides to lower tensions, to engage in confidence-building measures and to find a mutually acceptable basis for the resumption of constructive dialogue.

Finally, I would like to add that discussions today have been kept helpfully brief, enabling us to get through business quickly. That is very much a model that we applaud and that we hope it will be possible to apply to all debates in the Hall, and not just to this one.

The Acting President

I thank the representative of the United Kingdom for her support for the idea of brief statements. I think all of us need to work towards completing this matter expeditiously.