Fourth Committee: Special Political and Decolonization
Of Conflict, and Post-conflict, Situations
By Vikram Sura with Jonas Hagen, for the Chronicle
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| "Draw your own conclusions", remarked the representative of Zambia in the Fourth (Special Political and Decolonization) Committee, Brigadier General John N. Musonda. "During the cold war, there was one UN peacekeeping mission to Africa", he said. "After the cold war, we have had more than fifteen. During the cold war, the Western or Eastern powers ensured stability in certain countries for their interests to be served. But at the end of the cold war, once their interests had been served and there was nothing else to do, they left. You find those dictators who relied on these powers were left to themselves; 'the centre did not hold and things fell apart'," he said, paraphrasing Chinua Achebe's great but sad novel that draws its title from W. B. Yeats' poem "The Second Coming". In a talk with the UN Chronicle, Brig. Gen. Musonda said that for African States to participate more in UN peacekeeping operations, they had to overcome key problems of training and equipment for logistical support—a fact agreed on by European and African diplomats who also spoke to the Chronicle.
According to the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, 21 African countries contribute 10,191 troops, or 23 per cent of the 43,007 troops currently deployed in peacekeeping missions around the world. Contributions range between four soldiers by Côte d'Ivoire and 3,340 by Nigeria. Nevertheless, the question remains as to why it is necessary to enhance the capability of African States in peacekeeping operations. "Most of the conflicts in the world are in Africa, so what would be more relevant?" asked Kurt Mosgaard of Denmark, who spoke in the Committee on behalf of the European Union. "All countries can benefit from an enhanced African presence in peacekeeping missions", he told the Chronicle. "It's not that easy … one should talk to present UN mission commanders on the ground. Training is the most important component. There can be bilateral assistance as well, for things like transport, equiment, logistics, etc." Malick Thierno Sow of Senegal, who also spoke for the African nations, told the Chronicle that troops needed training. "Training centres should be established in the West, East, North and Central regions of Africa", he said. "Some already exist. Countries should also be given resources to be able to participate. Sometimes they are invited and cannot go because they don't have enough funds." Even as the debate on the peacekeeping capability of African nations was considered important, involvement of the United Nations in nurturing the rule of law in transitional States caused concern to some developing countries, Mr. Maitland said. "It's a complex issue", he added. "As parties to a conflict make peace … there must be assistance. The UN is grappling with how to enhance its capacity to make an effective intervention." East Timor and Kosovo were "exceptional cases", but going beyond transitional administration was seen as a problem. He said that the Brahimi report on peace operations also mentioned this concern. The debate on a comprehensive review of peacekeeping operations in the Committee also resulted in a recommendation to proclaim 29 May as the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers. The date marks the establishment in 1948 of the first UN peacekeeping operation—the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) in the Middle East. Besides a review of UN peacekeeping operations, three of the fourteen subjects General Assembly President Jan Kavan allocated to the Committee underlined the interests of peoples in non-self-governing or non-sovereign territories. The discussion began with diplomats celebrating the independence of Timor-Leste along with the situation in Tokelau (see box on next page). Timor-Leste achieved independence in the opening year of the Second International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism. However, the Committee still has its work in decolonization cut out, asthere are 16 more non-self-governing territories remain. The lesson of Timor-Leste for these territories, according to its Permanent Representative to the UN, Jose Luis Guterres, is self-determination within the norms of international law.
The Resistance never committed any terrorist acts and they never initiated or propagated racist propaganda." Cuba's Ambassador Orlando Requeijo Gual, in his intervention during the decolonization debate, pointed out that despite the "joy over the independence of Timor-Leste successes in the area of decolonization had been scarce". He said that he was deeply concerned over the constant manipulation of criteria, such as territorial extension, low population, and remoteness or sustainability in distorting the universality of the inalienable right of peoples to self-determination. Another contentious subject underlying the decolonization debate was the question of Western Sahara. A UN referendum plan in 1991 to choose between independence or integration with Morocco—the administering Power—has been stalled due in part to appeals and disagreements over voter identification and the registration process. In his 2001 report on Western Sahara, Secretary-General Kofi Annan concluded: "Although there had been no progress towards overcoming the obstacles to the implementation of the settlement plan, there had been substantial progress towards determining whether the Government of Morocco … was prepared to offer or support some devolution of authority for the Territory." Upon the Committee's recommendation, the Assembly approved the draft on Western Sahara without a vote.
The Chairman of the Special Committee, Chithambaranthan Mahendran of Sri Lanka, noted that the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian Territory had deteriorated enormously since Israel's military incursions. He said the report showed a disturbing deterioration in the humanitarian and economic situations, coupled with severe violations of the human rights of Palestinian civilians. Responding to the charges in the report, the representative of Israel, Arye Mekel, said that the Special Committee had done little more than produce hostile propaganda against Israel. Most shocking of all was its "non-consideration" of the impact of Palestinian terrorism, not only on the Israeli people but also on the Palestinians themselves. The Assembly voted 86 to 6, with 66 abstentions, on the Special Committee's report, and 155 to 5, with 4 abstentions, on the operations of UNRWA, while it adopted a total of 12 recommendations related to the Middle East. A minor change in the Assembly's voting pattern on the Fourth Committee's recommendations on the Middle East was Israel's negative vote on "offers by Member States of grants and scholarships for higher education, including training for Palestinian refugees", which was adopted without a vote during the fifty-sixth session. The Assembly adopted without a vote: two texts on the "Effects of atomic radiation" and on "International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space"; two texts which sought to ensure journalists the free and effective performance of their duties; and a decision on increasing the membership of the Committee on Information. In the same vein, the Fourth Committee "welcomed" the review of the UN Department of Public Information and its progress towards a new "evaluation culture". Upon recommendation of the Committee, the General Assembly adopted a total of 27 resolutions and 3 decisions. Mr. Maitland said that as Chairman he was not sure whether much more could be done than what the Committee was doing already. "We need to resolve some key questions", he said, "such as of Western Sahara, the Palestinian issue; decolonize those that want to be decolonized. But that doesn't depend on any resolutions or a number of resolutions. It all depends on political will." |
| Lessons from Timor-Leste and Tokelau | |
Timor-Leste, with a population of 952,618, became the newest State in May 2002, gaining independence after holding a referendum on self-determination in 1999. Its Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Jose Luis Guterres, told the UN Chronicle that Timor-Leste had been discussed in the Fourth Committee since the 1970s. He said that in his own country's struggle for independence, the Resistance always abided by international law and never committed any terrorist act or engaged in "racist propaganda" in the country. Timor-Leste never lost faith in a peaceful solution to the occupation. Ambassador Guterres advised occupied States to look at the occupiers as "people that have made mistakes" and that "even in moments of sacrifice you must believe in the goodness of humankind. The only legitimate means to achieve self-determination, he said, are those recognized by the international community. Terrorist acts will not further the goals of colonized States; they will only "endanger their aspiration to be free", he said, adding, "even when our children received bullets, we have always sought peace through dialogue". Tokelau is a group of three atolls with a total area of 10 square kilometres in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand. Each atoll comprises strips of land 200 metres wide and 5 metres above sea level, with a total population of 1,518. In the last few years, Tokelau has been in the eye of the international community as it develops from a non-self-governing territory run by an administrator from the New Zealand Government to a self-determining, constitutional State. Its relationship to the administering Power is crucial, since the territory has very limited possibilities for generating income and depends on aid to a large degree. New Zealand has provided high levels of monetary assistance, as well as expertise, for the creation of a democratic institution called the "Modern House of Tokelau"—a constitutional framework based on the traditional social structure of the atolls. According to the administering Power, Tokelau and New Zealand continue to see self-determination as an evolving, self-generated process, where the administering Power and third parties recognize what the people of Tokelau construct. In an interview with the Chronicle, New Zealand's representative to the Committee, Tim McIvor, said Tokelau has "a number of options, from integration to independence". New Zealand and Tokelau will continue working as partners on issues such as sustainability and capacity-building, until they reach the point where "they [Tokelauans] are in a position to decide what to do", he said. |
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