52/14 Zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolution 41/11 of 27 October 1986, in which it solemnly declared the Atlantic Ocean, in the region between Africa and South America, the "Zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic",

Recalling also its subsequent resolutions on the matter, including resolution 45/36 of 27 November 1990, in which it reaffirmed the determination of the States of the zone to enhance and accelerate their cooperation in the political, economic, scientific, cultural and other spheres,

Reaffirming that the questions of peace and security and those of development are interrelated and inseparable, and that cooperation for peace and development among States of the region will promote the objectives of the zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic,

Aware of the importance that the States of the zone attach to the environment of the region, and recognizing the threat that pollution from any source poses to the marine and coastal environment, its ecological balance and its resources,

1. Reaffirms the importance of the purposes and objectives of the zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic as a basis for the promotion of cooperation among the countries of the region;

2. Calls upon all States to cooperate in the promotion of the objectives established in the declaration of the zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic and to refrain from any action inconsistent with those objectives and with the Charter of the United Nations and relevant resolutions of the Organization, particularly action which may create or aggravate situations of tension and potential conflict in the region;

3. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General, ⁽¹⁾ submitted in accordance with its resolution 51/19 of 14 November 1996;

4. Recalls the agreement reached at the third meeting of the States members of the zone, held at Brasilia in 1994, to encourage democracy and political pluralism and, in accordance with the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights on

25 June 1993, ⁽²⁾ to promote and defend all human rights and fundamental freedoms and to cooperate towards the achievement of those goals;

5. Welcomes with satisfaction the holding of the fourth meeting of the States members of the zone at Somerset West, South Africa, on 1 and 2 April 1996, and takes note of the Final Declaration, the decision on drug trafficking, the decision on the protection of the marine environment and the decision on illegal fishing activities in the zone, adopted at the meeting;

6. Welcomes the progress towards the full entry into force of the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (Treaty of Tlatelolco), ⁽³⁾ and the conclusion of the "African Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty" (Treaty of Pelindaba); ⁽⁴⁾

7. Also welcomes the efforts of the Government of Angola to implement the Lusaka Protocol, ⁽⁵⁾ expresses its deep concern at the delay in fully implementing the Acordos de Paz and the Lusaka Protocol, and calls upon the União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola to fulfil immediately the tasks enumerated in the relevant Security Council resolutions, in particular resolutions 1118 (1997) of 30 June 1997, 1127 (1997) of 28 August 1997 and 1135 (1997) of 29 October 1997;

8. Reaffirms its willingness to contribute by all means at its disposal to an effective and lasting peace in Angola;

9. Urges the international community and all relevant international and private organizations to fulfil expeditiously their pledges to provide assistance to facilitate the demobilization and social reintegration of ex-combatants, the demining process, the resettlement of displaced persons and the reconstruction of the Angolan economy in order to consolidate the gains in the peace process;

10. Welcomes with satisfaction the return of peace to Liberia following the successful conduct of the July elections and the installation of the democratically elected Government in that country, and in that regard expresses its appreciation to the Economic Community of West African States, the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group, the United Nations and other members of the international community for their efforts in the peaceful resolution of the Liberian conflict, and calls upon them to support efforts to consolidate peace in Liberia, including a viable framework for the mobilization of resources for reconstruction and development;

11. Welcomes the steps taken by the newly elected Government towards the implementation of programmes to achieve genuine reconciliation and national unity and the formation of a broad-based government, and its commitment to promoting the protection of human rights and respect for the rule of law;

12. Commends the efforts of Member States and humanitarian organizations in rendering humanitarian assistance to Angola and Liberia, and urges them to continue to provide and to increase such assistance;

13. Expresses concern at the situation in Sierra Leone, condemns the coup d'état against the democratically elected Government by the military on 25 May 1997, and calls upon the military junta in Sierra Leone to fulfil its obligations under the peace plan agreed to at Conakry on 23 October 1997; ⁽⁶⁾

14. Commends the initiatives of the Economic Community of West African States and of the Security Council in trying to resolve the situation, and calls on the international community to lend its support to those initiatives by faithfully implementing the various measures adopted in order to accelerate the return to peace and stability in that country;

15. Affirms the importance of the South Atlantic to global maritime and commercial transactions and its determination to preserve the region for all peaceful purposes and activities protected by international law, in particular the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea; ⁽⁷⁾

16. Welcomes the offer by Argentina to host the fifth meeting of the States members of the zone in 1998;

17. Requests the relevant organizations, organs and bodies of the United Nations system to render all appropriate assistance which States of the zone may seek in their joint efforts to implement the declaration of the zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic;

18. Requests the Secretary-General to keep the implementation of resolution 41/11 and subsequent resolutions on the matter under review and to submit a report to the General Assembly at its fifty-third session, taking into account, inter alia, the views expressed by Member States;

19. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-third session the item entitled "Zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic".

RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 52/14:

In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Republic of the Congo, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Tajikistan, Thailand, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Against: None.

Abstain: United States.

Absent: Andorra*, Bangladesh, Belize, Cambodia, Comoros, Croatia, Dominica, Federated States of Micronesia, Guinea-Bissau*, Hungary*, Israel, Lebanon, Mauritania, Palau, Rwanda, Seychelles, Syria, Turkmenistan, Uruguay*, Uzbekistan.

* Later advised the Secretariat that it had intended to vote in favour.

1. A/52/462.

2. A/CONF.157/24 (Part I), chap. III.

3. United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 634, No. 9068.

4. See A/50/426.

5. Official Records of the Security Council, Forty-ninth Year, Supplement for October and December 1994, document S/1995/1441.

6. See S/1997/824.

7. Official Records of the Third Conference on the Law of the Sea, vol. XVII (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.84.V.3), document A/CONF.62/122.