COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS
Fifty-second session
SUMMARY RECORD OF THE 34th MEETING
Held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva,
on Thursday, 11 April 1996, at 10 a.m.
Chairman: Mr. VERGNE SABOIA (Brazil)
CONTENTS
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QUESTION OF THE VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE OCCUPIED ARAB TERRITORIES, INCLUDING PALESTINE (continued)
THE RIGHT OF PEOPLES TO SELF-DETERMINATION AND ITS APPLICATION TO PEOPLES
UNDER COLONIAL OR ALIEN DOMINATION OR FOREIGN OCCUPATION (continued)
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This record is subject to correction. Corrections should be submitted in one of the working languages. They should be set forth in a memorandum and also incorporated in a copy of the record. They should be sent within one week of the date of this document to the Official Records Editing Section, room E.4108, Palais des Nations, Geneva. Any corrections to the records of the public meetings of the Commission at this session will be consolidated in a single corrigendum, to be issued shortly after the end of the session. |
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QUESTION OF THE VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE OCCUPIED ARAB TERRITORIES, INCLUDING PALESTINE (agenda item 4) (continued) (E/CN.4/1996/L.3, 6 and 12)
12. Mrs. FERRARO (United States of America), speaking in explanation of vote before the voting, said that her delegation was unable to support the draft resolution on human rights in the occupied Syrian Golan (E/CN.4/1996/L.3) because the one-sided nature of the language used could only complicate the peace process. The issues raised by that draft resolution were best left to the ongoing negotiations between the parties and should not be prejudged by the Commission. Her delegation could not support either the draft resolutions contained in documents E/CN.4/1996/L.6 and E/CN.4/1996/L.12, in which a similar approach was taken.
13. Her delegation was disappointed to note that the draft resolutions submitted under agenda item 4 at the current session had not changed from previous years, despite the clear advances in the peace process, and that the Commission had once again before it five separate, unbalanced, draft resolutions on the situation in the Middle East. The Commission could best help the people of the Middle East by focusing on the progress which the peace process had made and by recognizing that peace offered the best opportunity to further human rights for everyone in the region.
14. She requested that the vote on the draft resolution contained in document E/CN.4/1996/L.3 be taken by roll-call.
15. Mr. TORELLA di ROMAGNANO (Italy), speaking in explanation of vote before the voting on behalf of the European Union, said that the Union would abstain on the draft resolutions on the violation of human rights in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine (E/CN.4/1996/L.6), on human rights in the occupied Syrian Golan, (E/CN.4/1996/L.3) and on the situation in occupied Palestine (E/CN.4/1996/L.7). The sponsors of those draft resolutions had seen fit to re-submit texts which, in both content and form, more or less reproduced the texts submitted at the Commission’s fifty-first session, which had not been adopted by consensus and on which the Union had abstained. The new texts failed to take into account both the changes that had taken place in the territories and the progress made in the peace negotiations, which could help to create the right conditions for the full respect of human rights.
16. The Union regretted that the draft resolutions contained no reference to the observations of the Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 or to the recommendations made in his report (E/CN.4/1996/18), especially his recommendation that his mandate should be updated to make it easier to establish a constructive dialogue with all the parties concerned.
17. Lastly, the Union regretted the absence of a clear condemnation of the acts of violence to which it had referred in its statement on agenda item 4.
18. For all those reasons, the Union had no choice but to abstain on the draft resolutions contained in documents E/CN.4/1996/L.3 and E/CN.4/1996/L.6, submitted under agenda item 4. It would also have to abstain on the draft resolution on the situation in occupied Palestine (E/CN.4/1996/L.7), submitted under agenda item 7.
Draft resolution on human rights in the occupied Syrian Golan (E/CN.4/1996/L.3)
19. Mr. KHOURY (Syrian Arab Republic), introducing the draft resolution, said that the delegations of Bangladesh, Cuba, Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan and the observers for Bahrain and Saudi Arabia had joined the list of sponsors. After highlighting the main points of the draft resolution, he expressed the hope that it would be adopted without a vote. However, if a vote was called for, it should be taken by roll-call. There were a number of mistakes in the Arabic and French versions; he would hand in corrections to the Secretariat.
20. The vote was taken by roll-call.
21. Bulgaria, having been drawn by lot by the Chairman, was called upon to vote first.
22. The draft resolution was adopted by 22 votes to 1, with 28 abstentions.
Draft resolution on the question of the violation of human rights in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine (E/CN.4/1996/L.6)
23. Mr. LEMINE (Mauritania) introduced the draft resolution on behalf of its sponsors. After drawing attention to the salient points, he expressed the hope that it would receive broad support in the Commission.
24. Mrs. PAZ CAMPOS (Mexico), speaking in explanation of vote before the voting, said that her delegation would vote in favour of the draft resolution, although it did not agree with certain points and the language used was not at all balanced. A reference to the need to stop terrorist acts wherever they
occurred would have been desirable.
25. The CHAIRMAN said that the representative of the United States of America had requested a vote, and the representative of Cuba a roll-call vote.
26. The vote was taken by roll-call.
27. Cameroon, having been drawn by lot by the Chairman, was called upon to vote first.
28. The draft resolution was adopted by 27 votes to 2 with 23 abstentions.
Draft resolution on Israeli settlements in the occupied Arab territories (E/CN.4/1996/L.12)
29. Mr. TORELLA di ROMAGNANO (Italy), introduced the draft resolution on behalf of the European Union and its other sponsors. After summarizing its contents, he expressed the hope that it would be adopted without a vote.
30. Mr. MÖLLER (Secretary of the Commission) announced that the observer for New Zealand wished to be added to the list of sponsors.
31. The CHAIRMAN informed the Commission that the representative of the United States had requested a vote by show of hands.
32. The draft resolution was adopted by 49 votes to 1, with 3 abstentions.
33. Mr. MALGUINOV (Russian Federation) said that, despite its endorsement of many of the provisions contained in the draft resolution, his delegation had voted against it because it did not fully reflect the complexity of the situation and the contradictory processes involved. The Commission must promote the peace process and should denounce violations of human rights regardless of which side was responsible for such violations.
THE RIGHT OF PEOPLES TO SELF-DETERMINATION AND ITS APPLICATION TO PEOPLES
UNDER COLONIAL OR ALIEN DOMINATION OR FOREIGN OCCUPATION (agenda item 7)
(continued) (E/CN.4/1996/L.7, 8, and 9)
Draft resolution on the situation in occupied Palestine (E/CN.4/1996/L.7)
34. Mr.BEBARS (Egypt), introducing the draft resolution on behalf of its sponsors, said that the text was a model of clarity and concision. Highlighting its main points, he noted that the text had been inspired, inter alia, by the Charter of the United Nations and resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council. The text emphasized the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, without external interference. He hoped that the Commission would adopt the draft resolution by consensus.
35. Mr. MÖLLER (Secretary of the Commission) announced that the observer for Morocco had become a sponsor of the draft resolution.
36. The CHAIRMAN said that the representative of the United States of America had requested a vote.
37. At the request of the representative of Egypt, the vote was taken by roll-call.
38. El Salvador, having been drawn by lot by the Chairman, was called upon to vote first.
39. The draft resolution was adopted by 28 votes to 1, with 23 abstentions.
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The meeting rose at 1 p.m.
Document Type: Summary record
Document Sources: Commission on Human Rights
Subject: Agenda Item, Golan Heights, Human rights and international humanitarian law, Jerusalem, Peace process, Settlements, Situation in Lebanon
Publication Date: 11/04/1996