Questions relating to information/Palestine question – Fourth Cttee debate – Summary record (excerpts)

SPECIAL POLITICAL AND

DECOLONIZATION COMMITTEE

FOURTH COMMITTEE)

11th meeting

held on

Thursday, 28 October 1993

at 3 p.m.

New York

SUMMARY RECORD OF THE 11th MEETING

Chairman:  Mr. KALPAGE   (Sri Lanka)

CONTENTS

AGENDA ITEM 88:  QUESTIONS RELATING TO INFORMATION (continued)

ORGANIZATION OF WORK

REQUESTS FOR HEARINGS

AGENDA ITEM 117:  ACTIVITIES OF THOSE FOREIGN ECONOMIC AND OTHER INTERESTS WHICH IMPEDE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECLARATION ON THE GRANTING OF INDEPENDENCE TO COLONIAL COUNTRIES AND PEOPLES IN TERRITORIES UNDER COLONIAL DOMINATION AND EFFORTS TO ELIMINATE COLONIALISM, APARTHEID AND RACIAL DISCRIMINATION IN SOUTHERN AFRICA (continued)

AGENDA ITEM 18:  IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECLARATION ON THE GRANTING OF INDEPENDENCE TO COLONIAL COUNTRIES AND PEOPLES (continued)

AGENDA ITEM 118:  IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECLARATION ON THE GRANTING OF INDEPENDENCE TO COLONIAL COUNTRIES AND PEOPLES BY THE SPECIALIZED AGENCIES AND THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE UNITED NATIONS (continued)

The meeting was called to order at 3.05 p.m.

AGENDA ITEM 88:  QUESTIONS RELATING TO INFORMATION (continued) (A/48/21 and A/48/407)

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45. Mr. MWAMBULUKUTU (United Republic of Tanzania) …

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46. Tanzania shared the concerns expressed by the Chairman of the Group of 77. In the view of his delegation, the Department should continue to disseminate information about the international struggle against apartheid until a united, non-racial and democratic South Africa was in place.  Similarly, it should continue disseminating information about United Nations activities in the Middle East until a definitive solution to the question of Palestine had been achieved.

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51. Mr. ABDERAHMAN (Egypt) …

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53. Activities for the dissemination of information in the developed countries must not be at the expense of those in the developing countries.  In the developed countries, those activities could be financed out of voluntary contributions or the sale of goods and services.  The Department should therefore pursue its programme for the dissemination of information in Africa and part of the funds that had been devoted to the campaign against apartheid could be used for other programmes related to security and development in Africa.  After the signing of the Israeli-Palestinian agreement, the Department should inform the public of the advantages that would ensue from its implementation.

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60. Ms. ABDELHADY (Observer for the Palestine Liberation Organization) said that information was a vital channel for communication and understanding among peoples.  Its influence on society was immense, as it affected the decisions taken in various fields:  social, political, economic, technological and cultural.  Information could play a decisive role in international relations and could be quite effective in furthering the interests of nations.  For that reason, the Department of Public Information (DPI) should maintain and develop its special programme on Palestine, which had been useful in raising the awareness of the international community of the complexities of that question, the plight of the Palestinian people and the situation in the region in general.  It had also contributed to an atmosphere conducive to dialogue.  DPI had fulfilled the mandate given to it in General Assembly resolution 47/64 C.  It was to be hoped that the fact-finding mission for journalists to the region, including the occupied territory, would take place as soon as possible.

61. In the light of recent events, it was clear that DPI still had an important role to play in furthering the Palestinian cause.  The signing of the Declaration of Principles in Washington on 13 September 1993 between the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Government of Israel, which had been preceded by mutual recognition by the two sides, constituted a major step towards the establishment of a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East.  The road towards peace would be a difficult one, however.  It included the need to accomplish similar progress on other aspects of the negotiations and the need for the effective implementation of the Declaration of Principles, in accordance with the agreed timetable.  Most important were the final negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis, to commence as soon as possible but not later than the third year of the interim period, on several crucial elements of the final settlement.  Those elements included the status of Jerusalem and the rights of the Palestinian refugees, and the public and journalists should be kept informed.

62. In the context of the negotiations, DPI activities, which would have to take account of the new developments, would be even more valuable.  Such activities might involve directing the attention of the international media to the peace process, including the immediate achievements and the progress towards important long-term goals.  The most important of the latter was the exercise by the Palestinian people of its inalienable rights, including its right to self-determination and to establish its own State.  DPI could also help to focus attention on the development and reconstruction needs of the Palestinian people.

63. During the new phase, DPI should provide assistance for developing Palestinian media and training Palestinian journalists and other media specialists, possibly in cooperation with various international media organizations.  It might also be possible to offer training for Palestinian journalists during the session of the General Assembly.

64. DPI should also continue to publicize the activities of the United Nations system and its expected enlarged role in the reconstruction of Palestinian society during the interim period.  The special programme on Palestine should therefore reflect the new situation, while continuing to disseminate information about the just cause of the Palestinian people and to support the negotiations.  The United Nations would remain seized of the question of Palestine until it was resolved in all its aspects and a just, comprehensive and lasting peace was attained.

65. At its forty-seventh session, the General Assembly had adopted resolution 47/64 C by an overwhelming majority.  Her delegation hoped that the relevant draft resolution would be adopted by consensus at the current session, for it would be difficult to understand opposition to the continuation of such a valuable programme at a time when the negotiations were entering a crucial phase for the future of the Palestinian people.

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The meeting rose at 6.05 p.m.

This record is subject to correction.  Corrections should be sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned within one week of the date of the publication to the Chief of the Official Records Editing Section, room DC2-794, 2 United Nations Plaza, and incorporated in a copy of the record.

Corrections will be issued after the end of the session, in a separate corrigendum for each Committee.