Right of the Pal. people to self-determination – GA debate – Verbatim record (excerpts)

Official Records

General Assembly

Sixtieth session 

64th plenary meeting

Friday, 16 December 2005, 3 p.m. 

New York

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  The meeting was called to order at 3.15 p.m.

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Agenda item 70 

Right of peoples to self-determination

    Report of the Third Committee (A/60/508)

 The President : The Assembly has before it two draft resolutions recommended by the Third Committee in paragraph 17 of its report in document A/60/508 and one draft decision recommended by the Third Committee in paragraph of 18 of the same report.

  I call on the representative of the United States to speak in explanation of vote.

 Mr. Godard (United States of America): The United States has worked continuously to support the social and economic development, as well as legitimate political aspirations, of the Palestinian people. The level of United States assistance for Palestinians’ needs compares favourably to that of any other country in the world. The United States has no quarrel with the “right of the Palestinian people to self-determination”. President Bush articulated clearly that the United States objective is two sovereign, democratic States — Israel and Palestine — living side by side in peace and security.

  The United States, working with the Palestinian Authority and the international community, has focused substantial resources on strengthening the Palestinian Authority’s institutions and providing assistance to ensure democratic elections. President Bush recently welcomed Palestinian Authority President Abbas to the White House. Recent progress on the ground, including the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the 15 November Agreement on Movement and Access between Israel and the Palestinian Authority are historic and show that progress is made when Israeli and Palestinian officials work together with the support of the international community. In this regard, the opening of Rafah on 25 November marked an important step in building trust between the parties as we work to renew progress along the road map.

  The United States cannot support the draft resolution under consideration. The draft resolution and others like it reflect an outdated approach conceived when the Palestinian people lacked democratic leadership and believed that the solution to their problems lay in the United Nations. There is a role for the United Nations in this issue, but that role is in supporting the two parties to the conflict. One-sided resolutions from the Assembly undermine the credibility of the United Nations and, ultimately, its effectiveness.

 The President : A number of representatives have indicated to the Secretariat that their names were not included in the list of sponsors of draft resolution II, entitled “The right of the Palestinian people to self-determination”, contained in document A/60/508. In that connection, I give the floor to the Director of the General Assembly and Economic and Social Council Affairs Division of the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management.

 Ms. Kelley (Director, General Assembly and Economic and Social Council Affairs Division, Department for General Assembly and Conference Management): Regrettably, document A/60/508 failed to list the names of the additional sponsors of draft resolution II, entitled “The right of the Palestinian people to self-determination”. I would like for the record to read out those names and to assure the Assembly that they will be included in the final version of the report.

  The additional sponsors of draft resolution II, on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, are: Andorra, Armenia, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, the Comoros, Costa Rica, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Finland, France, Greece, Guinea, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Niger, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Saint Lucia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Republic of Tanzania, Viet Nam, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

 The President : We will now take a decision on draft resolutions I and II and on the draft decision.

  Draft resolution I is entitled “Universal realization of the right of peoples to self-determination”. The Third Committee adopted draft resolution I without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?

 Draft resolution I was adopted (resolution 60/145).

  The President: Draft resolution II is entitled “The right of the Palestinian people to self-determination”.

 A recorded vote has been requested.

 A recorded vote was taken. 

In favour:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, 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, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia and Montenegro, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Against:

Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Palau, United States of America.

Abstaining:

 Australia.

  Draft resolution II was adopted by 170 votes to 5, with 1 abstention (resolution 60/146).

 The President: The draft decision is entitled “Documents considered by the General Assembly in connection with the question of the rights of peoples to self-determination”. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to adopt the draft decision recommended by the Third Committee in paragraph 18 of its report?

 The draft decision was adopted.

 The President: May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 70?

 It was so decided.

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  The meeting rose at 5.15 p.m.

This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the interpretation of speeches delivered in the other languages. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room C-154A. Corrections will be issued after the end of the session in a consolidated corrigendum.