Palestine question/PLO observer status – GA debate – Verbatim record (excerpts)

Official Records

General Assembly

Fifty-fourth Session

3rd plenary meeting

Tuesday, 17 September 1999, 11 a.m.

New York

President: Mr. Gurirab ……………………………………. (Namibia)

In the absence of the President, Mr. Baali (Algeria), Vice-President, took the Chair.

The meeting was called to order at 11.15 a.m.

/…

The President: The General Assembly has thus concluded its consideration of the first report of the General Committee. I wish to thank all the members of the Assembly for their cooperation.

/…

I should now like to draw the attention of representatives to a matter concerning the participation of Palestine, in its capacity as observer, in the sessions and work of the General Assembly. Members will recall resolution 52/250 of 7 July 1998 and its annex, as well as a note by the Secretary-General contained in document A/52/1002 that outlines the Secretary-General’s understanding of the implementation of the modalities annexed to the resolution.

I should like to draw the Assembly’s attention in particular to paragraph 6 of the annex to resolution 52/250, which reads as follows:

“The right to make interventions, with a precursory explanation or the recall of relevant General Assembly resolutions being made only once by the President of the General Assembly at the start of each session of the Assembly”.

Accordingly, for the fifty-fourth session of the General Assembly, the observer of Palestine will therefore participate in the work of the General Assembly in accordance with resolution 3237 (XXIX) of the twenty-ninth session of 22 November 1974, resolution 43/177 of 15 December 1988 and resolution 52/250 of 7 July 1998, with no further need for a precursory explanation prior to any intervention by Palestine in this session.

The meeting rose at 12.25 p.m.