Palestine question/Participation of Palestine in the UN – GA general debate – Verbatim record

Official Records

General Assembly

Fifty-ninth session

73rd plenary meeting

Friday, 17 December 2004, 11.30 a.m.

New York

    The meeting was called to order at noon.

Agenda items 45 and 55 ( continued)

Integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the major

United Nations conferences and summits in the economic, social and related fields

Follow-up to the outcome of the Millennium Summit

    Draft resolution (A/59/L.53)

  The President (spoke in French ): …

…

  As regards the involvement of observer delegations — particularly that of the Holy See, in its capacity as an observer State, and that of Palestine, in its capacity as observer — I should like to inform the Assembly that — as was done for the Millennium Summit — the modalities of their participation will be specified in a subsequent draft resolution, on which we shall have to work early next year.

…

 The President (spoke in French ): I give the floor to the observer of Palestine.

  Mrs. Barghouti (Palestine): My delegation is taking the floor just to express our thanks and appreciation for the statement that you, Mr. President, made before the adoption of this important resolution with respect to the participation of Palestine in the high-level plenary meeting to be held at the sixtieth session of the General Assembly. We hope that the omission of Palestine from the draft resolution will not constitute a precedent for the future work of the General Assembly.

  Secondly, we regret very much the attempt by one or two delegations to politicize this procedural draft resolution. The inclusion in the draft resolution of Palestine in its capacity as observer is not a request for a favour from the General Assembly. It is our right, and it is in conformity with the past practice of the General Assembly, including its resolution 52/250, which gives Palestine the same rights and privileges as other States, without the right to vote.

  Finally, I express our sincere hope that the establishment of an independent and viable State of Palestine will soon be realized and that our head of State will participate in the very important meeting to be held in September 2005.

…

    The meeting rose at 12.15 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.