Right of the Palestinian people to self-determination – Third Cttee debate – Summary record (excerpts)

Third Committee 

Summary record of the 36th meeting

Held at Headquarters, New York, on Friday, 7 November 2003, at 10 a.m. 

Chairman :   Mrs. Londoño (Vice-Chairperson)  …………………………….. (Colombia)

Contents

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Agenda item 116 : Right of peoples to self-determination (continued) 

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    In the absence of Mr. Belinga-Eboutou (Cameroon), Mrs. Londoño (Colombia), Vice-Chairperson, took the Chair.

The meeting was called to order at 10.15 a.m.

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 Agenda item 116: Right of peoples to self-determination (continued) (A/C.3/58/L.31, A/C.3/58/L.34 and A/C.3/58/L.35)

Draft resolution A/C.3/58/L.31: Universal realization of the right of peoples to self-determination

6.  Mr. Andrabi (Pakistan) introduced the draft resolution on behalf of its co-sponsors, who had since been joined by Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq and Somalia. Recalling that the right of peoples to self-determination, an essential principle of international law, was enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and had been reaffirmed at numerous international conferences, he said that the existence of that right had enabled many of the world’s peoples to achieve independence, thus swelling the ranks of sovereign States Members of the United Nations. Regrettably, however, far from being universally applied, the right of peoples to self-determination continued to be flouted in Palestine, Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the world; moreover, the exercise of the right to self-determination belonged only to peoples and not to their rulers. The draft before the Committee was an updated version of resolution 57/197, which the General Assembly had adopted by consensus. He therefore hoped that the Committee would adopt it without a vote.

7.  The Chairman announced that Armenia had become a sponsor of the draft resolution. 

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Draft resolution A/C.3/58/L.35: The right of the Palestinian people to self-determination

10.   Mr. Roshdy (Egypt) introduced draft resolution A/C.3/58/L.35 on behalf of its sponsors, who had been joined by Andorra, Armenia, Chili, Japan, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg and Poland.

11.   Drawing attention to an error in the heading of the French text of the draft resolution, he requested its rectification.

12.   His country deplored that the Palestinians were still being deprived of their right to self-determination despite the United Nations resolutions which Israel continued to flout. As long as the international community remained powerless in face of the problem, the Palestinian people would not be able to enjoy its right to self-determination.

13.   The draft resolution before the Committee was identical with that presented the preceding year (AC.3/57/L.35), for the situation had unfortunately failed to develop. Egypt would continue submitting the same draft every year until the Palestinians obtained the right to self-determination.

14.  The Chairman announced that Afghanistan, Botswana, Cape Verde, Croatia, Lesotho, Madagascar, Monaco and the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea had become sponsors of the draft resoluton.

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The meeting rose at 12.10 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 publication to the Chief of the Official Records Editing Section, room DC2-750, 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.