Permanent sovereignty over natural resources in the OPT – Second Cttee debate, vote – Summary record (excerpts)

Second Committee

 

Summary record of the 33rd meeting

Held at Headquarters, New York, on Friday, 2 December 2005, at 3 p.m. 

 

 Chairman:  Mr. Wali  ……………………………………………………………………. (Nigeria)

 later:   Mr. Koudelka (Vice-Chairman) ……………………………….  (Czech Republic)

 

 

 

Contents

 

Agenda item 38: Permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources ( continued)

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The meeting was called to order at 3.20 p.m.

 

 

Agenda item 38: Permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources (continued) (A/C.2/60/L.11/Rev.1)

 

 

Draft resolution on the permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources

  

1.  The Chairman drew attention to draft resolution A/C.2/60/L.11/Rev.1 and said that Cuba should have been listed as a sponsor. The draft resolution had no programme budget implications.

2.  Ms. Brown (Canada), speaking in explanation of vote before the vote, said that the promotion and protection of environmental integrity was critical to the social and economic viability of any State. Canada wished to see an end to the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict and a final peace settlement that was acceptable to both parties and ensured the well-being and prosperity of citizens on both sides. Referring to paragraph 6, she said that her delegation viewed the terms “character” and “status” as synonymous, since the term “character” had no known legal meaning under international humanitarian law, including customary international law.

3.   Israel, as an occupying Power, must fulfil its obligations under the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War (Fourth Geneva Convention). Any reference to the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice must reflect its non-binding status and should not selectively quote from it without a balancing reference to Israel’s security concerns.

4.   A recorded vote was taken on draft resolution A/C.2/60/L.11/Rev.1. 

In favour: 

Afghanistan, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia and Montenegro, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, 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, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Against:

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

Abstaining: 

Albania, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, El Salvador, Malawi, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu.

5.   Draft resolution A/C.2/60/L.11/Rev.1 was adopted by 151 votes to 7, with 9 abstentions.

6.   Ms. Brooker (United Kingdom), speaking in explanation of vote after the vote on behalf of the European Union; the acceding countries Bulgaria and Romania; the candidate countries Croatia and Turkey; the stabilization and association process countries Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; and, in addition, Iceland, Norway, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, said that they had voted in favour of the draft resolution because they believed that the natural resources of any territory seized by force of arms should not be used inappropriately or illegally by the occupying Power.

7.   The European Union reaffirmed the applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention to the occupied territories and also the illegality of any infringement of the rights of the Palestinian people under the Convention. However, the issues covered in the draft resolution should be dealt with within the framework of the permanent status negotiations of the Middle East peace process. The European Union remained committed — in close cooperation with its partners in the Quartet and in the Arab world — to facilitating a final settlement. The draft resolution just adopted must not be seen as a prejudicing or pre-empting the outcome of negotiations; nor should there be any actions or statements to that effect. The European Union’s position regarding the separation barrier and the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the matter remained unchanged.

8.   Mr. Hijazi (Observer for Palestine) thanked the Committee for supporting an issue that was of vital importance to the Palestinian people. In adopting the draft resolution, the international community had reaffirmed its commitment to international law and the rights it guaranteed and demonstrated that no Member State was above international law or could be held to standards other than those established in international law and its related conventions.

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The meeting rose at 4.25 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.