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

Official Records

General Assembly

Fifty-sixth session 

88th plenary meeting

Wednesday, 19 December 2001, 10 a.m.

New York

    The meeting was called to order at 10.10 a.m.

[…]

Agenda item 118

Right of peoples to self-determination

    Report of the Third Committee (A/56/582)

 The President : The Assembly has before it three draft resolutions recommended by the Third Committee in paragraph 17 of its report.

  I should like to inform members that action on draft resolution I will be postponed to a later date to allow time for the review of its programme budget implications by the Fifth Committee. The Assembly will take action on draft resolution I as soon as the report of the Fifth Committee on its programme budget implications is available.

  The Assembly will now take a decision on draft resolutions II and III.

  We turn first to draft resolution II, entitled “Universal realization of the right of peoples to self-determination”.

  The Third Committee adopted draft resolution II without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?

  Draft resolution II was adopted (resolution 56/141).

  The President : Draft resolution III 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, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Cô te 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, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, 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, 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, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia

Against:

  Israel, Marshall Islands, United States of America

Abstaining:

 Micronesia (Federated States of)

  Draft resolution III was adopted by 161 votes to 3, with 1 abstention (resolution 56/142).

 The President : I call on the representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran, who wishes to speak in explanation of vote on the resolution just adopted.

 Mr. Alaei (Islamic Republic of Iran): We have just now adopted draft resolution III, entitled “The right of the Palestinian people to self-determination”. In that regard, I would like to explain my delegation’s vote. 

  My delegation would like to express its reservations on those parts of the resolution that may be construed as recognition of Israel.

  The President : The General Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 118.

[…]

    The meeting rose at 11.35 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-178. Corrections will be issued after the end of the session in a consolidated corrigendum.