Permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the OPT-GA debate-Press release

ASSEMBLY ADOPTS 37 RESOLUTIONS CONTAINED IN SECOND COMMITTEE REPORTS

Texts Adopted on International Trade and Development,

Unilateral Economic Measures and Financing for Development

The General Assembly deplored any attempt to bypass or undermine multilaterally agreed procedures on the conduct of international trade by unilateral actions inconsistent   with multilateral trade rules and regulations, by the terms of a draft resolution adopted without a vote this morning on the recommendation of the Assembly's  Second Committee (Economic and Financial).  It was among 37 resolutions contained in Second  Committee reports adopted by the Assembly.

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By the other text adopted by a recorded vote, the Assembly called on Israel not to exploit, to cause loss or depletion of, or to endanger the natural resources in the   occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan.   Adopting the text by a vote of 145 in favour to three against (Israel, Marshall Islands  and United States) with six abstentions (Australia, Cameroon, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Zambia), the Assembly reaffirmed  the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and the population of the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources, including land and water.  (See voting Annex III for details.)

Subsequently, Australia's representative said that his vote had been erroneously  registered as abstained.  He had voted in favour of the resolution.

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Assembly Work Programme

The General Assembly met this morning to consider the reports of its Second Committee  (Economic and Financial).  The reports concern the following topics:  macroeconomic policy   questions; sectoral policy questions; sustainable development and international economic cooperation; environment and sustainable development; operational activities for development; training and research; permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the  occupied territory, including Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian  Golan over their resources; globalization and interdependence; implementation of the First  United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty; and the report of the Economic and Social Council.

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Permanent Sovereignty of the Palestinian People

  The Committee's report on "permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and of the Arab  population in the  occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources" (document A/54/591) contains one draft resolution.

The draft resolution on the permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the  occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources, was approved by a vote of 132 in favour  to 3 against (Israel, Marshall Islands and United States) with  5 abstentions (Cameroon,  Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Zambia) on 24 November.  It would have the Assembly call on Israel, the occupying Power, not to exploit, to cause loss or  depletion of  or  to endanger the natural resources in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem,  and in the occupied Syrian Golan.  Also, the Assembly would reaffirm the inalienable rights  of the Palestinian people and the population of the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources, including land and water.

Further, the Assembly would recognize the right of the Palestinian people to claim restitution as a result of any  exploitation, loss or depletion of, or danger to, their  natural resources, and express the hope that this issue will be dealt with in the framework of the final status negotiation  between the Palestinian and Israeli sides.

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The Assembly then turned to the report on permanent  sovereignty of the Palestinian People (document A/54/591).

The draft resolution entitled "permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in  the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the  occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources" was adopted with 145 Member States voting in favour of the draft resolution, three Member States voting against (Israel, Marshall Islands and the United States), and six Member States abstaining (Australia, Cameroon, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Zambia)  (See Annex III).

ALAN MARCH (Australia) said that his  vote had  been wrongly registered.  He had not abstained, but had voted in favour.

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ANNEX III

  Vote on Permanent Sovereignty of Palestinian People

The draft  resolution on permanent sovereignty  of the Palestinian  people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including  Jerusalem, and of the Arab population  in  the  occupied  Syrian  Golan  over  their natural  resources (document A/54/591)  was adopted by a recorded vote of 145 in favour to 3 against with 6 abstentions:

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, Cambodia, Canada,  Cape

Verde, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia,  Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia,  Cuba, Cyprus,

Czech Republic,  Democratic People's Republic  of Korea, Denmark,  Djibouti,

Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon,  Gambia,

Germany,  Ghana,  Greece,  Grenada,  Guinea, Guinea-Bissau,  Guyana,  Haiti,

Hungary, Iceland,  India, Indonesia, Iran,  Ireland, Italy, Jamaica,  Japan,

Jordan, Kenya,  Kuwait, Lao People's  Democratic Republic, Latvia,  Lebanon,

Lesotho, Libya,  Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malaysia,

Maldives,  Mali,  Malta,  Mauritius,   Mexico,  Monaco,  Mongolia,  Morocco,

Mozambique,  Myanmar,  Namibia, Nepal,  Netherlands,  New Zealand,  Nigeria,

Norway,  Oman,   Pakistan,  Panama,  Papua   New  Guinea,  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, Seychelles,  Sierra

Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa,  Spain,

Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Syria, Tajikistan,  Thailand,

The  former Yugoslav  Republic  of  Macedonia, Togo,  Trinidad  and  Tobago,

Tunisia,  Turkey, Uganda,  Ukraine, United  Arab Emirates,  United  Kingdom,

United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zimbabwe.

Against:  Israel, Marshall Islands, United States.

Abstain:  Australia, Cameroon, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Zambia.

Absent:    Albania, Bosnia  and  Herzegovina,  Comoros,  Congo, Costa  Rica,

Democratic  Republic  of   the  Congo,  Dominica,  Dominican  Republic,   El

Salvador,  Equatorial   Guinea,  Federated  States   of  Micronesia,   Fiji,

Guatemala, Honduras,  Kiribati,  Malawi,  Nauru, Nicaragua,  Palau,  Rwanda,

Saint Kitts and Nevis, Tonga, Turkmenistan.

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