SELF-DETERMINATION SHOULD COME SOON TO PALESTINIANS IN CURRENT PEACE PROCESS, SOCIAL COMMITTEE ASSERTS

19 November 1997

Press Release
GA/SHC/3454

SELF-DETERMINATION SHOULD COME SOON TO PALESTINIANS IN CURRENT PEACE PROCESS, SOCIAL COMMITTEE ASSERTS

19971119 Text Would Have Assembly Seek Wide Support for Quest; Debate on Human Rights Continues, High Commissioner Welcomes Endorsement of Her Mandate

The General Assembly would express the hope that the Palestinian people would soon exercise their right to self-determination in the current peace process, by the terms of one of three draft resolutions approved this afternoon by the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural).

The draft was approved by a vote of 141 in favour, to 2 against (Israel, United States), with 7 abstentions (El Salvador, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Georgia, Norway, Uruguay). By the text, the Assembly would urge all States and the specialized agencies and organizations of the United Nations system to continue supporting and assisting the Palestinian people in their quest for self-determination. The representatives of Israel, United States, Syria, Lebanon, Norway and Iran spoke in explanation of vote. The Observer for Palestine also spoke.

The Committee approved two other draft resolutions without a vote.

By the terms of a draft text on follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and implementing the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action, the Assembly would decide to convene, in the year 2000, a high-level plenary review to appraise and assess the progress achieved in the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women and the Beijing Platform for Action five years after its adoption, and to consider further actions and initiatives.

By a draft resolution on the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People, 1994-2004, the Assembly would decide to appoint the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights as Coordinator for the International Decade and to promote its objectives.

The Committee decided to postpone action on the draft resolution on preparations for the Tenth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders. The United States spoke on the late issuance of the programme budget implications and asked for action to be deferred. The Director of the Programme, Planning and Budget Division introduced the statement on the programme budget implications of the draft.

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The Committee Chairman, Alessandro Busacca (Italy), informed the Committee that the draft resolution on the implementation of human rights instruments was postponed because a revised text was being prepared.

Also this afternoon, the Committee continued its consideration of human rights questions. The representative of Yemen said the divergence between north and south came down to which should be given first priority, human rights or development. It was difficult to be aware of basic human rights when one was struggling to remain alive.

The representative of Indonesia said it was disingenuous to lecture countries with unfortunate human rights violations while ignoring the fact that those governments were perhaps exhausting all their resources in servicing debt and trying to meet basic survival needs.

The representative of the Sudan said the current trend to adopt resolutions for or against certain States for political reasons was dangerous. He spoke of the tendency of voluntary organizations and States to link certain actions with religions, including that of the "very tolerant Islam".

Protection of human rights was a serious affair said the representative of Greece. Further tolerance of Turkey's behaviour in Cyprus would send the wrong message, not only to Turkey but to potential violators of human rights everywhere.

The representative of Iran said his country had been experiencing steady growth in freedom of expression. On the issue of women, the vision of the Government was creating a climate where women could fully enjoy rights and have access to equal opportunities in all spheres of life.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, made closing remarks to the Committee.

The representatives of Algeria, Israel, Iraq, Sudan, Cyprus, Greece and Turkey spoke in right of reply.

The Third Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. tomorrow, Thursday, 20 November, to hear the introduction of draft texts.

Committee Work Programme

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this afternoon to take action on five draft resolutions on issues related to crime prevention and criminal justice; follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women; the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People; the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination; and human rights questions. The Committee is also expected to continue its consideration of human rights questions.

Draft Texts for Action

The draft text on preparations for the Tenth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (document A/C.3/52/L.5) is recommended to the Assembly by the Economic and Social Council for adoption. By its terms, the Assembly would decide that the Tenth Congress should be held in the year 2000 and that the following topics should be included in its provisional agenda: promoting the rule of law and strengthening the criminal justice system; international cooperation in combating transnational crime; new challenges in the twenty-first century; effective crime prevention; keeping pace with new development; offenders and victims; accountability and fairness in the justice process.

The Assembly would also decide that four workshops on the following issues should be held within the framework of the Tenth Congress: combating corruption; crimes related to the computer network; community involvement in crime prevention; and women in the criminal justice system. It would welcome the offer by the Government of South Africa to host the Tenth Congress and requests the Secretary-General to initiate consultations with the Government and to report to the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice at its seventh session. The Assembly would also take note with appreciation that the Austrian Government would be honoured to host the Tenth Congress in Vienna, if consensus could be reached and questions of timing could be resolved.

By the draft text, Member States would be invited to be represented at the Tenth Congress at a high political level, for example, by heads of State, government ministers and attorneys-general. The Assembly would request the Secretary-General to provide the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Division, as the secretariat of the Tenth Congress, with the necessary resources from the 1998-1999 budget to undertake the preparatory activities, including organizing regional preparatory meetings.

A statement submitted by the Secretary-General (document A/C.3/52/L.43) provides the programme budget implications of the draft resolution on preparations for the Tenth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offender. Should the draft resolution be adopted, additional requirements of $83,700 would arise under section 154 of the proposed

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programme budget for the 1998-1999 biennium. By operative paragraph 5 of the draft text, resources are requested for the participation of the least developed countries in the regional preparatory meetings for the Tenth Congress.

The statement notes that no provision for the request has been made in the proposed 1998-1999 programme budget. Should it not prove possible to meet the cost from the contingency fund, the implementation of the request would have to be postponed or the activities and output would have to be reprogrammed or modified. By the terms of a draft resolution on follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and implementing the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action (document A/C.3/52/L.42), submitted by the Chairman of the Third Committee on the basis of informal consultations, the Assembly would decide to convene, in the year 2000, a high-level plenary review to appraise and assess the progress achieved in the implementation of the Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women from the Nairobi Conference and the subsequent Beijing Platform for Action, five years after its adoption, and to consider further actions and initiatives. It would request the Secretary-General, with a view to ensuring participation at a high political level, to explore in a report to the Assembly's current session the possibility, among other options, of convening the review at the start of that session, within the framework of the proposed millennium Assembly if agreed upon by the General Assembly, following the annual session of the Commission on the Status of Women, or as a special session of the Assembly.

By other terms of the text, the Assembly would request governments and the international community to implement specific programmes for the eradication of poverty and illiteracy, ensuring women's equal access to education, training, credit, employment and the promotion of entrepreneurial activities. It would strongly urge the international community to support national efforts towards the advancement of women in developing countries, particularly in Africa, and in the least developed countries.

The Assembly would stress that full and effective implementation of the Platform for Action would require a political commitment to make available human and financial resources for the empowerment of women, the integration of a gender perspective in budgetary decisions on policies and programmes, and adequate financing of specific programmes for securing equality between women and men. Governments that have not yet done so would be urged to establish or strengthen appropriate national machineries for the advancement of women at the highest political level.

Member States would be called upon to allocate sufficient resources for undertaking gender impact analyses in order to develop successful national implementation strategies for the Platform for Action. The Assembly would also call for intensified efforts to integrate the equal status and human rights of women into the mainstream of United Nations system-wide activity.

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By a draft resolution on the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People, 1994-2004 (document A/C.3/52/L.40/Rev.1), the Assembly would decide to appoint the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights as Coordinator for the International Decade, to promote its objectives, and consider organizing a workshop for research and higher education institutions, submitting an annual report to the Assembly on the implementation of the Decade's activities.

The draft is sponsored by Armenia, Australia, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cyprus, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Greece, Guyana, Iceland, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Solomon Islands, Spain and Sweden.

Under a draft resolution on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination (document A/C.3/52/L.41), the Assembly would express deep concern over the deterioration of the Middle East peace process, including the lack of implementation of the agreements signed between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Government of Israel. It would urge all States and the United Nations system to continue supporting and assisting the Palestinian people in their quest for self-determination.

The draft is sponsored by Afghanistan, Algeria, Andorra, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Denmark, Djibouti, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guinea, Guyana, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Monaco, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Portugal, Qatar, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Viet Nam and Yemen.

A draft resolution on the implementation of human rights instruments (document A/C.3/52/L.36) would have the Assembly decide to continue giving priority consideration to the conclusions and recommendations of the meetings of persons chairing human rights treaty bodies, in light of the deliberations of the Commission on Human Rights. It would emphasize the need to ensure financing and adequate staff and information resources for the operations of the human rights treaty bodies.

By other terms of the draft text, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its fifty-third session on measures taken to implement the present resolution and on obstacles to its implementation, and also on measures taken or planned to ensure financing and adequate staff and information resources for the effective operation of the human rights treaty bodies.

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The text is sponsored by Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Guatemala, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Romania, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Action on Drafts

WARREN SACH, Director of the Programme, Planning and Budget Division, said that when the draft resolution on the Tenth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders was introduced in the Economic and Social Council, no programme budget implications had been prepared. That oversight had been identified and had been eventually addressed. Should the draft resolution be adopted, additional requirements of $83,700 would arise under section 154 of the proposed programme budget for the 1998-1999 biennium.

SETH WINNICK (United States) said that when the draft resolution was discussed by the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, the United States had requested information on programme budget implications and had been told that there were none. The oversight at Vienna had been compounded by the Economic and Social Council. In view of the late issuance of the statement of programme budget implications, he asked the Committee to defer action on the draft resolution until next week.

The Committee decided to postpone action on the draft resolution to a later date.

The Committee then took up the draft resolution on follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and implementing the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action.

ALESSANDRO BUSACCA (Italy), Committee Chairman, said the draft text had no programme budget implications.

The draft resolution was approved without a vote.

The Committee took up the draft resolution on the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People, 1994-2004.

Mr. BUSACCA (Italy), Committee Chairman, said the draft resolution had no programme budget implications. He reminded the Committee that Argentina and Turkmenistan had joined as co-sponsors when the draft text was introduced (17 November). Costa Rica and Guatemala were then added as co-sponsors.

The draft resolution was approved without a vote.

The Committee concluded its consideration of the agenda item related to programme of activities of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People.

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The Committee then took up the draft resolution on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.

Mr. BUSACCA (Italy), Committee Chairman, said the draft had no programme budget implications. He reminded the Committee that Brunei Darussalam had been added to the list of co-sponsors when the draft text was introduced (on 13 November).

Additional co-sponsors were added as follows: Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Angola.

The Chairman said a recorded vote had been requested.

The representative of the United States, speaking in explanation of vote, said he opposed the draft because it injected the United Nations into the Middle East peace process on a final status issue that was to be the subject of direct negotiation among the parties to the conflict. It singled out one group of people for self-determination. There were numerous other groups of people throughout the world, some of whom regarded themselves as being under foreign occupation, yet no resolution singled them out for special treatment. Adoption of a politicized resolution would not contribute to a reinvigoration of the peace process; it might have the opposite effect.

The representative of Israel said the draft would have an adverse effect on the outcome of the final status talks between Israel and the Palestinians. The matter should be dealt with on a bilateral basis. Israel looked forward to progress in the talks between the two parties.

The draft resolution was approved by a recorded vote of 141 in favour, 2 against (Israel and the United States), with 7 abstentions (El Salvador, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Georgia, Norway and Uruguay) (See Annex).

Speaking in explanation of vote, the representative of Syria welcomed the approval of the draft. The overwhelming majority indicated the resolve of the international community to end to the suffering of the Palestinian people. He hoped negotiations between the two parties would lead to a final and just solution to the situation in the Middle East, on the basis of the relevant Security Council resolution. He had a reservation on the fifth preambular paragraph because it did not reflect the provisions of Council resolution 242 of 1967.

The representative of Lebanon said he had voted in favour of the draft resolution, which expressed support of the people of Lebanon to the Palestinian people for an end to their suffering. They had the right to self-determination. On preambular paragraph 4, concerning the peace process, he said the Israelis had been responsible for its deterioration. He also had

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a reservation on preambular paragraph 5 because it did not call for the withdrawal of Israel from all territory taken by force.

The representative of Norway said he supported the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. Norway continued to encourage the parties to step up their negotiations and to start the final status negotiations as soon as possible. Nevertheless, Norway's position on the issue had not changed, and he had, therefore, abstained.

The representative of Iran said he voted in favour of the draft resolution, but he had a reservation on preambular paragraph 5 because what was stated therein would not lead to the full resolution of the Palestinian situation.

The Observer for Palestine expressed appreciation to all the States which had voted in favour of the draft, and said she was particularly grateful to the representative of Egypt for his efforts which led to the positive outcome. The additional co-sponsors were welcomed. The right of the Palestinian people to self-determination was assured by the United Nations Charter and all international human rights instruments. Recognition of that right would not prejudge the result of the peace process or its success. The negotiation process did not mean that the Palestinian people should abandon their inalienable rights. She hoped that the draft resolution would be adopted unanimously at a later stage. The international community should work together to ensure the rights of the Palestinian people, as well as their independence.

The Committee concluded its consideration of the agenda item on the rights of peoples to self-determination.

Mr. BUSACCA (Italy), Committee Chairman, said the draft resolution on the effective implementation of international human rights instruments was postponed. A revised text was being prepared.

Statements on Human Rights

MAWYA KHALID (Sudan) said selectivity in the treatment of human rights was no longer acceptable. Human rights could no longer be a weapon for political purposes. The current trend to adopt resolutions for or against certain States for political reasons was dangerous. He spoke of the tendency of voluntary organizations and States to link certain actions with religions, including that of "the very tolerant Islam".

He said the United Nations Charter called for a spirit of dialogue and understanding as the way to achieve the bridging of differences. The Sudan was establishing democracy. It had held elections, it was involved with the League of Arab States and was taking a role in regional human rights affairs,

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and it was studying accession to human rights conventions and cooperating with special rapporteurs. It was fostering all human rights, including social, economic, civil and political.

No priority should be given to some human rights at the expense of others, such as economic rights or the right to development. Economic sanctions harmed human populations in many regards, affecting the right to life and to a life of dignity.

SUAD MOHAMED (Yemen) said the Universal Declaration was the cornerstone of all other rights, such as the rights of women, children and minorities. That had been confirmed in Vienna. The need remained for a worldwide system to protect human rights; the suffering of people was still in plain sight.

She said the divergence between north and south came down to which should be given first priority, human rights or development. How could the international community apply conventions to enforce human rights in a place where there was no sanitation? How could one be aware of basic human rights when one was struggling to remain alive?

Yemen was aware that development was closely tied to human rights, she said. It strove to create an environment conducive to human rights, and the Government had already laid the groundwork for democracy. Yemeni women voted and had won two seats in parliament. Freedom of expression was a daily practice. Yemen had more than 20 political parties and organizations. It was signatory to international instruments. Economic, cultural and political rights should all be equal and human rights should not be used for political ends.

ARIZAL EFFENDI (Indonesia) said it was disingenuous to lecture countries with unfortunate human rights violations while ignoring the fact that governments were often exhausting all their resources in servicing debt and trying to meet basic survival needs, in addition to ensuring public order and national stability. To focus or judge human rights conditions solely on progress in one or two selected areas could only push further apart, rather than bring closer, shared ideals and goals.

He said it was good to note during this year's human rights debate that no country held the moral high ground. It was regrettable that criticism continued to be levelled at others, by those wishing to placate their own domestic constituents or who were in pursuit of extraneous political agendas.

Indonesia agreed that governments at the national level had the primary responsibility for promoting and protecting human rights. However, that had to be carried out in cooperation with other nations and the relevant United Nations entities. Indonesia's National Commission for Human Rights actively promoted human rights. There had been swift action to take corrective measures in bringing to justice those responsible for abuses, whenever

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allegations of violations had been found to be factual and when the criticisms or expressions of concern were genuine.

Although there remained much to be done with regard to human rights, he said, Indonesia had made much progress during only 52 years of independence after more than 350 years of subjugation by certain European countries with oppressive colonial and imperialist practices.

MOSTAFA ALLAEI (Iran) said his country had a dynamic political system affirming in the strongest terms the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all people. Besides numerous parliamentary, general and local elections, the presidential elections of 1997 were a true reflection of Iran's determination to implement its Islamic principles and meet the universal standards shared by nations around the globe.

Iran had been experiencing steady growth in freedom of expression, he said. On the issue of women, the vision of the Government was the creation of a climate where women could fully enjoy rights and have access to equal opportunities in all spheres of life. For some years, however, Iran had been faced with politically motivated resolutions whose main objective had been to use human rights as a vehicle for political ends.

Iran had shown willingness to work with the sponsors of the resolution to reach a concrete conclusion in the interest of human rights promotion. The sponsors, however, had been so biased as to adopt a selective approach, which was obvious from their statements. By insisting on their biased attitude, they had done more harm than good to the current international debate on human rights.

DIONYSIOS KODELLAS (Greece) said the delegate of Cyprus had given a revealing picture of the alarming situation that continued in the Turkish- occupied area of northern Cyprus. That constituted flagrant violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of the Greek Cypriot population. The policy of Turkey in Cyprus remained unchanged regardless of which government was in power. Turkey defied resolutions calling for a withdrawal of her troops from Cyprus as a first step for the restoration of the respect of the human rights on the island. Turkey must be reminded of the obligations she had assumed under international treaties.

He said protection of human rights was a serious affair and there was no room for arbitrary interpretations, alibis or postponements. Further tolerance of Turkey's behaviour would send the wrong message, not only to Turkey but to potential violators of human rights everywhere.

MARY ROBINSON, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said she had been impressed by the range of issues that the Committee had addressed, as well as the commitment of Committee members. She also appreciated the broad support of the way she had outlined her mandate and the

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work her Office would undertake to fulfil that mandate. She reminded the Committee of the timeliness of action by the Third Committee and the impact of resolutions it would adopt. It was less than a month away to the beginning of human rights year and the commemoration of the Universal Declaration. As the custodian of human rights, the Third Committee must focus on the broad spectrum of rights and the machinery and mechanisms to implement them. She urged the Committee to give her a good lead into 1998.

Rights of Reply

ABDALLAH BAALI (Algeria) said the representative of Norway, who had spoken of Algeria, needed to be reminded that Algeria was dealing with the most serious terrorism. Its people had rejected fundamentalism, but the extremists were noted for their violent fanaticism. The security forces never failed to protect the people from those elements, under the most dire circumstances. As for a dialogue, the term could not be applied when it came to dealing with "cut-throats". Allegations against freedom of the press were disproved by, for example, a gathering of 200 journalists. Algeria was carrying on the process of democratization in the most difficult circumstances.

DANIEL TAUB (Israel) said this morning's statement by the Palestinian representative had brought back the sterile statements that had not helped matters. If Palestinians wanted to make progress, they should take serious measures against terrorism. They should arrest terrorists and not release them, and they should confiscate weapons. Palestinians should not just broadcast their grievances, but they should deal with them through negotiations. The human rights of the Palestinians was a serious issue, but until they were willing to sit down for negotiation, it was hard to take them seriously.

MOHAMED AL-MUMAIMIDI (Iraq) said Canada's allegations about human rights violations in Iraq were "a boring summary" similar to that made by the Special Rapporteur. The representative of Canada should have verified his information with Iraq. It was obvious he had not done that because he was repeating allegations about matters that had nothing to do with human rights, and which Iraq categorically rejected. If the Canadian representative was concerned about Iraq, he should be assured that things were going well despite the sanctions, and they would go better still when others stopped making allegations.

SHAHIRA HASSAN (Sudan) said the delegate from Canada had not differentiated between efforts exerted by the Sudanese Government in promoting rights and the violations committed by the only remaining faction of rebels, which continued the war in southern Sudan. Instead of expressing concerns about unsubstantiated reports, Canada should respond by genuinely engaging with Sudanese authorities in handling their concerns, particularly by providing assistance and technical advice.

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AHMET ARDA (Turkey) said Greece had taken the floor in the Committee and repeated the same allegations, and always received the same answer. It was Greece's ambition to annex Nicosia that had caused Turkey to enter the situation. Turkey's intervention was fully legitimate. If Turkey had not been there, the Turkish Cypriot situation would be the same as in Bosnia. Turkey had prevented a genocide. Greece was motivated by petty internal politics.

KORNELIOS KORNELIOU (Cyprus) said so-called legitimate realities did not include the use of force when it went against United Nations resolutions. Without invasion and occupation, the partition of Cyprus would have been impossible, and without force the current violations of human rights could not continue. That was the status quo the Security Council found unacceptable, and those responsible had to be held accountable. Cyprus had offered a just solution and had made proposals to the Turkish Cypriots. The Turkish side had not shown any sign of change in its intransigency.

Mr. KODELLAS (Greece) said Turkey spoke about history, but failed to mention Security Council resolutions condemning gross violations of human rights in Cyprus. Turkey was good on theories, on how it planned to expand human rights and fundamental freedoms, but when it came to deeds, there was nothing to be seen. There was not a single human rights organization that had not stigmatized Turkey over its actions in Cyprus.

Mr. ARDA (Turkey) said Greece and Greek Cypriots bore responsibility for the situation and that Greece had made false allegations.

Mr. KORNELIOU (Cyprus) referred to the Turkish intervention on the subject as "an abuse of the patience of this forum". He said there was no Turkish Cypriot representative to the United Nations. There was only one representative of Cyprus and he was speaking.

(annex follows)

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Third Committee Press Release GA/SHC/3454 43rd Meeting (PM) 19 November 1997

ANNEX

Vote on Right of Palestinian People to Self-Determination

The draft resolution on the right of the Palestinian people to self- determination (document A/C.3/52/L.41) was approved by a recorded vote of 142 in favour to 2 against, with 7 abstentions:

In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Samoa, San Marino, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Syria, Thailand, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zimbabwe.

Against: Israel, United States.

Abstain: El Salvador, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Georgia, Marshall Islands, Norway, Uruguay.

Absent: Albania, Austria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Grenada, Honduras, Madagascar, Mauritius, Nicaragua, Palau, Panama, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Suriname, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Zambia.

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