FOURTH COMMITTEE CALLS FOR END TO ISR"LI SETTLEMENTS, SUPPORTS POLITICAL EDUCATION IN NON-SELF-GOVERNING TERRITORIES

12 December 1997

Press Release
GA/SPD/130*

FOURTH COMMITTEE CALLS FOR END TO ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS, SUPPORTS POLITICAL EDUCATION IN NON-SELF-GOVERNING TERRITORIES

19971212 Committee Texts Adopted by Assembly Also Address Peacekeeping, Information, Palestinian Refugees, Outer Space, Atomic Radiation

The General Assembly took action on a broad range of issues concerning peacekeeping, information questions, decolonization, Palestinian refugee relief, Israeli practices in the occupied territories, the peaceful uses of outer space, and the effects of atomic radiation, based on the recommendations of its Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization).

On the question of Palestinian relief and Israeli practices, it acted on recommendations relating to the reports of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories, as well as of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Among its actions, the Assembly reaffirmed that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and the occupied Syrian Golan are illegal and an obstacle to peace and economic and social development. It demanded complete cessation of the construction of the new settlement in Jabal Abu Ghneim and of all Israeli settlement activities in the occupied territory. It deplored those policies and practices of Israel which violate the human rights of the Palestinian people and other Arabs of the occupied territories.

The Assembly commended the Israeli Practices Committee for its efforts and demanded that Israel cooperate with it. It called on UNRWA to continue contributing towards economic and social stability in the occupied territory, and called on Israel to respect the safety of the Agency's personnel and facilities. Israel was again called upon to compensate the Agency for damage to its property and facilities resulting from Israeli actions.

* This press release will subsequently be incorporated into the overall Assembly highlights to be issued at the conclusion of the current segment of the fifty-second session.

In an address to the Fourth Committee, Peter Hansen, Commissioner- General of UNRWA, drew attention to the financial crisis that the Agency continues to undergo, about which many representatives expressed concern.

With respect to information questions, the Assembly adopted two resolutions and one decision based on the Fourth Committee's recommendations. By a text on information in the service of humanity, it urged all countries, organizations of the United Nations system, and all others concerned to cooperate, with a view to reducing disparities in information flows at all levels, by increasing assistance for the development of communication infrastructures and capabilities of developing countries.

By the second information resolution, the Assembly took note of the failure by the Committee on Information to complete the task of its 1997 session relating to United Nations public information policies and activities, and asked the Secretary-General to continue to implement already mandated activities. It also decided to add Georgia as a new member of the Information Committee.

On decolonization matters, the Assembly adopted resolutions on such questions as the activities of foreign and other interests, military activities in Non-Self-Governing Territories, the role of the United Nations specialized agencies, information provided by administering Powers, and offers by Member States of study facilities for inhabitants of the Territories. It also addressed the questions of Western Sahara, New Caledonia and Gibraltar.

In addition, the Assembly dealt with specific and general conditions in 12 Non-Self-Governing Territories: American Samoa, Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Guam, Montserrat, Pitcairn, Saint Helena, Tokelau, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. It called on the administering Powers to facilitate political education programmes in the Territories, so as to foster the people's awareness of their electoral options.

The Assembly took note with satisfaction of the agreements reached between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro for implementation of the settlement plan in Western Sahara, reached during their private direct talks under the auspices of the Secretary-General's Personal Envoy, James Baker III. It urged them to implement those agreements fully and faithfully, and to refrain from any action that would undermine implementation of the settlement plan.

The Assembly also took action on two texts submitted directly by the Special Committee on decolonization. By the first text, on implementation of the Declaration on decolonization, the Assembly called on the administering Powers to eliminate the remaining military bases in the Non-Self-Governing

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Territories, in compliance with its resolutions, and urged them not to involve those Territories in any offensive acts or interference against other States.

By the second draft, on the dissemination of information on decolonization, the Assembly asked the Department of Political Affairs and the Department of Public Information to take account of the Special Committee's suggestions that they continue their efforts to publicize the United Nations work in the field of decolonization through all available media.

The Assembly endorsed the proposals, recommendations and conclusions in the report of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations and urged Member States, the Secretariat and relevant organs of the United Nations to take all necessary steps to implement them. It also decided that the Special Committee should continue its efforts for a comprehensive review of peacekeeping operations, review the implementation of its previous proposals, and consider new proposals to enhance the peacekeeping capacity of the United Nations.

The Assembly also took action on recommendations relating to the report of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. It asked that body's Scientific and Technical Subcommittee to continue its priority consideration of a number of subjects, including the United Nations Space Applications Programme; preparations for the Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration of Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III), as its Advisory Committee; satellite remote sensing of the Earth, including applications for developing countries; the use of nuclear power sources in space; and the question of space debris.

With respect to UNISPACE III, the Assembly agreed that it should be convened at the United Nations Office in Vienna from 19 to 30 July 1999, as a special session of the Outer Space Committee and open to all Member States. It encouraged all Member States, United Nations bodies, other intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and space-related industries to contribute actively to achieving the objectives of the Conference.

The Assembly commended the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation for its valuable contribution to understanding of the levels, effects and risks of atomic radiation and asked it to continue that work. It also invited Member States, United Nations bodies and non- governmental organizations to provide the Scientific Committee with relevant information on the effects of atomic radiation in affected areas.

The officers of the Fourth Committee were: Chairman, Machivenyika Tobias Mapuranga (Zimbabwe); Vice-Chairmen, Ravjaa Mounkhou (Mongolia) and Petru Dumitriu (Romania); and Rapporteur, Riitta Resch (Finland).

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