GENERAL ASSEMBLY ASKED TO CALL ON ISR"L NOT TO EXPLOIT NATURAL RESOURCES IN OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

16 November 1998

Press Release
GA/EF/2852

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ASKED TO CALL ON ISRAEL NOT TO EXPLOIT NATURAL RESOURCES IN OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

19981116 Economic Committee Text also Seeks Right of Restitution; Israel, Opposing, Says Move Unnecessary in View of Ongoing Peace Negotiations

The General Assembly would call upon Israel not to exploit the natural resources in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan, by a draft resolution approved in the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) this morning.

Approved by a vote of 116 in favour to 2 against (Israel and the United States), with 8 abstentions, the draft on the permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory would also have the Assembly 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. The Assembly would also express the hope that the issue would be dealt with in the framework of the final status negotiation between the Palestinian and Israeli sides.

The representative of Austria, for the European Union, said that those countries supported the resolution because the natural resources of any territory seized by force of arms should not be used inappropriately or illegally by the occupying Power, but approval of the draft must not be considered as prejudicial to the outcome of the final status negotiations between the Israeli and Palestinian sides.

The representative of the United States, voting against, said the resolution inappropriately injected the General Assembly into the direct negotiations between the parties to resolve the very issues in question. It attempted to predetermine the outcome of negotiations, using one-sided and judgemental language.

The representative of Israel said the resolution was superfluous because the issue of natural resources had been addressed in peace process agreements. It was regrettable that the Second Committee would discuss a resolution aimed at predetermining the outcome of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority to settle outstanding issues.

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Explanations of vote were also made by the representatives of Syria and Japan.

The Second Committee this morning also approved two draft resolutions by consensus. The first was on the implementation of the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the 1990s (document A/C.2/53/L.23). The second draft was on Training and research: United Nations University (document A/C.2/53/L.24/Rev.1).

Also this morning, a draft resolution on public administration and development (document A/C.2/53/L.39) was introduced to the Committee by the representative of Morocco.

The Committee also considered the Secretary-General's report on the development dividend (document A/53/374). The representative of Austria, on behalf of the European Union and associated countries, said the General Assembly approved $13.1 million for projects and activities to be financed from the development account during the period 1998-1999, but almost half the current budget biennium had now passed without those funds having been used for any development activity. Future reporting on the use of the account should contain fully-costed project proposals and information on how they were financed. The Assembly should authorize use of those funds for development activity without delay.

Also speaking on that topic were the representatives of Japan, Russian Federation, United States and Egypt.

Also this morning the Committee decided to postpone its consideration of programme planning. Speaking on that topic were the representatives of Indonesia (on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries) and Japan.

The Committee will meet again at a date to be announced in the Journal.

Committee Work Programme

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met this morning to consider sustainable development and international cooperation focusing on the report of the Secretary-General on the development dividend (document A/53/374). (For background see Press Release GA/EF/2828 of 19 October.) It will also consider programme planning (document A/53/16). (For background see Press Release GA/EF/2848 of 10 November.)

Also before the Committee was a letter to its Chairman, dated 11 November, from Makarin Wibisono (Indonesia), Chairman of the "Group of 77" developing countries.

The letter says the Group of 77 and China has decided that the highest amount of resources appropriated under section 34 of the current programme budget should be used to fund new projects clearly related to development priorities. It states that the following criteria should guide the formation of new projects:

-- the projects should have a multiplier effect and promote capacity- building only for developing countries, responding to their needs and priorities;

-- the projects should also promote regional and interregional economic and technical cooperation among developing countries;

-- projects should complement and not substitute for existing programme activities, and they should relate to the new activities not already mandated under the programme budget;

-- they should not involve the transfer of resources from the regular budget to the extra-budgetary activities.

The letter adds that the Group also decided that resources appropriated under section 34 of the current programme budget should also be used for financing new activities in the areas of South-South cooperation, to be carried out within the regular budget of the United Nations. The participation of institutions active in South-South cooperation should be included, and in this context the Group requested the Secretary-General to seek the views of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) on this matter.

The Group also requested that the Secretary-General review and reformulate the proposals contained in document A/53/374, so as to ensure full conformity with the criteria set forth. The Group also requested that the Secretary-General prepare another report, not later than March 1999, on the utilization of the development account for the biennium 1998-1999, to be submitted to the General Assembly for consideration.

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It was requested that the letter be circulated as an official document of the General Assembly under agenda items 93 and 113.

Introduction of Draft

AHMED AMAZIANE (Morocco) introduced a draft resolution on Public administration and development (document A/C.2/53/L.39). The draft was sponsored by Côte d'Ivoire, Morocco, Papua New Guinea, Russian Federation, Argentina, Burkina Faso, Egypt and Senegal.

By the draft, the General Assembly, recalling its resolution 50/225 of 19 April 1996 on public administration and development, would take note with appreciation of the report of the Secretary-General on its implementation. (That resolution invited governments and public agencies to strengthen their public administrative and financial management capacity through public sector administrative and management reform.)

The Assembly would endorse the Economic and Social Council decision 1998/220 of 23 July 1998, in which the Council requested the Secretary-General to conduct a five-year assessment of the progress made in the implementation of Assembly resolution 50/225, and to report his findings to the Assembly, through the Council in the year 2001.

Action on Draft Resolutions

The Committee approved by consensus the draft resolution on the implementation of the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the 1990s (document A/C.2/53/L.23), sponsored by Indonesia (on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China), Austria (on behalf of the European Union), Norway, Japan and the United States.

By that draft, the General Assembly would decide to convene the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries in the first semester of the year 2001 for a duration of seven days, at a venue and time to be determined by the Secretary-General of the Conference in consultation with the European Union.

The Assembly would request the Secretary-General of the Conference to organize the intergovernmental preparatory committee (in two parts) and three expert-level preparatory meetings. It would also request the Secretary- General of the Conference, in consultation with Member States and in cooperation with relevant organizations and agencies, to organize well-focused sectoral and thematic or, where appropriate, country-specific round-table meetings during the Conference to contribute to the work of the Conference.

Also by the draft, the Assembly would call upon the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank to link the forthcoming round-table and consultative group meetings to the preparatory process of the

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Conference, and to ensure that they make substantive contributions to the Conference.

The Assembly would call upon the Secretary-General of the United Nations, in consultation with the Secretary-General of the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, to convene an inter-agency meeting to ensure the full mobilization and coordination of all relevant organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, as well as other relevant institutions, for the purpose of preparations for and follow-up to the Conference.

The Assembly would invite the Secretary-General of the Conference to make arrangements, on the basis of consultations with Member States, to facilitate the involvement of civil society, including non-governmental organizations and the private sector, in the preparatory process and the Conference. It would decide to defray the cost of participation of two government representatives from each least developed country in the work of the intergovernmental preparatory committee meetings and the Conference itself through the use of extrabudgetary resources, and should those resources prove to be insufficient, to consider all other options.

The Committee also approved, by consensus, the revised draft resolution on Training and research: United Nations University (document A/C.2/53/L.24/Rev.1). It was sponsored by Algeria, Australia, Austria (on behalf of the European Union), Azerbaijan, Benin, Brazil, Chile, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Iceland, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Malta, Micronesia, Monaco, Morocco, Nicaragua, Peru, Romania, Republic of Moldova, Sierra Leone, Tajikistan, Thailand, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkmenistan.

By the draft, the General Assembly would request the Council and the Rector of the University to enhance further coordination and complementarity between the University's research and training centres and its programmes. The Assembly would request the Secretary-General to continue his consideration of innovative measures to improve interaction and communication between the University and other relevant bodies of the United Nations system. Such measures should ensure that the work of the University is taken into account in all relevant activities of the system, so that the United Nations system may draw more extensively upon the work of the University. The Secretary- General is also requested to submit a report in that regard to the Assembly at its fifty-fifth session.

Also by the text, the Assembly requests the Secretary-General to encourage the further participation of the University in the work of the United Nations, and also requests him to report to the General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session on further participation of the University in the activities of the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC) and its

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subsidiary machinery, as well as through other existing structures and modalities for communication, interaction and synergy.

The Assembly would urge the University, in its allocation of fellowships, to increase the number of researchers from developing countries, thereby enabling them to benefit from the knowledge, expertise and skills of the University and enhance capacity-building efforts in developing countries, particularly in educational and research institutions.

By the draft, the Assembly would request the Council and the Rector to continue to make further efforts to ensure the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the activities of the University, as well as its financial transparency and accountability, to intensify efforts to augment the University's Endowment Fund and to find innovative ways to mobilize operating contributions and other programme and project support. The Assembly would invite the international community to make voluntary contributions to the University, including its research and training centres and programmes, in particular to the Endowment Fund.

The Committee decided to hold a vote on a third draft, 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 (document A/C.2/53/L.22). The draft was sponsored by: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Malaysia, Mauritania, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Palestine, Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam. Bahrain, Malta, and Oman were subsequently added to the list of sponsors.

By the text, the General Assembly would call upon 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.

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. The Assembly would also express the hope that the issue would be dealt with in the framework of the final status negotiation between the Palestinian and Israeli sides.

Speaking before the vote, the representative of Israel said his country expected help from the international community in efforts to reach peace in the Middle East. Apparently, its expectations were too high. The draft was superfluous, because the issue of natural resources had been addressed in peace process agreements. Any separate discussion could not ignore such agreements. Israel and the Palestinian Authority were resolved to settle outstanding issues through negotiations. The Wye River Memorandum was important to the attainment of a comprehensive and sustainable peace. It was

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regrettable that the Second Committee would discuss a text aimed at predetermining the outcome of the negotiations.

The representative of the United States said the draft inappropriately injected the General Assembly into the direct negotiations between the parties to resolve the very issues in question. It attempted to predetermine the outcome of those talks using one-sided and judgemental language. His delegation rejected the use of the term "sovereignty", which prejudged the outcome of negotiations. The United States would continue to oppose references to "the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem", which had no effect whatsoever on issues of sovereignty, and inappropriately prejudged the permanent political arrangements in territories that could be determined only by the direct negotiations to which the parties had committed themselves.

The representative of Syria said the draft re-confirmed the international community's condemnation of continuing Israeli practices in the occupied territories, including Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. The peace process was based on United Nations resolutions as well as the principle of land for peace. Any complementary agreement that may be signed could not be taken to nullify those resolutions.

The draft resolution contained in document A/C.2/53/L.22 was then approved by 116 votes in favour to 2 against (Israel and United States) with 8 abstentions (Bahamas, El Salvador, Georgia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Panama, Paraguay and Swaziland). (For details see Annex.)

Speaking in explanation of vote, the representative of Austria, for the European Union, said that the European Union had voted in favour of the draft, believing that the natural resources of any territory seized by force of arms should not be used inappropriately or illegally by the occupying Power. The European Union reaffirmed the applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 to the occupied territories and reaffirmed that any infringement of the rights of the Palestinian people with regard to that Convention was illegal. The resolution must not be considered as prejudicial to the outcome of the permanent status negotiations in the ongoing Middle East peace process.

The representative of Japan said his Government had followed the process to help Palestine and it would continue to pursue that policy. He noted that paragraph 4 of the resolution would have the General Assembly express the hope that the issue would be dealt with in the framework of final status negotiations. That paragraph voiced the Assembly's hope for a settlement of the matter; support for the resolution did not constitute any prejudgement of the outcome of negotiations.

The representatives of Suriname, Guyana and Lebanon said they were not in the room during the vote, but would have voted in favour of it.

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The representative of Bulgaria said his delegation wished to ally itself with the statement made by Austria, on behalf of the European Union.

On another matter, the representative of The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia said his country would like to be listed among the sponsors for the draft resolution on transit environment in the landlocked States in Central Asia and their transit developing neighbours (document A/C.2/53/L.34).

Sustainable Development and Economic Cooperation

HANS-PETER GLANZER (Austria), for the European Union and Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus, Iceland and Norway, said the European Union had repeatedly expressed its support for the concept of a dividend for development launched by the Secretary-General. The General Assembly approved $13.1 million for projects and activities to be financed from the development account during the period 1998-1999, but almost half the current budget biennium had now passed without those funds having been used for any development activity.

He said the European Union was in agreement with the intention of the Secretary-General to spend the resources of the development account for programmes focusing on global, interregional and regional issues, with an emphasis on helping developing countries implement commitments arising from United Nations conferences. The Union members thus supported the concept of networking for development as the general focus of the projects and activities. In their view, the general thrust of the proposals concurred with the defined aim on the use of the resources of the development account.

Future reporting on accomplishments of the funds should contain fully- costed project proposals and information on how they were financed, he said. The European Union firmly believed the General Assembly should authorize use of those funds for development activity without delay.

MORIMASA SHIMOMURA (Japan) said United Nations funds and programmes had undergone reform efforts to make them more cost-efficient and effective. They could earn the support from the international community by demonstrating that the reforms were being implemented and that they produced tangible results. Savings from reforms should be reinvested in development programmes. He said his delegation hoped the views of developing countries would be taken into account in projects drawn up in the future. It might be worthwhile to undertake a project where all Member States would be part of a computer network, to share necessary information on development. It was high time to utilize the development account and there was a need to publicize the account and the use of it.

VASSILY NEBENZYA (Russian Federation) said the development account should be used as an additional instrument in solving problems first and foremost in developing countries. Also, there should be efforts to avoid

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placing any further requirements on developing countries. He said the list submitted by the Secretary-General of uses for the development account funds capable of contributing to efforts in developing countries was adequate; there was no need for another report on the issue.

KIM LAWLOR (United States) said her delegation believed there should be some further discussion in the Second Committee, the Economic and Social Council, or in some other body on the use of the development account. There had not been discussions on the account in an informal setting, and her delegation would like an opportunity to discuss proposals in that regard. While the account should be put to use expediently, the input of developing countries should be sought out before projects were implemented.

AMANY FAHMY (Egypt) said certain criteria had been stressed by the letter submitted by the Indonesian representative (document A/53/664) and those must be applied in working out the activities to be financed by the development account. Projects must go hand-in-hand with the medium-term plan of action and they must not overlap with the priorities of the United Nations budget.

She suggested that the letter from the Indonesian representative, as well as other relevant views of the Second Committee on the use of the development account, should be forwarded to the Chairman of the Fifth Committee.

Mr. GLANZER (Austria) also said that the Indonesian letter and Second Committee views on the development account should be forwarded to the Fifth Committee.

Statements on Programme Planning

MOCHAMMAD HIDAYAT (Indonesia), on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, said further informal discussion was needed on the topic of programme planning, and he proposed that consideration of it be postponed to a later date.

Mr. SHIMOMURA (Japan) said his delegation supported the recommendations made by the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC) in regard to programme planning.

(annex follows)

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Second Committee Press Release GA/EF/2852 39th Meeting (AM) 16 November 1998

ANNEX

Vote on Palestinian Sovereignty in Occupied Territory

The draft resolution on Palestinian sovereignty in occupied Palestine territory (document A/C.2/53/L.22) was approved by a recorded vote of 116 in favour to 2 against, with 8 abstentions, as follows:

In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Haiti, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Syria, Thailand, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen.

Against: Israel, United States.

Abstain: Bahamas, El Salvador, Federated States of Micronesia, Georgia, Marshall Islands, Panama, Paraguay, Swaziland.

Absent: Albania, Barbados, Belize, Bhutan, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Fiji, Gambia, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, India, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mauritius, Monaco, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sudan, Suriname, Tajikistan, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

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