PRESS BRIEFING BY FOURTH COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN

A political solution to the question of Western Sahara was still possible, despite difficulties in the implementation of the Settlement Plan, Enrique Loedel (Uruguay), Chairman of the General Assembly’s Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization), said at a Headquarters press briefing this morning.

“At each stage in the negotiations of the question of Western Sahara, it seemed that a solution was out of reach, but in the end some alternative proposal always came up”, he said.  “The good will and creativity of all the parties involved has now generated a new proposal which is being considered”, he added, referring to the latest peace plan put forth by the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, James Baker III.

Responding to a question on whether decolonization –- which was one of the main agenda items of the Fourth Committee -- was an issue of the past, he replied that, although only 16 Territories had yet to achieve self-determination, decolonization was still relevant.  Highlighting the historical role of decolonization at the Untied Nations, which had resulted in more than 80 nations, whose peoples were formerly under colonial rule, joining the Organization as sovereign independent States, he said failure to ensure that the remaining Territories achieved self-determination would amount to “a family not taking care of younger children once the eldest child is grown up”.

Noting that the Fourth Committee had already dealt with half of its agenda, he pointed out that the proliferation of conflicts in recent years had made the discussion on peacekeeping operations particularly relevant.

Asked about the issue of security of United Nations personnel and the report of the Independent Panel on the Safety and Security of United Nations Personnel in Iraq, released on 22 October, he replied that he had been approached by some delegates requesting informal consultations on security based on the report, but that no such consultations had taken place so far.

In response to a question regarding the cross-cutting nature of many of the items under discussion in the Fourth Committee, he confirmed that many issues were being discussed by several committees, but noted that the President of the General Assembly was currently considering ways to avoid duplication as part of the process designed to revitalize the work of the United Nations.

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