Decolonization Committee acts on southern Africa, small territories at August session.

Decolonization Committee acts on Southern Africa, small Territories at August session

The 24-member Special Committee on decolonization has recommended that the General Assembly strongly condemn South Africa's continued illegal occupation of Namibia and brutal repression of the namibian people, its defiance of United Nations resolutions, its aggressive activities against neighbouring States, and its acquisition of nuclear-weapon capability, which was a threat to world peace.

The draft resolution, (A/AC.109/L.1573), approved without a vote at the conclusion of its resumed session (1-15 August, New York), was considered under the itekm on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Declaration on decolonization. By it, the General Assembly would call upon colonial Powers to speedily eradicate colonialism in all its forms. Member States would also be asked to end the illegal operation of all enterprises, including transnational Territory of Namibia.

The Special Committee also adopted six other resolutions and one decision and approved 13 reports on Non-Self-Governing Territories and five on other subjects.

The Committee had its first organizational meeting of 1985 in February. Its Sub-Committee on Petitions, Information and Assistance had its meeting from 25 February to 2 August, while the Sub-Committee on Small Territories was in session from 20 March to 25 June.

Also, this year the Special Committee held a week-long extraordinary session in Tunis, from 13 to 16 May, at which it adopted a consensus decision on Namibia. (For details, see UN Chronicle, 1985, No. 5.)

In plenary, the Committee took up the questions of East Timor, Western Sahara, Falkland Islands (Malvinas) and Gibraltar.

Some other items considered related to Puerto Rico; activities of foreign economic and other interests impeding the implementation of the decolonization Declaration; military activities and arrangements by colonial Powers in Territories under their administration which might be impeding the Declaration's implementation; visiting missions; implementation of the Declaration on decolonization by the specializd agencies and the international institutions associated with the United Nations; and dissemination of information on decolonization.

The Special Committee requested administering Powers to continue to provide the Secretary-General with the fullest possible information on social, economic and political developments in Territories under their administration.

During debates on some Territories and issues, petitioners, administering Powers, non-Members of the Committee and other interested bodies made statements before the Committee.

Committee members are: Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Congo, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Ethiopia, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Mali, Sierra Leone, Sweden, Syria, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Soviet Union, United Republic of Tanzania, Venezuela and Yugoslavia.

Territories

East Timor: The Special Committee decided to continue consideration of the question of East Timor in 1986, subject to any directives which the General Assembly might give in that connection this year.

During the debate on the item, the Committee heard a number of petitioners criticize what they considered to be Indonesia's "illegal occupation" of the Territory. The representative of Indonesia reiterated his strong opposition to the discussion of the "non-item" and the appearance of the "so-called" petitioners from East Timor. He said that East Timor was the twenty-seventh province of Indonesia and, as such, had all the rights and privileges of the other provinces.

Western Sahara: On the question of Western Sahara, the Special Committee decided that, subject to any directives that the General Assembly might give in that connection in 1985, it would transmit to the Assembly all the relevant documentation.

The Committee heard a variety of statements from petitioners and representatives. Two petitioners said Western Sahara had always been a part of Morocco and had benefited immensely from the development programmes of the Moroccan Government. A petitioner from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro (POLISARIO) spoke of Morocco's efforts to colonize Western Sahara.

Falkland Islands (Malvinas): By a vote of 20 in favour to none against, with 4 abstentions (Fiji, Sierra Leone, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago), the Special Committee adopted a resolution urging the Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom to resume negotiations to solve the sovereignty dispute over the Falkland Islands (Malvinas).

The Committee also regretted that the resumption of the negotiations, recommended by the General Assembly, had not yet taken place, owing to the refusal of the United Kingdom to deal with the question of sovereignty within the framework of comprehensive negotiations.

Gibraltar: The Special Committee postponed its discussion of the item on Gibraltar to 1986.

Puerto Rico: The Committee, in a resolution adopted by a vote of 11 in favour to 1 against (Chile), and 10 abstentions, reaffirmed the right of the people of Puerto Rico to self-determination and independence and expresed the hope that they might exercise that right "without hindrance" and "with the express recognition of the people's sovereignty and full political equality". The resolution was sponsored by Venezuela and Cuba, after Cuba withdrew its own draft resolution on the subject.

Chile, in explaining its negative vote, said peoples had the inalienable right to choose the destiny they desired. The Committee should ensure that the international community respect those choices. The people of Puerto Rico had expressed its will in a refrendum, and the Committee must respect it.

The Committee also heard statements by representatives of a number of organizations concerned with Puerto Rico, in which they referred to United States "colonialism" in Puerto to Rico and the militarization of the island.

Small Territories: In adopting 13 reports on small Territories, the Special Committee reaffirmed the inalienable rights of Non-Self-Governing Territories to self-determination and independence, in accordance with the Declaration on decolonization.

The Territories are: Pitcairn, Tokelau, Turks and Caicos Islands, Cayman Islands, St. Helena, British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, American Samoa, United States Virgin Islands, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Bermuda, Guam and Anguilla. Several representatives expressed reservations on the sections of the reports dealing with the military activities of the administering Powers in St. Helena, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Bermuda and Guam.

Other issues

Foreign economic interests: The Special Committee, in a resolution adopted without a vote, strongly condemned the "collusion of certain Western and other countries" with the racist minority regime of South Africa in the nuclear field, and condemned "those Western and all other countries" and transnational corporations which continued to invest in and supply armaments, oil and nuclear technology to the South African regime.

All foreign economic activities in Namibia were illegal under international law, the Committee stated. South African and all other economic interests operating in Namibia were liable to pay damages to the future lawful government of an independent Namibia.

The plunder of Namibian uranium was condemned. The Federal Republic of Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, which operated the Urenco uranium enrichment plant, were asked to exclude Namibian uranium from the Treaty of Almelo, which regulates the activities of Urenco. Finally, all States were requested to isolate South Africa politically, economically, militarily and culturally and all administering Powers were called on to abolish discriminatory and unjust wage systems in Territories under their control.

Military Activities: The Special Committee, without a vote, strongly condemned South Africa for its large-scale military build-up in Namibia, and called on all States to take effective measures to prevent the recruitment and training of mercenaries for service in Namibia. It demanded the urgent dismantling of all military bases in Namibia and called for the immediate cessation of the war of oppression waged by the racist minority regime against the people of Namibia.

The Special Committee also deplored that colonial Powers concerned had taken no steps to withdraw immediately and unconditionally their military bases from colonial Territories and to refrain from establishing new ones. The presence of such bases, it maintained, could be a major obstacle to the implementation of the 1960 Declaration. Colonial Territories and adjacent areas should not be used for nuclear testing, dumping of nuclear wastes or deployment of nuclear weapons.

Visiting missions: The Special Committee unanimously called upon the administrating Powers concerned to continue to co-operate with the United Nations by permitting the access of visiting missions to the Territories under their control. Periodic missions should be sent to colonial Territories to facilitate the speedy and effective implementation of the decolonization Declaration, it stressed.

Specialized agency action: The Special Committee, without a vote, strongly condemned the persistent collaboration between the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and South Africa and called upon the Fund not to grant any new loans to the racist regime.

Specialized agencies and other United Nations organizations were asked to render all possible moral and material assistance to peoples struggling against colonial rule. It regretted the links between South Africa and the World Bank and the IMF, as exemplified by that country's continued participation in the work of both agencies.

Information: The Special Committee, in adopting reports of its SubCommittee on Petitions, Information and Assistance, appealed to all member States to adopt measures for disseminating objective and accurate information on the struggle of the peoples of southern Africa and all other colonial Territories and their national liberation movements. All Member States were asked to report to the Secretary-General on measures under-taken in response to that appeal.

The Department of Public Information and the Information Unit of the Department of Political Affairs, Trusteeship and Decolonization were called on to increase the press coverage of the situation in southern Africa so as to counter effectively "the destructive and hostile propaganda campaign" being waged by the Pretoria regime and its Western and other allies against the liberation movements in South Africa and Namibia.

The Special Committee also encouraged those non-governmental organizations active in the field of decolonization to continue and intensify their campaign against the evils and dangers of colonialism and continue their supports to all colonial peoples, particularly in southern Africa.