Decolonization Committee reviews situations in 18 territories; special meeting on Declaration asked.

The Special Committee on decolonization at its 1989 session (New York, 7-18 August) recommended that the General Assembly hold in October 1990 a special commemorative meeting to observe the thirtieth anniversary of the Assembly's 1960 Declaration on decolonization, and adopt a commemorative declaration at that session. Other anniversary activities would include holding international seminars on decolonization and disseminating publications and other materials on decolonization.

The 24-member body considered a wide range of decolonization issues, adopting 8 resolutions and 1 consensus text and approving 20 reports, all to be transmitted to the General Assembly for consideration.

Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar told the Committee that the past 30 years had seen remarkable achievements in the field of decolonization, but the fact remained that some 19 Territories, with a population of some 3 million, had yet to exercise their right to self-determination and independence.

Many of those Territories might have escaped the spotlight of world attention because they were small and remote, but that had not meant any lessening of interest or responsibility by the United Nations. The Organization's contribution to the decolonization process in those remaining Territories depended to a great extent on the degree of support and cooperation it received from the administering Powers concerned.

He urged administering Powers to facilitate the dispatch of UN visiting missions to secure information on prevailing conditions and to ascertain the wishes and aspirations of the peoples. He also urged them to provide the Committee with the information required by the Charter.

Committee Chairman Tesfaye Tadesse of Ethiopia said that attention must be focused on the remaining dependent Territories, and that co-operation with administering Powers was essential to its work.

During the two-week session, the Committee approved recommendations by its Sub-Committee on Small Territories regarding self-determination in 13 small Territories administered by the United Kingdom, the United States and New Zealand in the Atlantic, Pacific and Caribbean. It also dealt with situations in New Caledonia, the Falkland Islands (Malvinas), East Timor, Western Sahara and Puerto Rico.

Action was taken with regard to activities of foreign economic and other interests; military activities by colonial Powers; dissemination of information on decolonization implementation of the 1960 Declaration on decolonization by the specialized agencies and international institutions associated with the United Nations; visiting missions to Territories; and information from Non-Self-Governing Territories.

The Sub-Committee on Small Territories was in session from 10 March to 20 June, while the Sub-Committee on Petitions, Information and Assistance met between 14 March and 12 June.

In addition to Chairman Tadesse, other Committee officers were: Oscar Oramas Oliva of Cuba, Sverre Bergh Johansen of Norway and Lubomir Dolejs of Czechoslovakia, Vice-Chairmen; and Mohammad Naidat Shaheed of Syria, Rapporteur.

World Court acts on US-Italy case, two other proceedings begun

A five-member Chamber of the International Court of justice on 20 July rejected allegations by the United States that Italy had breached their 1948 Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation. Reparations claimed by the United States were also rejected. It was alleged that the Italian company ELSI, wholly owned by two United States corporations, had violated Treaty provisions.

On 18 July, the Court fixed time-limits for written proceedings in the case brought by Nauru in May 1989 against Australia, regarding a dispute over rehabilitation of phosphate lands mined under Australian administration before Nauruan independence. It is claimed that Australia breached UN trusteeship obligations and should pay reparations "for the damage and prejudice suffered". Guinea-Bissau on 23 August began proceedings against Senegal regarding a dispute over the maritime delimitation between the two countries.

The 49-member Ad Hoc Committee on the Indian Ocean on 19 July concluded its second and final session for 1989 in New York with a call for continuing informal consultations on a draft resolution for a Conference on the Indian Ocean, set now to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in 1990. The session had begun on 5 July The first session of 1989 was held from 10 to 14 April, also in New York.

The body reported to the General Assembly that efforts to achieve a consensus on the draft, presented by its non-aligned members, were "inconclusive". In 1988, the Assembly asked the Committee to complete preparations for the Conference this year. The Conference-originally scheduled for 1981, but postponed several times-is viewed by the Assembly as a necessary step for implementation of its 1971 Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace.

The Ad Hoc Committee was established in 1972 to study the implications of the 1971 Declaration. In that Declaration, the Assembly had stated that "the Indian Ocean within the limits to be determined, together with the air space above and the ocean floor subjacent thereto, is hereby designated for all times as a zone of peace".

In a message to the Committee, Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar said the establishment of a zone of peace in the Indian Ocean would create an environment of political stability, mutual trust and confidence in the region, and contribute to relaxation of international tensions.

Reporting on consultations he had had since the Committee's April meeting, Chairman Daya Perera of Sri Lanka said he had found that a majority of Committee members strongly felt that the Conference should be held as scheduled. Several members had expressed concern that a decision on the convening of the Conference had been dictated by a few extra-regional States for too long. On the other hand, a few members had serious difficulties in agreeing to the convening of the Conference in 1990. Progress made by the Committee in preparatory work warranted the convening of the Conference in 1990, he stated.

The Trusteeship Council concluded its 1989 session (15 May-1 August, New York), by adopting its report to the Security Council on the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the last remaining Trust Territory under the International Trusteeship System.

Covering Council consideration of progress towards self-government in Micronesia, as well as economic and social developments in the Territory, the document was adopted by a vote of 4-China, France, United Kingdom, United States-to 1-Soviet Union.

In earlier action on I june, the Council approved conclusions and recommendations, by which it expressed hope that a 26 May 1989 agreement between the Government of Palau, in the Trust Territory, and the- United States, the Administering Authority, would expedite the approval process for Palau's proposed Compact of Free Association with the United States. The identical vote then was also 4 to 1.

The 26 May agreement concerns the continuation of United States economic and social assistance programmes to Palau and other matters relating to the proposed Compact, including acquisition of defence sites by the Administering Authority. The Compact of Free Association with the United States provides for Palau's self-government.