Trusteeship Council considers developments regarding Palau.

Trusteeship Council considers developments regarding Palau

The Trusteeship Council on 1 June noted with satisfaction assurances given by the United States as Administering Authority of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (Micronesia) that it would continue to fulfil its responsibilities under the Charter and the Trusteeship Agreement, and welcomed its assurance that it was prepared to assist the people of Palau, at their request, in determining their political status. Palau is one of the Trust Territory's four entities.

The Council, at the end of its fifty-seventh session (21 May-1 June, New York), noted Palau's concern regarding economic development and self-sufficiency and shared the view that continued efforts were needed in that regard.

The five-member Council took those actions by approving, by a vote of 4 (China, France, United Kingdom, United States) to none, with 1 abstention (USSR), conclusions and recommendations proposed by its Drafting Committee to be reported to the Security Council.

By its texts, the Trusteeship Council noted that, in the February 1990 plebiscite in Palau, the Compact of Free Association with the United States did not obtain the 75 per cent majority necessary for ratification and that the Government of Palau was currently reviewing options to resolve its political status.

The Council also noted that the peoples of the Trust Territory had elected to assume full responsibility for administration in the economic, social and educational fields. It considered that any difficulties over the interpretation of the new status agreements should be resolved bilaterally by the parties concerned, in accordance with the procedures mutually agreed and laid down in the relevant new status agreements. It welcomed recent improvements in the tourism and fishery industries as well as steps taken by the Administering Authority to assist Palau in fisheries enforcement, anti-drug trafficking and abuse campaigns, public health and safety and the operation and maintenance of public works facilities.

In other action, the Council noted the report of its Visiting Mission which observed the February plebiscite in Palau. It also examined the report of the Administering Authority, the United States.

In a closing statement, Council President Anne Secret-Gazeau of France called its deliberations "very constructive", adding that it should take advantage of "the new atmosphere and move towards even more harmonious views".

The last vote

In the February 1990 plebiscite, of a total of 7,621 valid votes cast, 4,633 or 60.8 per cent were in favour of the Compact; 2,988 or 39.2 per cent were against it.

The Visiting Mission reported that the results of the 1990 plebiscite had reflected the freely expressed wishes of the people of Pauau and that the people had an adequate understanding of the underlying issues and the implications of the Compact on their future. There was no evidence of political tension or attempts at coercion or intimidation.

The Mission noted, however, that the debate over the Compact had become to some extent interwoven with domestic political rivalries and ambitions in Palau, and that many voters had expressed disaffection with the electoral process.

A final determination

The Administering Authority reported that it was prepared to assist the Government of Palau in any appropriate endeavour leading to the final determination of a political status by the people.

During the Council session, petitioners expressed concern over the continued commitment of the United States to its obligations under the Trusteeship Agreement, the militarization of Palau and economic self-sufficiency. Some stated that the Compact had not been approved because it would permit the United States to deploy nuclear, chemical and biological weapons in Palauan territory. Requests were made for Palau to be able to receive grants and loans from other nations and international institutions.

Speakers on the issue of the Northern Mariana Islands expressed a loss of confidence in the Administering Authority's intention to comply with the provisions of the 1975 Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States. Some said the United States had reneged on its commitment to guarantee the people of the Northern Marianas sovereignty over their internal affairs. At its fifty-seventh session, the Council noted that any difficulties over the interpretation of the new status agreements should be resolved bilaterally, in accordance with the procedures mutually agreed upon.

The Council also discussed the dissemination of information on the UN and the Trusteeship System in the Trust Territory. Other issues discussed concerned offers by Member States of study and training facilities for inhabitants of the Trust Territories.

Background

The Trust Territory, also known as Micronesia, is the last of the original 11 Trust Territories under the International Trusteeship System and was designated as a "strategic area" under the Charter. Because of that status, the Trusteeship Council reports to the Security Council about conditions in the Trust Territory.

The Trusteeship Council is composed of China, France, the United Kingdom, the USSR and the United States. China participated in the work of the Council for the first time in 1989.

Micronesia consists of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands and Palau--previously four administrative entities. In 1983, Compacts of Free Association with the United States were approved for the Federated States of Micronesia and for the Marshall Islands. The Northern Marianas opted for Commonwealth status in 1975.

Victorio Uherbelau, Director of the Bureau of Foreign Affairs of Palau, said Palau's deep concern over the inadequacies of infrastructure projects, which were basic for its present and future economic well-being and self-sufficiency, was a real one. Regarding the Administering Authority's intention to enhance its physical presence in Palau, he requested that the advisers and experts not take over vital functions of the Government, which had been carried out by Palauans themselves.

The Administering Authority had encouraged Palau to assume certain governmental functions in foreign affairs and international relations, he went on. Palauan voters had not rejected the Compact of Free Association with the United States as a political status option. A majority favoured continuation of a close relationship with the United States. The objective of Palau's leadership was "to find a way to reach out to its people" and to lead them to an "internally self-governing nation freely associated with its former trustee and generous mentor, the United States".

Stella Guerra, Assistant Secretary, Office of Territorial and International Affairs of the Department of the Interior of the United States, said that the political future of Palau was up to the Palauans. She endorsed observations by the United Kingdom and France that the people of Palau were very developed politically. The United States believed Palau was ready for complete self-government. In the meantime, it was opening an expanded office in Honolulu to provide support facilities for an upgraded presence of the Administering Authority in Palau. A resident representative would provide direction to the local government.