MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

UN General Assembly insists in Gibraltar “Brussels talks”

The Unite Nations General Assembly again adopted the decision recommended by its Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonisation) urging Britain and Spain to continue the Brussels talks.

Gibraltar's political leaders had addressed the Fourth Committee in October, urging a change of policy. By a draft decision on the question of Gibraltar, the Assembly would take note of the fact that as part of the Brussels negotiating process, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Spain and the United Kingdom hold annual meetings alternatively in each country, the most recent of which were held in Barcelona on 20 November 2001 and in London on 4 February 2002.

It would urge both Governments to "continue their negotiations with the object of reaching a definitive solution to the problem of Gibraltar in light of relevant Assembly resolutions and in the spirit of the United Nations Charter."

The Fourth Committee approved the text without a vote on October 14. On decolonisation, the Assembly adopted a resolution on the implementation of the Declaration of the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, by which it reaffirmed that the existence of colonialism in any form or manifestation, including economic exploitation, was incompatible with the United Nations Charter, the Decolonisation Declaration and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The recorded vote was 154 in favour to 2 against (United Kingdom, United States) with 8 abstentions.

In a second direct action, the Assembly adopted a resolution on the dissemination of information on decolonisation, by which it approved the activities in the field of dissemination of decolonisation information undertaken by the Departments of Public Information and Political Affairs. It also requested those Departments to take into account the suggestions of the Special Committee on Decolonisation to continue their efforts to take measures through all available media, including publications, radio and television, as well as the Internet, to publicise the work of the United Nations in that field.

The vote was 162 recorded votes in favour to 3 against (Israel, United Kingdom, and United States) with no abstentions.

By a recorded vote of 163 in favour, none against with 6 abstentions (Angola, Federated States of Micronesia, France, Israel, United Kingdom, United States), the Assembly adopted a text on information from Non-Self-Governing Territories transmitted under Article 73 e of the United Nations Charter requesting the administering Powers concerned to transmit to the Secretary-General the fullest possible information on the political and constitutional developments in the Territories under their administration. In other action, the Assembly adopted, without a vote, a consolidated text on small Non-Self-Governing Territories.

By the first part of that text, it reaffirmed the inalienable right of the peoples of those Territories to self-determination and called upon the administering Powers, in cooperation with the territorial governments, to facilitate political education programmes in the Territories to foster their inhabitants' awareness of their right to self-determination.

By a draft resolution on information from Non-Self-Governing Territories transmitted under Article 73 e of the United Nations Charter, the Assembly would request the administering Powers concerned to transmit to the Secretary-General the information prescribed in Article 73 e of the Charter, as well as the fullest possible information on political and constitutional developments in the Territories concerned.

It would also request the Secretary-General to ensure that adequate information be drawn from all available sources in connection with the preparation of working papers related to the Territories.

The Assembly would also call upon the administering Powers concerned to ensure that no discriminatory working conditions prevail in the Territories under their administration, and to promote in each Territory a fair system of wages applicable to all the inhabitants without any discrimination.

By other terms, the Assembly would approve the report of the Special Committee, including its envisaged work programme for 2004 and call upon the administering Powers to cooperate fully with that body to finalise before the end of 2004 a constructive programme of work on a case-by-case basis for the Territories to facilitate the implementation of the Committee's mandate and the relevant decolonisation resolutions.