A/37/PV.100 General Assembly

Before we take up consideration of the agenda items scheduled for this afternoon, I should like to inform the Assembly that the President of the General Assem- bly has received a letter from the Chairman of the Sec- ond Committee requesting that the deadline for the draft resolutions with financial implications, which had been set at Wednesday, 8 December, be now postponed until Monday, 13 December. May I take it that the Gen- eral Assembly consents to this request? It ,was so decided. 2.' The' PRESIDENT (interpretation from French): I am certain that all delegations share the hope of the President that this additional time will make it possible for the Second Committee to complete ~ts work within the deadline it has set for itself.

Statements will be limited to explanations of vote. Delegations have stated their positions in the Special Political Committee on the various recommendations of that Committee and they have been recorded in the relevant official records. 12. May I re.mind members that, according to para- graph 7ofGeneral Assembly decision 34/401, when the same draft resolution is considered in a Main Com- mittee and in plenary meeting, a delegation should, as far as possible, explain its vote only once-that is, either in the Committee or in plenary meeting9 unless that delegation's vote in plenary meeting is different from its vote in the Committee. ~.~~j_~~~D..1:mi!!e~ ~~~~~~not ~o soi~,plenarr m~eting. 20. The representative df Israel is authorized to continue his explanation of vote before the vote. 21. Mr. LEVIN (Isra~l): We even go further than the requirements of the Convention and grant the popu- lation privileges not .Iaid down in it. I enumerated several of these privileges in the debate. ' 22. Whether the Convention is applicable or not in the case in question is a matter-for legal interpretation. israel's position in the matter is supported by acknowl- edged authorities in the field of international law. The important thing is that the population has in practice the benefits of the Convention. Under these cir- cumstances, draft resolut~on Ais not acceptable to Ul), and we shall vote against it. 2). In draft resolution C we have before us a draft resolution indeed worthy of the biased report' of the 29. For long years, Syria repeatedly used the Golan Heights to launch attacks against israel by regular and irregular forces. For long years, Syrian gun emplace- ments on those strategic hills rained death and destruc- tion on Israeli civilians going about their day-to-day

The Syrian position of sustain~denmity notwithstanding, Israel cans again on Syria to forsake the path of belligerence and to opt for peace and negotiations between our two countries, without any pre-conditions. . 38. With regard to draft resolution F, I should only like to say that, in the course of my statement on 30 November, I also explained at length the policy of the Israeli authorities aimed at the enhancement of educational institutions in the areas under Israel's

We turn now to draft resolution C. The administm~Live and financial implications ofthat draft resolution are to be found in the report of the Fifth Committee [A/37/ 725]. Separate, recorded votes have been requested on operative paragraphs 6 and 16 of the draft resolution. 44. As I hear no objection, the Assembly will vote first on operative paragraph 6 of the draft resolution. A recorded vote has been requested. infavour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bepin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bot- swana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Democratic Kampuchea, Democratic Yemen, Djibouti, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethio- pia, Gambia, German Democratic Republic, Ghana, Guyana, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lao Peo- 'ple's Democratic Repubiic, Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal,· Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Poland, Qatar, Roma- nia, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syrian Arab Republic, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Cameroon, United • _ • •. _ _ a •.-.._ _ _ • _ • ~ .. _....._ A recorded vote was taken. lnfavpur: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burma, Burundi, Byelorussian Sn.viet Social- Against: Israel. Abstaining: United States of America.

I shall now put to the vote draft resolution C as a whole. A recorded vote has been requested. lnfavour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burma, Burundi, Byelorussian Soviet Social- its Republic, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Democratic Kampuchea, Democratic Yemen, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, German Democratic Republic, Germany, Federal Republic of, Ghana, Greece, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic 00, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwaif, Lao People.'s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Liberia, Libyan Arab Jamaliiriya, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauntius-, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portu- gal, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Gen\~ral Assembly wishes to do the same? Draft resolution I was adopted (resolution 37/89). 55. The PRESIDENT (interpretation from French): The Assembly will now take a decision on draft reso- lution 11, entitled "Second United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses ofOuter Space". The report ofthe Fifth Committee on the administrative and financial implications of that draft resolution appears in document A/37/726. The Special Political Committee adopted draft resolution 11 without a vote. May I take it that the General Assembly wishes to do the same? Draft resolution 11 was adopted (resolution 37/fJO). 56. The PRESIDENT (interpretation from Fr~nch): The Committee also adopted draft resolution Ill, entitled "Question of the review of the Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects", without a vote. May I consider that the General Assembly wishes to do likewise? Draft resolution III was adopted (resolution 37/91). 57. The PRESIDENT (interpretation from French): I now invite members to turn their attention to draft resolution IV, entitled "Principles Governing the Use by States of Artificial Earth Satellites for Interna- tional Direct Television Broadcasting". A recorded vote has been requested. A recorded l'ote was taken. In/cll'our: Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, r)~hrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Bhutan, B"iivia, Bot~ swana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burma, Burundi, Byelorus- sian Soviet Socialist Republic, Central African Repub- lic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, .~.... -....... -- .- . - - . - _.- - .. . .. 59. Mr. CHEN CHARPENTIER (Mexico) (inter- pretation from Spanish): In appr.oving the principles governing the use by States ofartificial earth satellit'"-s for direct television broadcasting, Mexico wishes to state for the record the posithn we have adopted throughout the negotiations on those principles in the Legal Sub-Committee of the Committee on the Peace- ful Uses of Outer Space, namely that it is essential, before establishing any international television broad- casts by satellite, not only to consult'receiving States, but also to obtain their prior agreement by an appropri- ate agreement or arrangement. Fortunately, nothing in the principles we have approved today is contrary to that interpretation, Consequently Mexico's vote is to be regarded as being strictly subject to that interpre- tation. -

My delegation joined in the consensus on draft resolution 11, on the Second United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, be- cause we place great store in the consensus principle.on matters relating to outer space. That principle h'as served the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space very well during the 25 years ofits existence, and that has also been the case when outer space questions have come before the General Assembly. That is why my delegation made a lengthy statement of regret last month, when the sponsorsofa draft resolution ondirect television broadcasting by satellite insisted that their draft resolution be put to the vote in the Special Politi- cal Committee. That decision caused my delegation to communic~tion Union in the future planning of orbital uses and positions. This is most important and we can- not but be pleased that the General Assembly has taken a stand in the face of a process of accelerated com- mercialization. 78. Mr. GONZALEZ (Chile) (interpretation from Spanish): Th,,~ delegation ofChile voted in favour ofthe draft resolution on the use of satellites for direct tele- vision broadcasting, since, in general, it takes into account the desires ofdeveloping countries with regard to the subject. 79. We believe that during the numerous-indeed, innumerable-negotiations, formal and informal and of every kind, that were held on this subject, we were close to achieving and preserving the desired con- sensus. Nevertheless, it was not possible to establish an adequate balance between the principle of the free flow of information, in which we fervently believe, and the re~ponsibility ofStates. Nor did we succeed in these negotiations, in clearly establishing the principle of the prior consent of the receiving country, although the least and most essential element for any sovereign nation is to be consulted on facts or deeds which may decisively influence and nega~ively affect its cultural and political identity. 80. Our country, like the other sponsors of the draft resolution, only wished to maintain on this specific item, suitable consistency with the principles and rules which govern outer space activities and to ensure that international co-operation should take into account the legal status of the heritage of mankind in outer space. 81. Chile believes that the resolution just adopted should encourage all States Members to work towards the drafting at a later date of an international conven- tion that will adequately legislate and contain in a balanced manner all the principles I have mentioned earlier, so as to establish real consistency- wit~ th~ e~onomic inequalities which exist today among coun- tn;'s. Not only is such management irresponsible on the part of those most interested in not regulating that unrestricted freedom of direct television broadcasting by satellite, but it is also a concept whereby tech- nological developments constitute a private resource for the country which develops them and not a general advance for mankind. This has led to the consensus which had prevailed in regard to decisions taken in this field being broken. 83. My country deeply regrets that break. We profoundly regret the attitude of those countries with the highest level of technological development, which seem to be convinced that that greater tech- nological development gives them the authority to impose their own products on the rest of mankind, especially their ideological products. We trust that in the future it will be possible to restore the consensus so that the developments in these fields which are so sensitive and important for the future of,all mankind may be carried out 'on the basis of legal principles and may be marked by harmony among all the nations taking part in the decision-making. 84. Mr. LOGOGLU (Turkey): The delegation of Turkey voted in favour ofdraft resolution IV, on direct ~levision broadcasting. The Government ofTurkey is committed to the principle of the free flow of infor- mation. It is our understanding, therefore, that the application of the principles enunciated in the reso- lution just adopted must be consistent with freedom of information. 85. The PRESIDENT (interpretation from French): We shall now consider the report of the Special Politi- cal Committee on agenda item 64 [A/37/686]. 86. The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft resolution recommended by the Committee in paragraph 6 of its report. The Committee adopted that draft resolution with"ut a vote. May I take it that the General Assembly wishes to do the same? The draft resolution was adopted (resolution 37/93). 87. The PRESIDENT (interpretation from French): We shall now turn to the report of the Special Politi- cal Committee on a~enda item 67 [A/37/707]. I cali on the representative of Ecuador, who wishes to explain his vote before the vote. 88. Mr. ALBORNOZ (Ecuador) (interpretation from Spanish): For the delegation of Ecuador, it is a source ofspecial satisfaction that we have reached the stage of voting on draft resolutions A and B, contained in docu- ment A/37/707, concerning questions relating to in- formation. 89. With reference to draft resolution B in particular, this text reflects the consensus already achieved in July of this year on the 43 recommendations on the subject made by the Committee on Information, over which 91. There are two fundamental appeals in the opera- tive part of draft resolution B. One is an appeal to the information and communication media, both public and private, as well as to non-governmental organizations, to disseminate information about the activities of the United Nations and about the efforts ofthe developing countries to achieve economic, social and cultural progmss. There is also an appeal, which is of great political depth and is very timely in tbe era of the United Nations. to alI the organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system to develop coherent public information programmes to promote understanding of and support for the activities of the United Nations, particularly in the economic, social, cultural and development fields. 92. These two appeals are appeals in the first place to the responsibility of the information media, whose great strength in the contemporary world is recognized, that they should not remain indifferent to the tragedy of the scarcities, poverty, ignorance and disease in the world, nor maintain a blanket of silence about the existence of _he developing world and its efforts for its own economic, social and cultural betterment. 93.. The other appeal exhorts the international organizations of the system to co-operate to serve in a consistent manner the purposes for which they were created, within the framework ofthe philosophy of the world O~anization, bearing in mind that the Member States empower, finance and organize them to provide a common and consistent service. We therefm'e hope that these two draft resolutions in the report will prove to have the same great historic importance as the con- sensus this year on the report of the Committee on Information and that they will also be adopted by con- sensus this afternoon.

The Assembly will now take a decision on the two draft resolutions recommended by theSpecial Political Com- mittee in paragraph 15 of its report [.4/371707]. Draft resolution A was adopted by the Committee without a vote. I take it that the General Assembly wishes to do likewise. Drqft resolutiml A was adopted(resolution 37/94 A). 95.. The PRESIDENT (interpretation from French): We turn now to draft resolution B. The administrative and financial implications ofthis draft resolution are to be found in the report of the Fifth Committee {AI37] 711).. A recorded vote has been requested.

I call on the representative ofDenmark, on behalfofthe European Economic Community, for an explanation of vote.

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the 10 member States of the European Community. The resolutions which we have just adopted are the product of long and difficult negotiations, held with a view to achieving compromise and co-operation. A tribute is due to the Chairman of the Committee on Information, to the Chliirman of the Working Group and to·the members ofall groups. The Ten have always emphasized that freedom of com- munication and the free flow of information are in- dispensable to economic and social progress. At the same time, one should not ignore the right of every community to express and preserve its (,wn per- sonality. Its culture, its language and its ways of thinking assure the diversity of the means of infor- mation and are an element of enrichment of the uni- versal heritage. We should see to it that, to the largest possible extent, facts, ideas and opinions everywher~ are considered and reflected upon by the mass media in a more balanced manner. The Ten have been happy to support these two resolutions, despite the fact that neither of them entirely reflects their views. However, it is in the nature of compromise that agreements reached are generally not totally satisfactory tQ every- body. On this particular occasion, we greatly regret NOTES 1 The delega!ion of Nepal subsequ~ntly iriformed the Secretariat that it had intended to abstain in the vote on the draft resolution. 2 The delegation of Colombia subsequently informed the Sec- retariat that it bad intended to vote in favour of the draft resolution. 3 Tbe delegation of Costa Rica subsequently informed the Sec- retariat that it had intended to vote in favour of tbe draft resolution.