A/40/PV.87 General Assembly

In accordance with resolution 3237 (XXIX) of 22 November 1974, I call on the Observer of the Palestine Liberation Organization. Mr. TERZI (Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) ) : The question of Namibia has been an the agenda of the General Assembly at every reguS.ar session Since its first session in 1946. Naturally, a number of special sessions have been held on this question as well. Thousands of pages have been accumulated, in hundreds .of volumes, with numerous resolutions adopted by the General Assembly, the Security Council and other organ6 of the United Nations. I dare say that the question of Palestine is the only other item with a similar fate. But the root cause and ‘the genesis can be identified in one phtaee: “Be tr ays 1 of trlEtm, the betrayal of a sacred trust by the Pcrver s - colonial, neo-colonial, and more recently imperialist - a betrayal of a sacred trust, of the Mandate entrusted to the Mandatory Powers by the Conventions of the defunct League of Nations or other organizations. The “Manda te * granted to 80s~ Powers was and fo .J misnomer. Zn the questions of Namibia and Palestine alike, the Mandatory Powers (Mr. Teraf, PIa) betrayed the l4andate granted In the&. In both cams the HandDEIte was to prepare *@ peoples of those Go “Lbrritore iaso Namibia and Palestine, for national independence and self-rule . Mbafc We the peoples in both areas needed was the knowledge RW to sdminif3Qer our independent States. Yet the uandafmry Pom.rs established a situation and canditfons to serve their own interests at the cost of pxeventing us from hamesting the fruits and reswrces of our respective regions. fn Palestine the Britiskd Mandate succfi2ede8 in creatinolg a monster - a racist monster - 42162 ZiOni8t State of XSZdelr at the wst of expelling and uprooting the Paletbtinian pmple frocr their hooves and property , and succeeded in making of the Palestinian people a refugee ommmity dispersed all over the world. (Mr. Terzi, PLO) that the betraying Mandate could not do was to bend OE breark the deteU.UfnetiOn of the Palestinian people to cling to the good eaoth of Palestine and their resolute will to hold on to their inalienable righte aud pureue a struggle, by all mMSr to achieve and elrercise those rights, namsly, self-determination without external interference, and national independence in Palestine- In Namibia, the betraying Handate developed into a military Occupation by Pretoria’s white racist cahoots, precisely eince 1966 and in defiance of General Assembly resolution 2 14 5 (XXI) . Of course, a Council was established to adminieter South West Africa, but only until independence. The Namibian people scored their first victory perhaps when they decided that they were a Namibien people, not a mere 1oc;ation on the geographical nq~. It is no longer “lath West Africa* , but Namibia and the ‘Namibian pople. In discharging its responeibility in part, the General Assembly established the Institute for Namibia. As a result of the continued and escalating struggle of the Namibian people, under the leadership of the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPOI, their sole, authentic representative, the General Assedly also adopted a Programnw of Action in supPort of self-determination and national independence for Namib in. The Namibfan people’s struggle continued. This Assembly, while reaffirming the inalienable right of all peoples under colanial rule, foreign domination and alien subjugation to self-determination, freedom and independence, reaffirmed the legitSrrb3cy of the peoples’ struggle for freedom by all available means, including armed struggle. This Assembly did not hesitate to declare that that was the right of “notably the peoples of Africa still under colonial domination aad the Palestinian people”. (Mr. Terzi, PLO) And the process in the United Nations continued. The question was brought before the Security Council, In blatant defiancer the racist Pretoria rBgime contravened the deoieicw of the Security Council end held sham elections in Uecelaber 1978. This Assembly declared those eleatione null and void. A group of States Eornred a contaot group to act, they claimed, as a goodwill, go-between messenger. But the components of that contact group, by the very nature of their soaio-mmaomic system, their paat colonial record, and motive to protect their tranSnatfOIIa1 Corporations, could not be impartial. Their interests were diarae trically opposed to those of the Nmibian people. Those efforts and attempts were damed to fail. To the best of my understanding, that group did not consult or co-ordinate with the principal party, SWAP& the representative of the Namibian people. The question was again brought to the Security Council. Secur fty Council resolution 435 (1978) is a landmark in the history of the struggle of the heroic Namib ian people. But resolution 435 (1978) proved to be another drug to pacify the Namibian people and create false hopes with the malicious attempts to undermine the growing understanding, support and solidarity of the peaples and forces which love peace and freedom. Resolution 435 (1978) was hailed, particularly because it was adopted unanimously, just like Security Council resolution $65 (19801 relating to the Zionist Israeli occupation of Palestine and other Arab territories. when the moment of truth came the United States Administration unveiled Its malicious plans : no to the implementation of security Council resolution 435 (1978) and no to the implementation of Security Council resolution 465 (1980). For how long do we, the peoples of Namibia and Palestine, as well. as the people of South Africa, have to permit the diktat of a permanent member of the (Mr. Ter2i, pfx)) Security Counail , namely, the United States of America, to dominate the proceedings Of Unit3d Nations organs and the relations of the international uxmunity7 Its support of resolut’ions 435 (1978) an& 465 (1980) did not fcol us for all of the titiW3. Washington, D.C. shwed its true face, its aim and interesta in the financial, banking and major industries and transnational eorporetions that dominate and direat the policies of Washington, D.C. The Wonstructive engagemmt’ libel is the name of their game, but the truth is that WacPhPngton, 0.C. aim at the Perpetuation of enslavement and exploitation of peoples. * in the Palestine Liberation Organisation venture to pose the following question to this Aseernbly~ faced with the adamant and negative attituch of Washington, D.C., whether towards the implement3tion of Security Council resolutions 435 (19761, 465 (198C) and others, or even to the overwhelmingly supported General A8serably resolutions calling for the convening of the International Peace Conference on the Middle East, does this Assembly have other ways and iilsW86 to ensure the implementation of its reeolutions? We are 3ware that the Charter is explicit. According to its Article 25: “The Me&era of the United Nations agree to 3ccept 3~3 carry Out the decisions of the Security Council in accordance with the present Charter.” But what should be done to Members which do not agree to accept, but refuse, to carry out the decisions of the Security Council? Moreover, what flhwld be done to Member States - specifically members of the Security Council. - which refuse to carry out decisions that they have participated in makIng atrd pmsibly drafting but then renege? 111 their statements before this assembly, the majority of the i%ember States have called for the applFcati,on of Charter proviaionn, namely, emprehensive aandatory fmlctfons. But in light of the d&tat of the vet;0 - 80 frequenflY ti8Wtd, abused OP threatened by the United States, a pwuanmt member of the Security Council, the General Aase&ly is in duty bound to search for and create soae action that will not keep the will of the international oomunity hostage and subjected to the whims of whoever sits in the Mite House, Washington, D.C. We Will believe that this Amealy should respond to the just cause and demands of the Nanibian people and, above all, their rights. The General Aase*lY has powers vested in it by the Charter and resolutions. &rely to reject the oredentials of the oaoist Pretoria rdgiw is of great moral inrportance. But what should be paramunt is the realization and attainment of the inalienable right of the Namihian people to independence and sovereignty - and that can be achieved only after the total and unconditional withdraw& of South African occupation troop6 from ali Namibian territory, when the Namibian territory of the Kalahari desert, one tenth of Namibia, will no longer be the testing ground for I sr ael i-Pretor ia joint nuclear experiments. After 40 years of debating, 25 years after the adoption of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Cola-r ial Countries and Peoples, and 20 years of illegal occupation of Namibia we still debate, while 100,000 foreign racist occupation troops stitioned in Namibia pursue repression and brutality. (Mr. Temi, PLO) Wrgency rcqulatfons aud so-called security ranas are fn force, just like the Defence Emergency Regulattons of 1915, while Jewish colonial settlements and militacy posts have been established all over the occupied Palestinian territory. The racist r&#aes, both in Pretoria and in Tel Aviv, have indicated by acts and hot nerely by words that they will not carry out security Council decisions. Xn both occupied Namibia and occupied Palestine the occupying Power - the racist rdgimes of Pretoria and Tel Aviv - even refuse entry into the occupied territory to IMR&PI of ccrparissions established by the Security Council. Yet they get away with their arrogance and obduracy. Both r6gimes have tried to create puppets, but the Turnhalle Alliance in Namibia and the Village Leaguers in occupied Palestine could not survive the resistance of the heroic and patriotic Namibian and Palestinian peoples, Despite the grave situation in the Middle East as a result of the intransigence aud the aggressive policies of Israel, and despite the grave situation in southern Africa - in South Aftica, Namibia and the front-line States - as a result of the adventurist policies of the Pretoria r&ime, President Reagan has shied away from referring to those two areas as hotbeds. Maybe he was certain that the issue had been blown up out of proportion and considers that the peoples of southern Africa and the Middle East, the Namibians and the Palestinians, are not worthy of consideration. We had always thought that the cause of peace was the cause of the American people. We fitill think that it is the cause of the American people, but the cause of Reaganfsm is different. It is the cause of aggression, the cause of the so-called Democratic International, the cause of the Jerry Falwells. It is the cause of war and racismc the cause of the dark ages of fundamentalism, as well as the cause of apartheid --nd Zionism. It is not the cause of peace; it ir, not the cause of peoples, arid we cannot and should not permit the perpetuation of Poreiqn illegal occupation, for that is a crime aqainst humanity (Mr. Terzi, PLO) and no uatter how bright soue aspects may appear to some, there is no such thing a8 benign occupation. Foreign ocaupation of necessity man8 exploitation and violation of both human and national rights, and it is our collective duty to endeavour to bring thfcr . situation to an end. Let LIB all go to the international oonference on Namibia, to be organizod by the United Nation8 in 1986, and endorse action-oriented programmes with a view to ensuring the freedom of the Namibian people and the independence of the sovereign State of Namibia. Meanwhile we should maintain our support for the etruggle of the Namibian people to liberate their homeland from the evils and the bayonets of the racist Pretoria rQgime. We in the Palestine Liberation OrganiZatiOn reiterate Our solidarity with our comrades-in-arms in SWAWo the authentic representative of the Namibian people and the leader of their struggle. We Palestinians are proud of their resolute and fi,rm stand against the enemies of peace and of humanity. Together we shaPP win our joint struggle. The struggle continues and victory is certain. In conclusion I should like to inform the Assembly that while we are debating here a military delegation from racist South Africa is currently visiting the Judao-nazio in occupied Palestine , a visit in the context of co-operation between the two racist rCgimes - the neo-nazis and the Judaeo-nazis. Tel Aviv will provide Pretoria with an electronic sensor and the South African racists will receive instruction on the maintenance of that electronic sensor from their colleagues, the Zionist racists of Tel Aviv. Mr. OUtR BOYS (Mauritania) (interpretation Prom Arabic): In this year of celebration and anniversary we wuld be celebrating with greater zest and vigour and we would feel OUT joy mure keenly had the independence of Namibia, 60 much yearned for, yet again and again removed beyoud our grasp, became a tangible fact. That would have been the best gift that could have been offered to the United Nations on its fortieth anniversary. Our celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1514 (XV) on the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples muld have been all the more uplifting an occasion. The intransigence, the foot-dragging and the deaeptive manoeuvres of South Africa have dashed our hopes aud frustrated the independence of Namibia, an indenendence which remains the demand of the entire international community. The Security Council, on the joint demand of the non-al igrred count:fac nM thz countries of the African group, last week examined with concern South Africa’s refusal to implement the Council’s resolutions on Namibia. However, seven years ago the Security Council had already spelled out and set forth in its resolution 435 (1978) a plan for NamibiaYe independence agreed to by all parties concerned. The implementation of that plan, which is still pertinent, is being blocked by the stance of South Africa. As long ago a8 1966 the General Assesibiy proclaimed the Pretoria rhime’s occupation of Namibia to be illegal. The International Court of Justice, In its advisory opinion of 1971, confirmed the view of the General Assembly that the tyranny of the illegal oecupatfon of Namibia by the raciot Pretoria regime had already lasted far too long, The General Assembly, the International Court of (Mr.. Ould Boye, Mauritania) Justice and the Securbty Council have pointed the way. The Pwetoria r&ime, however, is coaEltantPy erecting new roadblocka and comtantly engaging in hew waya of dragging it8 feet, MaurPtania can only deplora the obstacles thu8 raised to hold up the advent of $ndependence for Namibia. We believe that independence for Namibia cannot be linked to any othe4t consfderations which are extraneous to it. The Namibian people, which has suffered 80 much, continues courageously to &and up to ocaupation and bloody repression, under the leadership of its sole legitimate representative, the South West Afr$ca People’s Organization (SWAPO). SWAP0 $8 constantly giving us new lessons in determination, far-aightednese and perseverance. We here and now express our mpport for it and our solidarity with it in ite legitimate etruggle. Mauritania shares the concern and disquiet of thoee who are revolted by t-he conttmpt fob and violation of General Assembly and Security Council. resolutions, particularly resolution 435 (1978), which was unanfmously adopted by the Security Count $1, That resolution remains the only acceptable baeitl for a peaceful settlement of the question of independence for Namibia. Mauritania, whdle remafning convdnced that the heroic etruggle of the Namibian people will triumph, appeal8 to the Am3embly to do its utmost to speed the advent of independence and freedom for Namiba. The PREMDENT (interpretation from Spanish): we have heard the laet lapeaker in the debate on thie item. I rJlould like to inform mmbere of the Aesembly that the voting on the draft resolution8 cmntained in document A/40/24 (Pert If), chapter I, will take place at a subeequent meeting to be announced in the Journal. 1 call on the repreeentative of the United King&m, who hae asked to speak in exerciee of the right of reply. Mr. WW (United Kingdom) s Mindful of the role which they will play in iraplefnenting f&amity Council reeolution 435 (1970), the members of the Western contact group have customrily not delivered individual statementi in the debate on this subjsat and my delegation’s views were fully represented in the statement of the Permanent Kepresentetivc of Lu--*L .,.~,.,.~~rg m behaif of the member Stateo of the European Community and in the mee tinga of the Security Council last week. I speak in exercise of the right of reply only to ensure, in the light of certain allegations, that there is no roam for misunderstanding l ft: will be olear from the statements I have mentioned that the United Kingdom’s attitude to South Africa ‘5 illegal occupation of Namibia is tie Same as that enpressed by virtually all speakers in this &bate. There is no delegation keener than my delegation , as one of the authors of the United Nations ttettlement wopos~, to Bee the plan and resolution 435 (1978) implemented at once, The protection of the settlement plan and of efforts to secure its enactment ir3 a prime consideration for us. IIn thi6 connection, I welcome the support nclw offered, however belatedly, for Security Council resolution 435 (1978) by the Soviet Union, which in 1978 r@fu3Qd to Vote in favour of that resolution. But I munt obnerve that in hi6 stat:e~~?nt the Permanent Representative of the Soviet Union kntaf.ly misrepresented the attitude of (Hr. Ewan~, united Kin-) Weetern mara to the self-etyled transitional government in Namibia, Our attitude can be 84mn s&nply by reference to the statexente of Western members in this debate and in the Wcurity Counail last week. The United Kingdom aharee the view expressed by many of our friende and partners that disruption of the fnternational consensus on Namibia, a consensus reflected in many debates at the United NationB a81 well BB in the meetil,gE1 and comnunigu6e of other international groups to which we belong, can only work to South Afriaa’e advantage, To this end, we proposed that the Securfty CounciX Bhould adopt a resolution which complemented the strategy of those groupa We would have hem delighted to action already taken nationally by my Government.

In hie note of 18 November 1985, the Secretary-General propoaee to appoint Mr. Kenneth Dadzie Secretary-General of the United Nation6 Conference on Trade and Development for a term of office of three years, beginning 1 January 1986 and ending on 31 December 1938. Mr. C&LOB (Yugoslavia) : It gives me great satisfaction to welcome, on behalf of the Croup of 77, the confirmation of the appointment of His Excellency Mr. Kenneth K, S. Dadzie, High Commissioner of Ghana to the United Kinqdom, to the post of Secretary--General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and DeVelCWIent (UNCI’AD ) , (Hr. ckmh, Yugoelavia) The Gearetsry-Genet’al, Mr. Jevier Perez de Cuellar, has ona8 agJIin deoaone+tsated h fro wiedr , By this appointment he ha8 put the eight man Air the right pat. He haa choeen a persm of the highest qusliffcJtion$ to be hi8 W38fhdak in one of the mat imgmrtant and delicate field8 of the natfvities of the Uni&d Nation&s, MC. Kenneth Da&is ha8 proved himself and i8 rightly aredited ~4th achievemen?s in the field of inter national econaroic oo-oper ation for developtaent. There is no need to go way back to find the proof of hia excellence. Suffice it to recall the competence with which he directed the Ad Hoc Committee on the Restructuring of the Eccmoda and Social Sectors of the Wited Ltioner system, to remember his dedication while he was pioneering a8 the Director-General for D~eiopraent and International Eccmoeio Co-operatian and to refresh our t6emory On the contribution he made only a couple of weeks ago to the outcome of the work of tho Committee on the l2evieu and Appraisal of the Implementation of the International Strategy for the Third United Nations l%velop%mt Decade. Guiding that Committee, he distinguished himself again as a man of knowledge and understanding of issues, We all appreciate the fact that MZ, Kennath Dadzie ie readily accepting the duties of Secretary-General of UNCLAD at B time when international co-operation for developaent ie experiencing a profound crisis. We are convinced that he will address the major internatimal economic problems in the field of trade and development in his own resolute way and will achieve a full measure of SUCC~BB. However, no amunt of competence, wisdom and dedication fc going to bs enough to ensure the successful fulfilment of the duties of the Secretary-General of lJNt?l’AD unless Mr, Cadzie receives the full support and co-operation of all MerrkJer States. ! &lould bfke to add that, for UNCX’AD to fulfil. ita vital role, it 13 nccar;~ary to btbng aboxt an environmsnt of strengthened multilateralism and of a con!xnL;w on develo~ent. These have been eroded for too long and this erosion 1 uns countlor (10 the interest 5 of ail. countt.bt’s, dweloped and developing al ike. (Hr. Golob, Yuglo5liwia) The developing cwntxPer~ hold UNClW in vcey high eatem botb for what it has &m with a view tea the saLutim of key international pmblem and for what it still has ta &a h the struggle for the creatfch of new8 uwe just international eccm~c relaeions rind the estalblishaoat of a new intwnatioaal econcmic aden:. Mr. fktnnetb ~a&Pe will enjoy the full support of the developing countriesi (Mr. Golob, Yugoslavia) Ffnally, gratitude 61hou18 be voiced on this occasion to Mr. Gamani Corea Of Sri Lanka for all he did for the cause of international economic co-Operation and devolopumt while he occupied the post of Secretary-General of the United Nations conference on Trade aud Development (UNCLAD). we should also mention with appreciation the work of Me. AOiater McIntyre in successfully discharging the duties Of officer in charge of the united Nations Conference on Trade and Development. We are certain that he will continue hLe dediaated service to the OGlanisation a8 successfully ati in the past. Mr. ZVI%DIN (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) (interpretation from Rueeian)t Speaking on behalf of the delegations of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria, the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, the German Democratic Republic, the Rungarian People’s Republic, the Mongolian People’s Republic, the Polish People’s Republic, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Union of Soviet socialist Republics, f have the honour t0 eHpr@ss our satisfaction at the proposal of the Secretary-General, Mr, Perez de Cuellar, to appoint Ambassador Dadzie Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCiND). The delegations of our countries have consistently supported the work of UNCTAD aa one of the most important organisations for developing international trade and economic co-operation and one which has made an important contribution to formulating new ideas and concepts on ways to normalize international economic relations on a just, democratic basis. (Hr. Zvezdin, USSR) The history of U?lW convfnciugly desxmetrates that the possibilities of that Organiz6tfoa can be used most effectively when all Member States have the necessary political will. The socialist countoies support the active continuance of UNCTAD’s Wxk uuder its present mandate. As preparations are um3ec way for the seventh UNCTAD it is necessary that the efforts of this Organizatfon focus on iwlementing fundamtmtal united Nations decisions regarding UNCTAD~S competence , the resttuctuving of iateraatfonal economic relation@ and the establishment of a new international economic order. On UNCI!AD~O agenda also are such irPportant items as the strengthening trust in international ecouomic relations and elimination of the practice of using trade and eConor0fc measures as a means of p0Litical and economic ~ofxcio~,~ UNCTAD should intensify its efforts to normalize the situation on the raw mterials markets, co&at protectionism, solve the debt problem and the drain of resources from the developing countries and improve the transfer of technology. It should promote mutually beneficial trade and economic relations, on a basis of equality, between countries with different socio-economic systems. An important area of this body’s activities is the work on trade and economic aspects of disarmament under UNCTAD resolution 44/111. Ever since it8 establishment UKTAD has traditionally had an authoritative leader, each of whom has made a contribution to fl_rlfilling the mandate of that ooganization. The socialist countries are convinced that this tradition will. be continued by Ambassador Dadzfe as Secretary-General of LRKXXD. We wish him great succeS8 in his work in developing broad, mutually beneficial trade and economic co-operation among all countries. Mr. KAKKKO (Japan) : I should like to ewtend to P4r. Renneth D&Me the whole-hearted congratulations of my Government on his appointmmt to the high office of Secretary-General of the Unite4 Nationa &nfepnenc;e 031 Tmde 3x7 Development (UKCTAD) , It is hardly nemsrsaey to say that Mr. Dadzie ha8 abundant e%Perience and kncwledge of the relevant isouee as well as great diplotnatic skill. We are happy to have such an eminent person as Secretary-General of UWCTAD, which iS an inpxtant United Nations oogan for the en~tiwne~nt.of iMz.ernatio3al co-operation in the field of trade and develo*ent. We had the pleasure of working under the chairmanship of Mr. Dadzie in the Comittee on the Review and Appraisal of the I~lementation of the Third United Nations Development Decade. The success of the Comittee was due largely to his wisdcu~ in guiding mm.bae in truly constructive and pmductive negotiatione. This has convinced us that with Mr. Dadzle as Secretary-General the negotiations in UKCTAD will take a successful course. I take this opportunity also to express our SineeKe appreciation to Mr. Mcltntyre for his tireless efforts as officer in charge. During his tenure tJbJcU%D’S aCtiVlti@s have proceeded in an excellent mannet. I believe that all members of UNCTAD share this view. P4y Government attaches great importance to U?JCTAD*s activities. We are confident that under the eminent leadership of the new Secretary-General UNCTAD will continue to be a busy and constructive forum for North-South dialogue. I wish to assure him that Japan will spare no effort to work closely with him. Mr. WANG Baoliu (China) (interpretation from Chinese): We listened with pleasure to the proposal made by our Secretary-General, Mr. Perez de Cuellar, Of the appointment of ML. Kerxeth Dadzie as Secretaryqeneral of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UHCTAD) and we have noted the Genera:. (Wr. Wang BaolOu, China) Assmbly~r conffrvatfon of thio appofnt@ant. mm cbineue dalegrtfon wiolhee to e%pceoal its warm congratialatfona to Hr. Dadzfe. )(L'. Nanneth Dsdzfe ir a well-knom diplomat with wide-ranging knowledge, excelPent capabiPiticu end vast experience. Xc enjoya a very high ireputation in -5 the diploxmtic world and the United Nationa eyrtcm for the important contribution he hers made to the promotion of North-South dialogue and the strengthening of (Mr. Wang Baoliu, Ckiaa) ‘plhs Chinese dslsgation bslievss that Hr. Dadzfe is a very suitable, parson to bs Ssuretary-Gsneral of UNGTAD. We wish also to take this opportunity to reiterate that the Chinese Government will eontinus to maintain and strengthen its sxcsllsnt relationship of co-operation with UNCTAD. Ovso ths past year , under the guidance of the Deputy Seoretary-Gsneral and officer-in-charge, or. McIntyre, WCTAD has achieved many rsoulte. The Chtnsss delegation hopes that, under the leadership of the new Secretary-General, UNCTAD will eontinue to play its positive and important role in the international economio field and make an even greater contribution to the promotion of world trade and development, the strengthening of international economic co-opsration and the revitalization of the world oconorny,

The next speaker is the representative of Iceland, who will speak on behalf of the Group of Wsstern European and Other States. Mr. HELGASON (Xceland) : The Western European and Other Statea attach great importance to the role of the united Nations Conference on Trade and Dsvslopment (uNCTAD) and have consistently supported the activities of the organization. Therefore, it was with great pleasure that we learned of the Secretary-General’s decision to appoint Kenneth Dadzie as the new Secretary-General of UNCTAD, and we are happy to join in the confirmation of that decision by the Assembly. Mr. DadzPe will bring to thin high office his vast experience, both in the United Nations Secretariat and as a representative of his country in important posts. He has chaired with great success a number of important committees, the latest of which concerned the review and appraisal of the Ir,ternational Development strategy (IDS), (Hr. Helgason, Iceland) We look Eorwarcd to ceopersting with Kenneth Dadzie in his new post, 116 we have bwned to restpoct his wisdoop, deep knowledge and ability to achieve results through perseverance, hard work and a sense of responsibility. The Western European and Other States also wish ts pay particular tribute to Alister McIntyre, who throughout the past year haa handled UPXXAD matters in a most skilful and competent manner. We wish Kenneth Dadaie all success, and feel confident that at this crucial time UNC’TAD will have competent leadership. I assure him of the full co-operation of our countriee. Mr. FERRER (United States of America): The United State11 t 1 pleased to join in confirming Seuretary-General Perez de Cuellar’s appointment of Ambassador Kenneth Dadzie as the next Secretary-General of the United Natione Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The Secretary-General has demonstrated great wisdom in appointing a man of Mr. Dadzie’s experience and qualifications. b!r. Dadzie’s abilities have been repeatedly demonstrated, not only in the service of his own country, but also in the service of the United Nations and its goals of international co-operation in the field of economic develoment. Most recently, he served as the Chairman of the Committee on the Review and Appraisal of the Implementation of the International Development Strategy for the Third United Nations Development Decade, where his integrity, knowledge and patience successfully guided that Committee’s work, The United Statea locks forward to co-operating with him in UNCTAD and hopes that together we can contribute to the economic and social prqress of all countries. (Mr. Ferrer, united States) As we officially confirm the passfmg of the torch in WXAD, my delegation alPJo wishers to expreos its sincere gratitude and thclnkrP to ME. Mister WXntyre for the superb job he has done as officer-in-charge of UWCTAD over these many months. We remain confident that he and the other me&em of the UNC%?AD staff will be of invaluable assistance to Mr. Dadzie In carrying out his dutfeS. Mr. GBEHO (Ghana) : I ufsh to express in all humility rosy delegation’s deep satisfaction and gratitude to the representatives who have spoken during the debate on agenda itenr 17 (k) for their very kind words about my colleague and fellow countryman, Mr. Kenneth K. S. Dadzie. MY delegation ilp happy that the ahoiae of Secretary-&m?ral of the Unit& Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has now been finalized and that will now have the benefit of a substantive head. The delay experienced in the appointment that has now been made is proof of the seriousnem with which the international cornunity regards the agency* I wish. th@refore, to put on reLIord my Government’e appreciation of the exemplary manner in which the Acting Secretary-General, Professor Alister McIntyre, carried out his onerous responsibilities during the interim period. The appointment of High Commissioner Dadzie is naturally flattering to my delegation, but, more than that, it is an !WXKYJ~ for which my country and its Government will remain eternally grateful. we are sure that Mr. Dadzie will do his utmost to merit the trust and confidence that the Assembly has today reposed in him We know that he can look forward to the co-operation of each Member State in order to carrying out the duties involved in UNCTAD. day X also take this opportunity to record our sincere thanks and appreciation to the Secretary-General, Mr. Perez de Cuellar, for being kind and gracious enough to aplmint Mr. D~ldzie, it is alElo an expression of confidence in my countryl which we chafl. remember for 3 Eoqg tine. (Mr. f"-she, Ghanuj 0~ thanks and appreciation go in equal rneawre to the forw Secret&ry-General of UNCTAD, Mr. Gameni Coma of Sri Lanka, for the exemplary, indeed brilliant, work he did during his period of office. We are greatly indebted to him for &aping the character of UNCTAD, which is an important organiration not only for the international comunity but also, and eepecially, for the developincr countries. We are grateful also to our colleagues in the African Group for the understanding shown in the appointment of Kr. Dadzie. We hope that the underetanding that hae characterized the decieion tdiay will ahso be dewnutrated in the co-operation extended to Kr. Dadzie by the African Group. Finally, my delegation addresnovs its thanks to all those who made it possible for us to reach a unanimoue decision on this delicate appointment-

Kay I take it that the General Aseembly wishes to confirm the appointment of Mr. Kenneth Dadzie 88 Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and DeV@lopment for a three-year term? It was so decided,

We have concluded our consideration of agenda ite;n 17 (k).

I call on the representative of Zaire, who wishes to IntrcKluce the draft r@sO~utiWI in docUrs?~t A/4C 't.18. Hr. EMGBENI ADEITO NZBNGEYA (Zaire) (interpretation from French) : On 4 Qctober 1973, the Preeident and Founder of the Popular Movement of the Revolution and President of the Republic, Marsrhal Mobutu Gem Seko, said the following from this rotw umt ‘%ubong the claim of the under-equipped countrlee, particularly the foraer colonial countrfeti, these io a matter of vital iqxxtance. Thfe relates to the cultural heritage of our countries. Owing the colonial period we suffered not only frm cofonialism, slavery, economic exploftationr but ako and abOW all from the barbarous, systematic pillaging of all our work8 of art. In this way the rich countries appropriated our best, our uniW@ works of art, and we are therefore par not only economically but also culturally=. (A/PV,2lQO, para, i76) Later in hi8 statement, Yreeident Mobutu eaid: “‘Another circumtance which demonstrates that what I am saying is right is that Hitler pillaged the r.,ouvre during the Second World War and took away the m8qnificent works of art which were there. When liberation tamer even before thinking of signing the armistice France did everything in its power t0 retcover its arts objects, and that is quite right. That is why I would also ask this General #s8embPy to adopt a resolution requesting the rich Powers which possess works of art of the poor countries to restore some of them so that we can teach our children and our grandchildren the history of their countf iesW . IA/PV.2140, para. X78) At the twenty-eighth seaafon of the United Nations General Ae~rnbly, in 1973, at the initiative of the delegation of Zaire the Assembly inscribed on its agenda, for consideration and decision, an item on the restitution of? works of art to cxluntrfes victims of appropr iation. (Mr. Bagbeni Adeito Nzengeya, Zaire) The Secretary-General has subraitted reports on the implementation of the resolutions adopted by the General Aesembly on this item. The l&test has been circulated as document A/40/344, of 21 June 1985. My delegation pays a tribute to the Secretary-General and, in particuPar, to the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and.Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for the concise~ Clear and pertinent reconmwndathono contained in it. My delegation is grateful to the Director-General of UNESCO for hie abiding intereot in this issue - an interest that was demonstrated at the sessions of the Intergovernmental Colrvaittee for Promoting Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin that he organized in Istanbul from 9 to 12 March 1983 and in Athens end Delphi from 2 to 5 April 1985. W delegation has noted with satisfaction that the secretariat of UNESCO has prepared a revised draft of a set of guidelines define the formulation of requests for the return or restitution of cultural property. Those guidelines define the principles and procedutes that should guide museum curators and concerned officials in the States members of UNESCO in this regard. The basic aim of the guidelines is to contribute to the establishment of optimum condition6 for the advancement of the Intergovernmental Committee’s task of facilitating bilateral negotiatione for the return or restitution of cultural property to the countries of origin* We must also congratulate the secretariat on having drawn up an inventory of African cultural property outside Africa. At the present Lime, there are 20,000 entries - 16,000 photographs and 4,000 descriptive texts - as well as microfiches. In this respect, the secretariat has informed the Aoeemhly that the next stage of this work, beginning in 1985, is the drawing UP of a compleie inventory of objects clfxumented in auction catalogues. (Hr. Bagbeni #d&to Nzengoya, Zaire) Tha work with reopect to Oceania hay been finierhetd and, with regard to Auetraliar and the Pacific Ielande, a preliminary uurvey of the aboriginal artifact4 in publio collectione in th@ United iState and Canada ban also been oospleted. In the context of step6 to ourb illicit traffic in cultuxal property, it ie pointed out that four State8 - the Demoratio People’s Republic of RoI@as Guatemala, Senegal and the United State6 of J&mica - have deposited their inetrments of ratification or acceptance of the 1970 Convention on the Meanrr of Prohibiting and Preventing the Xllioit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. That brinqs to 55 the total nuder of States parties to that Convent ion. The secretariat has been informed that the prccem leading to ratification in Australia, Prance and the Netherlands ~EI well advanced. During the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Committee, held at #them and Delphi in April 1985, it was recwnded that Member States adopt or eLiengthen the neceeeary protective legislation concerning their own heritage and that of other peoplel3. The Committee welcomed the initiative by a group of firm art and antique dealers in the United Kingdom to adopted a code for the control of international trading in works of art.* *Mt. Mouchoutas (Cyprus), Vice-President, txmk the Chair. (Mr. Bagbani Adoito Nzengeya, 2a ire) There is no need to stress hem the cardinal contribution of aulture to the d~jr”irti’kion CPE societies in whiti people of the wt;iiid wish to live in harmony. African States recogmize and acknowbdqe the value of the culture of each people by adopting in 1976 in Hauritiua the Cultural, Charter of Africa. The importance of culture in defining the development of models of use to our peoples was emphaeized by all of the developing countries, and in this context the initiative was taken several years ago by a certain number of developing countries, with a view to the return or restitution of aultural property to the countries 0E origin. Ever since the roost distant eras in the history of mankind, rnan# whatever his colour, has always pondered the problems of his own existence, the motives - and the rationale behind it, its ultilrrate purpose and its future, and the state of his oo-existence with the vastness of nature and ultitnately with the mysteries of the Great Beyond, Han has used nature and has tamed it to raake it capable of meting his own needs. That is the explanation for stone-cutting, the working of wood, bronse and iron, the building of huts, caves, bridges and rafts, the manufacture of baws and arrows, and even of the flute. Thus Ryan has represented himself and at the same time has represented !.rr painting ana in sculpture his environment, the countryside, his tools and the animals with which he was familiar , as well as the full range of his perception and vision of nature as he saw it. This vision of the world gave birth to the culture of a people, comprising the sum total of spiritual and material values it has created and fashioned, throughout its evolution in time and space. (Mr. Bwbeni Meito Nzengeya, ‘Zaire) Each people thus has ita own uulture and civilizaticm and has areated its own YLJtl~2ez cm Ehfah ft 53&s $$46t 5kliTi3 iX%d f5 ail Gi~GG.BGfG;E GE fI GWi”r tj6iiiUG. ThS works of art, manuocript8, documenIs , archives and other cultural aud artistic tceamrm axe the very aultural values b whf& it attacjler, great iruportanca, The draft resolution beEore m (A/40/L.l8) which it i~ ray honour and privilege to ifi”JodUae on behalf of the sponeore is guided by that proper mncart~. In ef18en08r in the &c&t resolution, the General Af3eertSrlly first reaffirm that the rmtitution to a country oE its abjrita d’art# monumente, museum pieces, acchivell, mnuricripto, d4cmment.s and any other cultural OK srtistic treasures contribute8 to the strengthening of international co-operation and to the preservation and flowering of univexeal oultural values through fruitful co-operation between developed and developing counte ies. Secondly, the General Assembly invites Member States to continue drawing upr in co-operation with the United Nations IMucational Scientific and Cultural Organization systematic inventories of cultural property existing in that territory and of their cultural property abroad; and also invites Mmber States engaged in seeking the recovery of cultural and artistic treasures from the sea-bed in accordance with international law, to facilitate by mutually acceptable condi tiona the participation of States having a historical and cultural link with those treasures. Thirdly, it appals to Member States to co-operate closely wi.th the fntergovernmental Committee for Promoting the kturn of Cultural Property to Its Countries of 0ifgl.n or Its HoEtitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation and to conclude bilateral agreemen& ior this purpose; it alno appeals to Merrber: States (Mrs Bagbeni Adeito Hzengeya, ZaiV3) to strive to arouse a greatar and more general awareness with regard to the return or restitution of cultural property to its country of origin. Fourthly, it endorses the opinion expressed st the World Conference on Cultural Policias held at Mexico City from 26 July to 6 August 1982, &at the return of cultural property to its country of origin should be accompanied by the training of key persmael md technicians and the proviefon of the necessary facilities for the satisfactory conservation and presentation of the property I es torod. Fifthly, it welcomes the steady increase in the nurdoer of Statee parties to the 1970 Convention m the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit LmpOrto Export and Transfer of Ownership af Cultural Property; and again invites those Mrber States that have not yet done 80 to sign and ratify tie above-mentioned Convention . Sixthly, the Gener:al Assembly recommends that Member State adopt or strengthen the necessary protective legislation with regard to their own heritage and that of other peoples. On behalf of the 17 wponsors of the draft resolution, namely, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Cuba, Ecuador, Egypt, Gabon, Greece, Guinea, Mali, f&nr:occo, Oman, Peru, Rwanda, Senegal. and Zaire, we should like to express our sincer~2 appreciation to certain States Members of our Organisation, notab?y Belgium and Prance, for having, in line with the appropriate General. Assembly resolutions on this question, taken constructive measures to facilitate, within the framework of bilateral arrangements, the retixn and restitution of certain works of art to their countries of origin. We should also like to xake a point of expressing our profound qjratitude to the Greek government for the welcome and generous hospitality accorded to the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Comittee held in Athensr the Eternal City, from 2 to 5 April 1985, as well as at the sacPod cite of IDelphi. We are convinced that the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Committee to be held in the spring of 1987 in Paris will enjoy the legendary cencern and support of the French people and their Government. In conclusion, I should Pike to appeal to all Metier States to appreciate in full meaSure the scope and importance of thie issue in our development efforts, and to give their wholehearted support to draft resolution A/4O/L.18 in the interests of strengthening international co-eperation and preservation and the full flowering of auf universal cultural values through fruitful co-operation of developed and developing countries. Mr. AL-AWN (Iraq) (interpretation from Arabic): The General .Assembly is today considering the draft resolution on the geturn of cultural property to its . country of origin. Indeed,, it is a matter that we started discuesing in 1973, in following a request by a number of countries which wanted the international COaPPDlnity to Support their legitimate right to regain what they had lost in cultural and precious treasures created over long centuries of civilization in those muntr ies. Xt ifi on that premise that Iraq attaches great importance to the discussion on this item, and to the results !31ereof~ we hop that serfsus end effective measures will be adopted, baaed on national, petr iotic and human rwtivation, for indeed suci~ nb3tters are the corneretorie Ear the achievement of international co-operation on a just and equitable basis. (Mr. AL-ARM, l’raq) Iraq was the aradle of hunrrrn ofvfl%uation in the daun of history, Thie i0 a fact known to all those who are acquainted with the hietory of mankind. The aivilization of Mesopotamia was one of the main contributors to the human heritage through the Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylmnian aivilizatione, which were rich sources for the emergence and development of the prerroent mrld civilimfiOn. If proof is needed, we need only mention the names of such Iraqi cities as Ur, Akkad, Babel anal Nineveh and many other hietordcal Iraqi centre& which were and reaain sources of generous and inexhaustible contributions for the benefit of humanity as a whole. More than 1100 yaara ago, Baghdad became the heart of the Islamic and Arab civilization and a rpajor source of enlightenment for the world of that time. It played a major role in ensuring the continuity of the historical path of human progress and the enrichment of the human heritage. We are fully aware that artifacts, art worka and valuable treasures created by these great ancient aivilioatione are considered to be among the moat iraportant relics of human aivilization as a whole, First and foremost, however, they are the property of the Iraqis and they cannot he separated from their national, patriotic and spiritual heritage. We are all fully aware of the wholesale plunder and theft of our cultural property and rich heritage which occurred during the foreign occupation of Iraq by two empires, the British and the ottoman. That OCcupatiOn lasted for many centuries , and that plunder led to the transfer of irreplaceable and invaluable treasures to many other parts of the world. NOW, today, they light up and adorn famous museums, far removed from their original owners and homelati. During the thirty-second seseion of the Fissernbly, in 1977@ my delegation presentedi to this Assembly an inventory of those historical. treasures and the; museums where they ccc to be found p and that inventory was published on (Mr. WP-Amin, Iraq) -- 30 October 1977, at the request of Iraq, aa an official documnt of the General Assembly. Pn addition to the irrefutable fact that this historical heritage is part of its natural environment, there is the fact that it is part of the heritage and identity of the people and the country of origins that attdfacrts and historical objects are anmng the umst important incentive@ to national artists and m invaluable source of their creative endeavour. Our countries cannot be deprived of these iPrysortant sources of artistic renaissance and revival, quite a part of the fast that they are an important source of income through tourism. We have considered very carefully the report of the Secretary-General (A/40/344), which contains the report of the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientifio and Cultural Orgenization (UNESCO) with reg(ard to the efforts under way to ensure the return of cultural property ta the countries of origin and the r&elosures adopted by the Member States and the secretariat of UNESCO in implementation of the recomendatione of the Intergovernmental Cofamittee at its third session. it also include8 the recommendations of the fourth session of that Cormnittee concerning the promotion of bilateral negotiations for the return or restitution of cultural property and international technical co-operarlon in a survey end the preparotfon of inventor&s of all art objects, so as to pilt an end to the illicit trade in cultural property at national and international levels. Despite the efforts made by the acquiring countries to facilitate the inventory, however, we must say that, regrettably, no real progress has been made md no genuine tespon&e has been el.icited on the return of that property to its (Mt. Al-Arpfn, Iraq) original owners. We also regret the fact that no rdfective Dpeasure8 have Seen taken and no real effort has been made by the United Nations in this extremely important and vital field6 While we value tbme effort8 arade by UNESO in specific domains, we hspo that the United Watians will take effective actiorr and ask the countries where duch art treasures are to be found to act very seriously in order to restore those objectt3 to the countries of origin for, indeed, most of the former have net reapcn~d@d to the repeated requests so far rpsde. In conulusion, the Iraqi delegation wishes to reaffirm once again the right of peoples to pyeserde their national and cultural heritage, which is expressed above all in artifacts and historical treasures, the work of many generations. The recovery of thoee artifacts ic an important and vital aspect of the soveteigntY of the State and its control wet its resources. We call upon all States that have acquired such archaeologically precious objects from other countries to enter into bilateral negotiationsp with the assistance of UNESCO, to reach agreeroent and organioe the process of the return of those artifacts to their legitimate owners. Such agreements will u&e a amsiderable contribution to strengthening friendship between peoples and promoting harmony and international understmdiW- Mr. PANDEY (Nepal): Nepal is a country with a rich cultural and religious heritage. Although constitutionally Nepal. is a Hindu kkngdcrca, *e are p’f~>d to de~laff, fh;rt we h%q 3 very hapw bJpnd!ng nf Hin&) a?d wtddhfsk qjlture- Thus, religious strife is virtually unknown, and instead tolerance is practised. Ac the birth-pluae of the Lord Buddha, Nepal is a eacred land for both EIindurp ana auaahfata. If we two ~ountleaa ancient Hiudu twleo, rmerous Buddhfet shriner too are suattered all over the kingdom. Together they conotitute the rich fabric of our religiousr and cultural life. In fact, even the awe-inspiring Himalayas which add luestre to the emnicr beauty of our land have a deegr cukmL ipnd acPPigPoue connotation. The legendary abode of Lord Shim, the BimaSayas are the source of our namemu glacier-fed river8 and are held to be sacred by both ainaue ma ihbadhfets. Given this bacE:ground, Mindue, from all over the world flock to Wpal on pflgrlPrage to vieit venerated ten@ee, mny of which were built centuries ago. l2eefgned in a unique 8tyle, they are etone houses of Pcone of great antiquity, creftmunahip and beauty. (Mr. Pandey, Nepal) Nepal is equally sacred to Buddhists. Buddhista from all over the world Visit Lumbini, Eluddah*or birthplace %n the Nep51 Teraf. If religious tblerance and harmony are the distinctive features of Nepal’s so&o-religious make-up y it must be streeeed that this has been due largely to the patronage extended by Their Majesties the Ring and Queen to all matters concerning the safeguarding of Nepal’s cultural heritage and property. Xowever, ovbng to the rspssaious demand of affluent colleotors of antique5 5nd Wets d’art, a pernfcioue breed of treffzickers have over the years been plundering our treasure chest of cultural property even while decorating the homes of the very affluent and even numerous museums and art galleries abroad. My delegation therefore takes this opportunity to express not only our appreciation to the Secretary-General for the report on restitution of cultural property to the countries of origin but also to hope that the report will help to curb the illicit trafficking in cultural property. We also fully endorse the following measureB recommended in both the report and by the Intergovernmental Committee seesion held at Athene and Delphi from 2 to 5 April 1985. First, the promotion of bilateral negotiation5 for the return or restitution of cultural property. Here, we believe that the United Nation6 Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UWeSCO) and the International Councii of Muoeurne can play a.leadinq role in facilitating bilateral talks on the return or restitution of cultural property. Secondly, international technical co-operation on the preparation of inventoriee. The International Council of Evluoeuma haa been preparing an inventory Of African cultural property outeido Africa and haa mndc more than 20,000 entrico. My delegation feek ntrongly that: a oimilar inventory of Asian cu1turiP.l propf?rtY outside Asia should be prepnrod. (Mr. Pandey, N@@aI) Appropriate etepo ehould in any case be undertaken by UNESCO and the Internatfoual Council of Wuseufns to aurb the ongoing illiait treffiokiug fu cuPturcal propbrty. Legislation should also he enacted in all countries to restrict the trafffaking in such property, fnoludlng in countries which arc the destination of much of that property. W. AL-HAGRI (Oman)(interpretation from Arabic): First of all, let me thank our Seceetary-General and the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (W-WCC) for the thorough report contained in document A/40/344 of 21 Juue 1985 on agenda item 20, entitled “Return Or restitution of cultural property to the countries of origina. The infornxation contained in that report whiah is before us ha6 enabled us to take stmk in a useful and serioue manner of this question of world-wide importance. lPhe cultural property of a people is indeed a mirror that reflects the identity and civilization of that people; it is a tetxird Of its history and civilioation. Today nobody can get a Clear idea of a people without examining its history and civilization. Cultural property is the best umdium through which one people can get to know another with an ancient civilization and a glorious heritage. For that reason the preservation of that civilization and heritage should not be neglected in any way or in any circumstance. My country’s delegation ahares the opinion of those who believe that the civilization of nations and peoples and their cultural property are the common heritage of mankind; therefore all peoples of the world should benefit from them. iJowever, that does not necessarily mean that the peoples which have created them should by deprived of their right to mafntai 1 them under any pretext. (Mr. Al-Haqri, Oman) For mankind to enjoy and benefit from the proywrty of a people does not: meOn that said property should be transferred from the country in which it wae created. Neieher doee it mean that mm people should be able to engage in illegal trafficking in that heritage to extract material profit or monopolize and deprive mankind of that property. It should remain the heritage of civilization and man’s evolution. The Sultanate of Or&an has treasures and cultural property as old as history. National and international n~~~eum contain many worker of art and other items that illustrate the history of Oman’s people. Throughout its history Oman has produced many works of art of which we are very proud. The Sultanate of Oman, like many other countries, hae been victimOzed by the plunder of its cultural property that is now scattered around the world in various museums and cultural institutions. Through the Ministry of National Heritage and Culture my Government has been able to retrieve some items, such as old books and manuscripts, that belong to the People of Oman, although much remains outside its country of origin. For those reasons my country iu determined to continue working for the recovery of its property which, through history and by right, belongs to the people of Oman. From the beginning of our modern cultural renaissance, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin saicl, on 23 June 1970, requested that particular interest should be taken in Oman’s CUltUtb L heritage. The Ministry of National Heritage and Culture was created to act ad a centre of aekivi’iitis in that area. That Mfniatr;~ has been successful on the national and international levels. Several museums have been established to preserve manuscripts and ancient books and many exhibitions have been organized throughout the world where Oman’s cultural heritage has been displayed and adlpired by those who deal with the cultures clnd civilfzakions of the woeld. (Mr. Al-Hagri, Oman] Archaeollogical fortresseta and buildincs have been raetored, arta aud araftrr have been encouraged and the export of cultural property ha8 been prohibited by Paw. The Sultan of Oman has ratified a Convention on measure8 to be taken to prevent the illicit export or transfer of cultural property. My country supporte every international effort to preserve cultural property and reetore it to its country 0E origin. Nations have the right, or&x international law, to protect their cultural heritage ahd to have cultural property reetoxed to its country of origin. That is why we mu& make a oollective effort to rcestooe cultural worke to the countries where they were created. We 101 the Sultanate of man are determined to preserve and to work towards recovering our cultural property with every mans at OUI: disposal, and to preserve the uany works of Omni art which are now in Great Britain, Portugal, the united States, France, India, East Africa, South East Asia and China. We also attach particular importance to our musical cultural heritage, which is genuinely Arabic and Islamic and is extremely original. Last month my country organized an international seminar on the traditional music of Oman. In ouz capital, Muskat, 40 important people, including the secretary-General of the International Council on Traditional Music, met at the invitation of the Oman Centre for Traditianal Music. That Seminar studied the authenticity am3 the modern character of Omni and Arab music so that thie form of art should not be exclusively limited to either the West or the Eact, People of many civilfzatione have visited the Arabian Peninsula, and as a result out regian ha8 an original and authentic c.ivil.izstion and heritage which must be preserved. (Hr. Al-#agrip Onrern) Rx thz rca~~~ L have #c?ntbnnM we fu1ll.y support the9 return or resEitutfCUl Of cultural pr&rty to ite country of origin, and we support every effort to achieve that noble ais. My delqatlon is happy to etate that the Sultan of Oman would like to associate himself wdth the resolution OR the return or restitution of cultural. property to the countrielr of orfgh Mr. ALBORNOZ (Ecuador) (interpretatian from Spanfrrh) : The iesue of the return IX restitution of clultural property to the countries of origin ie an Wrtant tqdo in term af peuplea g mmzeneas of history end culture - emthing which ehould oharacterize a number of other item on the agenda of this Assembly. This tqic, on which we have before UE) as mentioned in the comprehensive report by the Secretary-General (A/40/344), to which is annexed the report of the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organizatlon (UNESCO) , is one that is bound up with ths cultural heritage of each people 2s part of the cultural heritage of humanity, as a whole, and that reveals the cmrf%e of events and the prcqreoe rrrade in the countries, of the developing world 6~3 regards the organieation of their inventorieo of cultural property ae well a8 the establishmnt of &ern museums and the training specialists in this field from among their own nationals. Just as important a8 the proc~rp~ of hintorical evolution, which began with the .Iiscovery of the New World almost half a mfllenium ago and corttfnued with the era of the political independence of the peoples of th 9 Americas and their development in the twentieth century in the context of the organization of fnternational institutions - just aa important is to take a look back into prehis;ory and to analyse the message Left to u6 by the specimens of pottery, OK textiles or goldsmith's work produced by ancient cultures that preceded our own. (Mr. #lhornoa, Bcuadar) In ‘Zmador, arolhaeological artifact@ reveal the history of the riqrante who establirrhed their first oettlcments fn the vaUeyo of th Andeej people with stone Age cultutes still inhabit the ce&n of the kazonian forest, and the pieces of pottery between 8,000 and 10,000 years old found in the Pacific coastal areas arcs possibly indicative of pre-Colo&ian crosuingo of the Pacific whose feasibflity wasl desmnrrtrated by Thor Heyerdsl when he ctossed the Pacific Ocean in the pan-Tiki which united our aboriginal peoples with those of Asia. For all those reasous it is iapartant for our cxmtemporary history that we should preserve such valuable vestiges, To do so in the best pmsible way, Ecuador has set up wdetn aauseums, such as that of the Central Bank, with specialists in restoration techniques, where educational talks are given for the 1nformtiOIl of Visitors of all ages ftom our country and from abroad. The tinte has therefore come to return to us the artifacts - of which there are sooletiues dozens or even hundreds of the same kind - that have been amseed in foreign museum au a result of large-scale collecting expeditions aimed at unearthing such archaeological vestiges and treaauree. In many case0 international IOUBBUDIB could participate in this equitable and necessary task of restitution, providing duplicate pieces , or at least copies of unique items, to the countries of origin, thuo demonstrating a genuine spirit of intarnstional co-operation. 1 would mention, for example, the ~%ore than 100 stone thrones from the Manabi cuitutes of the Pacific coast of Ecuador which, ever since the Saville expeditfan financed by the Raya Pocom~*~~ wL&CXi, have been kept by and still1 arc? in the Museum of the Amrican Indian In New York and a 13,000-year-old osseous fragment known as the particular iaportanca for Ecuador to ~participata in thio darowrtrrtion of intermticml co-operation Wr the beneEPt of universal culture, &s our capi~l, Quito, with its architectural mwumente dating froW Spanioh colonial tims and tJm Calapugos Ielandr have been declsured by w@SCO to be part of the ccmon cultural heritage of mankind, the tioueotment of &uador is fulfilling ito obligation of preserving these artistic tmaqwm, the envirommt and the ecorysten GO that they will retiin all thig splendour and their prirtine naturrrl beauty for tb benefit of fdcholars throughout the world and for the education of future generationrr far my rrountry. (Nr . Alkxmoo, muepdo~) Ecwdor ia a upmoor of the draft resolution fA/4O/L.l81 now beiq dliacusatts by the General Aorreolbly which ouppotts tbe appeal wde by l!WSCfI for cultural property to bo returned to the countries of origin &R they are part of thorn counkriee’ irreplaceable heritage. In turn, my country will coqmrate in having eimilar artepsl taken with rerrpmt to other Strstee ta see to it that a struggle is waged against illicit trafficking in cultural property, which results in deopoliation that is often absolutely irreparable. Mr. ZA~VSKY (Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic) (interpretation f ram Russian) : The delegation of the Byeloruaoian SSR vould also like to deal with %NW atppecte of the agenda item now under discueslion. As &embers know, the question of the return or restitution of cultural Property to the countries of origin is baing directly dealt with by the United Natiom Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (tUWC0) 8s a epecialized agehcy of the United Nations aompetent in those areas having a direct bearing on the problems of maintainirrg the cultural heritage of countries and organizing international cultural co-opemtion. UNESCO set up the Intergovernmental Comittee for Proaaoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its k@stitution in Cases of Illicit Appropriation. That Committee has been called upon to seek ways and means of facilitating bilateral negotiations, to Bevelg, multilateral and bilateral co-operation related to thie problem and to promote the holding of information campaign8 mumg the public PB well ae to prosIot@ international cultural exchanges. I’: Beems to UB that lJNE,SCO~a recommendation6 in drafting af mQasuKer3 to combat ilti.cit trafficking fn cultural property. (Mr. Baremhoveky, Byaloruasian SSR) Zt is the view cf the delegation of the Byelorussian SSR that the United Nations &oar&l encourage those effortfs which IINSSCO is undeotaking to find waypo to solve this problem in the interest of peace, justice and the deveJ.op;pent of international cultural co-operation amng States and to take mea&ureB to prohibit the illegal export or trade in art objects. In the discussion of this questicn earlier, a number of delegations pointed to another as,pect, namly, that this question is important uince it is related prftuarily to the problem of the elimination of the harmful consequences of colonialism and aggression, which have brought irreparable damage to the culturel heritage of the victims of the irrrperialist policies of the colonizers and the aggresso~e. This problem doss not lose its timeliness even now during this turbulent period. Israel is continuing to violate the historical and cultural monrrsents in the Israeli-occupied Arab territories. The south African racists are stealing and destroying the historical and cultural property of Namibia and of the indigenous inhabitants of southern Africa. Cultural property is disappearing and is being destroyed in various tqions of the world, in conflicts which have been brought about by the subvemive and aggressive actions of imperialism and reaction, We must also recall the tremendous &.LI.wI~.~ done to the cultural heritage of many peoples caused by fascism, which attempted to establish world-wide domination. Although 40 years have elapsed since the end sf the Second World war, many cultural objects to this day have not been found or returned. I am referring to property that was pilfered and carried off or lost as a result of the aggression of Hitlecite fasciEm or Japanese militarisiri. During the Second World War, the evil deedo and monstroue crimes of the Hitlerite occupiers on the territory of the countries which they temporarily occupl~~ ?h Europe, especially the Soviet Union” (Mr. Zars*vslky, f3yelsrurrrrian SSR) eauseB great, and in many cases frmparable, damage, to wrkta of art or othet” cultWilB prqmty. On the Soviet terrftory which they temporarily occupied, the faockotta destroyed and plundered kundrede of ~ouueunm and etols many mmxm piecee, including paintings, fmlptu~es, LCDDC books as well as many objects of historfcal and ethnographic valua. In the capital or’ the Byeloruseian SSR, the city of Minsk, for example, the Bitleritre do&rayed the State Art museum and bltole many objects from all the librarieej they stole or destroyed mnumentrr and removed historical and archival mater ial along with ancient manumzr ipte. The list of the evil dleedo of the famist OCCUpi0rS could go on and on, but the facts I have cited are sufficient to remind us of the momtrou8 face of fasciE;.a, the moat: evil enemy of mankind, whose ceitidnel Paat iS something whioh, in ewe countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), people would like to consign to oblivion. It ie precisely in this connwt.ion ?hat we should like to emphaeiee once again that we cannot forget that the reliable means for maintaining cultural praperty is to fight for peace, to eliminate the threat &f nuclear warI to elinrinate the vestiges of colonialism and to end the greed of people who are p;Yfaring tho heritage of other peoples. This whole question of the oeturn or restdzution of cultural property b.0 the countries of origin should be given due attention by Governments and by public organizationa of countries. In the light of what I have sald, the delegation of the Byelorussian SSR will eupport the draft aesolutjon on this question in document A/QO/L.18. Mr, 3YOuE (Gabon) (interpretation from French): mery year in the same cirCumetWY?s, the place taken in our debateG by cultural. questions is, to say the least, very modest. Xn fact, in our traditionab statements, only polikical 0): aconomic lesues are given sufficient attention, since they take up most of OUT wrk. (Mr., Gyoue, G&on) In apeaking in this debate an the item entitled, *Return or restUzution of cultural property to the cauWrfe0 of origin” , my delegation would like to exgreao its real pleaeure at eeeing thie item on our agenda and we want to pay a tribute to the 8ecretary-Generel fox hvhg suhitted e colqplete rapmt to us on this is&we. (Mr. Oyoue, Gabon) There ace many ~eascm why my country, Gsboro, far speaking on a queetion of euch importance. First, from thca ethical rrtandpoint Gabon consider8 the plundering of the cultural heritage of our region8 by the colonial system to be a fora Of gem: ‘I B the goal of which was to take the very soul of the populationa involved. For African countries, which were not in any way spared thi# form of genocide, it would only be logical to prcclafm their legitimate right to recover their cultural property into which colonial administrators, nieeionaries, researchers and tourists had gade ote&dy inroads illegally.for centutbes# and sent off to foreign ~u~utm, Secondly, my country consider&i the sphere of culture to be a matter of great importance which deserves our full attention. r‘hie ierrue him two aepecte. Firet, the Government of Gabon coneidare culture to be at best one of the channels and one of the aimo of our development procese. Purthermore, while it is true that science and technology are the driving force8 in the evolution of contexiporary societies, it is also true that the cultural factor is decisive in any social. programme, Consequently my country strongly supporte the idea that culture and developpnent are two closely related concepts, especially since they constitute the basic pillars of any civilization. Moreover, as wae indicated by the Secretary-General in his report contained in document A/40/34% on the item nm becore our ?,eaembly, the authorities of Gabon have given priority status to a national project to draw up an .‘nvenk.ory of our national collections and cultural property that are still abroad. On behalf oE my Government, I ehould like to p3y a tribute to the Xnteryovernmerrtal Commitee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property t0 It6 Camtkiee of Origin OK It8 Rastitution in rjase of Il.2.icit Appropriation for having taken note with oatzisifact?.on of cur pro-jeck, which it reconsier~rled Lo the United (He, Oyouc, Gabon) Natious ~ducatioual, 9cientific and Cultural Crganization (UNESCO) at its fousth session held in Greece from 2 to 5 April 1905, and for haviug Supported it. X ehould also like to euphasize the increasing importance my country attache8 to the necessary regional co-operation that must alao exist in ttm cultural field. On this point, I am very pleased that dnce 0 Januany 1903 the International Centre for Bantu Cirilization (CICIBA) has becoum a reality, thanks to the initiative of President Bongo, who proposed its establishment to hiu meres from Central. Africa. It is therefOr@ appropriate to point out that thi$ Centre hqsu to bring together SCM 10 countries from our region on the baeio of their cultural heritage. I should like to avail myself of this opportunity to thank all the agoncieS, Such US the United Nations Development Progratme (UNDP), IJNESCO, the European Economic Cowunity (EEC) and other otganizations of goodwilP that have constantty given their support for the Strengtheninq of this Centre, to which its founders entrusted the task, inter alia, of ensuring the recovery or drawing up an inventory of the cultural property of the Bantu cultural era that is now abroad. All this indicates the special importance that tS,a international community should attach to this issue, and in particular to the return or restitution of cultural property to its countries of origin. There is no need to dwell on how much the developing countries have bcsn wounded by the brutal stripping of their cultural and artistic Lreasuree. Like the plunderinrj of their raw materials, the illicit exportation and transfer of cultural property has increaoed the fmbakancee %n those countries. The urgent need to restore thif, heritage to its legitimate owners is a categorical imperative that will. enable our regions to recover their identity, This its also a dynamic ptoceo~ whilh in one of the elements of the new world cultural order sought by many peoplac and nations. (Hr. Oyoue, Gabon) IJenze the irportanm of! draft mtolution A/aO/L,l8, of which RIY wbuntry A@ I wmsor. Tha 01vlelw3e of thics draft resoPution fe to affioa the right of the countrho of origin to recovex the cultureal prqmrty which haa a baeic erpdritual and aulturzul value for them. At a tiB8 when th8 North-South dialogue frr h8ld up in the ctconcsu~ic Cieldv and when many political dieputee increase tenafon in intarmtional telatione, the text Rotl b8fOc8 UCI points the3 way to a valuable centlce of intererrt for international co-q8wr.%fon, both bflatenal and aultilateral~ This year, when our Qrganization has just celebrated ito fortieth anniversary, the advtion of this remlution will be a valuable contribution to itsi main task Of mrking ifor a b8ttcr world, not only a world of peace and solidarity, but also, and above all, a world In which there irk an obligation to safeguard the sovereignty of Maber States over their own cultural and artistic wealth, Mr, ALZIWO~ (Peru) (interpretation from Spanish): Pt is our fate to PfVe in an era characterised by constant change, an era which is not free of turmoil because the desire for domination and economic power still 8eema to govern the aotiuct of international society. This is a troubled time in the history of the peoples of the meld when their deetiniee cross without meting and their hope6 run along parr.llel lines rather than converging. In this ptocees, which is characteristic of the second half of the twentieth century, the developing world has acted a8 a cat.%lyst, which has made It possible for it to redesign a mrld geography drawn up on the baais sf the eulf-fntecent of the few; thctly are no longer spectators of a hiotory wriCten hehind their backs, and all !xm often to their detriment9 (Hr. Alza~ra, Peru) The claim of our countrfer are on mny level% We have heha to fight On dffferent front6: deco&onization, political fnilependenca, the new international efzonoric order. But all1 of thirr would ~JO fncwplete if we did not fight for our Own tcmtrr and defend what ia a fundaaental ele&ent of our own cultural identity. Thirr ia not only a particular way of seeing and underetandfng the coould, it &SO ~~ludlef~ a range of atrsetsl produced by the creative power of mm, a refleution of the feelinqa of a people at a given tirrrcs in a given area. The subject which gathers UB here today has been given tire attention of the General A8seMbl.J uince 1973, and since that the this forunl arti the United FIatiOns at large has gfven it due attention. Itn doing ~0” our Organixation is merely being true to its own essence, which derrande that it act 88 the centre for harwnizing the efforts of -lee to achieve comaon goals, particularly when the discussion relates to the culture and cultural identity of peoples. There can be no doubt that some progress has been made and this can Ibe aBtributed basically to the efforts of the United Nations and the resolutions adopted. The m may be said of the draft resolution subaritted by the delegation of Zaire, of which my delegation is pleased to be a sponsor. ‘rhus, little by little standards and regulatfono will be formulated and added to, based on the principle that the right ta cultural identity is inseparable from the tight to the property that cozqmses it. (Mr. APzamora, Peru) l$cwever, a&though thme lcre encouraging signs with regard to the return of illicitly appropriated cultural prcrprsrty, progrow io also required wittn regard to the return sf ouch property mu iur the hand@ of larga! nuseuxs but not bsfW erhibi tad. It will also be neccsrwry to think of posrrible, rutually acceptable ways of dealing with unique objects that represent genuine milestorm in the eVo~utio63 of the culturr of mmkind. Hy country is the heir to ancient cultures , and it is honoured to cherish the contributions of then all. ?or that reason it is gdng head with the buiMicpcg of a larqe museum to home the innumerable Wmentoecr of the civilizationst that flourished on Peouvian soil, giving yet further proof that the intelligence and will of mankind are capable of overcoming the challenge of adverse geography and 1 imi ted resources. All Peruvians are dedicated to making the wordsi l ctociarl justice” more than an elrrpty phrase, in the context of a developsmat effort to which we want to ablocate the maxiaua resourcef3. But we underrrtand that that development can be genuine only if, while we carry out the reform and changes derrrsrnded by the contemporary world, we rescue and preserve the value6 of our original cultures. Otherwise, the progress resulting flcola development will bring uniformity to the world, elbmknating individual creativfty and fqlanting alien values and patterno of living. There are many wayn of changing the preservation of culture from an Ideal to a Platter that Can be dealt with constructively , within the framework of a national tradition capable of creating auarene66 of it6 owx special worth. Peru i6 particularly intereeted in bclilding a large mu6euw with feature6 that wSLl make it & favoured meeting pPace of traditbon ark? the future. we are today preparing b-3 (Mr. ANmom, Peru) conplfruct that great YUH~M of Pe~u~i6n culture, which will offer ths world =arrCpbS Of 3,000 year6 of ae6theti~ creativity. We require the return to Peru of product6 of that aultura that are now outside the country, in inacces6ibls pluce61 to enrich that educational function of OUE heritage, for the benefit not only of out people but of Prankind, in who6e tmoar it begsn.

We have heard the la6t slpeaker in the debate on this item. The Ammubly will now take a deciwian cm draft resolution Fi/4O/L.l8, of which Benir’ has now become 6 eponaor. A Recorded vote has been mquerrtd. A recorded vote was taken. In favourr Afghanietan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua ati Barbuda, Argentina, Aurrtralirr, B6ham6, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Bhutm Bolivia, Bot6wana, Brazil, Dtunei Drrruesalm, Bulgaria, Burkina Peso, Burma, Burundi, ByelOrU8shn Soviet Socialist Republics Camemon, Canad6, Central African Republic, Ch6d, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Cub, Cypms, ezechoslovakia, Demratic Kmpuchea, Detaocratic Ymen, Dosinlcan Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, FinlaM, GdXmr GcrWW kmOcrat?c RapuClfz, Ghsm, Grace, G:er.;tC&, Guatm.al.if3, Guinea, GUyana, Hondutae, BUngerry, Iceland, India, IndonePJia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Sraq, Ivory Cm6t, Jamaica, Japm, Jord6ns Kuwait, Lao People’s Demcratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libyan Arab Jaraahiriyao Hadagawar, Malayeia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, MauritiUs, Mexico, Mongolia, Hor-cor Mozambique, Nepal, New Zealati, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway@ Oman, Pakietan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, PetU, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Rom~~~ia, Rwz~nda, 6amoa, SW Torrte and Prinoipe, Gaudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Stian, Suriname, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukrainian Soviet Bocialiet Republic, Union of Soviet Socialimvt Republics, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Wtuguagr, VfWezueI,a, Viot. Namp Yemen, Yugoolavia, Zaire, Zambfer , 2 imbabw Nane Austria, Helgiun, Wnmrk, France, Cimmny, Faderal RepubPic of, Ireland, Israel, Italy, LwePbourg I ~th~~iand~, m.eugal, Spain, Sw~dsn, UnU.w3 King&w of Great 8rftA11 and Nxthern Ireland, flnftad startao of ArsAxPca The draft tfaolution was adopted hy 123 votepr to none, with 15 abstentions (resolution 4O/PP) * The mats lrim4Tt I shall now call U’L thc~e repwmntatives who wish to explafw their votes. hw s lWBl% (United Kingdom) : iMy delegation abstiined in the voting on draft aafwlut1m Aj4O/t.l8. The united Kingdom cannot accept the priacilple that cultwzal fxopetty rhi& over the year8 has been acquired freely and legitimately &ould be rettevrml to other countries. Our the other hand, we condemn illicit trafficking in ma& property. Pry delegation can slupport much of the resolution which the Assembly has just adopted. KcweverJ certain operative paragra#s pxesented us with difficulties- Paragraph 2 rum anunter to our conviction that the great collections of works of art constitute a unique international resource for the benefit of both the public and scholar 6. Support for paragraph 4 would imply that my delegation favoured the drawing up of a systematic inventory within the United Kingdom. We doubt that that was the intention of those who drafted it, but in any case producing an inventory would cause great practical difficulties. (Hr. Evetts, United Kingdom) Paragraphs 9 and 10 refer to the 1970 Convention on the Heans of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ovnerahip of Cultural Property. Ratification of that Convention would present considerable problem8 for the United Kingdom, but we are happy to draw attention to the fact that on 1 April 1984 the United Kingdom fine art and antiques trade adopted a code of Practice which, together with the code of practice already implemented by British IyIUleUmcS, serves a8 an effective safeguard against illicit Waffic in CUkUraf. goOdE. For those reasons, my delegation abstained, Never theleas, the United Kingdom remains sympathetic to the wfb;hes of those countries that want to develop and improve their collections. Mu8eums in Britain are happy to collab4Xate with such countricsa in achieving their aims through bilateral contact. The United Hingdom GCSJ@cnnt@nt has continued to Support the work of UNESCO”s consuXtative Intergovernmmtal Committee in facilitating bilateral negotiations for the return of cultural property. But X should emphasize that items in British museums belong to those museums and not to the British Governmerrt, Provided that those item3 were legititaately acquired, there are no grounds in law on which my Governlaent can order their return. Mr. PREsIr%NT: I call on the representative of the Byelorunsian SSH on a point of order. Mr. ZA,~VSRY (Dyeborussian Soviet Socialist Republic) (interpretation from Russian) t My delegation wishes to draw attention to a typographical error in the title of the resolution in the RussIan version. Though apparently a 31mall. mistake, it is significant., because it distorts the meaning, MY delegation voted for the draft reoalution, txxauae wo undemtand its substance and agree with I.t. (Hr. Zare&ovsley, Byebwuseian SSR) However, the word %oun~le~~ in the title of the draft resolution - %rmm . OJ: reatitutton of cultulral property ta the countries of originW - appears in the RurPsfan text in the $netrumtal cme instead of the ijirtive CELHB. The addition Of a letter to tim Rubl~ldan woxd has coupletely dfsto~ted the ramming of the draft Yesolution. If the l7u.miiu1 text Ps not correoted, it would mean that the co~n@ie~ to which the cultural property rightly bekmgs should return it t0 sumbody elset whereas what we axe talking about ia returning the cultural property precisely to the countriee from which it was appxopr fated. The PFGSSDX3NT: we apgteciate the observation just r~ade by th@ representative of the Byelorussfan SSR. It will be referred to the Translation Service so that the Russian text of tie draft resoluttcm my be brought into line with the or iglnal text. Mr. BRAON (Federal. Republic of Germtay): My delegation abstained in the vote on draft resolution WBO/L.lB. Although we share thd ObjeotfVes Of a@ co-sponsors, we wish to repeat the reservation on several parts of the text that we have explained at previous sessiom of the General Assembly. We hold the View that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESaB) is the appropriate body to deal with this matter. Mr. ISTWANI (Syrian Arab Republic) (interpretation from Arabic) : The delegation of the Syrinn Arab Wpublfc voted in favour of draft resolution A/40/L. I.8 became it supports the principle underlying the text. We welcome the report of the .!%cretary-General cL%tained in document w/40/344, which inform us of the measuceB taken by the member States and the mxxetariat of the United Nations fi3um tional., ScEentif4.c and Cultural Organization (uramm) rind ito Director-C%naral to implerrwit: the recsnrxksndations of the XnterqovernrrtinfzaIL Cajmmitt.ac, The Syrian Arab ~;~~publ.f.c reuervoe Che right: tcs recover its cul.tural property I : (bir. Iotwani, Syrian Arab RepuidAc) property in their registry of antiques, rin violation of intatnational law8 and rules. Similarly, the Syrian Arab Republic remrve@ its lrtglitfrnate right to dmand the reotitutfon of its cultural property, repzeoenting ftsr heritage of national afvilization, which was taken frolr ite territory, its museum6 and ite other cdlections of antiques during the foreign oaoupation and the period of the Mandate. That cultural property dates from very ancient tiweol - the year 3000 E.C. - to the fifteenth aentury. The PRESIDF,NT’t That concludes the Aeeembly~s uoneideration of agenda --- item 20.

The Aeeernbly has concluded its consideration of agenda item 25. The meeting row at 7 p.m. -