A/41/PV.49 General Assembly

Before the Assenbly proceeds to take a decision on draft resolutioo A/4l/L.9/Rev.l I would inform the General Assenbly that the delegation of Poland wishes to be added as a co-sponsor of the draft resolution. The General Assenbly will now begin the voting process on draft resolutions A/41/L.9/Rev.~ and A/41/L.10. I call on the representative of Costa Rica who wishes to raise a point of (Mc. Maksoud, League of Arab st.at:es) Mrs. OlS'l'RO de BMISH (Costa Rica) (interpretation from Spanishh My delega tion had asked that ckaft resolutim A/41/L. Y/Rev ~l be adOpted wi thout a vote. We cannot vote on peace. We must adopt the draft: resolution without a vote'; preferably by consensus, but without a vote. X hope that is how it will happen and I beg delegations to accede to this request on the part of Costa Rica and all the 45 co-sponsors.

I fully share the view of the representative of Costa Rica. It was my intention that we should do exactly that. The Assembly will first take a decision on draft resolution A/41/L.9/Rev.l. If I hear no objection I shall take it that the Assellbly wishes to acbpt the draft resolution. The draft resolution was adopted (resolution 41/9). The PRESmENT: The Assel'\'t)ly will now take a decision on draft resolution A/41/L.10. A recorded vote has been requested. A reoorded vote was taken. In favour: Afghanistan, Alger ia, Angola, Antigua and Bar buda, Argentina, Bahra in, Bangladesh, Barbados, Bel ize, Ben in, Bhutan, Bol ivia, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Byelorussian SOYiet Socialist Papublic, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechosloyakia, Democratic Yemen, Djibouti, D:>minican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, German Democratic Republic, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Papublic of), Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexioo, Mongolia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Ulcia, Sao Tome and Pr incipe, Somalia, Sri Lanka, SUdan, Swaz iland, Syrian Arab Papublic, Thailand, To9o, Trinidad and 'l'obago, Uganda, Ukrainian SOYiet Socialist Republic, tllion of soviet Socialist Republics, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Against: None. Abstaining: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Federal Republic of, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Liberia, IA.1xE!mbourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Samoa, :Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Spa in, Sur iname, Sweden, 'run is ia, Tur key, Un ited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Ulited States of America, za ire. Draft resolution A/41/r~.lO w·:as adopted by 104 votes to nale, with 33 abstentions (resolution 41/10). * '·Subsequently, the delegations of Romania and senegal advised the secretariat that tiley had intended to vote in favour; the delega tion of Papua New Gu inea had intended to abstain.

I shall now call on representatives who wish to explain their position on the draft resolutions that have just been adopted. Mr. ~yODSON (United Kingdom): On behalf of the 12 States members of the European Community, I wish to address some remarks to the draft resolution contained in oocument A/4l/L.9/Rev.l, on which the General Assembly has just taken action. Our delegations welcome the sentiments behind the initiative taken by Costa P\ca to establish 1986 as the International Year of Peace. We believe that it has helped to focus international attention on a primary goal of the United Nations - that is to say, to strengthen the maintenance of international peace and security. The delegations on whose behalf I am speaking have therefore been pleased to join the consensus on previous resolutions relating to this subject, in particular resolution 40/3, which formally proclaimed 1986 as the International Year of Peace. As 1986 drawe to a close, the need for the international community to continue the search for practical measures that will contribute to a strengthening of international peace and security remains, of course. That is the spirit in which the 12 members of the European Community approached the draft resolution in document A/41/L.9/Rev.l. Our support for the draft resolution was based on the understanding that it does not detract from the guidelines endorsed by consensus by the General Assembly in 1980 regarding International Years in general. These include the agreement in those guidelines that special secretariats established for the celebration of International Years should be dissolved immediately upon the conclusion of those Years, and that any evaluation after the Year has ended should be carried out within the budgetary resources provided for the Year. By definition, International Years come to an end when the particular calendar year ends. In supporting the draft resolution in document A/41/L.9/Rev.l, the Twelve wish to make it clear that we accept operative paragraph 7 in order to satisfy those delegations that feel that it is necessary to enable them to consider the Secretary-General's final report on the International Year of Peace. 1 should like to reiterate the commitment of the 12 members of the European Community to international peace, and our determination to strive for a more peaceful and secure world. The 12 States members of the European Community abstained on the draft resolution contained in document A/4l/L.10. When the Decla?ation on the Right of Peoples to Peace was introduced at the thirty-eighth session of the General Assembly, the representative of Ireland 6 whose country then held the presidency of the European Community, explained the misgivings of the Community's member States~ In particular, he drew attention to the fact that the Declaration is not compatible with the united Nations Charter, and also auestioned the value of such declaratory measures in terms of making a real and substantive contribution to the cause of peace. We continue to have these doubts, which are evidently widely shared by those others who abstained on the draft resolution. It is our firm belief that actions by States that are consistent with their international obligations will do far more to strengthen international peace than any number of empty declarations. !t was for those reasons that the 12 members of the European Community abstained on draft resolution A/4l/L.lO. Mr. STIRLING (United States of America): My delegation congratulates the delegation and Ambassador of Costa Rica as well as the impressive number and range of co-sponsors on the adoption of draft resolution A/4l/L.9/Rev.l. (Mr. Godson, United Kingdom) The concept of the International Year of Peace, as originally proposed by the delegation of Costa Rica, was a note"fOrthy concept, one which my delegation has supported in the General Assembly and other United Nations forums. We appreciate the efforts carried out by the Ambassador of Costa Rica on behalf of the International Year. We have always been dismayed, however, when particular delegations have attempted to use the International Year of Peace ftS part of a campaign to place the blaMe on Western countries, and on my country in particular, for the growth of nuclear weapons and for breaches of peace, and to imply wrongfully that the United States seeks unilateral military superiority. Several of the statements made duri~~ this debate have been indicative of that campaign. peac~ will be obtained through the difficult but necessary process of negotiation and reconciliation on the issues that divide us, not through declarations that are substitutes for positive actions. We seek in this forum to go forward in a spirit of consensus and eo-operation. Particularly today - United Nations Day - we choose to emphasize the important role of th~ united Nations in maintaining peace and security. My delegation wishes to make just a few brief comments on the resolution itself. It is our view that operative paragraphs 6 and 7 should be considered in tandem. The secretary-General has been reauested to prepare a final report on the results of the Year. With the presentation of that report at the forty-second session of the General Assembly, the Assembly should conclude its consideration of the agenda item -International Year of Peace". In that final report the Secretary-General 'has been asked to describe the use8 to which the remaining balance of the International Year of Peace Trust Fund has been put in the promotion of peace. We look forward to examining the report in that regard. Finally, we also recall General Assembly resolution 38/56 on the I~ternationa1 Year of Peace, w~lch took into account the guidelines for international years and anniversaries adopted by the General Assembly in its decision 35/424 of 5 December 1980. One of those guidelines indicates that, as a rule, special secretariats established for the ~e1ebration of international years should be dissolved immediately upen the conclusion of those years. We trust the Secretary-General's report will e'~a1uate not only the results of the Year but the manner in which the guidelines for international years have been applied, including the above-mentioned gui~eline. With respect to draft resolution A/t1/L.10, we share the views outlined by the delegation of the United Kingdom, on behalf of the European community, and for those reasons also abstained in that vote. Mr. MUTO (Japan): The Government of Japan has taken a number of steps in observance of the thirtieth anniversary of Japan's membership in the United Nations, as well as the International Year of Peace. These include the establishment within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of a liaison office for activities regarding Japan's anniversary and the International Year of Peace, and the decision to issue commemorative postage stamps. The Japanese people have been informed of the Year, for example, through notices in Japan's national newspapers. Moreover, the Government has supported various events organized by private organizations, and in these and other woys Japan has actively participated in the Year e In this spirit, my delegation joined the consensus on draft resolution A/41/L.9/Rev.l. In doing so, my delegation wishes to make one remark concerning operative paragraph 7 of this draft re~lution. Since the Znternational Year of Peace will officially end in December 1986, the inclusion of this item on the provisional agenda for the forty-second session of the General Assembly is k~le1y intended to allow discussion of the final report of the Secretary-General. This is the understanding of my delegation and we wish to place it on record. Mr. POULSEN (Denmark): Speaking on behalf of the five Nordic countries, Pinland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark, I should like to make some commel,ts on the draft resolution contained in document A/41/L.9/Rev.1 which the General Assembly has just adopted. The International Year of Peace has been widely observed in all the Nordic countries and we we~e pleased to join the consensus on the draft resolution contained in document A/f1/L.9. We did so on the understanding that it will be implemented, in full compliance with the guidelines for future international years, adopted by consensus by the Economic and Social Council in 1980 and confirmed by the General Assembly in the same year. We also understand that the purpose of inclduing the item entitled, -International Year of Peace- in the provisional agenda of the forty-second session of the General Assembly is to consider the final report of the Secretary-Genera1. Mr. AL-SAADI (Oman) (interpretation from Arabic): My delegation fully supports the establishment of true peace in all parts of the world, without exception, and in partiCUlar in the regions Which are afflicted with wars and with unjustified violations and breaches of the peace, as in the case of the Iran-Iraq war, the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the occupied Arab territories, and the (Mr. Muto, Japan) situations in Af~umistan, CaDbodia, south Africa and Namibia. We also hope to have regional peace in Central America, based on the Ca,tadora principles. It is en this understanding of the cmtents of draft resolutim A/41/L.9/Rev.l, that we supported it. Kr. OKELY (Australia) \ As with similar draft resolutions in past years, Australia this year has been forced to abstain al the draft resolution on the right of peoples to peace contained in document A/41/L.10. We have done so for two main reasons \ first, the draft resolution makes reference to resolution 39/11, on the terms of whidl rtfJ delegation has considerable misgivings~ secondly, the draft resolution requests the secretary-General to submit a report m the implementation of the resolution to the General Assembly at its forty-third session, and prOl1ides fal' an item entitled, "Right of peoples to peace- to be included in the provisimal agenda of the forty-third session of the General Assembly. We see no need for ei ther of these paragraphs, partiCUlarly in view of their budgetary implications. Kt. SARRE (Senegal) (interpretation from Frenchh Concerning (,raft resolutim A/4l/L.10, it should be clearly understood that Senegal considers that the right of peoples to peace as we under stand it, should not take precedence over human rights.

The Assembly has thus concluded its consideration of agenda item 21. The meeting rose at l.2~ p.m. (Mr. Al-Saadi, oman)