S/PV.3455 Security Council

I should like to inform the Security Council that I have received a letter from the representative of Australia in which he requests to be invited to participate in the discussion of the item on the Council’s agenda. In conformity with the usual practice, I propose, with the consent of the Council, to invite that representative to participate in the discussion without the right to vote, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter and rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure. There being no objection, it is so decided.

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Security Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations. Members of the Council have before them document S/1994/1234, which contains the text of a letter dated 2 November 1994 from the President of the Trusteeship Council addressed to the President of the Security Council. Members of the Council also have before them document S/1994/1264, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America. I should like to draw the attention of the members of the Council to document S/1994/1200, which contains the text of a letter dated 17 October 1994 from the Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General. It is my understanding that the Security Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution There being no objection, it is so decided.

There were 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 956 (1994). I shall now call on those members of the Council who wish to make statements following the voting.

Since France is currently serving as President of the Trusteeship Council, it is a special pleasure for me to welcome the adoption by the Security Council of the resolution recording the accession of the Republic of Palau to independence. This resolution is the final necessary step to mark the end of the Trusteeship System’s applicability to Palau. On this occasion, I should like to extend to the Government and people of Palau our best wishes for every success in their first undertakings as an independent State. In particular, it is my hope that the Republic of Palau will shortly be joining us as the youngest Member of the United Nations. Your thanks must also go to the Administering Power, the United States of America, for having successfully carried out the mandate entrusted to it, which comes to an end with the entry into force of the Compact of Free Association between Palau and the United States. The date of its entry into force, 1 October 1994, is historic for another reason: with Palau’s accession to independence, the Trusteeship Council has successfully completed the task entrusted to it under the Charter of the United Nations with respect to those Territories placed under the Trusteeship System following the Second World War. This is why, during its session last May, it adopted an amendment to its rules of procedure under which it no longer needs to meet regularly. This formula The Trusteeship Council thus remains an instrument that the international community could resort to if necessary. The work of the Trusteeship Council represents a considerable success by the United Nations: all the Territories placed under the Trusteeship System are now complete masters of their destinies. The task was by no means an easy one, and our resolution recording the independence of Palau should therefore be regarded as something more than a routine step. Sir David Hannay (United Kingdom): The resolution which the Council has just adopted marks a significant moment in the history of the Trusteeship Council and, indeed, in the history of the United Nations. The termination of the Trusteeship Agreement for the last Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Palau, represents the successful end of an important chapter in the work of the Trusteeship Council. The United Kingdom currently holds the vice-presidency of the Trusteeship Council. It is therefore with great pleasure that I congratulate the people of Palau, who celebrated the implementation of the Compact of Free Association with the United State on 1 October this year. We look forward to the day when they will take their place as a Member State of the United Nations. The United Kingdom has long enjoyed friendly relations with the people of Palau; they go back to the year 1783. I must also congratulate and thank the United States which, as administering Power, has honoured the trust placed in it by the United Nations and worked to ensure the well-being and prosperity of the people of Palau. The decision just taken by this Council therefore marks the conclusion of the immediate responsibilities of the Trusteeship Council. The United Kingdom takes this opportunity to extend its thanks to all those, in particular the members of the staff of the United Nations, who have over the years worked towards this goal in accordance with the principles laid down in the Charter. This is a development which we and the other nations of the South Pacific have looked forward to for some time, and we greet it with much pleasure and satisfaction. With this final formal step, all four constituent Governments of the former Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands — the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the Republic of Palau — have now freely exercised their right to self-determination and moved beyond the status of Trust Territories into independence or self-government. The people of Palau have made a critical decision, and the Compact of Free Association with the United States entered into force on 1 October. We welcome Palau’s emergence into full nationhood and we wish the Palauans every success as they proceed with the task of pursuing the economic and social well-being and advancement of their country. We now look forward to working with them as full partners in the South Pacific Forum, and we offer them our support and cooperation in addressing our common regional and global concerns. We hope that the day will soon come when we can also welcome them here into the United Nations. We commend the United States also for its role as Administering Authority in fostering the development of Palau’s political institutions to this point. We also recognize the role played by the Trusteeship Council in promoting the progressive self-government of Palau and all the former Trust Territories. The adoption of today’s resolution is, as others have said, doubly significant. It marks not only the end of Palau’s former dependent political status but also the completion of the work entrusted to the Trusteeship Council under Chapters XII and XIII of the Charter. This brings to a successful conclusion a very important phase in United Nations history and is testimony to the ideals set out in the Charter half a century ago.

The Russian delegation is very pleased to note that, the tasks assigned to the United Nations Trusteeship System having been fully discharged, a significant contribution has been made to the solution of The resolution unanimously adopted today by the Security Council terminates the United Nations Trusteeship Agreement with respect to the last Trust Territory, Palau. The adoption of this resolution, as my colleagues have mentioned today, is not only a turning point in the centuries-old history of the people of Palau, but also an important event for the entire United Nations, which will soon be celebrating its fiftieth anniversary. We would like to wholeheartedly congratulate the people and the Government of the Republic of Palau on their accession to independence and wish the citizens of that beautiful country well-being and prosperity. We are certain that that State, like other former Trust Territories, will soon become a full-fledged member of the international community. The Russian delegation would also like to express its appreciation to our partners in the Trusteeship Council — the delegations of China, France, the United Kingdom and the United States — as well as to the Secretariat of the United Nations for their constructive work.

The resolution which has been just adopted unanimously by the Security Council is of historical significance. It not only announces to the world the termination of Palau’s status as a Trust Territory and the birth of an independent Palau, but also marks the fulfilment of the historical task entrusted to the United Nations Trusteeship System under the United Nations Charter. For this, we wish to express our welcome. The United Nations Trusteeship System was established under special historical conditions obtaining after the Second World War. The principal task set forth in the United Nations Charter for the International Trusteeship System is to further international peace and security and promote the political, economic, social, and educational advancement of the inhabitants of the Trust Territories and their progressive development towards self-government or independence. Thanks to the long, unwavering efforts of the people of the Trust Territories and the international community, a number of Trust Territories have, one after another, terminated their trusteeship status and become independent and equal members of the international community. With the assistance of the United Nations, Palau held a plebiscite on its future political status in November of last year. The outcome of the plebiscite proved that the people of Palau were ready to terminate Palau’s status as a Trust Territory and to achieve national self-determination and independence. On 1 October this year, the Republic of Palau was declared independent. On 30 September this year, His Excellency Mr. Jiang Zemin, President of the People’s Republic of China, sent a telegram to His Excellency Mr. Kuniwo Nakamura, President of the Republic of Palau, to extend, on behalf of the Chinese Government and people, warm congratulations to the Government and the people of Palau and to announce the Chinese Government’s decision to recognize the Government of the Republic of Palau. The Chinese delegation wishes to take this opportunity to extend again its warm congratulations to the Government and the people of Palau and to express its appreciation for the efforts and contributions made by the parties concerned. Over the years, the Chinese Government and people have consistently supported the peoples of the Trust Territories, including the people of Palau, in their efforts for national self-determination and independence. On several occasions, the Chinese delegation has sent important officials to Palau to participate in the work of the United Nations with respect to that country. We respect the political choice made by the people of Palau concerning their country’s political future based on their own free will and hope that the people of Palau will achieve new victories in their endeavour to safeguard their national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and in the cause of building up their country. The Chinese Government and people are willing further to develop the friendship between our two countries and our two peoples and to promote friendly relations and cooperation with equality and mutual benefit on the basis of the five principles of peaceful coexistence.

The Security Council has just adopted resolution 956 (1994), which had our complete support. We thank France, as President of the Trusteeship Council, Spain has a long history of close connections with the Palau archipelago ever since the islands were first visited by the Spanish navigator Ruy López de Villalobos in 1543. The first printed reference to the archipelago was also the work of a Spaniard: Father Pablo Clain, who in 1697 published a volume entitled Breve Noticia del Nuevo Descubrimiento de las Islas Palis o Palaos. The islands had links with the Spanish crown until 1899. The delegation of Spain wishes most warmly to congratulate the people of Palau on this historic occasion. We wish them peace and prosperity, and hope we shall soon see the representatives of Palau in the United Nations family. With the termination of the Trusteeship Agreement for Palau, the long work of the Trusteeship Council under Chapter XII of the Charter has been crowned with success. Today gives us one more opportunity to congratulate the Trusteeship Council on its work and to look to the future with confidence.

I shall now make a statement in my capacity as representative of the United States. The United States warmly congratulates the Republic of Palau on the occasion of its independence and looks forward to the day when the people of Palau joins us here as a Member of the United Nations. The United States served for 47 years as Administering Authority in Palau pursuant to its Trusteeship Agreement with the United Nations. In exercising its obligations as Administering Authority, the United States sought to fulfil the expectations of the international community and, pursuant to Article 76 of the United Nations Charter, to promote the economic, social and educational advancement of the people of Palau. During this period, the United States has always recognized and supported the fundamental premise of the Trusteeship: that the people of Palau must be free to follow the path of their choosing in conducting their relations with the rest of the world. As President Clinton noted in his congratulatory message on Palau’s independence, We will consult closely with Palau on how the United States can assist that nation as it seeks to take its place in the world, develop its economy and preserve its unique environment. In so doing, we intend to take full account of the preferences of the people of Palau. Throughout the history of the United States, we have consistently supported a policy that the countries and peoples of the Pacific should be able to chart their own destinies. Implementation of the Compact of Free Association signals yet again that the United States is committed to remaining engaged in the Pacific in an effort to help ensure its security and prosperity. With the termination of the Trusteeship Agreement with respect to Palau, the United Nations has concluded another chapter in its exemplary effort to bring self-determination to all corners of the world. It is one of the accomplishments of which we all can be most proud. I now resume my functions as President of the Security Council. The representative of Australia has asked to make a statement. I invite him to take a place at the Council table and to make his statement.

I have the honour to address the Council in Australia’s capacity as current Chair of the group of South Pacific countries, on behalf of the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, the Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Western Samoa and Australia. The resolution the Security Council has just adopted is an historic one. The Council’s decision, in the light of the entry into force on 1 October 1994 of the new status agreement for Palau, that the objectives of the Trusteeship Agreement have been fully attained and that the applicability of the Trusteeship Agreement is terminated with respect to Palau, is one which the member States of the South Pacific group warmly welcome. This decision is the final stage in the process set in train following the act of self-determination by the people of Palau on 9 November 1993, when they chose to enter The act of self-determination was subsequently endorsed by the Trusteeship Council, which concluded in its resolution 2199 (LXI) of 25 May 1994 that the people of Palau had freely exercised their right to self- determination in choosing their future status and that the United States had satisfactorily discharged its obligations under the Trusteeship Agreement of 18 July 1947. The positive developments which have occurred recently in Palau, in particular the exercise by the people of their right to self-determination, have been followed with close interest and with the full support of the member States of the South Pacific group. We congratulate the people of Palau on their decision to enter into the Compact of Free Association with the United States. We also wish to congratulate the United States on successfully discharging its obligations under the trusteeship arrangements and on advising the Security Council of the entry into force, on 1 October 1994, of the Compact of Free Association. We also wish to express our appreciation to the Trusteeship Council for the role it has played in support of the exercise by the people of Palau of their right to self- determination and for fully discharging its obligations to Palau under the United Nations Trusteeship System. We are confident that these relationships will continue to develop and grow stronger now that Palau has embarked upon a new path as an independent country. The countries of the South Pacific, some of which were former Trust Territories which also gained their independence under the United Nations Trusteeship System, are committed to cooperating closely with Palau as it sets out on this new and exciting journey. We wish the people of Palau success and prosperity in the future as members of the international and regional community.

There are no further names on the list of speakers. The Security Council has thus concluded its consideration of the item on the agenda.