A/RES/31/59 GA
Question of French Somaliland : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly
31
Session
117
Yes
0
No
19
Abstentions
| Draft symbol | A/RES/31/59 |
|---|---|
| Adopted symbol | A/RES/31/59 |
| Voeten Topics ⓘ | |
| P5 Positions |
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| UN Document | A/RES/31/59 ↗ |
Vote Recorded Vote — A/31/PV.85
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Afghanistan
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Albania
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Algeria
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Argentina
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Austria
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Bahamas
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Bahrain
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Bangladesh
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Barbados
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Benin
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Bhutan
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Plurinational State of Bolivia
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Botswana
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Brazil
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Bulgaria
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Burundi
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Belarus
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Cabo Verde
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Chad
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China
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Colombia
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Congo
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Costa Rica
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Cuba
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Czechoslovakia
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Cambodia
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Democratic Yemen
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Dominican Republic
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Ecuador
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Egypt
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El Salvador
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Equatorial Guinea
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Ethiopia
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Fiji
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Finland
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Gabon
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Gambia
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German Democratic Republic
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Ghana
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Grenada
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Guinea
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Guinea-Bissau
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Guyana
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Honduras
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Hungary
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Iceland
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India
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Indonesia
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Islamic Republic of Iran
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Iraq
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Côte d'Ivoire
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Jamaica
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Japan
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Jordan
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Kenya
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Kuwait
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Lao People's Democratic Republic
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Lebanon
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Lesotho
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Liberia
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Libya
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Madagascar
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Malawi
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Malaysia
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Maldives
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Mali
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Malta
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Mauritania
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Mauritius
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Mexico
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Mongolia
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Morocco
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Mozambique
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Nepal
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New Zealand
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Nicaragua
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Norway
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Oman
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Pakistan
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Panama
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Paraguay
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Peru
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Philippines
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Poland
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Portugal
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Qatar
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Romania
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Rwanda
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Sao Tome and Principe
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Saudi Arabia
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Senegal
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Singapore
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Somalia
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Sri Lanka
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Sudan
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Suriname
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Eswatini
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Sweden
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Syrian Arab Republic
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Thailand
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Togo
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Trinidad and Tobago
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Tunisia
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Türkiye
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Uganda
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Ukraine
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Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
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United Arab Emirates
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Cameroon
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United Republic of Tanzania
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Burkina Faso
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Uruguay
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Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
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Yemen
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Yugoslavia
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Democratic Republic of the Congo
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Zambia
Full text of resolution
VII,
Resolutions adopted on the reports of the Fourth Committee
129
missions and to permit access by such a mission to the
Taking note of the solemn declarations of the leaders
of the delegations of Ethiopia and Somalia before the
Territory;
Council 0 ( Ministers of the Organization of African
8.
Urges the administering Power, with the co-
Unity at its twcnty-,eventh ordinary session, held at
operation of the Government of Guam, to sa_feguard
Port Louis from 24 June to 3 Julv 1976, and before
the inalienable right of the people of the ~erntory. to
the Fourth Committee of the General Assembly,68
the enjoyment of its natural resources by takmg effective
affirming that their respective Governments would
measures which guarantee the rights of the people to
recognize, respect and honour the independence, sov-
own and dispose of those natural resources and to
ereignty and territorial intcg_rity of S?-called_ French
establish and maintain control of their future develop-
Somaliland (Djibouti) after its accession to mdepen-
ment;
dence,
9.
Requests the administering Power to continue to
Taking note also of the resolution on the question
enlist the assistance of the specialized agencies and
of so-called French Somaliland (Djibouti) adopted by
other organizations within the United Nations ~ystem _in
the Conference of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Non-
accelerating progress in all sectors of the national life
Aligned Countries, held at Lima from 25 to 30 August
of Guam;
1975,69 and of that part of the Political Declaration
10.
Requests the Special Committee to continue to
adopted by the Fifth Conference of Heads of State or
seek the best ways and means for the impleme!ltation
Government of Non-Aligned Countries, held at Co-
of the Declaration with respect to Guam, mcludmg the
lomho from 16 to 19 August 1976, regarding the ques-
possible dispatch of a visiting mission in consultation
tion,70
with the administering Power, and to report to the
Having heard the statement of the representative of
General Assembly at its thirty-second session on the
France, as the administering Power, 71 in particular the
implementation of the present resolution.
expressed commitment of his Government to lead the
85th plenary meeting
Territory to independence in 1977,
J December 1976
1.
Reaffirms the inalienable right of the people of
so-called French Somaliland (Djibouti) to self-determi-
31/59.
Question of French Somaliland
The General Assembly,
Having considered the question of so-called French
Somaliland (Djibouti),
Having examined the relevant chapter of the report
of the Special Committee on the Situation with regard
to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Grant-
ing of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peo-
ples,60
Recalling its resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December
1960 containing the Declaration on the Granting of
Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples,
Recalling also its resolutions 222,8 (XXI) of 20
December 1966, 2356 (XXII) of 19 December 1967
and 3480 (XXX) of 11 December 1975 on so-called
French Somaliland (Djibouti),
Having heard the statements of the representatives
of the liberation movements, the Front de liberation de
la Cote des Somalis61 and the Mouvement de liberation
de Djibouti, 62
Having also heard the statements of the President of
the Government Council of the Territory,63 as well as
those of the representatives of the political parties,
namely, the Ligue populaire africaine pour l'indepen-
dance,64 the Union nationale pour l'independance65 and
the Mouvement populaire de liberation,66 and of a
petitioner, 67
so Ibid., chap. XIV.
61 Ibid., Thirty-first Session, Fourth Committee, 14th meet-
ing, paras. 60-109, 17th meeting, paras. 44-49, and 21st meet-
ing, paras. 22-34; and ibid., Fourth Committee, Sessional Fas-
cicle, corrigendum.
62 Ibid., 17th meeting, paras 18-43.
63 Ibid., 14th meeting, paras. 22-58, and 20th meeting,
paras. 5-15.
64 Ibid., 17th meeting, paras. 72-94.
65 Ibid., 20th meeting, paras. 35-60.
66 Ibid., 17th meeting, paras. 52-69.
67 Ibid., 20th meeting, paras. 63, 64, 68-70, 78, 79 and
84-87.
nation and independence;
2.
Reaffirms also its unqualified support of the right
of the people of so-called French Somaliland (Djibouti)
to immediate and unconditional independence in ac-
cordance with the Declaration on the Granting of Inde-
pendence to Colonial Countries and Peoples;
3.
Calls upon the Government of France to imple-
ment scrupulously and equitably, under democratic
conditions, the programme for the independence of so-
called French Somaliland (Djibouti), as outlined by the
representative of France in his statement before the
Fourth Committee of the General Assembly, 71 within
the indicated time frame, namely, the summer of 1977;
4.
Urges the leaders of the Government Council
of the Territory, as well as the representatives of the
liberation movements. the Front de liberation de la
Cote des Somalis and the Mouvement de liberation de
Djibouti, and of the political parties and groups to
enter into the broadest possible discussions on neutral
grounds, under the auspices of the Organization of
African Unity, with a view to resolving their differences,
and to agree on a common political platform before
the holding of a referendum, in conformity with the
resolution adopted by the Council of Ministers at its
twenty-seventh ordinary session72 and subsequently ap-
proved by the Assembly of Heads of State and Govern-
ment of the Organization of African Unity at its thir-
teenth ordinary session;
5.
Also calls upon the Government of France to
co-operate fully with the Organization of African Unity
in its effort to convene. in accordance with the decision
of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, a
round-table conference for the speedy implementation
of the request contained in paragraph 4 above;
68 / bid .. 20th meeting, paras. 92-146 (Ethiopia); 14th meet-
ing, paras. 110-130, and 17th meeting, paras. 13-17 (Somalia);
and ibid., Fourth Committee, Sessional Fascicle, corrigendum.
69 A/10217 and Corr.I, annex I. resolution I.
70 A/31/197, annex I, para. 37.
71 Official Records of the General Assembly, Thirty-first Ses-
sion, Fourth Committee, 14th meeting, paras. 1-20.
72 A/31/196 and Corr.], annex, resolution CM/Res.480
(XXVII).
130
General Assembly-Thirty-first Session
6.
Requests the Government of France to consider
the result of the referendum in its totality, thus respect-
ing the territorial integrity of the future State;
7.
Demands that the Government of France with-
draw its military base from the Territory without delay;
8.
Further calls upon the Government of France to
allow and facilitate the return to the Territory of all
refugees who are bona fide c\tiz~ns of the T_erritory, _in
accordance with the Organization of African Umty
Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee
Problems in Africa of 10 September 1969 and the
Convention relating to the Status of Refugees of 1951 ;73
9.
Requests the Government of France, in order to
ensure the implementation of the request contained in
paragraph 8 above, to set up an ad hoe committee in
accordance with the recommendation of the Fact-
Finding Mission of the Organization of African Unity;74
10.
Reaffirms its resolution 3480 (XXX);
l l. Endorses all resolutions adopted by the Organi-
zation of African Unity on the question of so-called
French Somaliland (Djibouti), in particular resolu-
tions CM/Res.431/Rev.1 (XXV) 75 and CM/Res.480
(XXVII) ,76 as well as the declaration adopted by the
Organization of African Unity Co-ordinating Commit-
tee for the Liberation of Africa, as approved by the
Council of Ministers at its twenty-seventh ordinary ses-
sion and the Assembly of Heads of State and Govern-
ment at its thirteenth ordinary session, and welcomes
the solemn declarations by the leaders of the delegations
of Ethiopia and Somalia before the Council of Min-
isters of the Organization of African Unity and before
the Fourth Committee of the General Assembly that
their Governments would recognize, respect and honour
the independence and sovereignty of so-called French
Somaliland (Djibouti) and its territorial integrity after
its accession to independence;
12.
Calls upon all States to refrain from interfering
in the internal affairs of the Territory and to abstain
from any action likely to impede or adversely affect the
current process of the country's accession to indepen-
dence;
13.
Welcomes the statements by the representatives
of the people of so-called French Somaliland (Djibouti)
in which they declared that the Territory would become
a member of the United Nations and of the Organi-
zation of African Unity immediately after indepen-
dence;
14.
Endorses the decisions of the Organization of
African Unity and the United Nations to send represen-
tatives to observe the referendum and all subsequent
stages of the independence process to ensure that the
principle of self-determination in the Territory is car-
ried out smoothly and in the most democratic manner;77
73 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 189, No. 2545, p. 137.
74 See Organization of African Unity document CM/759
(XXVII), 1976.
75 See A/10297, annex I.
76 See A/31/ 196 and Corr. I, annex.
77 The Secretary-General subsequently announced (A/32/
66) that, in accordance with the understanding reached when
resolution 31/59 was adopted, he had carried out the necessary
consultations with the parties concerned and had appointed
Norway, Sri Lanka and Venezuela as members of the United
Nations Mission to Observe the Referendum and Elections in
French Somaliland (Djibouti), and that the three Member
States concerned had designated the following persons to rep-
resent them on the Mission: Mr. Ignatius B. Fonseka (Sri
Lanka), Miss Maria Clemencia Lopez
(Venezuela)
and
Mr. Tom Eric Vraalsen (Norway).
15.
Urges all Member States, the specialized agen-
cies and other organizations within the United Nations
system, in co-operation with the admi1;1isteri~g Power,
to render all possible moral and material assistance to
the people of the Territory.
31/146.
85th plenary meeting
I December 1976
Situation in Namibia resulting from the
illegal occupation of the Territory by
South Africa
The General Assembly,
Having examined the report of the United Nations
Council for Namibia7R and the relevant chapters of the
report of the Special Committee on the Situation with
regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the
Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and
Peoples,79
Having heard the statements of the representative of
the South West Africa People's Organization, who
participated in an observer capacity in the consideration
of the item by the Fourth Committee, 80
Recalling its resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December
1960 containing the Declaration on the Granting of
Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples,
Recalling, in particular, its resolutions 2145 (XXI)
of 27 October 1966 and 2248 (S-V) of 19 May 1967
and subsequent resolutions of both the General Assem-
bly and the Security Council relating to the question of
Namibia, as well as the advisory opinion of the Inter-
national Court of Justice of 21 June 1971, 81 delivered
in response to the request addressed to it by the Coun-
cil in its resolution 284 ( 1970) of 29 July 1970,
Taking into consideration the relevant resolution
adopted by the Council of Ministers of the Organization
of African Unity at its twenty-seventh ordinary ses-
sion, 82 and subsequently endorsed by the Assembly of
Heads of State and Government of the Organization of
African Unity at its thirteenth ordinary session, held at
Port Louis from 2 to 6 July 1976,
Also taking into consideration the relevant part of
the Political Declaration and the resolution relating to
Namibia adopted by the Fifth Conference of Heads of
State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries, held at
Colombo from 16 to 19 August 1976,83
Reaffirming that the Territory and people of Namibia
are the direct responsibility of the United Nations and
that the Namibian people must be enabled to attain self-
determination and independence within a united Na-
mibia,
Strongly deploring South Africa's continued refusal
to comply with the resolutions and decisions of the
78 Official Records of the General Assembly, Thirty-first Ses-
sion, Supplement No. 24 (A/31/24).
79 Ibid., Supplement No. 23 (A/31/23/Rev.1), chaps. I, II,
IV-VII and IX.
BO !hid., Thirty-first Session, Fourth Committee, 30th and
45th meetings.
81 Legal Consequences for States of the Continued Presence
of South Africa in Namibia (South West Africa) notwithstand-
ing Security Council Resolution 276 (1970), Advisory Opinion,
I.CJ. Reports 1971, p. 16.
82 A/31/196 and Corr.l, annex, resolution CM/Res.SOO
(XXVII).
s3 A/31/197, annex I, paras. 52-55, and annex IV, sect. A,
resolution 3.
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