UNITED NATIONS Distr. GENERAL GENERAL A/6700/Add.15* ASSEMBLY 29 November 1967 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH Twenty-second session AgGnua item 63 (b) REPORT OF THE SPECIAL COMMI'ITEE ON THE SITUATION WITH REGARD TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECLARATION ON THE GRANTING OF INDEPENDENCE TO COLONIAL COUNTRIES AND PEOPLES (covering its work during 1967) Rapporteur: Mr. Mohsen s. ESFANDIARY (Iran) CHAPTER XXIV INFORMATION ON NON-SELF-GOVERNING TERRITORIES TRANSMITTED illIDER ARTICLE 73 e OF THE CHARTER AND RELATED QUESTIONS CONTENTS Paragraphs Page INTRODUCTION . 1 - 5 2 I. CONSIDERATION BY THE SPECIAL COMMI'ITEE 6 - 34 4 General 6 - 7 4 Statements by members 8 - 34 4 II, ACTION TAKEN BY THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE 35 - 55 11 ANNEX: INFORMATION ON NON-SELF-GOVERNING TERRITORIES TRANSMITTED UNDER ARTICLE 73 e OF THE CHARTER: REPORT OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL * This document contains chapter XXIV of the Special Committee's report to the General Assembly. The general introductory chapter will be issued subsequently ~nder the symbol A/6700 (Part I). Other chapters of the report are being reproduced as addenda. 67-28180 I .. J. 1 f. A/6700/Add,15 English Page 2 INTRODUCTIOH 1. In operative paragraph 5 of its resolution 1970 (XVIII) of 16 December 1563, the General Assembly requested the Special Cowmittee inter alia to study the inform~tion transmitted to the Secretary-General in accordance with Article 73 e of the Charter and to take it fully into account in examining the situation uith regard to the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. 2. In order to dischnrge its functions under the above resolution, the Special Committee, at its 315th meeting on 17 November 1S64, approved certain procedures which had been suggested by the Secretary-General)} These procedures were later also aDproved by the General Assembly in its resolution 2109 (XX) of 21 December 1sG5. 3. According to these procedures, the latest information transmitted by administering Powers is used in the preparation by the Secretariat each year of working papers on the individual Territories for the Special Committee. This information is taken into account by the Committee in its consideration of the Territories concerned nnd is reflected in the chapter of the Special Committee's report dealing with each of the Territories. In addition, the Special Committee considers each year, as Q separnte item on its DGenda, a report by the Secretary­ General on the informntion transmitted under l\.rticle 73 e of the Charter and on the action taken durinG the year in implemcnt:ition of General Assembly resolution 1970 (XVIII). 4. At the conclusion of its consideration of this item in lS-66, the Special Committee, on 19 October 1~;66, adopted a consensus in which it deplored the foct tha.t whereas some o.dministerinc; Powers had trnnsmittcd lnformation under Article 73 c of the ChQrtcr, others hnd not aonc so, or had done so insufficiently or tc,o lo.tc. 5. At its twenty-first session, the Genero.l Asscmbl:r, on 20 December 1::;66, ndoptd resolution 2233 (XXI), operative par::cGrnphs 2 to 4 of '\·1hich read as follOi:s: Official Records of the General Assembly. Nineteenth Session, Annexes, ;;nncx Ho. 8 (A/53CO/Rev.l), chnpter II, o.ppendix I. I ... A/6700/Add,15 English Page 3 11 2. Expresses its profound regret that, despite the repeated recommendations of the General Assembly, including the most recent recommendation contained in resolution 2109 (XX), some Member States having responsibilities for the administration of Non-Self-Governing Territories have not seen fit to transmit information under Article 73 e of the Charter or have done so insufficiently or too late; "3. Once again urges all Member States which have or which assume responsibilities for the administration of Territories whose peoples have not yet attained a full measure of self-government to transmit, or continue to transmit, to the Secretary-General the information prescribed in Article 73 e of the Charter, as well as the fullest possible information on political and constitutional development; "4. Requests the Special Committee to continue to discharge the functions entrusted to it under General Assembly resolution 1970 (XVIII) in accordance with the procedures referred to above." I .. ~ A/6700/Add.15 English Page 4 I. CONSIDERATION BY THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE General 6. In accordance with the procedures outlined above, the latest information transmitted by administering Powers under Article 73 e of the Charter was used in the preparation by the Secretariat of working papers for the Special Committee in 1967 and was taken into account by the Committee in its consideration of the Territories concerned. As in previous years, this information is reflected in the chapter of the Special Committee's report dealing with each of the Territories. 7. Also in accordance ,-1ith the said procedures, the Special Committee, at its 557th to 559th meetings, on 12 and 13 September 1967, considered a report by the Secretary-General (see annex) on the inform2.tion llhich had been transmitted under Article 73 e of the Charter up to 13 September 1SC57, and on the action which had been taken in implementa.tion of General Assembly resolution 1970 (XVIII). Statements bv members 8. The representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland observed that, according to the Secretary-General's report (see annex), the United Kingdom had transmitted information on six of its Territories. He pointed out \ that his delegation had provided information on six further Territories - the Entn~ns on 11 September, the Gilbert nnd Ellice Islands on 11 September, Mauritius on 8 September, nnd New Hebrides, St. Helena. and s,1aziland on 11 September - although the infor-mation had been sent too la.te for inclusion in the Secretary­ Gcnero.l's report. He proposed that, in accorJance with the procedure folloucd in previous years, the dates in question should be included in tlic Committee's report to the General Assembly. His delegation expected to be able to transmit information on Bermuda, British Honduras, Hone Kong, the Seychelles and the Turks and Caicos Islands in the very near future, before the Committee finally adopted its report to the General Assembly; the Committee might therefore incorporate the relevant references and dates in its report. 9. The representative of the United Republic of Tanzania noted that certain colonial Powers hnd a negative attitude towards the efforts of the Committee in particular, nnd the United Nations as a whole, to implement the provisions of the I ... A/6700/ Add, 15 English Page 5 Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and PeoplP~. He deplored the fact that certain colonial Pm1ers had transmitted information in a manner which was inadequate and had done so too late for it to be of real use in the Committee's work. 10, He observed that the United Kingdom, the colonial Power administering Southern Rhodesia, had not yet transmitted any information on that Territory - by which he meant information relating solely to the activities of the United Kingdom Government in connexion with Rhodesia. The United Kingdom should transmit all the necessary information, for it was well 1:nown that several members of the United Kingdom administration had been sent to Southern Rhodesia to communicate with the illegal racist regime of Ian Smith. That was something that should be brought to light, but, of course, the colonial Pm·1er was seeking to hide it. 11. In addition, since its 110rk was paralysed uhen the information it needed did not reach it in time, the Committee should consider the possibility of setting a time-limit for the submission of such information. In that way, those colonial Powers which were ahmys complaining tho.t certain members of the Corrmittee were not informed about the situation 110uld no longer be able to do so. 12. The Portuguese GovGrntnent, once again, had refused to submit any information. In 1966, he himself had said that no condemnation could be too strong for a 'i' Government Hhich mocked the rules recognized b:r the entire international community i o.nd was carrying out a policy of extermination in the Territories under its administration. That comment 110.s still valid. 'rl1e fascist colonial regime in PortuGal was continuing its criminal war against the peoples of Angola, Moznmbique and Guinea (Bissnu). Many countries, in particular the members of NATO, were contributinrs materially to its efforts to maintain its domination over the peoples of those Territories. The activities of foreign monopolies in the Territories were ,,ell lrnmm, a:; was the fact that the African inhabi tnnts possessed nothing. All such information shoulcl be submitted to the Uniteu Nations for consideration by the Committee. 13, It was now September 1967 and neither the United States of America nor France had so far submitted information on the Territories under their colonio.l domination. The Committee should bear that fact in mind. For its part, his delegation would seek, with other delegations, to prepare a text which would enable the Com.'llittee to conclude its discussion of the item in a constructive; manner. A/67co/Add.15 English Page 6 14. The representative of India observed thnt he 1las glad the United Kingdom representative had announced that his Government bad just transmitted informc,tion on six further Territories and uould soon provide information on other Territories for which it was responsible. He ,ms not, however, completely natisfied with the way in which the United Kingdom Government and other Govc-rnments were discharging their responsibilities under Article 73 e of the United Nationn Charter. Like the Tanzanian representative, he thought that the administering Powers should expedite the transmission of information on their colonies so that the Secretariat working papers for the Committee could be as up to date as possible.