The United Nations Fifty-Eighth General Assembly, Third Committee, 52nd and 53rd Meeting (AM and PM). (Document A/C.3/58/L.31)

The Committee approved a draft resolution on the universal realization of the right of peoples to self-determination by a vote of 88 in favor and 3 opposed (Bhutan, India, Mauritius).

By the terms of the draft, the General Assembly would urge all States to refrain from adopting any unilateral measures not in accordance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations. States would also be urged to refrain from adopting any unilateral measures that impeded the full achievement of economic and social development by the population of the affected countries.

Explaining the American abstention, the United States delegate explained that Washington believed that the best solution would be a mutual resolution of issues between India and Pakistan, taking into account the interests of all parties

ACTION REQUEST:

Please send the following brief letter to your member of congress by going to following link:
http://www.pakpac.net/action3.asp

Cut and paste the following letter or send in your own letter.
________

Honorable Member of Congress,

I want to bring to your attention the UN Draft Resolution that was passed on November 21st, 2003. The United Nations Fifty-Eighth General Assembly, Third Committee, 52nd and 53rd Meeting. The Document A/C.3/58/L.31 of the UN Resolution Committee approved a draft resolution on the universal realization of the right of people to self-determination.

I want to urge you to use your good offices for the peaceful resolution of the dispute regarding the State of Jammu and Kashmir, by promoting and facilitating meaningful dialogue between Pakistan and India along existing United Nations Security Council Resolutions 122, 98, 96, 91, 80 and 47 in particular. The final disposition of the State of Jammu and Kashmir should be made in accordance with the will of the people expressed through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite conducted under the auspices of the United Nations.

The United Nations and the world community including the United States more than fifty five years ago had said the same thing. Now yet again the UN and the world community re-affirms its belief that we must allow people to determine their own future.

I would like to request you to do the following:

a) Please act swiftly and decisively towards urging the United States to help with immediate implementation of the above mentioned Security Council Resolutions and the establishment of meaningful sustained dialogue between Pakistan and India on the core and central issue of Kashmir.

b) Please use your influence to allow free and updated information of the world press, and human rights organizations to evaluate the existing human rights violations against the people of Kashmir being committed on a daily basis by Indian authorities. International media is not being allowed in the areas where many people are being killed on a daily basis.

c) Allow UN to become the monitor of the line of cease fire between the two countries thus allowing the world to see first hand the claims that have been made about cross border infiltration.

I look forward to your response in action to this human rights tragedy whose time for resolution has come.

Sincerely,

The Resolution:

http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2003/gashc3770.doc.htm

Vote on Right to Self-Determination

The draft resolution on universal realization of the right to self-determination (document A/C.3/58/L.31) was approved by a recorded vote of 88 in favour to 3 against, with 64 abstentions, as follows:

In favour: Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, Iran, Ireland, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Somalia, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen.

Against: Bhutan, India, Mauritius.

Abstain: Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Botswana, Cambodia, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Estonia, Federated States of Micronesia, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Latvia, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malta, Monaco, Namibia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, San Marino, Senegal, Serbia and Montenegro, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Uganda, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, United States.

Absent: Afghanistan, Belarus, Central African Republic, Chad, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Gambia, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Iraq, Kiribati, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Liberia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Nepal, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles