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Sovereignty Disputed In UN Colonial Committee, UK Amends "Trojan Horse" Supported by Spain and Chile

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis

UNITED NATIONS, October 20 -- In a jam packed room in the UN's  basement, UK Ambassador John Sawers was gaveled quiet by Jorge Arguello of Argentina, chairman of the Special Committee on Decolonialization. The topic was an amendment by the UK to a resolution on "the questions of American Samoa, Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Guam, Montserrat, Pitcairn, Saint Helena, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the United States Virgin Islands."

    The UK and others were seeking to delete a qualification, "and where there is no dispute over sovereignty," which would have the effect of limited the right to self-determination. Ambassador Sawers said that "we tinker" with UN principles like self-determination "at our peril." The language was introduced by Indonesia, as chair of the C-24 group, which chided the UK and others, including South Africa, for not having opined on the language earlier in the so-called C-24 process.  The language, however, is called by many a "Trojan Horse." Argentina and Spain, Inner City Press' sources say, were behind the language, concerning the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar.

    Another seemingly logical - but not actual, see below - supporter of the language would Morocco, in defense of its continued holding of Western Sahara, over which it says it has sovereignty. In fact, Morocco when it signed a fishing deal wit the European Union allowed EU ships to fish off Western Sahara's coastline. Only Sweden abstained from this -- the UK did not. This is a question that UK Ambassador Sawers should answer.

  Morocco abstained on the UK's amendment, on the theory that Western Sahara is not a question of decolonialization at all. Morocco argues that because Western Sahara is on the Security Council's agenda, it is really a political question. On the other hand, India supported keeping the sovereignty qualification language in, and Pakistan supported the UK in taking it out, both about Kashmir, where there is a UN mission.

Amb's Sawers and Kumalo, along with Amb of Sudan, sovereignty disputes incl. S. Sudan not shown

 Morocco tried to speak again and again, including in right of reply to Algeria, until Arguello gaveled them both down as well.  Various representatives shouted out "point of order!"  Brazil asked for a recorded vote. And, at 4:09 p.m., the UK amendment passed, 61 to 40, with 47 abstentions.

  Afterwards, UK Ambassador Sawers conferred with South Africa's Dumisani Kumalo, then Indonesia's Permanent Representative extolled the integrity of the C-24 group process which resulted in the contested language.  St. Lucia's representative congratulated himself for having pushed through the change. The vote on the amended resoultion, which the chairman begged be approved by consensus. The vote was called at 4:35 -- and was deemed approved by consensus. Only at the UN... Western Sahara was put off for another day, this time for October 21.

Note: Catch this reporter on Icelandic television, www.ruv.is

Watch this site, and this Oct. 2 debate, on UN, bailout, MDGs

and this October 17 debate, on Security Council and Obama and the UN.

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Click here for a Reuters AlertNet piece by this correspondent about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click here for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali National Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an undefined trust fund.  Video Analysis here

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