FINAL UNGA PLENARY ACTION ON RESOLUTIONS OF THE

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 002278 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR IO/EDA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EFIN AORC UNGA ETRD SENV KPAL LE SUBJECT: FINAL UNGA PLENARY ACTION ON RESOLUTIONS OF THE SECOND COMMITTEE, DECEMBER 20, 2006 REF: USUN 2246 AND PREVIOUS ¶1. (U) Summary: The UN General Assembly took final action December 20 on all the resolutions of the Second Committee. As is customary, final action in the Plenary was virtually identical to that taken previously when the Second Committee adopted each resolution. For the sake of brevity, this cable will highlight only those four resolutions on which votes took place. On all other items, resolutions were adopted by consensus. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Votes on individual items were as follows: Agenda Item 40: A/61/418 -- Draft resolution on "Permanent Sovereignty of the Palestinian People and the Arab Population in the Occupied Syrian Golan over their Natural Resources." Adopted 163-6(U.S.)-8, with 16 not voting. In addition to the U.S., others voting no were Australia, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau. Agenda Item 51(a): A/61/420/Add.1 -- Draft resolution on "International Trade and Development." Adopted 129-1(U.S.)-53, with 9 not voting. In addition to the U.S., Moldova initially voted no but afterward changed its vote to "Abstain" in keeping with its tendency to follow EU lines on such items. Agenda Item 53(a): A/60/422/Add.1 -- Draft resolution on "Oil Slick on Lebanese Shores." Adopted 170-6(U.S.)-0, with 16 not voting. In addition to the U.S., others voting no were Australia, Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, and Palau. Agenda Item 53(d): A/60/422/Add.4 -- Draft Resolution on "Protection of global climate for present and future generations of mankind." Adopted 137(U.S.)-0-47, with 8 not voting. Abstaining were mainly the EU countries and aspirants, along with Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Japan, which voted in favor, delivered an explanation of vote once again reiterating its view that the Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change should end its reliance on UN Secretariat support in view of budgetary implications. ¶3. (U) The President of the General Assembly also noted that the Second Committee Program of Work, adopted in this session, will be later amended to reflect the fact that the General Assembly had adopted a decision earlier in its session (A/61/L.46) that transfers action on resolutions pertaining to humanitarian and disaster relief assistance to the GA Plenary and away from the Second Committee, as from the GA's sixty-second session. WOLFF