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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 USUN NEW YORK 000773 
 
SIPDIS 
 
C O R R E C T E D C O P Y ADDED THREE ADDRESSES 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL UNGA CH TW
SUBJECT: UN DEBATE ON TAIWAN MEMBERSHIP 
 
REF: USUN 741 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000773  001.6 OF 003 
 
 
¶1.  (U) Summary:  When determining the agenda for the 62nd UN 
General Assembly September 19, the General Committee 
considered whether to include the agenda item "Urging the 
Security Council to process Taiwan's membership application 
pursuant to provision rules of procedure 59 and 60." 
Following a procedural vote ,24(U.S.)-3, in favor of the 
traditional two-plus-two speaking arrangement on the matter, 
St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the Solomon Islands spoke 
in favor of inscribing the item, while China and Egypt spoke 
against.  The Chair (UNGA President Kerim) subsequently ruled 
that because there was no agreement, the General Committee 
would not recommend the  inscription of this agenda item onto 
the Agenda of General Assembly.  General Committee members 
Gambia, Honduras and Palau objected to the two-plus-two 
speaking arrangement.  Following the Committee's 
consideration of the item, Gambia again took the floor and 
said those states who favored Taiwan's membership in the UN 
had every right to raise the issue in the General Assembly 
and promised "this issue will not die a natural death."  End 
Summary 
 
¶2.   (U) The General Committee of the General Assembly met 
September 19 to consider which items would be inscribed on 
the UNGA agenda and to which UNGA committee they would be 
allocated.  When the Committee reached the proposed agenda 
item "Urging the Security Council to process Taiwan's 
membership application pursuant to provision rules of 
procedure 59 and 60," the Chair attempted to recall the 
agreement reached during informal consultations to address 
this matter via a two-plus-two speaking arrangement (reftel). 
 In recalling this informal agreement, the Chair noted that 
only members of the General Committee were permitted to take 
the floor.  In response, Palau accused the Chair of failing 
to apply rule 43 of the General Assembly's rules of 
procedure, which states that members who request that an item 
be included can attend and participate in the General 
Committee meeting.(Explanatory Note:  The Chair had proposed 
limiting the debate on the speaking arrangement to the 
members of the General Committee.  Only members of the 
General Committee can determine procedures, such as speaking 
arrangements, for the committee.  Rule 43 permits UN member 
states who are not members of the Committee to participate in 
substantive discussion of the item that members request to 
inscribe.  It was not clear in the subsequent discussion 
whether or not delegations were genuinely confused by this 
rule.  End Note.) 
 
¶3. (U)  Palau's intervention sparked an exchange of views on 
the speaking arrangement.  Nineteen delegations spoke in 
favor of the two-plus-two speaking arrangement (Sri Lanka, 
Cyprus, Russia, Iraq, Benin, Jamaica, Mauritius, Sudan, 
Malaysia, Senegal, Egypt, Uruguay, the Bahamas, Turkey, 
France, Finland, Botswana, the DRC, Iceland). In addition to 
Palau, Gambia and Honduras spoke against this arrangement. 
Sri Lanka explained that Rule 43 permitted member states who 
are not members of the Committee to speak in favor of 
inscribing the agenda item according to the two-plus-two 
formula.  Sudan went further than most, stating that Taiwan 
is an integral part of China.   Although it was clear a 
majority supported the proposed speaking arrangement, the 
chair called for a vote and the procedure was adopted by 
24-3-0.  (Note:  The USG voted for the two-plus-two speaking 
arrangement.  End Note.) 
 
¶4.  (U) Following the debate on the speaking arrangement, the 
four speakers took the floor.  St. Vincent and the Grenadines 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000773  002.6 OF 003 
 
 
spoke first in favor of inscription the item calling for the 
UN's consideration of Taiwan's membership, and argued that 
the committee was flouting procedure and marginalizing small 
states with the two-plus-two procedure.  The representative 
argued that under Article 4 of the UN Charter, the Taiwanese 
qualify for membership to the United Nations.  Recalling that 
Secretary-General Ban had rejected a July 19th application 
 
SIPDIS 
for Taiwan's UN membership as unreceivable, the 
representative of St. Vincent also noted that UN's Office of 
Legal Affairs had stated the UN considers Taiwan an integral 
part of the People's Republic of China.  She accused the 
Secretariat of taking a role as arbiter of political issues. 
 
SIPDIS 
The representative regretted that member states are content 
to ignore the plight of 23 million Taiwanese.  When the Chair 
reminded her to keep to the agreed six-minute limit for 
speeches,she expressed strong dissatisfaction, claiming that 
the UN is limiting debate on this critical issue. 
 
¶5.  (U) The representative of the Solomon Islands followed 
and spoke in support of inscription. He also criticized the 
alleged lack of observation of rules and procedures by the 
Committee. He argued that the General Assembly must listen to 
both sides of this argument, even if it means examining the 
legality of UNGA Resolution 2758 (1971).  He stated that the 
Taiwan policy is out of touch with current geopolitical 
realities and undermines the established principle of 
self-determination. He argued that although the UN has dealt 
with similar divisions in Korea and Germany, it pretends that 
Taiwan does not exist. 
 
¶6.  (U)  As agreed, a representative from the PRC (China's 
Security Council coordinator Li Junhua) then spoke in 
opposition.  He made three points: 1) Taiwan has been part of 
China since antiquity; 2) those who advocated Taiwan's 
independence are the "biggest threat to peace and security" 
in the region; and 3) UNGA consideration of this matter would 
violate the UN principles of respect for state sovereignty 
and territorial integrity.  The Chinese representative 
concluded:  "this is purely an internal affair to be resolved 
by the Chinese people." 
 
¶7.  (U) Egypt also spoke in opposition, basing the GOE's 
position on UNGA Resolution 2758 (1971).  Egyptian PermRep 
Amb AbdelAziz said that inscription of this proposal in the 
General Assembly would be a waste of time and resources, and 
that the democratic decision taken by the committee should be 
respected.  Responding to previous criticism by St. Vincent 
on the marginalization of small states, Egypt stated that 
there is no distinction between large and small countries; 
each country has one vote. 
 
¶8.  (U) Following the interventions, the Chairman concluded 
that the item would not be inscribed in the agenda due to the 
lack of agreement to do so.  The representative from Gambia 
then attempted to return to the issue of Taiwan, stating that 
countries have "every right" to raise this matter in the 
General Assembly.  He characterized opposition to 
consideration of Taiwan's membership as "political 
apartheid."  China, raising a point of order, noted the 
Committee had concluded consideration of this issue.  After 
the Chairman recalled the previous discussion on the matter, 
the representative from Gambia ceded the floor by stating 
that the issue "will not die a natural death." 
 
¶9.  (U) The General Committee Report to the General Assembly 
(i.e, the organization of work, the adoption of agenda and 
the allocation of items to committees as recommended by the 
General Committee) is scheduled to be considered by the 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000773  003.6 OF 003 
 
 
Plenary on September 21.  The Chinese are asking selected 
delegations to vote in favor of the program of work and to 
speak out in opposition to any attempt to amend the program 
to inscribe the agenda item on Taiwan.  The Chinese have 
requested delegations to vote against inscription, if a vote 
is forced on the issue. 
KHALILZAD