U.N. reaffirms Palestinian right to self-determination and independent statehood

ifamericansknew.org

Resolution adopted by the General Assembly 

18 December 2013

[on the report of the Third Committee (A/68/455)]

68/154.    The right of the Palestinian people to self-determination

           The General Assembly,

           Aware that the development of friendly relations among nations, based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, is among the purposes and principles of the United Nations, as defined in the Charter,

           Recalling, in this regard, its resolution 2625 (XXV) of 24 October 1970, entitled “Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations”,

           Bearing in mind the International Covenants on Human Rights,[1] the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,[2] the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples[3] and the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action adopted at the World Conference on Human Rights on 25 June 1993,[4]

           Recalling the Declaration on the Occasion of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the United Nations,[5]

           Recalling also the United Nations Millennium Declaration,[6]

           Recalling further the advisory opinion rendered on 9 July 2004 by the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences of the construction of a wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,[7] and noting in particular the reply of the Court, including on the right of peoples to self-determination, which is a right 

erga omnes,[8]

           Recalling the conclusion of the Court, in its advisory opinion of 9 July 2004, that the construction of the wall by Israel, the occupying Power, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, along with measures previously taken, severely impedes the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination,[9]

           Welcoming the resumption of negotiations within the Middle East peace process, based on the relevant resolutions of the United Nations, the Madrid terms of reference, including the principle of land for peace, the Arab Peace Initiative[10] and the Quartet road map to a permanent two-State solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,[11] aiming for the achievement of a just, lasting and comprehensive peace settlement between the Palestinian and Israeli sides within the agreed time frame of nine months,

           Stressing the need for respect for and preservation of the territorial unity, contiguity and integrity of all of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and recalling in this regard its resolution 58/292 of 6 May 2004,

           Recalling its resolution 67/158 of 20 December 2012,

           Taking note of its resolution 67/19 of 29 November 2012,

           Affirming the right of all States in the region to live in peace within secure and internationally recognized borders,

           1.       Reaffirms the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including the right to their independent State of Palestine;

           2.       Urges all States and the specialized agencies and organizations of the United Nations system to continue to support and assist the Palestinian people in the early realization of their right to self-determination.

70th plenary meeting

18 December 2013

---

[1] Resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex.

[2] Resolution 217 A (III).

[3] Resolution 1514 (XV).

[4] A/CONF.157/24 (Part I), chap. III.

[5] Resolution 50/6.

[6] Resolution 55/2.

[7] See A/ES‑10/273 and Corr.1.

[8] Ibid., advisory opinion, para. 88.

[9] Ibid., para. 122.

[10] A/56/1026‑S/2002/932, annex II, resolution 14/221.

[11] S/2003/529, annex.

Premiere documentary about Frank Martinus Arion during International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR)

Amigoe WILLEMSTAD — During the third edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam  (IFFR), the documentary ‘Frank Martinus Arion: Yu di Kòrsou’ of Cindy Kerseborn will  be premiered. This was recently made known by the organization of the film festival  during a press conference. The festival will take place from April 2nduntil April 6th. The first film screening will be introduced by Lucille Berry-Haseth and with recital of the poems of the great writer. The festival also makes room for new elements, such as the collaboration with Salt + Pepper (restaurant located in Riffort), which will serve as film café during the festival. In addition, the Youth Orchestra led by Dennis Aalse will be also giving various performances. There will be also an exhibition with ‘photographica’ from the private collection of Michel  van Veldhoven. His exhibition will be in the framework of cameras and projectors in which the development of moving film images of 1903 to around 1970 and the cameras and projectors from the 1920’s until the rise of video that was could be seen in 1980’s.  Next to the exhibition there will be also a space in which four movies by filmmakers  Frank M. Chumaceiro and his partner Tita will be shown. These films were produced  under the name Curafilms between 1951 and 1961. FRANK MARTINUS ARION (Curaçao, 1936) studied Dutch Lan­gu­a­ge and Li­te­ra­tu­re at Leyden Uni­ver­si­ty. He lec­tu­red at Am­ster­dam Uni­ver­si­ty and from 1975 to 1981 taught at a teacher trai­ning college in Surinam. After that he re­tur­ned to Curaçao to be ap­poin­ted head of the In­sti­tu­to Ling­kwis­ti­ko Antiano. He founded a Pa­pi­a­men­to se­conda­ry school based on hu­ma­nis­tic prin­ci­ples: the Kolegio Erasmo. He writes stories, essays, poetry and novels. His suc­ces­sful debut novel Dub­bel­spel (Double Play, 1973) is pre­sent­ly being adapted for the screen. Fol­lo­wing Dub­bel­spel the novels Nobele wilden (Noble savages, 1979) and De laatste vrij­heid (The last freedom 1995) ap­pe­a­red, which won him the Cola Debrot Prize in 2001. In No­vem­ber 2001 the col­lec­ti­on of stories De eeuwige hond(The eternal dog) ap­pe­a­red. His latest novel De de­ser­teurs (The de­ser­ters) was pu­blis­hed in 2006. WIN 2001

Nuclear testing films big winners at Pacific Film Festival

RADIO NEW ZEALAND INTERNATIONAL 

Films about the struggle for independence and survival after decades of exposure to nuclear testing have been the big winners at the Pacific Documentary Film Festival in French Polynesia.

For the first time a New Caledonian film took out the grand prize of the jury with 'Nickel - the treasure of the Kanaks'.

'Nuclear Savage', about the United States nuclear weapons tests in the Marshall Islands won the Jury Special prize.

A 1971 photo of a nuclear bomb detonated by the French government
at the Mururoa atoll, French Polynesia. (AP Photo)

Leilani Momoisea reports:

The organiser of the Pacific Documentary Film Festival, Miriama Bono, says about 25,000 people attended the festival, which had 14 films in competition. She says as usual, the quality of films was very high, and came from all over, including New Zealand, Tahiti and Australia, but it was a New Caledonian film that captured the grand prize of the Jury. 'Nickel - the treasure of the Kanaks', made by Anne Pitoiset and Laurent Cibien, tells of the way Kanaks in the north managed to take control of the area's main resource, nickel. Miriama Bono says the film is timely, as people in New Caledonia prepare to vote on their independence.

MIRIAMA BONO: The story is a big issue for New Caledonian people because they have to vote and to decide after that if they want to stay French or not, and the nickel is one of the most important economic deals for them so because of the subject and because of the situation in New Caledonia, it was important for the jury to have this film as the winner.

The special prize of the Jury went to 'Nuclear Savage', made by Adam Horowitz, a film described as a heart-breaking and shocking exposé of the United States nuclear weapons tests in the Marshall Islands. Adam Horowitz says the film reveals that the testing of nuclear bombs in the Marshall Islands was a deliberate attempt by the United States to investigate the effects of nuclear exposure on humans. He says he hopes the film will push the United States to release all the information it has on the nuclear tests.

ADAM HOROWITZ: The full extent of the testing and the contamination and the exposure of the people is still secret. So I would say the first thing that I would hope would happen, and many people hope will happen, is that the US government will come clean on what they did and the full extent of the contamination, the full extent of the human experiments.

Miriama Bono says the prize of the public was awarded to Tahitian film 'Annanahi tomorrow', about a famous local reggae group in the Marquesas islands.

MIRIAMA BONO: Marquesas people are very, living the culture. They are speaking their own language. Even in Tahiti, we don't speak Tahitian fluently. They are still singing and talking in Marquesas so I think that's what touched the audience, it's the cultural subject.

A member of the film jury, Emmanuel Tjibaou, says it was a good experience to be part of a film festival that supports Pacific voices.

EMMANUEL TJIBAOU: Especially promote through the movie, the expression of our indigenous people and it's good for me to hear our people talking about their vision of how they want to be seen through the movie.

Meetings were also held with film festival organisers from New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii and New Caledonia, so the Pacific documentaries can be exposed to an international audience.

Virgin Islands Sports Pioneer joins the ancestors

The Government House Blog Governor de Jongh Joins Community in Mourning the Death of Victor Ebbesen dopusvi.org Upon learning of the passing of Victor L. Ebbesen, Sr., former Personnel Director and avid tennis player, Governor de Jongh expressed his condolences to the entire Ebbesen family. "Victor Ebbesen was a family friend, a classmate of my father's, and an admired and respected public servant. He had a long and illustrious career with the Government of the Virgin Islands, holding the posts of Director of the Division of Personnel from 1959 to 1967 and then heading Maternal and Child Health. Cecile and I extend our sympathies to Mr. Ebbesen's children, his sisters and brother, and all other members of the extended family circle at this very difficult time," he said.  Mr. Ebbesen was born, raised and educated on St. Thomas. He graduated from Charlotte Amalie High School in 1944. He later received a Forsythe Scholarship to attend Syracuse University in New York. After his freshman year in college, he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1950. He returned to college in 1952, finished his degree in 1955, and then returned to the Virgin Islands and joined government service.  Before being deployed, he married his high school sweetheart, Thelma Leona Oliver, the granddaughter of noted educator E. Benjamin Oliver. Their marriage produced three children, Patrice, Jeannette and Victor, Jr. The couple was happily married for 61 years until Mrs. Ebbesen's death in 2011.  Throughout his life, Mr. Ebbesen was a skilled and passionate tennis player. After his retirement, he spent many hours playing tennis at Cowpet Bay Tennis Courts. He bought the inventory of the pro shop and his wife became the shop's office manager. He represented the Virgin Islands in numerous tournaments. His prominence as a tennis player did not go unnoticed and he was inducted into the African-American Ethnic and Caribbean Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. The St. Thomas Racquet Club named its tournament the "Vic Ebbesen Tennis Tournament" in his honor.  Mr. Ebbesen is survived by his three children and their families; his brother Jean and sisters Angel, Leona and Grace; numerous other relatives; many friends and former colleagues; and admirers throughout the community. He passed away on Thursday after a brief illness.

If Bougainville wants Independence it must challenge the economic orthodoxy

by Papua New Guinea Mine Watch ‘Until the ABG can raise more of its revenue internally, we will continue to be dictated to by others … It is for this reason that my government in 2010 not only endorsed the previous governments decision to negotiate the reopening of the Panguna mine, but also accelerated [preparations] in the last three years’. President Momis, 31/12/2013 A prophesy on high rotation in the media and social media, claims that Bougainville’s independence and economic resuscitation is directly dependent on the reopening of the Panguna mine, and the possible construction somewhere down the line of a second major mine-pit. What has not been given much attention by media pundits or academic ‘experts’, is an alternative hypothesis, that has much greater historical evidence to support it. Rather than facilitating independence – in the sense of Bougainvilleans determining the course of their own economic and political future – mining on Bougainville is the most direct path to dependency. A large scale mine will, first of all, demand a significant body of industrial materials, and a highly-skilled labour force to operate them. Combined, these necessary inputs will cost many billions to purchase. Although rich in other forms of wealth, no one on Bougainville currently commands the billions in money-wealth needed to buy and manage these assets. Accordingly foreign investment from those who do, will be a necessity. To woo foreign investors, Bougainville will need to surrender some of its independence. We have already witnessed this. While landowners believe they are the true custodians of the land and all that lies beneath it, the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) has had to draft legislation which assures investors that it, not the people, will be the ultimate one to determine how and when minerals will be used. Once the investment arrives, it will spark something of construction boom. It is unlikely this will have lasting effects for budding Bougainvillean entrepreneurs. Like with the PNG LNG project, foreign companies with the engineering skills and resources will obtain the lion share of contracts, while a small trickle will go to Bougainvilleans, more out of symbolism than anything else. The growth of the mine, and mining town, will have a substantial gravitational effect on the formal economy. Those industries that do develop will centre on servicing the mine and its labour force. This happened prior to 1989, as a result when the mine closed Bougainville’s formal economy collapsed, and the much neglected informal economy proved the vital safety net, supplemented to an extent by cash-cropping. So the reopening of the mine, will give foreign investors direct control over the minerals, and indirect control over the character and fate of the formal economy. There may be, as some promise, relatively large revenues generated by the mine in the form of taxation and royalties. The ABG will grow in size accordingly, but its growth will be centred on maintaining a governing apparatus that supports the mine and the mine-centric formal economy. Accordingly the ABG will primarily service the interest of a minority, rather than the majority, whose needs will remain serviced by the informal economy and the export of cocoa/copra. With the ABG financially dependent on the mineral extraction economy, its potential to make independent political decisions will be constrained. Instead it will need to make decisions that suit its foreign bankrollers, to the point where the latter is able to dictate conditions to the ABG. We witnessed this in 1989, as a reluctant PNG state slaughtered its own citizens to appease Rio Tinto, who provided a quarter of the government’s revenues. This is a very rough alternative hypothesis that challenges the unsupported wisdom currently being championed in the media and by ABG officials, who seem to have drunk the kool-aid supplied by Rio Tinto and the Australian government. So what is the alternative? First, the tail should not be wagging the dog. The ABG claims it requires a substantial increase in revenues to pay for its existence and only mining can cultivate such revenues. What about changing the government to suit the economy, not vice versa! Why should the economic structure of Bougainville be taken hostage in order to support a state whose organisational features mimic foreign state-structures, rather than the customary political structures of Melanesia. Over the next ten years, rather than sacrificing Bougainville’s sovereignty to foreign investors – whether they be of Anglo or Asian origins – perhaps attention could be devoted to inventing a new state structure that harnesses informal sources of political authority, to produce a stable and secure Bougainville, that is less dependent on large sums of taxation. In order to support the invention of this Melanesian state, attention will need to be devoted to the economic resources Bougainvilleans can command to support its more modest and culturally appropriate structures – i.e. their land, environment, cultural knowledge and labour. Consideration also needs to be given to the precise economic configurations that could unite these resources – i.e. mixes of agriculture, tourism, and services – so that on the one hand the economic structure of Bougainville is largely owned and managed by Bougainvilleans, while still being buoyant enough to support a Melanesian state structure that could oversee basic forms of social planning and service provision. Imaginative thinking is clearly needed. Sadly it is not being encouraged. Instead the path to dependency is being advertised in the deceptive garb of mine-fuelled independence, whose true character will become abruptly clear once mining begins, by which time averting course will be impossible without violent upheaval, an outcome nobody wants.

Papiamentu spoken in Curacao Parliament - 56th Annniversary

Papiamentu spoken in Curacao Parliament since 1958 Amigoe

WILLEMSTAD — (February 9 was) exactly 56 years ago that the Parliament, at the time the Island Council, of Curaçao was addressed in Papiamentu.

Margaretha Modesto Apostel ‘Chano’ Margaretha (1911-1990) was the first parliamentarian who had the courage to do so, namely on February 8th 1958 in the Island Council of Curaçao. Although lieutenant governor Michael Gorsira had tackled Margareths about this the latter was undaunted and continued to speak in Papiamentu. He was convinced that the people who had voted for him should also understand his points presented in the Island Council. Democracy was pointless to Margaretha if the people were unable to understand his representatives in the Island Council. 

In a press report Minister of Education, Irene Dick, and Premier Ivar Asjes mentioned the importance of Margaretha’s move at the time. Both elaborate on it being a turning point in the linguistic usage and accessibility of the public debate. Minister Dick recalled that during the meeting of the Island Council on February 8th 1958 it was decided to allow the use of Papiamentu in public debate. “In 2012, February 9th was subsequently considered as the Day of Papiamentu”, Minister of Education, Irene Dick, said.

Premier Asjes applauded Margaretha’s daring at the time. “Chano Margaretha marked a historic moment in 1958 when he addressed the Island Council in Papiamentu. 

                                                            We must never forget this courageous heroic deed of a patriot.”

France fails to act on legislation to return islands it used in French Polynesia for nuclear testing

Return of nuke test sites yet to be discussed in French Assembly

Radio New Zealand International

A French Polynesian member of the French Senate says the National Assembly in Paris is yet to debate the planned return of the two nuclear weapons test sites to French Polynesia.

60 years ago, the assembly in Tahiti ceded the two atolls Moruroa and Fangataufa to France for free to allow the military to test its weapons.

The atolls were expected to be returned last month.

Walter Zweifel reports.

(Senator) "Richard Tuheiava says the French Senate approved a law change he sponsored two years ago which provided for the return of the atolls on January the first this year. He says to date, the National Assembly has not put the bill on its agenda which he says has stalled aspects of the law providing compensation to those claiming to have suffered poor health. The compensation law was adopted four years ago but is seen as too restrictive, with compensation bids usually being dismissed. Although the last nuclear weapons test was carried out in 1996, the atolls have remained a military no-go zone."