Exercising his right of reply, the representative of Solomon Islands said he looked forward to seeing the administering Power, France, and French Polynesia continue cooperation within the appropriate body.
Next, the representative of Uruguay introduced a draft resolution on zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic (document A/67/L.64). He said the text had been based on the previous two resolutions on the topic adopted by consensus in 2007 and 2011. The current draft took note of the recently published report of the Secretary-General on the item and stressed the role of the South Atlantic zone of peace and cooperation as a forum for increased interaction and support among its member States.
Taking note of the adoption of the Montevideo Declaration and the Plan of Action at a ministerial meeting held in his country, the draft called on States to cooperate in the promotion of the objectives set forth in those instruments, he said. He welcomed interest expressed by a number of countries to cooperate in such areas as combating transnational organized crimes and protection of marine biodiversity, which had been indentified in the Plan of Action. His delegation was committed to revitalize the zone under its chairmanship of the forum.
The representative of Argentina stressed the importance of the countries in the region and their determination to uphold the ideas of cooperation and to overcome the legacy of the cold war. Now was the time to take advantage of the impetus created at the Montevideo meeting. Its Declaration included a sensitive issue related to the need to combat colonialism in all its forms and manifestations and to the sovereignty of certain Member States. The zone of peace, she added, aimed to be free from nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. She hailed the Montevideo action plan for its recognition of the potential of South-South cooperation and for identifying areas of cooperation, including conservation of marine environment and respect for defence and security needs.
The delegate of Brazil said the founding principles of the zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic were as important today as when the Assembly set up the zone in 1986. She lauded the 16 January convening of the Seventh Ministerial Meeting in Montevideo. As the participation of South America and Africa in world dynamics grew, the South Atlantic would increase in relevance as a busy commercial route and a reservoir of valuable natural and mineral resources, as well as a committed partner in socioeconomic development.
She called on the international community to strengthen all aspects of the zone and on its members to strengthen cooperation in the rational use of energy and marine resources, trade and investment, sustainable coastal management, and scientific research and education. The 2013 Montevideo Declaration and Plan of Action served as valuable guidelines for future cooperation initiatives in those and other areas and, to effectively implement it, member States were focused on concrete steps. For example, Brazil offered a programme of professional and technical training for nationals from zone members for capacity-building and exchange of experiences and good practices.
The Assembly then adopted the text, as orally revised, without a vote.
Speaking after action, the representative of the United Kingdom said his delegation strongly disagreed with certain elements of the Montevideo Declaration. That included the false claim that the United Kingdom was violating United Nations General Assembly resolution 31/49 through the development of “illegitimate” hydrocarbon activities in the Falkland Islands (Malvinas), South Georgia Islands, South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas and the “reinforcement” of its military assets in the South Atlantic. The United Kingdom noted that operative paragraph 2 of this resolution “takes note of the adoption of the Montevideo Declaration”, and that it does not, therefore, express the General Assembly’s approval of the context of that Declaration.
