U.S. Territories American Samoa is an unincorporated and unorganized U.S. territory located in the South Pacific, 2,300 miles southwest of Hawaii. It comprises seven islands with a total area of 76 square miles and a population of approximately 35,000. Guam is an organized, unincorporated U.S. territory. About 30 miles long and 4 to 8 miles wide, Guam is the southernmost island in the Mariana Islands chain in the Western Pacific, about 6,000 miles west of San Francisco. It has a population of approximately 115,000. The U.S. Virgin Islands are also an organized and unincorporated U.S. territory. The most prominent of these islands, located 1,000 miles southeast of Miami, are St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John. The population of the territory is about 110,000, and total land area is approximately 130 square miles. Special Committee Consideration In 1991 the Committee of 24 for the first time consolidated resolutions on the three U.S. and seven other non-self-governing territories (six of which are administered by the United Kingdom and one by New Zealand) into one "omnibus" resolution. The United States supported this important step to streamline the Committee's work. Despite procedural advances, the United States objected to the C-24's affirmation in the Guam section of the omnibus resolution that U.S. military bases and installations in Guam could constitute an obstacle to implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples in Territories under Colonial Domination. Sections on the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa did not present important difficulties for the United States. General Assembly Action Winds of change which had already blown away East-West confrontation in other General Assembly committees and UN fora reached the Fourth Committee in 1991. Although an attempt to rationalize and depoliticize the committee's work was quickly defeated by radical members early in the General Assembly, reform-minded delegations did succeed, for the first time, in removing or modifying objectionable language in several C-24 resolutions. U.S.-proposed amendments to the omnibus resolution's section on Guam, as well as minor amendments to the section on the U.S. Virgin Islands, were carried, thereby enabling the U.S. Delegation to join in consensus adoption of the resolution. This was the first year the United States neither voted against nor abstained on UN resolutions pertaining to its non-self-governing territories. Puerto Rico The United States opposes C-24 consideration of Puerto Rico. General Assembly resolution 748 (1953) removed Puerto Rico from the list of non-self-governing territories following a referendum in which the Puerto Rican people decided that the island should become a U.S. Commonwealth. Resolution 748 recognized that the island's citizens had exercised their right to self-determination and that Puerto Rico, as a self-governing entity, was no longer a proper subject for UN consideration under the UN Char ter. U.S. opposition to a C-24 resolution "reaffirming" Puerto Rico's right to independence, an option Puerto Ricans repeatedly have declined to exercise, again fell on deaf ears in 1991. Although the resolution passed, 16 of 25 delegations either voted against, abstained or were not present. The Fourth Committee opted not to refer the resolution to the plenary, although C-24 consideration of the issue appears in the Fourth Committee's report to the General Assembly. Other Questions Fourth Committee The Fourth Committee took action on eight draft resolutions in 1991. In addition to the resolution on Western Sahara (discussed in Section I) and the omnibus resolution on 10 non-self-governing territories (including Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa), it adopted without vote resolutions on one other nonself-governing territory (New Caledonia); on cooperation and coordination of specialized agencies and international agencies associated with the United Nations in their assistance to non-selfgoverning territories; and on offers by member states of study and training facilities for inhabitants of non-self-governing territories. A resolution on reporting information on non-self-governing territories was adopted in plenary by a vote of 157 to 0, with 3 (U.S.) abstentions. (Resolution 46/63.) The United States voted against two Fourth Committee resolutions. The most controversial of these was titled "Activities of foreign economic and other interests which are impeding the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples in Territories under Colonial Domination and efforts to eliminate colonialism, apart heid and racial discrimination in southern Africa." The resolution was approved by the Fourth Committee and adopted in plenary by a vote of 109 to 34 (U.S.), with 16 abstentions. (Resolution 46/ 64.) The United States also opposed a resolution on "Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples by the specialized agencies and the international institutions associated with the United Nations." The resolution was adopted in plenary by a vote of 115 to 28 (U.S.), with 17 abstentions. (Resolution 46/65.) The United States has consistently voted against Fourth Committee resolutions dealing with "foreign economic activities" because of outmoded and erroneous assumptions regarding the activities of multinational corporations. Furthermore, the U.S. Government does not view such activities as significant impediments to self-determination. The United States opposed the resolution on the implementation of the Declaration on Granting Independence because it contained highly polemical language on issues totally unrelated to the subject of decolonization. The Fourth Committee also adopted four decisions. The United States joined in the consensus adoption of decisions on Gibraltar and Pitcairn Island. A decision on "Military activities and arrangements by colonial powers in territories" was passed in plenary by a vote of 108 to 34 (U.S.), with 16 abstentions. (Decision 46/419.) A decision on St. Helena was passed in plenary by a vote of 120 to 2 (U.S.), with 38 abstentions. (Decision 46/422.) The United States does not view the presence of military facilities and personnel in a non-self-governing territory as necessarily posing a major impediment to the exercise of self-determination and so opposed the decision on military activities. The United States voted against the decision on St. Helena because of a critical reference to military facilities on Ascencion Island. Plenary Action The General Assembly adopted all resolutions and decisions referred to it by the Fourth Committee. In addition, the General Assembly also adopted three resolutions submitted directly by the Committee of 24. A resolution on the international decade for the eradication of colonialism was adopted without a vote. (Resolution 46/181.) The omnibus resolution on implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples was adopted 137 to 2 (U.S.), with 22 abstentions. (Resolution 46/71.) The United States opposed the omnibus resolution because it contained general condemnation of foreign economic activities and called for the withdrawal of foreign military installations from non-self-governing territories. The plenary also approved a resolution on the dissemination of information on decolonization by 143 to 2 (U.S.), with 16 abstentions (Resolution 46/72); the United States opposed this resolution for budgetary reasons. Trusteeship Council Chapters XII and XIII of the UN Charter established an international trusteeship system overseen by the Trusteeship Council. By 1991 only the Republic of Palau, part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) administered by the United States, remained subject to the Trusteeship Agreement under the Council's jurisdiction. In May 1986 the Trusteeship Council determined that the United States had fulfilled its obligations as trustee with respect to the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The Security Council confirmed that finding, December 22, 1990, when it adopted resolution 683 by a vote of 14 (U.S.) to 1 (Cuba). The United States and Palau have negotiated a Compact of Free Association under which Palau would become a sovereign self-governing state comparable to the RMI and the FSM. Efforts to bring the agreement into effect have been defeated on seven occasions, however, by non-nuclear provisions in the Palauan constitution requiring 75 percent of voters approve the new arrangement. At the 58th session of the Trusteeship Council, May 3-14, the United States stated its commitment to work with Palauans to terminate the trusteeship at an early date. The trusteeship had served its purpose of providing Palau with the infrastructure, educational systems and economic development needed to prosper under whatever political system it chose. The United States expressed willingness to examine proposed modifications to the Compact and, if necessary, accept as an alternative full independence under terms acceptable to Palau. In the conclusions and recommendations adopted at the 58th session, the Council welcomed assurances by the United States that it was prepared to assist the Government of Palau, at its request, to resolve the islands' status in accordance with the free choice of its people. The Council noted Palauan concerns regarding economic development and self-sufficiency, sharing the view that continued efforts were needed in this regard. Mention was made of assurances by the United States that it had no plans to establish military bases in Palau. In December, the Council decided to accept a U.S. invitation to send a visiting mission to |