Wiping away remnants of colonialism.

• Position: GA 56 - Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization

The Special Political and Decolonization Committee is officially known as the Fourth Committee. Yet, in the order of elections to its chair, it comes second.

"Political issues years ago were dealt with by the First Committee", Ambassador Hasmy Agam, Fourth Committee Chairman, told the UN Chronicle. "Then later on they rationalized the various committees, hived the political issues off the First Committee, lumped it with the Decolonization Committee, which is the Fourth Committee. Sometimes it is fourth and sometimes it is second in the hierarchy."

He said: "We deal with lots of issues and some are highly contentious, like decolonization for instance, because there are still remnants of colonialism left in the world." He listed Western Sahara, Cyprus, Afghanistan and the Middle East as some of the issues discussed within the context of decolonization.

The Committee submitted to the General Assembly 25 draft resolutions, 11 of which were adopted without a vote. About half of the resolutions concerned decolonization issues. Much of the debate within the Committee focused on Western Sahara.

"I remember twelve to thirteen years ago when Malaysia was in the [Security] Council. We are again a member in 1999-2000, nearly ten years later. But the issue of Western Sahara has not changed. It's the same thing!" said Ambassador Agam.

He said that lames Baker III. Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General on Western Sahara, has been "trying to work out an acceptable approach linked up with the Security Council that was discussed in the Fourth Committee". However, he said, it was important for the Committee to follow closely the developments in the Council. In 200l, the Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara until 28 February 2002 and supported all efforts for further dialogue to find a political solution to the conflict. "Within the Committee, a compromise text was reached on Western Sahara with the cooperation of the Ambassadors of Morocco and Algeria," Ambassador Again said. The Assembly adopted the resolution without a vote.

Western Sahara, formerly known as Spanish Sahara, is one of the remaining 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories and the last one in Africa. These Territories have three options: free association with other independent States; full integration with political rights; or independence.

The contending parties on the question of Western Sahara are Morocco and the POLISARIO Front. In...