Page 222 - The Arabian Gulf States_Neat

. -1

160 THE LEGAL STATUS OF THE ARABIAN GULF STATES

the jurisdiction of the United Nations.1 The third group of represen­
tatives which emerged in the course of this debate maintained that
‘whereas previously the question of Oman had been posed as a
question of aggression by one State, namely Muscat, against another,
Oman, now what was being sought was the end of colonialism not
only in Oman but also in Muscat’.2 Recalling these developments of
the question to mind, this group of representatives had, therefore,
urged the Committee to provide them with further ‘impartial informa­
tion’ on Oman. With regard to the report of the Secretary-General’s
Special Representative, Mr de Ribbing, on Oman, it was held that
due to the limited scope of Mr de Ribbing’s mission (being a mere
fact-finding mission), the latter’s report was, therefore, not complete.3
Finally, at the conclusion of the debate thirteen Latin-American States
submitted a new draft resolution which proposed the establishing of an
Ad Hoc Committee to examine the question of Oman and to report
: to the General Assembly at its nineteenth session in 1964. The General
Assembly, at its plenary meeting on 11 December 1963, adopted the
Latin-American draft as Resolution 1948 (XVIII) by a roll-call vote
of 96 to 1, with 4 abstentions.1
In accordance with its mandate, the Ad Hoc Committee on Oman,
consisting of live Member States, made contact with the Sultan and
British officials in London, as well as the Imam of Oman and his
representatives in the Middle East. Having collected the information it
needed on the position in the Omani dispute, the Ad Hoc Committee
submitted its report to the nineteenth session of the General Assembly
which, in turn, unanimously adopted it on 8 January 1965.5 In its
report, the Committee, after reviewing the history of the question
of Oman in the United Nations, sets out and examines the informa­
tion it gathered and states its conclusions. In these conclusions the
Committee considers, inter alia, the question of Oman as ‘a serious
international problem’ requiring the special attention of the General
Assembly. Furthermore, it upholds ‘the legitimate aspirations of the
people of Muscat and Oman’ and requests the Assembly to call upon
all parties concerned to facilitate and ‘encourage a negotiated settle-
1 U.N. No. 1 (1963), Conmd. 2087, op. cit.; Y.U.N., 1963, p. 71.
2 Ibid.
3 Y.U.N., 1963, 71. And see Report of the Special Representative of the Sec­
retary-General, U.N.G.A., Official Records, 18th sess.. Annexes, Agenda item 78,
doc. A/5562. In his report, Mr Ribbing stated that ‘his mission did not have the
time, nor did it consider itself competent, to evaluate the territorial, historical and
political issues involved’.
4 Y.U.N., 1963, p. 72.
6 Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Oman, op. cit., pp. 4-5. It is to be noted
that although the Sultan accepted to meet the Chairman of the Committee in
London, where he was then staying, he, however, refused to allow the Committee
to visit Muscat and Oman. He also told the Committee that he objected to the
discussion of the dispute by the United Nations.