UN General Assembly
2002

place on Vanuatu's foreign policy agenda. The Charter of the United Nations espouses the principles that continue to guide the Organization's efforts with regard to self-determination. We are completely convinced that, if the United Nations is to be consistent in its decisions to promote recognition and respect of the fundamental right to self-determination, the question of West Papua must be placed on the agenda of the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. The closed-door policy with regard to the pleas of West Papuans continues to undermine the credibility of the United Nations in terms of its ability to address an essential matter. I think it is in the best interests of the international community that the question of West Papua be revisited. We also request that a commission of inquiry be deployed to verify information on atrocities alleged to have been committed in West Papua. In conclusion, we must continue to support the