1.
TV PAN OVER Delegates during vote showing Syrian, Arab Republic PAN OVER TO Thailand followed by Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, and Tunisia
0.19

2.
SV Danson of Canada (Chairman) speaking in English
0.38

3.
CU Zambian delegate speaking in English
1.05

4.
TV Dr. Rasheed Riffai of Iraq speaking in Arabic
1.47

5.
SV Henrique Penalosa of Colombia speaking in Spanish
2.06

6.
TV PAN FROM Standing ovation TO penalosa embracing Danson
2.22


"Syrian Arab Republic! Syrian Arab Republic....yes. Thailand! Thailand! Thailand...yes. Togo! Togo...yes. Trinidad and Tobago! Trinidad and Tobago...yes. Tunisia! Tunisia... yes."



"In favour...89. Opposed...15. Abstentions....ten. The Vancouver Declaration on human settlements in adopted." (applause)



"All we can say is that it is profoundly regrettable that it was not possible for all of us to reach a compromise so that we could have adopted these principles contained in the declaration by unanimity, which would have take us a step forward towards uniting our world which has already seen enough wars and could do without wars. Thank you very much, Mr. President."



The western counties who voted against the declaration because of the veiled reference to Zionism as a form of racism, included the United States, Britain, France, West Germany and Israel.




Initials BB/0230



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: The giant United Nations Habitat Conference on housing and human needs was torn apart by international politics at its closing session on Friday night (11 June). The conference was unable to reach unanimous agreement on a final declaration. In the end, a declaration was carried by just over a two-thirds majority. Zambia's delegate expressed regret at the lack of unanimity.

SYNOPSIS: When the Iraqi delegate spoke, he focused on the question that divided the conference. The delegate, Dr. Rasheed Riffai, stressed that the conference must address itself to the Palestinian question. The issue was regarded as being anti-Israel and therefore extraneous to the declaration. Western nations rejected the declaration which was intended to crown the 134-nation conference.

Henrique Penalosa of Colombia made reference to one of the few issues which was not completely overshadowed by politics. It was Habitat's commitment to insure clean water supplies on a worldwide basis by 1990, thus helping to avert the 25,000 deaths attributed to contaminated water every day. What will now be known as the Vancouver Declaration calls on governments to provide water and housing for the world's poor and to curb land profiteering and urban sprawl in developed countries.