REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE EXERCISE OF THE INALIENABLE RIGHTS OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OFFICIAL RECORDS: FORTIETH SESSION SUPPLEMENT No. 35 (A/40/35) UNITED NATIONS REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE EXERCISE OF THE INALIENABLE RIGHTS OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OFFICIAL RECORDS: FORTIETH SESSION SUPPLEMENT No. 35 (A/40/35) UNITED NATIONS New York, 1985 NOTE Symbols of United Nations documents are composed of capital letters combined with figures. Mention of such a symbol indicates a reference to a United Nations document. [Original: English] [1 October 1985] CONTENTS Paragraphs LETTER OF -:RANSMITTAL ········· 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 · 11 11 11 · 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 Gl 11 · 11 11 11 11 Page V III INTRODUCTION 11 11 11 · 11 11 · 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 · 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 1- 6 7- 8 9 - 15 9 - 10 1 I I. Ill. MANDATE OF THE COMMITTEE ·· " ······························ ORGANIZATION OF WORK ····································· A. B. C. Election of officers ································· Participation in the work of the Committee ··········· Re-establishment of the working Group ················ 2 3 3 3 3 4 11 - 13 14 - 15 16 - 150 16 - 134 IV. ACTION TAKEN BY THE COMMITTEE ···························· A. Action taken in accordance with General Assembly resolution 39/49 A ··..·...··.·····.····.··..··.·.···· 4 1. Review of the situation relating to the question of Palestine and efforts to implement the recommendations of the Committee ················· Reaction to developments atfecting the inalienable rights of the Palestinian paople ················· (a) (b) Communications to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council ······ Action teken within the Security C~uncil 16 - 32 33 - 66 33 - 57 58 - 66 4 2. 6 6 9 3. Action taken by the Committee to promote the convening of the proposed International Peace Conference on the Middle East ···················· Attendance at international conferences and meet i nq s 11 11 11 11 11 11 · 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 · 11 11 11 11 67 - 85 86 11 4. 5. 13 Action taken by United Nations bodies, the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries and intergovernmental organizations ·················· 87 135 135 - 134 150 14 21 B. Action taken by the Committee in accordance with General Assembly resolutions 38/58 Band 39/49 B 1. Co-operation with non-governmental organizations · -111- - 143 21 CONTENTS (continued) Paragraphs 2. 3. Page 22 23 24 26 Seminars Studies . . 144 - 148 149 - 150 151 - 162 163 - 172 V. ACTION TAKEN BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INFORMATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION 39/49 C ····· RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMITTEE VI. . ~ . Annexes I. 11. Recommendations of the Committee endorsed by the General Assembly at its thirty-first session .··.·.·..·.·....·.···....········..·.·····.·. 28 Geneva Declaration on Palestine and Programme of Action for the Achievement of Palestinian Rights ···································· United Nations Symposium for Non-Governmental Organizations on the Question of Palestine, Geneva, 3-4 November 1984: NGO appeal tor an Internatio~al Peace Conference on the Middle East ················· Report of the Tenth United Nations Seminar on the Question of Palestine, Beijing, 22-26 April 1985 ································· United Nations Asian Regional Non-Governmental Organizations Symposium on the Question of Palestine, New Delhi, 1-3 May 1985: Declaration Report of the Eleventh United Nations Seminar on the Question of Palestine, Georgetown, 17-20 June 1985 ···························· Report ot the Twelfth United Nations Seminar on the Question of Palestine, New York, 8-9 July 1985 ································ United Nations North American Regional Non-Governmental Orqanizations Symposium on the Question of Palestine, New York, 10-12 July 1985: Declaration 31 Ill. 41 43 48 52 63 IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. 0 ·.& · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 11........ 70 IX ·. United Nations African Regional Non-Governmental Organizations Symposium on the Question of Palestine, Dakar, 5-7 August 1985: Declaration CI ······ Il ············· 0 ·············· ~ ····· ···· 73 x. International Meeting of Non-Governmental Organizations on the Question of Palestine, Geneva, 9-12 september 1985: Declaration 78 -iv- LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL 23 September 1985 Sir, I have the honour to enclose herewith the report of the Committee on the. Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People for submission to the General Assembly in accordance with paragraph 4 ot resolution 39/49 A. Accept, Sir, the assurances ot my highest consideration. (Signed) Massamba SARRE Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian people His Excellency Mr. Javier Perez de Cuellar Secretary-General of the United Nations -v- I. INTRODUCTION 1. The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, established by General Assembly resolution 3376 (XXX) of 10 November 1975, is currently composed of 23 Member States. 1/ 2. The first report of the Committee 11 contained specific recommendations . designed to enable the Palestinian people to exercise its inalienable rights, as previously recognized and defined by the General Assembly. Those recommendations were first endorsed by the Assembly at its thirty-first session as a basis for the solution of the auestion ot Pal&~tine. 3. In its subseauent reports to the General Assembly, 1/ the Committee retained its original recommendations unchanged. On each occasion and with stronger emphasis, they were again endorsed by the Assembly which each year has also renewed its mandate of the Committee. 4. Despite repeated urgings by the Committee, however, the Security Council has not yet been able to act on or implement the recommendations ot the Com~i~tee. Meanwhile, arising from a continuation of Israeli policies and practices, tension and violence persist in the Palestinian and other Arab territories, inchK~ing Jerusalem, illegally occupied by Israel. 5. Israel has not yet begun to implement the Security Council resolutions reauesting its complete and unconditional withdrawal from the OCc·,;;.;.},ed Palestinian and other Arab territories. Lebanon has also been caught in the turmoil. Isra~l has prevented UNIFIL from deploying along the internationally recognized boundaries of Lebanon. The Committee has therefore continued to stress that this situation will prevail in the area as long as the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people remain unattained. Th~ United Nations has a clear responsibility to ensure the achievement of the rights ,.£ the Palestinian people to self-determination, national independence and sovereignty and to return to their homes and property, as well as to their physical protection and welfare in the refugee camps. 6. To secure United Nations objectives on the auestion of Palestine, during the year under review, the Committee gave priority to the early convening of the proposed International Peace Conference on the Middle East, under United Nations auspices and in accordance with the provisions of General Assembly resolution 38/5e C, and continued to urge the understanding and co-operation of all concerned for the resolution of a problem which is fundamental to international peace and security. The CowRittee regrets it has not so tar sensed any change in the negative attitude of Israel and the United States of America concerning the convening of the Conference, and expresses the sincere hope that a positive change will urgently be forthcoming. -1- II. MANDATE OF THE COMMITTEE 7. The Committee's mandate for the year 1985 is contained in General Assembly resolutions 39/49 A and B, the relevant parts of which are paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 ot resolution 39/49 A and paragraph 2 of resolution 39/49 B, through which the Committee was required: (a) To continue to keep under review the situation relatinq to the auestion of Palestine as well as the implementation of the Programme of Action for the Achievement of Palestinian Rights adopted by the International Conference on the Question of Palestine and to report and make suggestions to the General Assembly or the Security Council, as appropriate; (b) To continue to exert all efforts to promote the implementation of its recommendations, to send deleqations or representatives to international conferences where such representation would be considered by it to he appropriate and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its fortieth session and thereafter; (c) To continue to extend its co-operation to non-governmental organizations in their contribution ~~ards heightening international awareness of the facts relating to the auestion of Palestine. 8. The General Assembly also requested the Secretary-General to ensure that the Division for Palestinian Rights continue to discharge the tasks detailed in previous resolutions, in consultation with the Committee and under its guidance. -2- Ill. A. ORGANIZATION OF WORK Election of officers 9. The Committee, at its lllth meeting, on 8 January 1985, decided to re-elect the followinq officers: Chairman: Vice-Chairmen: Rapporteur: Mr. Massamba Sarre (Seneqal) Mr. Oscar Oramas-Oliva (Cuba) Mr. Mohammed Farid Zarif (Afghanistan) Mr. Victor J. Gauci (Malta) 10. At its l12th meetinq, on 24 January 1985, the Committee adopted its programme of work for 1985 (A/AC.183/L.39) in implementation of its mandate. B. Participation in the work of the Committee 11. As in previous years, the Committee reconfirmed, at its very first meeting, that all States Members of the United Nations and Permanent Observers to the United Nations desiring to participate in the work of the Committee as observers were welcome to do so. The Committee also decided to invite the Palestine Liberation Orqanization (PLO) to participate in its work as an observer, to attend all its meetings and to make observations and proposals for the consideration of the Committee. 12. During 1985 the Committee again welcomed as observers all the States and orqanizations that had participated in the preceding year. 4/ The Committee also welcomed the additional participation of China and Sri Lank; as observers from 14 May 1985. 13. The Committee stressed its priority objective in seeking to promote the convening of the proposed International Peace Conference on the Middle East, as endo~sed by the General Assembly in resolution 38/58 C. Accordingly, a letter to that effect was addressed on 5 February 1985 by the Chairman to the Secretary-General who subsequently transmitted it, on 20 February 1985, to States Members of the United Nations and of the specialized agencies, as well as to intergovernmental regional organizations. C. Re-establishment of the working Group 14. The Committee, at its lllth meeting, re-established its working Group to assist in the preparation and expedition of the work of the Committee. The working Group was constituted as before, on the understanding that any Committee member or observer could participate in its proceedings. 2/ 15. At its first meeting, on 18 January 1985, the Working Group unanimously re-elected Mr. Victor J. Gauci (Malta) as its Chairman and Ms. Savitri Kunadi (India) as its Vice-Chairman. -3- -----~------------L-"'-,.,-~IV. ACTION TAKEN BY THE COMMITTEE A. 1. .~- G"?'"F- Actio n taken in accor dance with Gener al Assem bly resol ution 39/49 A Review of the situa tion relati ng to the quest ion of Pales tine and effor ts to imple ment the recom menda tions of the Comm ittee 16. In accor dance with its manda te, the Comm ittee contin ued to keep the situa tion relati ng to the quest ion of Pales tine under review , and to exert all effor ts to promo te the imple menta tion of its recom menda tions as endor sed by Gener al Assem bly resol ution s. 17. In react ion to event s in the regio n affect :ing the inalie nable right s of the Pales tinian peopl e, whene ver urgen t actio n was requi red, the Chairm an of the Comm ittee repea tedly drew the atten tion of the Secre tary-G enera l and of the Presi dent of the Secur ity Coun cil to such devel opme nts, and calle d for appro priate measu res in accor dance with Unite d Natio ns resl~lutions (see below , sectio n (2) (a». Those comm unicat ions were sent again st a backd rop of contin ued milit ary occup ation by Israe l of the Pales tinian and Arab terri torie s, and of resul ting growi nq confl ict and tensio n in the regio n. 18. The Comm ittee noted with mount ing conce rn that the situa tion relati ng to the inalie nable right s of the Pales tinian peopl e had contin ued to deter iorat e in the year under reView , as descr ibed in vario us studi es and docum ents prepa red by Unite d Natio ns and other interg overn menta l bodie s, and by exper ts, as well as in press repor ts. 19. The inform ation reView ed by the Comm ittee made it clear that the Israe li polic ies of illeg ally maint aining and estab lishin g new Jewis h settle ment s, and confi scatin g Arab- owned land, in the tx:cup ied Pales tinian terri torie s, had conti nued. Data subm itted to the Inter natio nal Sympo sium on Israe li Settle ment s in the occup ied Arab terri torie s, organ ized by the Leagu e of Arab State s, in washi ngton D.C., in April 1985, showed that Israe l had seize d 51.2 per cent of the total area of the west Bank as of May 1984. By that date, Israe l had about 179 settle ment s in the West Bank, of which 31 were in and aroun d Jerus alem, involV ing an estim ated total of appro ximat ely 146,0 00 settl ers. Insta nces of the creat ion of new settle ment s and confi scatio n of addit ional Arab land contin ued to be repor ted in lette rs by the Chairm an of the Comm ittee and by the Perma nent Repre senta tive of Jorda n addre ssed to the Secre tary-G enera l durin g 1985. 20. The Comm ittee noted that the conti nuing momentum towar ds set~lement of the occup ied Pales tinian and other Arab terri torie s was accom panied by measu res desig ned to stifl e all forms of polit ical, cultu ral, socia l and econo mic expre ssion of the Pales tinian peopl e, as w~ll as viole nce, harass ment and provo cation of Pales tinian s by armed Israe li settl ers, in an appar ent effer t to drive the Pales tinian s out of their land and facil itate its event ual annex ation by Israe l. 21. The Comm ittee noted that accor ding to a repor t publi shed by Law in the Servi ce of Man, a west Bank- based affil iate of the Inter natio nal Comm ission of Juris ts, indis crimi nate deten tion, accom panied by tortu re and vario us forms of ill-tr eatm ent, was used for the purpo se of polit ical intim idatio n of Pales tinian s. Furth er evide nce of deten tion witho ut charg es, tortu re and ill-tr eatm ent of Pales tinian s in Israe li priso ns and deten tion centr es, inclU ding arbit rary -4- beatinqs, overcrowding, lack of food, of water and health care, denial of educational materials, and discrimination, was provided by witnesses in hearings held in the area by the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Population i.n the Occupied Territories (Press Releases HR/2792-2864). 22. In their effort to repress Palestinian opposition to occupation, the Is~aeli military authorities repeatedly broke up demonstrations, raided houses in villages and refuqee camps, declared selected areas "military zones" and closed them, and engaged in forms of collective punishment such as bulldozing houses, closing shops, and imposinq curfews. 23. In response to growing resistanc~ against the occupying Power by Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli G07ernment in August 1985 decided to reinstate its policies of administ~ative detention without charges for up to six months and deportation of persons considered security risks, and it engaqed in a massive campaiqn in implementation of those policies. 24. At the same time, the Israeli occupation authorities continued to resort to measures designed to restrict the right to freedom of movement of the Palestinian people. The Committee deplored in particular that two women from the West Bank, Ms. Sameeha Khalil and Ms. Siham Barghouty, invited by the Committee to participate in the International NGO Meeting held at Geneva from 9 to 12 September 1985, had been refused a travel permit by the Israeli authorities. It was also brought to the attention of the Committee that a number of members of Law in the Service of Man were also detained on the eve of the meeting. 25. The Committee further noted that the Israeli occupation authorities had continued to deny trade union rights to Arab workers and to engage in repressive measures aQainst the trade union movement and its leaders, as described in the 1985 report on the situation of workers of the occupied Arab territories prepared by the Director-General of the International Labour Organisation. 26. Academic and cultural freedom continued to be Violated in the occupied Palestinian territories, as shown by the repeated closing of educational institutions, the confiscation of cultural materials, the banning of cultural exhibits and the armed repression and detention of student activists, as detailed in the reports submitted by the Director-General of UNESCO on educational and cultural institutions in the occupied Arab territories. 27. These repressive policies and practices, aimed at stifling Palestinian national expression and resistance to the military occupation, have been accompanied by continuing measures to strengthen control over most aspects of life, with the objective of obstructing self-generating development of the occupied territories and to turn them into a dependent entity aiming at its final absorption and annexation. Industry, trade, agriculture, water resources, health, services, education, employment and economic life in general continue to be under strict control to ensure that the population of the occupied territories remain dependent on Israel for their well-being while Israel benefits from exploiting the area's natural and human resources. 28. The Committee noted, in this connection, that, in their respective reports on the labour, health, and educational situation in the occupied territories, ILO, the World Health Organization and UNESCO had found little or no improvement in the condition~ of the Palestinian and Arab population. The specialized agencies -5- pointed out that the continued occupation and the policies and practices of Israel in the occupied territories conflicted with the objectives of development in their respective fields. 29. The Committee further noted the corroborating information contained in the reports of the Secretary-General on living conditions of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territories (A/40/373-E/1985/99); on permanent sovereignty over national resources in the occupied Palestinian and other territories (A/40/38l-E/1985/105), and on the situation of women and children in the occupied Arab territories and other occupied territories (A/CONF.116/6). 30. A report on the Israeli road plan for the West Bank, also prepared by Law in the Service of Man and submitted to the General Assembly by the Chairman of the Committee (A/40/1l9-S/l6943) provided further evidence of Israel's policy of de facto annexation of the area through its economic integration as a dependent entity. 31. The Committee wishes to express its utmost concern at these policies and practices and to bring them forcefully to the attention of the General Assembly and the Security Council as they clearly violate the Fourth Geneva Convention and have serious repercussions not only on the enjoyment by the Palestinians of their inalienable rights, but also on peace and security in the region, and on international efforts to achieve a just and lasting solution of the auestion of Palestine, the core of the Middle East conflict. 32. The Committee further reviewed with grave preoccupation the deteriorating situation of Palestinian refugees in South Lebanon, which had reached increasingly dramatic proportions in the wake of Israel's invasion. The Committee followed closely the Security Council debates in the matter (see section 2 (b» and repeated their warning that conflict and violence in the region would continue as long as the Palestinian people were prevented from exercising their inalienable rights in their own State. 2. (a) Reaction to developments aff~ctin9 the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people Communications to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council 33. In response to developments affecting the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, whenever urgent action was reauired, the Chairman of the Committee repeatedly drew the attention of the Secretary-General and of the Security Council to such developJ1\ents and called for appropriate measures in accordance with United Nations resolutions. 34. In addition to the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, the Committee also had to express concern over developments in the Palestinian refugee camps in southern Lebanon. The invasion and occupation by Israeli armed forces had left in its wake an ever-growing spiral of violence and bloodshed aimed in particular at the Palestinians. On that account, in a press release issued on 24 May 1985 (GA/PAL/266), the Chairman called upon the United Nations and, in particular, the Security Council, to exercise their responsibility to ensure the physical safety of the Palestinians and to bring about the exercise of their inalienable rights. -6- 35. In his letters, the Chairman detailed violations of the fundamental rights of Palestinians by the Israeli authorities in contravention of international law and United Nations resolutions. He pointed out that such measures aggravated tensions in the region and posed a constant threat to international peace and security. He reiterated the urgent necessity for a concentrated international effort to 'find a just solution to the auestion of Palestine, and reaffirmed that the Committee attached the utmost importance to the early conveninq of the proposed International Peace Conference on the Middle East. 36. On 26 November 1984, the Chairman expressed by letter the Committee's grave concern at reports of renewed acts of repression against Palestinians, including the shooting of unarmed demonstrators, by the Israeli forces in the occupied Palestinian territories (A/39/692-S/16841). The shootings, which had taken place in Bir Zeit and Ramallah, had resulted in the deaths of two students and the wounding of several others. 37. On 15 January 1985, the Chairman again drew attention to further action taken by the Government of Israel in its continuing policy of annexing the occupied Palestinian territories (A/40/84-S/16896). Sites for six new settlements had been approved on 10 January 1985; in addition, the establishment of another 20 new settlements had been reauested by the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Israel. 38. On 5 February 1985, the Chairman sought the publication, as a document of the General Assembly, of a study prepared by Law in the Service of Man concerning an Israeli proposed road plan for the West Bank (A/40/ll9-S/16943). According to the study, the project, which had recently been promulgated by the occupying authorities, would greatly increase integration of the West Bank road system into that of Israel, and entail the seizure of 78,000 dunums of private Palestinian land and the destruction of refugee camps, buildings and facilities. 39 ·. The study had concluded that the plan must therefore be seen as the most significant step of recent times towards Israel's eventual annexation of the West Bank, as well as a direct physical threat to the lands, communities and livelihood of the Palestinian population, thus servinq the purpose of encouraging their emigration. 40. On 12 February 1985, the Chairman drew urgent attention to the grave situation and growing tension in and around the Palestinian refugee camps in South Lebanon and the occupied West Bank (A/40/l28-S/l6954). 41. Acts of repression had been carried out by the Israeli troops against reSidents of Burj Al-Shamali refugee camp in the Tyre area and Dheisheh refugee camp near Bethlehem; several residents had been wounded and scores of others arrested. Moreover, Israeli planes had repeatedly attacked Balestinians in south Lebanon, with resulting loss of life among the civilian popUlation. 42. In a letter dated 19 March 1985 (A/40/l83-S/17043), the Chairman expressed the Committee's concern at press reports regarding raids carried out by the Israeli authorities at Bir Zeit University, the arrest of several students and other persons and the subsequent closing of the university. 43. The Chairman further referred to the detention of residents of the Dheisheh refugee camp and reports of their torture in an Israeli prison. -7- 44. Grave concern was also caused by the fact that the Israeli Housing Ministry had begun const~uction of three permanent settlements in the West Bank and Gaza, which showed that the Israeli Government was continuing its policy of establishing settlements in the occupied territories. 45. On 29 March 1985, the Chatrman drew attention to recent policy statements made by Israeli government otficials concerning the occupied territories of the west Bank and Gaza (A/40/2l5-S/l7069). Jewish settlers in the Katif region of Gaza had reportedly been assured by the Israeli Defence Minister that the region would in any event remain an inseparable part of the State of Israel. Similar assurances had been given to the Jewish settlers in the Jordan Valley by the Prime Minister of Israel. 46. The Chairman expressed the Committee's grave concern at such statements which were yet a further confirmation of the policy ot annexation of the occupied territories by the Government of Israel. 47. In a letter dated 2 May 1985 (A/40/28l-S/l7l46), the Acting Chairman referred to a number of reports concerning serious incidents that had taken place in the occupied territories. The Israeli authorities had taken repressive measures against demonstrations and strikes in celebration of Land Day at various locations in the West Bank and Gaza. Subsequently, the authorities had also carried out raids at al-Ibrahimiyeh College in East Jerusalem and Bethlehem University. A number of persons had been injured in these and other incidents, and there had been several arrests. 48. On 23 May 1985, the Chairman once more expressed the profound concern of the Committee at the tragic developments in and around the Palestinian refugee camps at Sabra, Shatila and Burj al Brajneh, which were again the object of armed attack (A/40/339-S/l72l9). 49. The Committee had repeatedly pointed out that conflict and violence in the region would continue as long as the Palestinian people were prevented from exercising their inalienable rights in their own State. He wished to assert once again that the United Nations and particularly the Security Council had a clear responsibility towards the Palestinians, and called' on the Security Council to act positively on the recommendation~ made by the Committee and the General Assembly. SO. In his letter of 12 July 1985 (A/40/480-S/17340), the Acting Chairman of the Committee reported still further repressive"measures on the part of the Israeli authorities that could not but increase tensions and aggravate threats to peace and security in the region. He cited reports that the occupying military forces had demolished seven villages in the area of Hebron on 18 June 1985, thereby displacing some 200 families in order to convert their land into a military training zone. 51. In the same letter, the Acting Chairman said it had been reported that the Israeli Defence Ministry was proposing drafting new laws that would allow for rapid deportation of Palestinian residents of the occupied territories who take part in "anti-Israel activity", since existing laws were considered insufficient. It was proposed further that formerly applied methods of punishment be revived, that is to say, imprisonment without trial or charges for an unlimited period. 52. On 18 July 1985, the Acting Chairman of the Committee reported action taken by the Israeli authorities that would lead to the closing of the Hospice Hospital in occupied East Jerusalem - the only government hospital in the Arab part of -8- Jerusalem caring for the poor (A/40/494-S/17346). It was the considered view of the Committee that this action represented still further evidence of the way the Government of Israel is failing to abide by international agreements regarding the status of citizens under occupation. 53. In a letter dated 31 July 1985 (A/40/523-S/l7375), the Chairman referred t.o newspaper reports of the delivery of armoured tanks, which may adversely affect the rights and lives of the Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon.. In this connection, the representative of Lebanon drew attention to a letter dated 9 August 1985 (A/40/537-S/l7389) and, concerning paragraphs 59 to 60, to the statement before the Security Council made on 31 May 1985 (SI/PV.2582). 54. On 8 August 1985, the Acting Chairman reported that thE~ Israeli authorities had adopted a number of decisions adversely affecting the ri,ghts of the Palestinian people (A/40/540-S/17392). These included the reinstatement of administrative detention without trial and deportation, the closing of newspapers and the expansion of prisons in the occupied territories. Several repressive and discriminatory measures against Palestinians had also been taken recently. 55. The Acting Chairman expressed the view that such policies and practices, which had been accompanied by escalating violence, were designed to stifle all forms of political, economic and cultural activity by the Palestinian people and thus to pressure them into emigrating from their land, with a view to facilitating its eventual annexation by Israel. 56. In a letter dated 11 September 1985 (A/40/628-S/l7455), the Chairman of the Committee provided information on recent measures taken by the Israeli military authorities in implementation of those policies. Among other repressive measures, the authorities had engaged in a massive campaign of detention of Palestinians and were holding upwards of 50 persons in the West Bank; curfews had been imposed in several towns and refugee camps; at least three persons were threatened with deportation; and four Arab youths, including a l2-year old boy, had been shot and wounded by Israeli soldiers. 57. The Chairman further stated that the measures described were taking place in an ,atmosphere of growing provocation by the Jewish settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories, and reiterated the Committee's concern at those developments and at the continuing denial by Israel of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. (b) Action taken within the Security Council 58. In addition to transmitting urgent letters to the Secretay-General and the President of the Security Council, the Committee followed closely activities of the Council regarding matters relating to its mandate as periodically defined by the various General Assembly resolutions since the establishment of the Committee. 59. The Committee took note of the statement (S/17215) issued by the President of the Security Council on 24 May 1985 expressing the serious concern of the Council members at the heightened violence in certain parts of Lebanon, and voicing support for the appeal of the Secretary-General dated 22 May 1985, which also referred to the situation in and around the Palestinian refugee camps, for an end to violence involving the civilian population. -9- 60. The Comm ittee noted that, at its 2582n d meeti ng, on 31 May 1985, the Secur ity Counc il unanim ously adopt ed resol ution 564 (1985 ). In the resol ution , the Coun cil inter alia calle d on all conce rned to end acts of viole nce again st the civil ian popul ation in and aroun d Pales tinian refug ee camps and reatfi rmed its inten tion to contin ue to follow the situa tion close ly. 61. On 12 and 13 Septem ber 1985, at the reque st of the Arab Group conta ined in a lette r dated 11 Septe mber 1985 from the Perma nent Repre senta tive of Qatar to the Unite d Natio ns (S/17 456), the Coun cil met to consi der "Isra eli pract ices again st the civil ian popul ation in the occup ied Pales tinian territ ories ". 62. The Chairm an of the Comm ittee interv ened in the debat e (S/PV .2605) and stated that the Comm ittee had expre ssed its deep conce rn at Israe l's decis ion to renew its polic v of "adm inistr ative deten tion" as well as the depor tation of perso ns consi dered a "thre at to secur ity" and the streng theni ng of censo rship and other measu res again st the Pales tinian popul ation . Such measu res had been taken in an atmos phere of growi ng provo cation on the part of Jewis h settle rs living in the occup ied terri torie s - provo cation that was desig ned to drive the Pales tinian s away from their homes . 63. He furth er stated that the situa tion of the Pales tinian s contin ued to deter iorat e. The Israe li autho rities were defyin g intern ation al law and Unite d Natio ns resol ution s. Tensi on and violen ce would only incre ase in the Pales tinian and other occup ied terri torie s until the inalie nable right s of the Pales tinian peopl e were fully recog nized . The Unite d Natio ns had a respo nsibi lity to assur e the realiz ation of those right s as well as the physi cal prote ction of the Pales tinian peopl e in the occup ied territ ories . 64. He said that the Pales tinian Quest ion had reach ed a critic al stage and urged the Coun cil to give effec t to the recom menda tions of the Comm ittee and the recom menda tions of the Inter natio nal Confe rence on the Quest ion of Pales tine, parti cular ly with regar d to the conve ning of the Inter natio nal Peace Confe rence on the Middl e East. The Confe rence would offer the intere sted parti es great poss ibilit ies to parti cipat e in negot iation s and lead to a just and lastin g settle ment in the regio n. He appea led to the Coun cil to take appro priate measu res to reviv e, on the basis of the princ iples and objec tives of the Chart er and Unite d Natio ns resol ution s, the polic y of dialo gue among all parti es intere sted in puttin g an end to the prese nt tragi c situa tion. 65. ~e Secur ity Coun cil had befor e it a draft resol ution spons ored by Burki na Faso, Eqypt , India , Mada gasca r, Peru and Trinid ad and Tobag o (S/174 59) by which the Coun cil, inter alia, would deplo re the repre ssive measu res taken by Israe l since 4 Auqus t 1985 again st the civil ian Pales tinian popul ation in the occup ied terri torie s; would call on Israe l to imme diatel y stop such measu res, relea se the detai nees and retra in from furth er depo rtatio ns; and would call on Israe l to abide scrup ulous ly by the provi sions of the Genev a Conve ntion of 12 Augus t 1949. 66. Becau se of the negat ive vote of the Unite d State s of Amer ica, the Secur ity Counc il did not adopt the draft resol ution . -10- 3. Action taken by the Committee to promote the convening of the proposed International Peace Conference on the Middle East 67. In resolution 39/49 0, the General Assembly inter alia reaffirmed its endorsement of the call for convening the International Peace Conference on the Middle East; expressed its regret at the negative response of two Governments and called upon them to reconsider their position towards the Conference; urged all Governments to make additional constructive efforts and to strengthen their political will in order to convene the Conference without delay and for the achievement of its peaceful objectives; requested the Secretary-General, in consultation with the security Council, to continue his efforts with a view to convening the Conference and to report thereon to the General Assembly not later than 15 March 1985; and decided to consider the report of the Secretary-General at its fortieth session. 68. Accordingly, in its programme of work for 1985 (A/AC.183/L.39) the Committee decided that it would continue, as a matter of priority, to exert all efforts to promote the early convening ot the proposed Peace Conference, in accordance with resolutions 38/58 ~ and 39/49 D. 69. For this purpose, the Committee decided to send delegations to selected capitals to discuss how best to promote progress on its recommendations for a peaceful solution. In view of its bUSy schedule, the Committee this year limited its contacts to members of the Security Council. 70. During 1985, delegations of the Committee were received by a number of Governments, as indicated below. 71. On 25 April 1985, a delegation of the Committee composed of Mr. Massamba Sarre (Senegal), Chairman; Mr. Victor J. Gauci (Malta), Rapporteur; Mr. Azraai Zain (Malaysia); Mr. Mohamed Lessir (Tunisia); and Mr. Zehdi L. Terzi (Palestine Liberation Organization) was received by Mr. Zhao Ziyang, Prime Minister of China, as well as by Mr. Geng Piao, Vice-Chairman of the National People's Congress and Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the National People's Congress; Mr. Ho_Ying, Member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress; Mr. Qian Qichen, Deputy Foreign Minister; and Mr. Zhen Jua, Assistant Foreign Minister. 72. The delegation subsequently travelled to Bangkok where, on 29 April 1985, it met with Mr. Siddhi Savetsila, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Thailand. 73. On 3 May 1985, a Committee delegation composed of Mr. Massamba Sarre (Chairman); Mr. Mohammed F. Zarif (Vice-Chairman); Mr. Victor J. Gauci (Rapporteur) and Mr. Zehdi L. Terzi (Palestine Liberation Organization) was received by Mr. Khurshid Alam Khan, Minister of State for External Affairs of India. 74. A delegation composed of Mr. Massamba Sarre (Chairman); Mr. Alberto Velazco-San Jose (Vice-Chairm~n); and Mr. Zehdi L. Terzi (PLO) Visited Peru and Trinidad and Tobago from 6 to 11 June 1985. In Peru, the delegation was received by Mr. Luis Percovich Roca, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, on 6 June 1985. On 10 June, the delegation met with Mr. Rabindranath Permanand, Acting Permanent Secretary for External Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago. Subsequently, the Chairman and the Observer of the Palestine Liberation Organization were received by Mr. Errol Mahabir, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago, on 14 June 1985 in New York. -11- 75. A deleg ation compo sed of Mr. Massamba Sarre (Chai rman) ; Mr. Victo r J. Gauci (Rapp orteu r); Mr. Ilter Turkmen (Turk ey); and Mr. Zehdi L. Terzi (PLO) visite d Egypt from 23 to 26 July 1985. The deleg ation was receiv ed by Mr. Kamal Hassa n Ali, Prime Minis ter; Mr. Ahm~d Esmat Abdel -Megu id, Forei gn Minis ter; Mr. Boutr os Ghali , Minis ter of State for Forei gn Affai rs; and it held in-de pth discu ssion s with senio~ offic ials of the Minis try of Forei gn Affai rs. The deleg ation also partic ipate d in a natio nal journ alists ' encou nter organ ized by the Unite d Natio ns Depar tment of Publi c Inform ation. 76. Subse quent ly, a deleg ation compo sed of Mr. Victo r J. Gauci (Rapp orteu r); Mr. Alber to Velaz co-Sa n Jose (Cuba ); and Mr. Zehdi L. T~[zi (PLO) visite d Madag ascar from 28 to 30 July and Burki na Faso from 1 to 3 Augus t 1985. In Mada gasca r, the deleg ation was receiv ed by Mr. Jean Bema nanjar a, Minis ter of Forei gn Affai rs; and by Mr. Alber t Zakar iasy and Mr. Amido, Vice- Presi dents of the Natio nal Assem bly. It also partic ipate d in a natio nal journ alists ' encou nter organ ized by the Unite d Natio ns Depar tment of Publi c Inform ation. 77. In Burki na Faso, the deleg ation was receiv ed by the Presi dent, Mr. Thomas Sanka ra; Mr. Basil e L. Guiss ou, Minis ter of Forei gn Affai rs; and Mr. Wattamou Lamie n, Minis ter of Inform ation and Cultu re. 78. A deleg ation compo sed of Mr. Mohammed F. Zarif (ViceChairm an) and Mr. Zehdi L. Terzi (PLO) visite d the Union of Sovie t Socia list Repu blics from 11 to 14 Augus t and the Ukrai nian Sovie t Socia list Repub lic on 15 and 16 Augus t 1985. 79. In the Union of Sovie t Socia list Repu blics, the deleg ation was receiv ed by Mr. A. E. Voss, Chairm an, Chamber of Natio naliti es, Suprem e Sovie t of the Un~on of Sovie t Socia list Repub lics and it held in-de pth discu ssion s with high- ranki ng offic ials in the Forei gn Minis try and parti cipat ed in a press confe rence and other activ ities organ ized by the Sovie t Afro- Asian Solid arity Comm ittee. The visit was exten sively cover ed by the media . 80. In the Ukrai nian Sovie t Socia list Repub lic, the deleg ation was receiv ed by Mr. Vladi mir A. Krave ts, Minis ter for Forei gn Affai rs. It also met with repre senta tives of non-g overn menta l organ izatio ns at the Ukrai nian Socie ty of Frien dship and Cultu ral Relat ions and with the media . 81. In its excha nges of views with the above -ment ioned Gover nment s, the Comm ittee deleg ation empha sized the imper ative neces sity of the early conve ning of the propo sed Inter natio nal Peace Confe rence on the Middl e East and stress ed the param ount role to be playe d by the Secur ity Coun cil in this respe ct. 82. The Comm ittee was great ly encou raged by the posit ive respo nse of the Gover nment s conce rned and by their under stand ing of the need for urgen t concr ete actio n, as well as by their deter minat ion to contr ibute posit ively to the effor ts to bring about a just and comp rehen sive solut ion of the Pales tinian quest ion under Unite d Natio ns auspi ces, and on the basis of the relev ant Unite d Natio ns resol ution s. 83. The Comm ittee furth er noted that, in pursu ance of his manda te. under Gener al Assem bly resol ution 39/49 D, the Secre tary-G enera l had repor ted havin g been inform ed by the Presi dent of the Secur ity Coun cil, follow ing consu ltatio ns, that almos t all its members were in favou r of the princ iple of holdin g the propo sed confe rence (see A/40 /l68-S /l70l4 ). Many of the memb ers of the Secur ity Coun cil believ e that the confe rence shoul d be conve ned as early as possi ble; some other s consi der that the condi tions that would make it possi ble to conve ne such a confe rence have not as yet been met. -12- J.",,!'?l_~=---------------------------------------. 84. The Committee noted with appreciation that the Secretary-General intended to pursue consultations on the subject and to intorm the General Assembly and the Security Council of any new developments. 85. In this connection, it should be mentioned that in seminars and symposia of non-governmental organizations on the question of Palestine held under the aegis of the United Nations, it was strongly held that the convening of such a conference was a priority which offered the best and most comprehensive approach to a just and lasting solution to the Question of Palestine, the core of the Arab-Israeli conflict. 4. Attendance at international conferences and meetings 86. In accordance with its mandate, since its preceding report to the General Assembly, the Committee was represented at the following international conferences and meetings: Twentieth Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity, Addis Ababa, 12-15 November 1984 Fifteenth Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers, Sanaa, 18-22 December 1984 Regional Seminar on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, Port Moresby, 4-7 March 1985 International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, New York, 21 March 1985 Regional Seminar on Activities of Foreign Economic and Other Interests which are Impeding the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of ~ndependence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, Havana, 8-10 April 1985 Extraordinary Ministerial Meeting of the Co-ordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Countries, New Delhi, 19-21 April 1985 Extraordinary session 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, Tunis, 13-17 May 1985 International Day of Solidarity with the Struggling People of South Africa Soweto Day, New Yor~, 14 June 1985 Special meeting convened by the Special Committee against Apartheid, in co-operation with the African National Congress of South Africa in observance of the thirtieth anniversary of the adoption of the Freedom Charter, New York, 26 June 1985 The forty-second session of the Council of Ministers and the twenty-first session of the Assembly of Heads of State of the Organization of African Unity, Addis Ababa, 18-20 July 1985 Seminar on the Intransigence of the South African regime with regard to Namibia: Strategies for Hastening the Independence of Namibia, Georgetown, 29 July to 2 August 1985 -13- t it i '::me t .....~ 'twi PTE?7?Ri5i27IFne? Conference of Foreign Ministers of Non-Aligned Countries, Luanda, 2-7 september 1985 Solemn meeting of the United Nations Council for Namibia in commemoration of Namibia Day, 26 August 1985 International Seminar on Racist Ideologies and Organizations Hindering Efforts for the Elimination of Aparth~~ in South Africa, Budapest, 9-11 September 1985 Symposium on Zionism ana the International Community, Havana, 12-13 September 1985 5. Action taken by United Nations bodies, the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries and intergovernmental organizations 87. The Committee continued to follow with great interest and to note action taken by the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries, United Nations bodieG and other intergovernmental organizations on matters relevant to its mandate since the submission of its report to the General Assembly at its thirty-ninth session. ( a) ~r Meeting of the Mediterranean members of the Non-Aligned Movement held at ministerial level, Valletta, 10-11 September 1984 88. The Final Declaration adopted by the meeting (A/39/526-S/l6758 and Corr.l), inter alia, endorsed the Geneva Declaration and the Programme of Action adopted at the International Conference on the Question of Palestine held at Geneva in 1983, . including the call for the convening of an International Peace Conference on the f Middle East. The Ministers renewed their commitment to strive persistently towards a solution of the problem on the basis of the decisions and principles of the / United Nations and the declarations and communiaues ot the Non-Aligned Movement. (b) Meeting of the Non-Aligned Committee of Eight on Palestine at ministerial level, New York, 3 October 1984 I 89. The Ministers reviewed the situation, particularly with reg~d to the endeavours of the United Nations Secretary-General concerning the proposed International Peace Conference on the Middle East, and decided to continue actively their collective and individual efforts to mobilize all means available with a view to ensure the convening of such a Peace Conference under the auspices of the United Nations. (c) Meeting of Ministers and Heads of Delegation of the Non-Aligned Countries to the thirty-ninth session of the General Assembly, New York, 1-5 October 1984 90. In the Final Comn,unique (A/39/560-S/l6773), the Ministers and Heads of Delegation of the Non-Aligned Countries, inter alia, reaffirmed their total support for the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and their determination to act for early achievement of those rights. 1 91. They reaffirmed that the question of Palestine is the core of the Middle East problem and the root cause of the Arab-Israeli conflict. They affirmed that the Palestine Liberation Organization is the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and that it alone has the full right to represent its people. -14- ----------------------------. 92. They condemned any agreement or treaty which violates or infringes the rights of the Arab nation and of the Palestinian people as recognized by the Non-Aligned Movement, and in accordance with international law, the United Nations Charter and its relevant resolutions. They reaffirmed their commitment to the resolutions of the New Delhi Summit Conference expressing its support and adoption of the Fez Peace Plan. 93. They supported the Final Declaration and the Geneva Programme of Action adopted by the International Conference on the Question of Palestine in 1983 and stressed anew the necessity for the early convening of the International Peace Conference on the Middle East in accordance with General Assembly resolution 38/58 C, emphasizing the major responsibility shouldered by the Security Council in this respect. They condemned the negative position of Israel and the United States of America towards the proposed conference. 94. They further reaffirmed their opposition to occupation and rejection of the Israeli practices and policies in the occupied Palestinian and Arab territories, including Jerusalem, and in particular the establishment of settlements. They affirmed that such practices and policies are contrary to international law and relevant resolutions of the United Nations. They reaffirmed their adherence to the resolutions adopted by the New Delhi Conference calling for measures against Israel by the Non-Aligned Countries and the United Nations. (d) C~ordinating ~e Meeting of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Organization of Islamic Conference, New York, 4 October 1984 95. At the Co-ordinating Meeting of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, held in New York on 4 October 1984, the participants decided, inter alia, to refer the report of the Committee of Six on Palestine to the Islamic Group in order to exert a greater effort to attain its recommendations during the thirty-ninth session of the General Assembly (A/39/585-S/16783). (e) Twentieth ordinary session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity, Addis Ababa, 12-15 November 1984 96. I~a resolution on the situation in the Middle East, the Assembly inter alia reaffirmed all its previous resolutions and its support for the Palestinian people under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization; recommended that Member States renew their determination not to establish or re-establish diplomatic ties with Israel; and called upon the Security Council to take the necessary measures to compel Israel to put an end to its occupation of Arab and Palestinian territories and to enable the Palestinian people to exercise their national rights in conformity with the recommendations of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. 97. In a resolution on the auestion of Palestine, the Assembly commended the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People for its efforts and called for the implementation of General Assembly resolution 38/58 C on the holding of an International Peace Conference on the Middle East (A/40/87). (f) Meeting of the European Council, DUblin, 3-4 December 1984 98. The Heads of State or Government of the 10 members of the European Economic Community, in tL" conclusions adopted on the situation in the Middle East, reaffirmed, inter alia, their desire to see urgent efforts made to establish peace and security in the area and their willingness to assist such efforts. 99. They reiter ated their call for direc t negot iation s among the parti es thems elves, includ ing the Pales tine Liber ation Organ izatio n, based on mutua l recog nition of each other s' existe nce and right s. They furth er calle d for full imple menta tion of the provi sions of Secur ity Coun cil resol ution 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) and for an end to the illeg al polic y of settle ment s in the occup ied terri torie s. Fifte enth Islam ic Confe rence of Forei gn Minis ters, Sanaa , 18-22 Decem ber 1984 100. The Confe rence adopt ed a Final Communique and a number of resol ution s on the auest ion of Pales tine and the Middl e East confl ict (A/40 /l73-S /1703 3), statin g inter alia that: "the Confe rence reaffi rmed that the cause of Pales tine - the forem ost cause of the Muslim Ummah - is the crux of the Middl e East proble m and the core of the Arab -Israe li confl ict; that just peace in the regio n can only be based on the total and uncon dition al withd rawal of the Israe li enemy from all the occup ied Pales tinian and Arab terri torie s, the regai ning, by the Pales tinian peopl e, of their inalie nable right s includ ing their right to return to their homel and, Pales tine, their right to self-d eterm inatio n and their right to estab lish their own natio nal indep enden t State on their natio nal' soil with Al-Qu ds as its capit al". 101. The Confe rence affirm ed that the Pales tine Liber ation Organ izatio n is the legiti mate and sole repre senta tive of the Pales tinian peopl e and has, alone , the full right to repre sent these peopl e; that resol ution 242/1 967 of the Secur ity Coun cil is not comp atible with Arab and Pales tinian right s and does not const itute a sound basis for the solut ion of the proble m of Pales tine and the Middl e East; and that no Arab party shall unila terall y seek a solut ion to the quest ion of Pales tine and the Arab -Israe li confl ict. It calle d for contin ued resist ance again st the Camp David appro ach and Accor ds, as well as for full and etfec tive suppo rt to the Pales tinian peopl e. 102. The Confe rence reaffi rmed its suppo rt for all intern ation al initia tives for a solut ion of the quest ion in accorda~ce with the seven princ iples stipu lated in the resol ution s of the Islam ic Confe rence , inclU ding prima rily the Fez Peace Plan. 103. The Confe rence stron gly condem ned Israe l for measu res aimed at impos ing its legis latio n on the occup ied terri torie s and calle d for imple menta tion of the Islam ic Programme of Actio n again st the Zioni st Enemy adopt ed by the Third Islam ic Summit Confe rence , and of the resol ution s and recom menda tions adopt ed by the AI-Qu ds Comm ittee. 104. The Confe rence condemned the Unite d State s of Ameri ca for its hosti le attitu de towar ds the inalie nable right s of· the Pales tinian peopl e and calle d upon the Europ ean comm unity to take a more posit ive stand in this conne ction. It also calle d on Member State s to review their relati ons with the Unite d State s of Ameri ca and other State s in the light of their polic ies with regar d to the inalien~ble right s of the Pales tinian peopl e. 105. The Confe rence stron gly condem ned the crime s comm itted by the Israe li enemy in 1982 in Sabra and Shati la. It also co~demned the contin ued crimi nal repri sals carri ed out by the Israe li enemy again st Leban ese villag es and towns and Pales tinian camps in south ern Leban on. (g) I' I " I -16- 106. The Conference strongly condemned the strategic alliance between the United States of America and the Zionist enemy, and also condemned all treaties concluded under this alliance. (h) Urgent session of the Co-ordinating Bureau of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries on the situation in the areas occupied by Israel in southern" Lebanon, the western Bekaa and the Rashaya district, New York, 6 March 1985 107. In its communique (A/40/l63-S/17008), the Bureau expressed its grave concern at the deteriorating situation, which threatened peace and security in the area as a result of Israeli practices. It condemned such practices, which were in violation of the rules and principles of international law, and demanded that Israel desist forthwith from them. 108. Recalling the previous declarations and communiques adopted by the Non-Aligned Movement, the Bureau called on the Security Council urgently to implement Security Council resolutions on Lebanon, particularly resolutions 425 (1978), 508 (1982) and 509 (1982), to ensure Israel's immediate and unconditional withdrawal from the Lebanese territories to the internationally recognized borders. 109. The Bureau e~pressed its support for the efforts of the Government of Lebanon to extend its authority over all of its territory and for its determination to restore peace and order in the areas to be evacuated by Israel and to ensure the safety and security of the civilian populations in those areas, including the Palestinian refugees in the camps. 110. The Bureau affirmed that the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 applied to the territories occupied by Israel in southern Lebanon, the western Bekaa and the Rashaya district and that the occupying Power is duty bound to respect and uphold the provisions of the said Convention and other norms of international law." It demanded that Israel, the occupying Power, desist forthwith from its illegal and abusive practices against the civilian population in these areas in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and other norms of international law and immediately lift all restrictions and obstacles to the restoration of normal conditions in the areas under its occupation. (i) Commission on Human Rights, forty-first session, Geneva, 4 February15 March 1985 111. The Commission considered an agenda item entitled "Question of the violation of human rights in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine" and adopted two resolutions. 112. In resolution 1985/1 A, the Commission inter alia denounced the continued refusal of Israel to allow the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Population of the Occupied Territories access to the occupied territories; reiterated the deep alarm expressed by the special Committee at Israel's policies towards those territories; confirmed its declaration "that Israel's breaches of the Geneva Convention of 12 August 1949 and Additional Protocols were war crimes and an affront'to humanity; called upon Israel to refrain from such policies and to implement all pertinent United Nations resolutions; reiterated its call to all States not to recognize any changes carried out by Israel in the occupied territories, and to avoid taking any action or extending any aid which might be used by Israel in pursuit of such policies; and requested the General Assembly to recommend to the Security Council the adoption against Israel of measures under ChapterVlI of the Charter of the United Nations. -17- 113. In resol ution 1985/ 1 B, the Comm ission reaffi rmed that the Genev a Conve ntion of 12 Auqus t 1949 was appli cable to all the Arab territ ories occup ied by Israe l since 1967, includ inq Jerus alem; condem ned Israe l's failu re to ackno wledg e such appli cabil ity; and urged once more all State s parti es to the Conve ntion to make every effor t to ensur e respe ct for and comp liance with the provi sions there of in the occup ied territ ories . 114. The Comm ission furth er consi dered the item entit led "The right of peopl es to self-d eterm inatio n and its appli catio n to peopl es under colon ial or alien domin ated or foreig n occup ation" and adopt ed resol ution 1985/ 4 by Which it reaffi rmed the inalie nable right s of the Pales tinian peopl e to self-d eterm inatio n, to the estab lishm ent of an indep enden t and sover eign State , to return to their homes and prope rty and to reqain their right s by all means in accord Clnce with the purpo ses and princ iples ot the Chart er. 115. The Comm ission furth er reaffi rmed its suppo rt for the Genev a Decla ration on Pales tine adopt ed by the Inter natio nal Confe rence on the Quest ion of Pales tine and welcom ed the call to conve ne an Inter natio nal Peace Confe rence on the Middl e East under the auspi ces of the Unite d Natio ns. (jl Econo mic Comm ission tor weste rn Asia, * Twelf th Mini steria l Sessi on, 20-25 Apr 11 1985 116. By resol ution 139 (XII) entit led "Econ omic and socia l condi tions of the Pales tinian Arab peopl e under occup ation" , the Econo mic Comm ission for Weste rn Asia (ECWA) decid ed to includ e in the progra mme of work and prior i.ties for the perio d 1986- 1987 such studi es on econo mic and socia l condi tions in the occup ied Pales tinian terri torie s as might serve to streng then the resist ance of the Pales tinian peopl e in those areas . It also reque sted the prepa ration of studi es on the popul ation situa tion, Israe li settle ment polic ies and on the indus trial secto r with a view to solvin g the proble ms from which it sutfe rs. It also reaue sted that inform ation and data on the occup ied Pales tinian terri torie s be includ ed in all regio nal studi es and stati stica l abstr acts. 117. By resol ution 141 (XII) , entit led "Gene ral study ot the econo mic and socia l situa tion and poten tial of the Pales tinian Arab peopl e", ECwA calle d tor the comp letion of the study in auest ion and its adopt ion at a speci al sessio n of the Comm ission to be conve ned no later than the end ot Octob er 1985. (k) Comm emora tive Meeti ng in Obser vance of the Thirt ieth Anniv ersary of the ~sian -Afri can Confe rence , Bandu ng, 24-~5 April 1985 118. In the Decla ration adopt ed by the Comm emora tive Meeti nq (A/40 /276- S/l7l3 8, annex , appen dix, para. 11), parti cipat ing State s expre ssed their full solid arity with and suppo rt for the strug gle of the Pales tinian peopl e, under the leade r-ship of the Pales tine Liber ation Orqan izatio n, its sole and legiti mate repre senta tive. They condem ned Israe li pract ices again st the popul ation of the Pales tinian and Arab occup ied terri torie s and reaffi rmed their convi ction that there could be no just and lastin g solut ion to the Middl e East confl ict until Israe l total ly and uncon dition ally withd rew from all terri torie s occup ied since 1967, . inclu ding Jerus alem. * (ECSWA) · As of Septem ber 1985: Econo mic and Socia l Comm ission for weste rn Asia -18- (1) Fifty -seve nth Meeti ng of the Minis ters for Forei gn Affai rs of the Ten State s Members of the Europ ean Econo mic Community, Luxem bourg, 29 April 1985 119. The Minis ters adopt ed a Decla ration on the Arab -Israe li confl ict (A/40 /29l-S /l7l62 , annex ) in which they welcomed recen t moves towar ds a react ivatio n of the proce ss of negot iation s in the searc h for a solut ion to that confl ict, notab ly the Jorda n/Pal estini an agree ment reach ed on 11 Febru ary at the initia tive of King Husse in, which conta ined a comm itment to negot iation for peace in accor dance with Unite d Natio ns resol ution s, includ ing the resol ution s of the Secur ity Coun cil. In the view of tne Ten, this repre sente d a const ructiv e step forwa rd. They also welcomed the ideas put forwa rd by the Presi dent of Egypt . They consi dered that these impor tant initia tives refle ct a desir e for movement towar ds a peace ful solut ion. This deser ved encou ragem ent and a posit ive respo nse. 120. The Ten reatfi rmed their convi ction that the achiev ement of a just and lastin g peace calls for the parti cipat ion and activ e suppo rt of all the parti es conce rned, and recon firme d their willin gness to contr ibute to such a proce ss on the basis of the princ iples stated by them on previ ous occas ions. Econo mic and.S ocial Coun cil, Secon d regul ar sessio n, Genev a, 3-26 July 1985 121. The Econo mic and Socia l Coun cil adopt ed three resol ution s of relev ance to the qU2st ion of Pales tine. Resol ution 1985/ 57, on "Assi stanc e to the Pales tinian peopl e", reque sts the Secre tary-G enera l to final ize the progra mme of econo mic and socia l assis tance to the Pales tinian peopl e and to conve ne in 1986 a meeti ng of the relev ant bodie s of the Unite d Natio ns system to consi der such assis tance , with the parti cipat ion of the Pales tine Liber ation Organ izatio n, the Arab host coun tries and relev ant interg overn menta l and non-g overn menta l orqan izatio ns. The resol ution furth er invit es all conce rned to inten sify such assis tance . 122. In resol ution 1985/ 58, on "Econ omic develo pment proje cts in the occup ied Pales tinian terri torie s", the Coun cil calle d for the urgen t liftin g of the Israe li restr ictio ns impos ed on the economy of the occup ied terri torie s; and calle d upon all conce rned to facil itate the estab lishm ent of a seapo rt and a citru s plant in the occup ied Gaza strip and of a cemen t plant in the occup ied West Bank. 123. In resol ution 1985/ 177, on "Isra eli econo mic pract ices in the occup ied Pales tinian and other Arab territ ories ", the Coun cil reque sted the Secre tary-G enera l to prepa re a repor t on the finan cial and trade pract ices of the Israe li occup ation autho rities in the occup ied Pales tinian and other Arab terri torie s. (n) (m) Twen tY-fir st ordin ary sessio n of the Assem bly of Heads of State and Gover nment of the Organ izatio n of Afric an Unity , Addis Ababa , 18-21 July 1985 124. The Assem bly adopt ed two resol ution s regar ding the quest ion of Pales tine and the Middl e East confl ict. It reaffi rmed , inter alia, all previ ous resol ution s on the Quest ion and reiter ated its unwav ering suppo rt for the peopl e of Pales tine led by the Pales tine Liber ation Organ izatio n; 'their sole legiti mate repre senta tive. It stron gly condem ned any initia tives , measu res or agree ments which dO not take into accou nt the aspir ation s of the peopl e of Pales tine and of the Pales tine Liber ation Organ izatio n, and consi dered null and void any agree ment on the Pales tine quest ion which exclu des the Pales tine Liber ation Organ izatio n. -19- 125. The Assembly further condemned strongly the policies and practices of Israel in the occupied Palestinian and other Arab territories, and called upon the international community to increase pressure on Israel in all fields so as to compel it to conform to the United Nations Charter and the relevant resolutions. I', r of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and called on the Security 126. The Assembly emphasized the efforts deployed by the Committee on the Exercise Council to implement the Committee's recommendations. It further called for the convening of the proposed International Peace Conference on the Middle East, and requested Member States to ensura the application of General Assembly resolution 39/49 D to this end. (0) " world Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, Nairobi, 15-26 July 1985 127. The Forward-Looking Strategies adopted by the Conference contain paragraph 259 relating to Palestinian women and children, in which it is stated that for more than three decades, Palestinian women have faced difficult living conditions in camps and outside, struggling for the survival of their families and the survival of the Palestinian people who were deprived of their ancestral lands and denied the inalienable rights to return to their homes and their property, their right to self-determination, national independence and sovereignty. Palestinian women are VUlnerable to imprisonment, torture, reprisals and other oppressive practices by Israel in the occupied Arab territories. The confiscation of land and the creation of further settlements has affected the lives of Palestinian women and children. Such Israeli measures and practices are a violation of the Geneva Convention. The Palestinian woman as part of her nation suffers from discrimination in employment, health care and education. 128. It was recommended that the implementation of the Programme of Action for the Achievement of Palestinian Rights should be kept under review and co-ordinated between the United Nations units and agencies concerned, with emphasis on the role of Palestinian women in preserving their national identity, traditions and heritage and in the struggle for sovereignty. Palestinian people must recover their rights to self-determination and the right to establish an independent State in accordance with all relevant United Nations resolutions. The special and immediate needs of Palestinian women and children should be identified and appropriate provision made. United Nations projects $hould be initiated to help Palestinian wom~n in the fields of health, education, and vocational training. Their living conditions inside and outside the occupied territories should be studied by the appropriate United Nations units and agencies assisted, as appropriate, by specialized research institutes from various regions. The results of these studies should be given broad pUblicity to promote actions at all levels. The international community should exert all efforts to sto~ the establishment of new Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Palestinian women should be allowed to enJoy security in a liberated homeland also in accordance with United Nations resolutions. (p) Extraordinary Summit Conference of Arab States, Casablanca, 7-9 August 1985 129. The Committee noted with appreciation that the Extraordinary Summit Conference of Arab States reaffirmed the need for continued Arab support for the resolutions of the Fez Summit. The Conference also reiterated its previous resolutions regarding the Palestinian question and its support for the Palestine Liberation Organization as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. The Conference also considered that the convening of an international conference -20- under the auspices of the United Nations, with the participation of the Union of Soviet Socialist RepUblics, the United States of America and the other permanent members of the Security Council, as well as the Palestine Liberation Organization, along with the other concerned parties, would contribute to the promotion of peace in the region (A/40/564). (q) fonference of Foreign Ministers of Non-Aligned Countries, Luanda, 2-7 September 1985 130. The Ministers reaffirmed that the question of Palestine is the core of the Arab-Israeli conflict, and emphasized that a comprehensive, just and durable solution cannot be achieved without the total and unconditional withdrawal of Israel from all Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem, and the exercise by the Palestinian people of their inalienable rights. 131. The Ministers reaffirmed their firm support for the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and that the PLO alone has the full right to represent the Palestinian people. They affirmed the right of the PLO to participate on an independent and equal footing in all endeavours, international conferences and activities aimed at ensuring the exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. They further reaffirmed their strict adherence to the principles of non-interference and non-intervention in the internal and external atfairs of the Palestinian people and the right of the PLO to free and independent decision-making. 132. The Ministers stressed anew the necessity for the early convening of the International Peace Conference on the Middle East, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 38/58 C. They expressed the hope that the United States of America and Israel- would reconsider their negative attitude in this respect. They further stressed that every encouragement and support should be extended to the United Nations Secretary-General to pursue his consultations to this end, and expressed their appreciation of the endeavours of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. 133. Condemning Israeli policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian and Arab territories, the Ministers reaffirmed their adherence to previous decisions of the Non-Aligned Countries urging action against Israel by the Non-Aligned Countries, the Security Council and the international community. ot~er 134. Finally, the Ministers reaffirmed that the Arab Peace Plan proclaimed at Fez in 1982, and reaffirmed by participants at the Extraordinary Summit Meeting held in Casablanca in August 1985, constitutes an important contribution to the establishment of a comprehensive, just and durable peace in the Middle East. B. Action taken by the Committee in accordance with General Assembly resolutions 38/58 Band 39/49 B 1. Co-operation with non-governmental organizations 135. A number of activities were undertaken by the Committee and by the Division for Palestinian Rights, under the Committee's gUidance, in implementation of the objective of further increasing co-operation with non-governmental organizations active on the question of Palestine. -21- 136. A symposium for Non-Governmental Organizations on the Question of Palestine was held in Geneva from 3 to 4 November 1984, to discuss inter alia future co-operation between the Committee and the NGO community, and NGO participation in the observance of the International Day of Solidarity on 29 November. 137. The Symposium was attended by 15 experts, members of the Interim Co-ordinating Committee of NGOs, and made a number of recommendations for future action. In particular, it elaborated the text of an international petition in support of the proposed International Peace Conference on the Middle East, which was subseauently launched by NGO representatives on 29 November at United Nations observances held in New York, Geneva and Vienna (see annex 111). 138. Following the adoption of resolution 39/49 B, the Committee included in its programme of work tor 1985, the holding of regional symposia for NGOs in North America, Asia and Africa, and of an international NGO meeting, to be preceded by a preparatory meeting. 139. The Committee further decided to emphasize the proposed International Peace Conference on the Middle East in ~ll its activities relating to NGOs. 140. The preparatory meeting for the International NGO Meeting took the form of a seminar for 15 experts, members of the Interim Co-ordinating Committee of NGOs, and was held at Geneva on 4 and 5 March 1985. The seminar reviewed actions undertaken by the Committee and NGOS, with special reference to the progress achieved in the signature campaign. It also discussed plans for the international NGO meeting and adopted its provisional agenda. 141. The United Nations Asian Reqional NGO Symposium on the Question of Palestine was held at New Delhi from 1 to 3 May 1985; the North American Regional NGO Symposium at New York from 10 to 12 JUly 1985 and the African Regional NGO Symposium at Dakar from 5 to 7 August 1985. 142. The Committee noted with appreciation that the symposia adopted declarations endorsinq the global signature campaiqn in support of the proposed International Peace Conference on the ~Iiddle East and expressing the determination of NGOs to work for a greater understanding of, and support fo'r, the question of Palestine in their region (see annexes V, VIII and IX). 143. ~he International NGO Meeting was held. at Geneva from 9 to 12 September 1985. The Committ0e noted with appreciation that the Meeting concluded its work by the adoption of a declaration which is annexed to the present report (~ee annex X) · 2. Seminars 144. In its programme of work for 1985, the Committee decided that regional seminars would be held in Asia and Latin America. In addition, the Committee decided to hold a regional seminar in North America in accordance with General Assembly resolution 36/120 B, and to combine that seminar with a symposium for North American NGOs. 145. The Committee further decided that all seminars held in 1985 would give priority attention to the convening of the proposed International Peace Conference on the Middle East. -22- 146. The Committee appreciated the decision of t.he Government of China, a permanent member of the Security Council, to provide the venue for the Tenth United Nations Seminar on the Question of Palestine, which was held in Beijing from 22 to 26 April 1985. The report of that Seminar is an~exed to the present report (see annex IV). 147. The Committee also appreciated the decision of the Government of Guyana, a member of the Committee, to provide the venue for the Eleventh United Nations Seminar on the Question of Palestine, Which was hl~ld at Georgetown from 17 to 20 June 1985. The report of that Seminar is anne~ed to the present report (see annex VI). 148. The Twelfth United Nations Seminar nn the Question of Palestine was held at United Nations Headquarters in New York on 8 and 9 July 1985. The report of that Seminar is annexed to the present report (see annex VII). 3. Studies 149. The Committee noted with appreciation that, in pursuance of the programme of work for 1985, the Division for Palestinian Rights of the Secretariat had published the following additional studies: NGO activities on the question of Palestine at the United Nations; Living conditions of the Palestinian people. 150. The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People was duly observed by the United Nations on 29 November 1984 at its Headquarters in New York and at the United Nations Offices at Geneva and Vienna. The Committee noted with appreciation that ·the day had been equally commemorated in many other cities throughout the world in 1984. -23- V. ACTION TAKEN BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INFORMATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION 39/49 C 151. By resolution 39/49 C of 11 December 1984, the General Assembly requested the Department of Public Information (DPI), in full co-operation with the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian people, to: (a) continue the implementation of all part~ of General Assembly resolution 38/58 E; Cb) disseminate all information on the activities of the United Nations system relating.to Palestine; (c) expand and update publications and aUdio-visual material on the facts and developments pertaining to the question of palestine; (d) publish newsletters and articles in its respective pUblications on Israeli violations of the human rights of the Arab inhabitants of the occupied territories; (e) organize fact-finding missions to the area for journalists; (f) organize regional and national encounters for journalists. 152. The Committee noted with appreciation that during the past year, DPI continued its information programme on the question of Palestine in accordance with resolutions 38/58 E of 1983 and 39/49 C of 1984 with a view to furthering the world-wide dissemination of accurate and comprehensive information on the Question. The information programme included publications, aUdio-visual coverage, a fact-finding mission for journalists and a series of national and regional journalists' encounters. 153. In pUblication activity, the Department continued to disseminate information on the Question of Palestine through articles, press releases and special pUblications. In particular, it published a pamphlet entitled The Work of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Population of the Occupied Territories. After a brief introduction on the Committee's establishment in 1968 and its mandate, the pamphlet focuses on the 1984 report of the Committee to the General Assembly. The provisions ot the eight resolutions adopted by the General Assembly in 1984 on the Committee's report are also summarized. The l2-page pamphlet is to be made available in Arabic, English, French, German and Spanish. 154. The UN Chronicle reported on the consideration given to the Question of Palestine by the General Assembly at its thirty-ni~th session. Its first issue of 1985 contained an article detailing the work of the United Nations Relief and works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and an accompanying interview with the Agency's Commissioner-General. An article on United Nations assistance to the Palestinian people appeared in the September 1984 issue of Development Forum. 155. DPI coverage ot the question of Palestine inclUded radio news programmes broadcast in all the otficial languages of the United Nations, as well as in many other languages. The SUbject was also addressed by special feature programmes. In its work of expanding and updating its audio and visual coverage of the Question ot Palestine, DPI is making preparations for the production of a short film on the SUbject. 156. Activities which focused on acquainting the media with the facts and developments pertaining to the question of Palestine included a fact-finding mission to the Middle East. A team of prominent media persons from around the world visited Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan and the Syrian Arab Republic from 1 to 18 April 1985. The participants met leading personalities and visited refugee camps. -24- 157. The purpose of the mission was to provide an opportunity for members of the team to acauaint themselves with first-hand and in-depth information regarding the various aspects of the Palestinian auestion. Tne mission received extensive media coverage in all the countries it visited and participants published numerous articles on their return to their home countries. 158. In 1985, as in 1984, DPI organized two regional journalists' encounters, bringing high-level journalists together with experts on the question of Palestine. An encounter for the North American~Caribbean ~egion was held at Bridgetown in February 1985, and another for Asian journalists was held in Jakarta in May 1985. 159. The objective of these encounters was to promote a better understanding ot the question among leaders of the media by bringing tnem together with experts on the subject tor brief, informal discussions. Accordingly, around 15 high-level journalists from the press, radio and television media participated in each encounter. The journalists were impressed by the high calibre ot the panelists and by the informal and candid character of the presentations made. It was their belief that the encounter, which they tound usetul, informative and interesting, had greatly increased their knowledge of the subject. 160. As requested by resolution 39/49 C, DPI in 1985 began organlzlng national encounters in which a team of expert panelists held meetings, in the form of in-depth press conferences, with national journalists in various countries. Three African journalists' encounters were held between 24 July and 7 August, in Egypt, Madagascar and Senegal. Ruropean national encounters were held in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, France, and Czechoslovakia, between 21 and 29 August. 161. United Nations information centres throughout the world continued to carry out information activities in connection with the question of Palestine and made available to the pUblic United Nations pUblications on the subject. The centres also organized the world-wide observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on 29 November 1984. 162. At Headquarters and in the information centres, the Department continued to scr~en the films "Palestinian People do have Rights" and "Palestinians of 1983". More than 100 copies of the films have been distributed in four languages among the information centres and the offices of the United Nations Development Proqramme. -25- VI. RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMITTEE 163. The Comm ittee conte nds that action is now requi red by the Secur ity Coun cil to take posit ively into accou nt the recom menda tions of the Comm ittee, and those adopt ed by conse nsus at the Inter natio nal Confe rence on the Quest ion of Pales tine, held at Genev a in Septe mber 1983 and endor sed by Gener al Assem bly resol ution 38/58 C. It once again recal ls that those recom menda tions are solid ly found ed on funda menta l and intern ation ally recog nized princ iples relati ng to the proble m of Pales tine, the core of the Arab -Israe li confl ict. 164. The Comm ittee there fore annex es its recom menda tions and those of the Genev a Inter natio nal Confe rence to the prese nt repor t (see annex es I and 11). 165. The Comm ittee stres ses that its origi nal recom menda tions were speci ficall y desig ned to enabl e the Pales tinian peopl e to attain its inalie nable right s, as affirm ed in Gener al Assem bly resol ution 3236 (XXIX). 166. The Comm ittee also stres ses that the Inter natio nal Confe rence on the Quest ion of Pales tine held at Genev a in 1983 conta ined speci fic guide lines for the achiev ement of a comp rehen sive, just and lastin g solut ion to the Arab -Israe li confl ict, of which an essen tial eleme nt would be the estab lishm ent of an indep enden t Pales tinian State in Pales tine. Those gUide lines were endor sed by the Gener al Assem bly in its resol ution 38/58 C, and reaffi rmed in resol ution 39/49 0, which , inter alia, urged all Gover nment s to make addit ional const ructiv e effor ts and to streng then their polit ical will in order to conve ne the Confe rence witho ut delay and for the achiev ement of its peace ful objec tives . 167. The Comm ittee stron gly point s out that the quest ion of Pales tine has reach ed a criti cal phase and urges a renew ed, conce ntrate d and colle ctive effor t to find a just solut ion under Unite d Natio ns auspi ces and on the basis of relev ant Unite d Natio ns resol ution s to end the unacc eptab le pligh t of the Pales tinian peopl e. 168. To this end, the Comm ittee is convi nced that the Inter natio nal Peace Confe rence on the Middl e East, as endor sed in Gener al Assem bly resol ution 38/58 C, and gener ating quasi- unani mous suppo rt, provi des a comp rehen sive oppor tunity for all the parti es conce rned to parti cipat e in negot iation s which shoul d lead to a just and lastin g solut ion of the quest ion. 169. The Comm ittee expre sses appre ciatio n and is encou raged by the respo nses it has receiv ed so far in the cours e of its offio ial visit s to the capit als of a number of State s members of the Secur ity Coun cil. The Comm ittee inten ds to comp lete the proce ss of sendin g deleg ation s to the capit als of the other members of the Coun cil in the year ahead . 170. The Comm ittee recommends that the Gener al Assem bly shoul d renew the manda te of the Secre tary-G enera l, with a sense of urgen cy, askin g him to conti nue his conta cts on the prepa ration s ir consu ltatio n with the Secur ity Coun cil for the conve ning of the propo sed Confe rence , and appea ls to all count ries to exert their best effor ts for its succe ssful and peace ful outcom e. 171. The Comm ittee also belie ves it shoul d contin ue to conso lidate its incre ase aware ness and under stand ing af the quest ion of Pales tine, and Comm ittee's recom menda tions, and those of the Inter natio nal Confe rence Quest ion of Pales tine, speci ficall y desig ned to enabl e the Pales tinian -26effor ts to of the on the peopl e to attain its inalienable rights, as well as to achieve peace in the Middle East, with due regard for the legitimate concerns of all the parties to the conflict in the reqion. 172. The Committee is pleased and greatly encouraged by the widespread understanding it has already secured, and the favourable reaction of non-qovernmental orqanizations and other organizations through which public 0plnlon is manifested. The Committee intends to review its programme for the future in the light of experience gained and progress achleved. Notes 1/ The Committee is composed of the following members: Afghanistan, Cuba, Cyprus, German Democratic RepUblic, Guinea, Guyana, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Nigeria, Pakistan, Romania, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and Yuqoslavia. ~/ Official Records of the General Assembly, Thirty-first Session, Supplement No. ~ (A/3l/35). 1/ Ibid., Tbirty-second Session, Supplement NO. 35 (A/32/35); ~., Thirty-third Session, Supplement No. 35 (A/33/35 and Corr.l); ~., Thirty-fourth Session, Supplement No. 35 (A/34/35 and Corr.l); ~., Thirty-fifth Session, Supplement No. 3$ (A/35/35 and Corr.l); ibid., Thirty-sixth Session, Supplement No. 35 (A/36/35); ibid., Thirty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 35 (A/37/35 and CorL.I); ~., Thirty-eighth Session, Supplement No. 35 (A/38/35); and ~., Thirty-ninth Session, Supplement No. 35 (A/39/35). i/ The observers of the Committee are as follows: Algeria, China, Czechoslovakia, Ecuador, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Mauritania, Morocco, Nicaragua, Niger, Sri Lanka, Syrian Arab Republic, United Arab Emirates, Viet Nam, League of Arab States and Organization of the Islamic Conference. The Palestine Liberation Organizatlon, as the representative of the Palestinian people, the principal party to the question of Palestine, is also an observer. 2/ Current membership of the Working Group is as follows: Afghanistan, Cuba, German Democratic Republic, GUinea, Guyana, India, Malta, Pakistan, Senegal, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and, as representative of the people directly concerned, the Palestine Liberation Organization. -27- ANNEX I Recom menda tions of the Comm ittee endor sed by the Gener al Assem bly at its thirt y-fir st sessio n ~I I. Basic consi derat ions and guide lines 59. The Quest ion of Plest ine is at the heart of the Middl e East proble m, and conse quent ly, the Comm ittee stress ed its belie f that no solut ion in the Middl e East can be envisa ged which does not fUlly take into acc~u nt the legiti mate aspir ation s ef the Pales tinian peopl e. 60. The legiti mate and inalie nable right s of the Pales tinian peopl e to return to their homes and prope rty and to achie ve self-d eterm inatio n, natio nal indep enden ce and sover eignt y are endor sed by the Comm ittee in the convi ction that the full imple menta tion of these right s will contr ibute decis ively to a comp rehen sive and final settle ment of the Middl e East crisi s. The parti cipat ion of the Pales tine Liber ation Organ izatio n, the repre senta tive of the Pales tinian peopl e, on an equal footin g with other parti es, on the basis of Gener al Assem bly resol ution s 3236 (XXIX) and 3375 (XXX) is indisp ensab le in all effor ts, delib eratio ns and confe rence s in the Middl e East which are held under the auspi ces of the Unite d Natio ns. 61. 62. The Comm ittee recal ls the tunda menta l princ iple of the inadm issibi lity of the acqui sition of territ ory by force and stres ses the conse quent oblig ation tor comp lete and speed y evacu ation ot any territ ory so' occup ied. 63. The Comm ittee consi ders that it is the duty and respo nsibi lity of all conce rned to enabl e the Pales tinian s to exerc ise their inalie nable right s. 64. The Comm ittee recom mends an expan ded and more influ entia l role by the Unite d Natio ns in its organ s in promo ting a just solut ion to the quest ion of Pales tine and in the imple menta tion of such a solut ion. The Secur ity Coun cil, in parti cular , shoul d take appro priate actio n to facil itate the exerc ise by the Pales tinian s of their right to return to their homes , lands and prope rty. The Comm ittee, furthe rmore , urges the Secur ity Coun cil to promo te actio n towar ds a just solut ion, taking into accou nt all the power s confe rred on it by the Chart er of the Unite d Natio ns. It is with this persp ectiv e in view and on the basis of the numer nus resol ution s of the Unite d Natio ns, after due consi derat ion of all "the facts , propo sals and sugge stions advan ced in the cours e of its delib eratio ns, that the Comm ittee subm its its recom menda tions on the moda lities for the imple menta tion of the exerc ise ot the inalie nable right s of the Pales tinian peopl e. 65. 11. The right of return 66. The natur al and inalie nable right of Pales tinian s to return to their homes is recog nized by resol ution 194 (Ill) , which the Gener al Assem bly has reatfi rmed almos t every year since its adopt ion. This right was also unani mousl y recog nized by the Secur ity Coun cil in its resol ution 237 (1967 ); the time for the urgen t imple menta tion of these resol ution s is long overd ue. -28- 67. Without preJudice to the right of all Palestinians to return to their homes, lands and property, the Committee considers that the programme of implementation of the exercise of this right may be carried out in two phases: Phase one 68. The tirst phase involves the return to their homes of the Palestinians displaced as a result of the war of June 1967. The Committee recommends that: (i) The Security Council should request the immediate implementation of its resolution 237 (1967) and that such implementation should not be related to any other condition; The resources of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and/or of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, suitably financed and mandated, may be employed to assist in the solution of any logistical problems involved in the resettlement of those returning to their homes. These agencies could also assist, in co-operation with the host countries and the Palestine Liberation Organization, in the identification of the displaced Palestoinians. (ii) Phase two 69. The second phase deals with the return to their homes of the Palestinians displaced between 1948 and 1967. The Committee recommends that: (i) While the first phase is being implemented, the United Nations in co-operation with the States directJy involved, and the Palestine Liberation Organization as the interim representative of the Palestinian entity, should proceed to make the necessary arrangements to enable Palestinians displaced between 1948 and 1967 to exercise their right to return to their homes and property, in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions, particularly General Assembly resolution 194 (Ill); Palestinians not choosing to return to their homes should be paid just and equitable compensation as provided for in Assembly resolution 194 (UI). Ill. The right to self-determination, national independence and sovereignty tii) 70. The Palestinian people has the inherent right to self-determination, national independence and sovereignty in Palestine. The Committee considers that the evacuation of the territories occupied by force and in violation of the p~inciples of the Charter and relevant resolutions of the United Nations is a conditio sine qua non for the exercise by the Palestinian people of its inalienable rights of Palestinians to their homes and property and with the establishment of an independent Palestinian entity, the Palestinian people will be able to exercise its rights to self-determination and to decide its form of government without external interference. -29- 71. The Committee also feels that the United Nations has an historical duty and responsibility to render all assistance necessary to promote the economic development and prosperity of the Palestinian entity. 72. To these ends, the Co~~ittee recommends that: (a) A timetable should be established by the Security Council for the complete withdrawal by Israeli occupation forces from those areas occupied in 1967; such withdrawal should be completed no later than 1 June 1977; (b) The Security Council may need to provide temporary peace-keeping forces in order to facilitate the process of withdrawal; (c) Israel should be requested by the Security Council to desist from the establishment of new settlements and to withdraw during this period from settlements established since 1967 in the occupied territories. Arab property and all essential services in these areas should be maintained intact; (d) Israel should also be requested to abide scrupulously by the provlslons of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of war, of 12 August 1949 and to declare, pending its speedy withdrawal from these territories, its recognition of the applicability of that Convention; (e) The evacuated territories, with all property and services intact, should be taken over by the United Nations, which with the co-operation of the League ot Arab States, will subsequently hand over these evacuated areas to the Palestine Liberation Organization as the representative of the Palestinian people; (f) The United Nations should, if necessary, assist in establishing communications between Gaza and the west Bank; (g) As soon as the independent Palestinian entity has been established, the United Nations, in co-operation with the States directly involved and the Palestinian entity, should, taking into account General Assembly resolution 3375 (XXX), make further arrangements for the full implementation of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, the resolution of outstanding problems and the establishment of a just and lasting peace in the reglon, in accordance with all relevant Uni~ed Nations resolutions; jh) The United Nations should provide. the economic and technical assistance necessary for the consolidation of the Palestinian entity. Notes !I Official Records ot the General Assembly, Thirty-second Session, Supplement No. 35 (A/32/35). -30- ANNEX II A. Geneva Declaration on Palestine ~/ In pursuance of General Assembly resolutions 36/120 C of 10 December 1981, ES-7/7 of 19 August 1982 and 37/86 C of 10 December 1982, an International Conference on the Question of Palestine was convened at the United Nations Office at Geneva from 29 August to 7 September 1983 to seek effective ways and means to enable the Palestinian people to attain and to exercise their inalienable rights. The Conference was opened by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Javier Perez de Cuellar, and presided over by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Senegal, Moustapha Niasse. *** 1. The Conference, having thoroughly considered the question of Palestine in all its aspects, expresses the grave concern of all nations and peoples regarding the international tension that has persisted for several decades in the Middle East, the principal cause of which is the denial by Israel, and those supporting its expansionist policies, of the inalienable legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. The Conference reaffirms and stresses that a just solution of the question of Palestine, the core of the problem, is the crucial element in a comprehensive, just and lasting political settlement in the Middle East. 2. The Conference recognizes that, as one of the most acute and complex problems of our time, the question of Palestine - inherited by the United Nations at the time of its establishment - requires a comprehensive, just and lasting political settlement. This settlement must be based on the implementation of the relevant United Nations resolutions concerning the question of Palestine and the attainment of the legitimate, inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including the right 'to self-determination and the right to the establishment of its own independent State in Palestine and should also be based on the provision by the Security Council of guarantees for peace and security among all States in the region, including the independent Palestinian State, within secure and internationally recognized boundaries. The Conference is convinced that the attainment by the Palestinian people of their inalienable rights, as defined by General Assembly resolution 3236 (XXIX) of 22 November 1974, will contribute sUbstantially to the achievement of peace and stability in the Middle East. 3. The Conference considers the role of the United Nations in the achievement of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East to be essential and paramount. It emphasizes the need for respect for, and application of, the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations, the resolutions of the United Nations relevant to the question of Palestine and the observance of the principles of international law. 4. The Conference considers that the various proposals, consistent with the principles of international law, which have been presented on this question, such as the Arab peace plan adopted unanimously at the Twelfth Arab Summi~ Conference (see A/37/696-S/15510, annex), held at Fez, Morocco, in September 1982, should serve as guidelines for concerted international effort to resolve the question of Palestine. These guidelines include the following: -31- (a) The attainment by the Palestinian people of its legitimate inalienable rigtts, including the right to return, the right to self-determination and the right to establish its own independent State in Palestine; (b) The right of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the representative of the Palestinian people, to participate on an equal footing with other parties in all efforts, deliberations and conferences on the Middle East; i (c) The need to put an end to Israel's occupation of the Arab territories, in [; accordance w': th t·he principle of the inadmissibility of the acquisition of f territory by force, and, consequently, the need to secure Israeli withdrawal from , the territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem; 1·' I' (d) The need to oppose and reject such Israeli policies and practices in the occupied territories, including Jerusalem, and any de facto situation created by Israel as are contrary to international law and relevant United Nations resolutions, particularly the establishment of settlements, as these policies and practices constitute maJor obstacles to the achievement of peace in the Middle East; (e) The need to reatfirm as null and void all legislative and administrative measures and actions taken by Israel, the occupying Power, which have altered or purported to alter the character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem, including the expropriation of land and property situated thereon, and in particular the so-called "Basic Law" on Jerusalem and the proclamation of Jerusalem f: as the capital ot Israel; I i (f) The right ot all States in the region to existence within secure and internationally recognized boundaries, with justice and security for all the i i' people, the sine qua non of which is the recognition and attainment of the I~ legitimate, inalienable rights of the Palestinian people as stated in sUbparagraph (a) above. 5. In order to give effect to these guidelines, the Conference considers it essential that an international peace conference on the Middle East be convened on the basis of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the relevant resolutions of the United Nations, with the aim of achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, an essential element of which would be the establishment of an independent Palestinian State in Pale5tine. This peace conference should be convened under the auspices of the United Nations, with the participation of all parties to the Arab--Israeli conflict, including the Palestine Liberation Organization, as well as the United States of America, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and other concerned States, on. an equal footing. In this context the Security Council has a primary responsibility to create appropriate institutional arrangements on the basis of relevant United Nations resolutions in order to guarantee and to carry out the accords of the international peace conference. ~ ~ ~ t [ f 6. The International Conference on the Question of Palestine emphasizes the importance of the time factor in achieving a just solution to the problem of Palestine. The Conference is convinced that partial solutions are inadequate and delays in seeking a comprehensive solution do not eliminate tensions in the region. -32- B. Programme of Action for the Achievement of Palestinian Rights The International Conference on the Question of Palestine agreed that no effort should be spared to seek effective ways and means to enable the Palestinian people to attain and exercise their rights in Palestine in accordance with th~ Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights ~I and the principles of inte17national law. The Conference, taking into consideration the Geneva Declaration on Palestine (see sect. A above), recommended the following Programme of Action. "I The International Conference on the Question of Palestine recommends that all States, indiVidually or collectively, consistent with their respective constitutions and their obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and in conformity with the principles of international law, should: Recognize the great importance of the time factor in solving the auestion of Palestine; (1) (2) Intensify efforts for the establishment of an independent Palestinian State within the framework of a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, the relevant United Nations resolutions and the guidelines of the Geneva Declaration on Palestine; (3) Consider the continued presence of Israel in the occupied Palestinian and other Arab territories, including Jerusalem, as exacerbating instability in the region and endangering international peace and security; (4) Oppose and reject, as a serious and continuing obstacle to peace, the expansionist policies pursued by Israel in the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied since 1967, inclUding Jerusalem, and in particular the ~lteration of the geographic nature and demographic composition, and the Israeli attempt to alter, through domestic legislation, the legal status of those territories, and all the measures taken in violation of the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of war, £! and the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of war, 21 both of 12 August 1949, and of the Hague Regulations of 1907, el such as the establishment and expansion of ,settlements, the transfer of Israeli civilians into those territories and the individual and mass transfers therefrom of the Arab Palestinian population; (5) Refrain from providing Israel with assistance of such a nature as to encourage it militarily, economically and financially to continue its aggression, occupation and disregard of its obligations under the Charter and the relevant resolutions of the United Nations; \ (6) N~t encourage migration to the occupied Arab territories until Israel has put a definitive end to the implementation of its illegal policy of establishing settlements in the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied since 1967; -33- (7) Fully comply with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations and its specialized agencies on the Holy City of Jerusalem, including those which reject Israel's annexation of Jerusalem and its declaration of that city as its capital; (8) Clndertake universal efforts to protect the Holy Places and urge Israel to take measures to prevent their desecration; (9) Consider ways and means of meeting the threat that Israel poses to regional security in Africa in view of Israel's disregard of United Nations resolutions, and its close collaboration with the apartheid regime in the economic, military and nuclear fields, thereby contributing to the continued illegal occupation of Namibia and enhancing the regime's repressive and aggressive capacity; (10) Encourage, through bilateral and multilateral contacts, all States, includinq western European and North American States which have not done so, to welcome all peace initiatives based on the recognition of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, which were also welcomed by Chairman Yasser Arafat in his address to the International Conference on the Question of Palestine; (11) Seek and develop ways and means to enable the Palestinian people to exercise sovereignty over their national resources; (l2) Express concern that Israel debars Palestinians from economic activity and access to national resources on Palestinian territory, in consistent Violation of General Assembly resolutions on the right of the Palestinians to permanent sovereignty over their national resources; (13) Declare null and void and counter such measures and practices applied by Israel in the occupied Palestinian and other Arab territories, including Jerusalem, as the annexation and the expropriation of land, water resources, and property and the alteration of the demographic, geographic, historical and cultural features thereof; (14) Undertake measures to alleviate the economic and social burdens borne by the Palestinian people as a result of the continued Israeli occupation of their territories since 1967; (15) Consider contributing or increasing special contributions to the proposed budgets, programmes and projects of the relevant organs, funds and agencies of the United Nations system that have been requested to prOVide humanitarian, economic and social assistance to the Palestinian people, with particular reference to: (a) General Assembly resolution 33/147 of 20 December 1978 and the appeal of the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme at its thirtieth session for additional special contributions amounting to at least $8 million during the third programming cycle (1982-1986) aimed at helping to meet the economic and social needs of the Palestiniari people; !I (b) The proposed programme budget of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development for the biennium 1984/85 regarding the establishment within the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development of a special economic unit, g/ as reauested by that Conference at its sixth session at Belgrade; ~/ -34- (c) Establishing a special legal aid fund to assist Palestinians in securing their rights under conditions of occupation, 1/ in accordance with the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of war; (16) Ensure that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East can meet the essential needs of the Palestinians without interruption or any diminution in the effectiveness of its services; (17) Review the situation of Palestinian women in the occupied Palescinian and other Arab territories and, in view of their special hardships, urge the Preparatory Committee of the world Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women, to be held at Nairobi in 1985, to include this item on the agenda of the Conterence; (18) Review, if they have not yet done so, in conformity with their national legislation, their economic, cultural, technical and other relations with Israel, and the agreements governing them with the aim of ensuring that these regulations and agreements will not be interpreted or construed as implying in any way recognition of any modification of the legal status of Jerusalem and ot the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967, or an acceptance of Israel's illegal presence in those territories; (19) Recognize that the process of enabling the Palestinian people to exercise its inalienable rights in Palestine is a significant contribution to the restoration of the rule of law in international relations; (20) Assure the observance of the stipulations provided in General Assembly resolution 181 (11) guaranteeing to all persons eaual and non-discriminatory rights in civil, political, economic and religious matters and the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of religion, speech, pUblication, education, assembly and association; (21) Express concern that the laws applic~ble in the occupied Arab territories have been totally eclipsed by a plethora of military orders that have been designed to establish a new 'legal regime' in violation of the Hague Reg~lations of 1907, and the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War; (22) Act in accordance with their obligations under existing international law, in particular with regard to the Geneva Conve~tions of 1949 which require States Parties to respect and to ensure respect for those Conventions in all circumstances, and in particular ensure the respect by Israel for the Geneva Conventions of 1949 in the occupied Palestinian and other Arab territories; (23) Express concern that the Palestinians and other Arabs in the occupied territories are deprived of juridical and other kinds of protection, that they are victims ot repreSSive legislation, involving mass arrests, acts of torture, destruction of houses, and, the expulsion of people from their homes, acts which constitute flagrant violations of human rights; (24) Recognize the necessity that Palestinian and Lebanese prisoners detained by Israel be accorded the status of prisoners of war in accordance with th~ Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War of 1949, £/ if combatants, or in accordance with the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 1949, ~/ it civilians; -35- (25) Strive tor the adoption of international meaEures so that Israel will implement in the West Bank and Gaza the provisions of the Hague Regulations of 1907 and the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons, in the light of Security Council resolution 465 (1980); (26) Recognize, if they have not yet done so, the Palestine Liberation Organization as the representative of the Palestinian people and establish with it appropriate relations; (27) Encourage, in conformity with their national legislations, the formation of national committees in support of the Palestinian people; (28) Encourage the observance of 29 November as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, in a most etfective and meaningful way; (29) Request the General Assembly at its thirty-eighth session to designate a Year of Palestine, to be observed at the earliest possible time, taking into consideration the factors necessary to ensure its effective preparation for the purpose of galvanizing world-wide public opinion and support for further implementation of the Geneva Declaration on Palestine and the Programme of Action. "11 The International Conference on the Question of Palestine stresses the obligation of all Member States, under the Charter of the United Nations, to enable the United Nations through an expanded and more effective role to fulfil its responsibility for achieving a solution to the question of Palestine. To this end: !lA States participating in the Conference invite the Security Council, as the organ with primary responsibility for the maintenance of internatibnal peace and security: (1) To suppress continuing and growing acts of aggression and other breaches of the peace in the Middle East which endanger peace and security in the region and the world as a whole; (2) To take prompt, firm and effective steps and actions to establish an independent sovereign Palestinian State in Palestine through the. implementation of the relevant United Nations resolutions, by facilitating the organization of the internatio~al peace conference on the Middle East, as called for in paragraph 5 of the Geneva Declaration on Palestine (see sect. A above), and by creating in this context the appropriate institutional arrangements on the basis of relevant United Nations resolutions in order to guarantee and carry out the accords of the international peace conference, including the following: (a) Taking measures consistent With the principle of the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force to ensure Israel's withdrawal from the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem, with a specific t',metable; -36- (b) Undertaking effective measures to guarantee the safety and security and legal and human rights of the Palestinians in the occupied territories pending the withdrawal of the Israeli forces trom the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied by.lsrael since 1967, including Jerusalem; (c) SUbjecting those territories, following the withdrawal of Israel, to a short transitional period, under the supervision of the United Nations, during which period the Palestinian people would exercise its right to self-determination; (d) Facilitating the implementation of the right to return of the Palestinians to their homes and property; (e) Supervising elections to the constituent assembly of the independent Palestinian State in which all Palestinians shall participate, in exercise of their right to self-determination; (f) Providing, if necessary, temporary peace-keeping forces in order to facilitate the implementation of sUbparagraphs (a) to (e) above. "B Meanwhile the Security Council is also invited to: (1) Take urgent action to bring about an immediate and complete cessation of such Israeli policies in the occupied territories and, in particular, the establishment of settlements as have been determined by the Security Council to have no legal validity and as a serious obstruction to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East; (2) Consider urgently the reports of the Commission established under its resolution 446 (1979) of 22 March 1979, which examined the situation concerning settlements in the Arab territories occupied since 1967, inclUding Jerusalem, and to reactivate the alX>ve-mentioned Commission; (3) Initiate action to terminate Israel's exploitative polities which go against the indigenous economic development of the occupied territories, and to compel Israel to lift i.ts restrictions on water use and well-drilling by Palestinian farmers as well as its diversion of West Bank water resources into the Israeli water grid system; (4) Keep under its consta~t attention the actions committed by Israel against the Palestinian people in violation of the stipulations prOVided for in relevant General Assembly resolutions, in particular the stipulations of resolution 181 (11) of 29 November 1947 guaranteeing to all persons equal and non-discriminatory rights and freedoms; (5) Consider, in the event of Israel's persistent non-compliance with the relevant United Nations resolutions which embody the will of the international community, appropriate measures in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, to ensure Israel's compliance with these resolutions. -37- nc (1) Takin g into accou nt the recom menda tions of the five regio nal prepa ratory meeti ngs of the Inter natio nal Confe rence on the Quest ion of Pales tine iI and Unite d Nat10 ns resol ution s conce rning econo assis tance to the Pales tinian peopl e, the Secre tary-G enera mic and socia l l of the Unite d Nati~ ns is reque sted to conve ne a meeti ng of the speci alize d agenc ies and other organ izatio ns assoc iated with the Unite d Natio ns, as well as repre senta tives of the Pales tine Liber ation Organ izatio n and of those coun tries which are hosts to Pales tinian refug ees and other poten tial sourc es of assis tance to devel op a co-or dinat ed programme of econo mic and socia l assis tance to the Pales tinian peopl e and to ensur e its impl~ menta tion; (2) The meeti ng shoul d also look into the most effec tive inter- agenc y machi nery to co-or dinat e and susta in and inten sify Unite d Natio ns assis tance to the Pales tinian peopl e. "0 The dissem inatio n of accur ate and comp rehen sive inform ation world wide and the role of non-g overn menta l organ izatio ns and instit ution s remai n of vital impor tance in heigh tening aware ness of and suppo rt fOl the inalie nable right s of the Palestin~an peopl e to self-d eterm inatio n and to the estab lishm ent of an indep enden t sover eign Palestinia~ State . To these ends: (1) The Unite d N~'~ions Depar tment for Publi c Inform ation, in full co-op eratio n and const ant consu ltatio ns with the Comm ittee on the Exerc ise of the Inalie nable Right s of the Pales tinian Peopl e, shoul d: (a) Co-or dinate all inform ation activ ities of the Unite d Natio ns system on Pales tine throug h the Joint Unite d Natio ns Inform ation Comm ittee; (b) Expand pUbli cation s and audio and visua l cover age of the facts and of devel opme nts perta ining to the quest ion of Pales tine; (c) Publi sh news letter s and artic les in its respe ctive pUbli cation s on Israe li viola tions of human right s of the Arab inhab itants in the occup ied territ ories and organ izE fact~finding missi ons for journ alists to the area; (d) Organ ize regio nal encou nters for journ alists ; Disse minat e appro priate inform ation on the resul ts of the Confe rence on th~ Quest ion of Pales tine; (e) Inter natio ~al (2) The relev ant organ izatio ns of the Unite d Natio ns system sholll d organ ize meeti ngs, sympo sia and semin ars on topic s withi n their terms of refere nce and relati ng to speci fic proble ms of the Pales estab lishin g close r liaiso n with non-g overn menta l organ tinian peopl e by izatio ns, the media and othe~ group s inter ested in the quest ion of Pales tine. "Ill The Inter natio nal Confe rence co the Quest ion of Pales tine, convi nced of the impor tant role of world -wide publi c opini on in resolv ing the quest ion of Pales tine, and in the imple me"ta t.ion of the Decla ration and Programme of Actio n, ur.ges and encou rages : -38- (1) Intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to increase awareness by the international community of the economic and social burdens borne by the Palestinian people as a result of the continued Israeli occupation and its negative effects on the economic development of the West Asian region as a whole; (2) Non-governmental organizations and professional and popular associations to intensify their etforts to support the rights of the Palestinian people ial every possible way; (3) Organizations such as those of women, teachers, workers, youths and students to undertake exchanges and other programmes of joint action with their Palestinian counterparts; (4) women's associations, in particular, to investigate the conditions of Palestinian women and children in all occupied territories; (5) The media and other institutions to disseminate relevant information to increase pUblic awareness and understanding of the question of Palestine; Instittutions ot higher education to promote the study of the question of Palestine in all its aspects; (6) (7) Various jurists' associations to establish special investigative commissions to determine the violations by Israel of the Palestinians' legal rights and to disseminate their findings accordingly; (8) Jurists to initiate with their Palestinian counterparts consultations, research and investigations on the juridical aspects of problems affecting the southern African and Palestinian struggles, in particular the detention of political prisoners and the denial of prisoner-of-war status to detained members of the national liberation movements of southern Africa and Palestine; (9) Parliamentarians, political parties, trade unions, organizations for solidarity and intellectuals, particularly in Western Europe and North America, to join their counterparts in other parts of the world in giving their support, where it has not been done, to an initiative which would express the desire of the international community to see the Palestinian peopl~ at last living in their own independent homeland in peace, freedom and dignity." Notes ~/ See Report of the International Conference on the Question of Palestine, Geneva, 29 August-7 September 1983 (United Nations pUblication, Sales No. E.83.I.2l), chap. I. ~/ See General Assembly resolution 217 A (Ill). United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 75, No. 972, p. 135. ~., £I ~ No. 973, p. 287. -39- ~. (continued) !/ Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, The Hague Conventions and Declarations of 1899 and 1907 (New York, Oxford University Press, 1915), p. 100. 1/ See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 1983, Supplement No. 9 (E/1983/20). ~/ ~/ A/C.5/38/4, para. 8 (c). Recommendation 146 (VI) of 2 July 1983 of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. 1/ Recommendation 19 of the Latin American Regional Preparatory Meeting, Managua, Nicaragua, 12-15 April 1983 (A/CONF.114/2). African region, A/OONF.114/1; Latin American region, A/OONF.114/2; Western Asian region, A/CONF.114/3; Asian region, A/CONF.114/4; European region, A/OONF.U4/5. 1/ -40- ANNEX III United Nations Symposium for Non-Governmental organizations on the Question of Palestine (Geneva, 3-4 November 1984) NGO Appeal for an International Peace Conference on the Middle East (Statement read by the representative of the Interim Co-ordinating Committee on ?9 November 1984, International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People) 1. In August 1984, representatives of 98 non-governmental organiz~tions participating in the International NGo meeting on the Question of Palestine in Geneva called upon all peoples and Governments to take definitive steps to secure peace in the Arab-Israeli conflict, at the core of which is the question ot Palestine. Since ~hat momentous meeting, these organizations have recommitted themselves to this important quest. 2. As the representative of the Interim Co-ordinating Committee of Non-Governmental Organizations on the Question of Palestine for the non-qovernmental organizations that attended that meeting, I am here today to offer a global challenge. We believe that it is in the interest of all the world's peoples to secure qenuine peace in the Middle East. All our lives have been punctuated by war and the prospect of war emanatinq from that historic region. But these wars have brought neither peace nor security to the antagonists in the region. we must search for an alternative, sane path to peace with justice. 3. On this day, 29 November, the United Nations rightly calls for us to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and their struggle for self-determination and statehood. Today, in New York, Geneva and Vienna, and many other places in the world, a qlobal campaign is being launched to gather the signatures of the world's people~ in support of an International Peace Conference on the Middle East. we, the non-governmental organizations committed to the attainment of the rights of the Palestinian people and especially a just and lasting peace for all peoples in the Middle East, offer the following world petition: An Appeal for an International Peace Conference on the Middle East "The unresolved Arab/Israeli conflict, the core of which is the question of Palestine, and other Middle East conflicts pose a threat to world peace. "The Middle East is a nuclear-weapons zone. "The Middle East is one area in the world where a chain of events could lead to a Third World War. "Without contact among all parties concerned there can be no negotiation. Without negotiation, there can be no peace. -41- "we, the undersigned, recognize the right of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples to statehood and self-determination. We recognize the right of all States in the region to existence within secure and internationally recognized boundaries with justice and security for all the peoples of the region. We call for the convening ot an international peace conference on the Middle East attended by all parties to the conflict, including the representatives of Israel, the Palestine Liberation Organization, those Arab States party to the conflict, the United States of America and the Soviet Union, under the auspices of the United Nations as called for by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 38/58 C." 4. Through this petition we are declaring that there 1! an alternative to successive wars in the Middle East and the continued deprivation of the Palestinian people. We firmly believe that the process initiated by such a conference may begin to counter the misperception and mistrust that plague the region. We do believe that it is the first step in a sane process towards resolving them. 5. All the world's peoples are jeopardized by the threat of war. All the world's peoples are affected by the plight of the Palestinian people. All the world's peoples concerned with peace must also be concerned with justice. 6. Over the coming 12 months, non-governmental organizations around the world will be offering the people of their respective countries a chance to be peace-makers, to help restore the rights of suffering peoples by asking them to sign this petition. 7. On 29 November 1985, the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, the results of this massive campaign will be presented to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. 8. We ate well aware of the magnitUde of our project, but we are also painfully aware of the conseauences of not acting. We ask all of you to Join us in this auest to make peace in the Middle East a possibility through the promotion of genuine dialogue. That process could be set in motion by the convening of an International Conference on Peace in the Middle East. -42- ANNEX IV Report of the Tenth United Nations Seminar on the Question of Palestine (Beijing, 22-26 April 1985) 1. The Tenth United Nations Seminar on the Question of Palestine with the title liThe Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People" was held at the Fragrant Hill Hotel, West Beijing, People's Republic of China from 22 to 26 April 1985 in accordance with the terms of General Assembly resolution 38/58 B. Seven meetings were held and sixteen panelists presented papers on selected aspects of the Question of Palestine. 2. The United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People was represented by a delegation consisting of Mr. Massamba Sarre (Senegal), Chairman of the Committee; Mr. Victor J. Gauci (Malta), Rapporteur of the Committee; Mr. Zain Azraai (Malaysia); Mr. Mohamed Lessir (Tunisia); Mr. Zehdi L. Terzi. (Palestine Liberation Organization). Mr. Sarre was Chairman and Mr. Gauci Rapporteur of the Seminar. Opening statements 3. The opening session of the Tenth United Nations Seminar on the Question of Palestine was addressed by His Excellency Mr. Gang Biao, Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China, who had earlier received the representatives of the Committee and the Palestine Liberatio,:, Organization at a private meeting .· He stated that the purpose of the Seminar was to mobilize pUblic 0plnlon in the world, to support the just cause of the Palestinian people, and to explore ways and means for a just settlement of the Palestine question. Recognizing that this was an arduous task, he stressed that China remained prepared to work towards the achievement of this objective, and appealed to all peace-loving States and peoples to strive for positive results at an early date. 4. 5. In tracing the course of events in the Middle East, he contrasted Israel's policy of aggression and expansion with the heroic resistance of the Palestinian people and the ettorts made by the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Arab States to seek a just and reasonable solution to the question of Palestine. 6. The Fez Peace Plan, adopted in Septamberl982, had been welcomed and supported by the international community. The Palestine Liberation Orga~ization and the Arab countries were sincere in their efforts to seek peace in the Middle East. Unfortunately, Israel and its supporters have so far refused to recognize the national rights of the Palestinian people; this constituted the basic obstacle to peace in the Middle East. 7. The Chinese Government firmly supported the just struggle of the Palestinians and other Arab people and the basic principles affirmed by the relevant United Nations resolutions. Any effort which was conducive to the restoration of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and the recovery of the occupied Arab territories and was in conformity with an eQuitable solution to the Middle East Question, would receive the backing of the Chinese Government and its people. -43- 8. At the same opening session, Mr. Massamba Sarre, Chairman of the Committee, gave a brief account of the Committee's work to date. Be stressed the particular importance that the Committee attached to the seminars in the various regions. He indicated the Committee's conviction that objective information on the question of Palestine would help to ensure more comprehensive coverage of developments in the region, and promote public support in favour of an equitable and peaceful solution. Once all the facts surrounding the question of Palestine were known, the resultant better understanding of the question would help to convince even those who so far have been somewhat indifferent to the just cause of the Palestinian people. 9. The widely attended International Conference on the Question of Palestine held in 1983 in Geneva had formulated a ~umber of basic principles necessary for a SOlution, including the right of all States in the region to existence within secure and recognized boundaries and justice and security for all the people, including a future Palestinian State. That Conference had also recommended the convening of an International Peace Conference on the Middle East, under the auspices of the United Nations, with the participation on an equal footing of all the parties to the Arab-Israeli conflict, including the Palestine Liberation Organization - as the representative Of the people directly concerned - together with the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist RepUblics. 10. Strongly supported by the majority of the Member States of the United Nations, the Committee fUlly endorsed the importance of such a peace conference and had decided that this should be the main focus of its work programme in 1985. It had therefore decided that in all the seminars and symposia that it organized this year, there would be at least one panel which would deal exclusively with the auestion of the peace conference. 11. The Committee placed special emphasis on the development of pUblic 0plnlon on the auestion of Palestine. The views of several influential policy-makers who participated in the Seminar on the role of Asian public opinion, and wide dissemination of their views would assist the Committee and the entire membership of the United Nations in assessing what st-ill needed to be done in this field. 12. Mr. Shafiq AI-Bout, member of the Palestine National Council and head of the delegation of the Palestine Liberation Organization, conveyed a message from Mr. Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces of the Palestine Revolution. 13 ·. In his message, Chairman Arafat stated that the Palestinian cause had entered an even more dangerous phase as a result Of the intensitication of Israel's aggressive policies, supported by successive United States Administrations. These policies had as their sole aim the expulsion of the Palestinian people from their lands and homes. It was a part of Israel's declared policy not to withdraw from the occupied territories, not to return Jerusalem to Palestinian sovereignty, not to permit the establishment of a Palestinian State and not to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization. 14. The economic, financial and military aid provided by the United States to Israel's aggression hindered the observance of international law and denied the Palestinian people the exercise of its inalienable rights. 15. Despite these enormous challenges, the Palestinian people continued their heroic struggle and resistance to the hostile Israeli policies abetted by the United States. The hardships they endured would not impair their resolve to maintain their struggle which was gathering overwhelming support from all democratic and peace-loving forces. -44- 16. The Palestine Liberation Organization had availed itself of every opportunity to search for peace, and continued its efforts to achieve a joint Arab political plan aimed at the attainment of a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Middle East conflict. 17. Chairman Arafat expressed his profound gratitude for the valuable efforts of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, which had contributed to the clarification of the facts surrounding the cause of the Palestinian people. He also expressed his gratitude to Mr. Javier Perez de Cuellar, Secretary-General of the United Nations, and to all those who had worked for justice for the Palestinian people. 18. In conclusion, he reiterated the Palestine National Council's gratitude to the People's Republic of China, its leadership, its Party and its people, who were the very first nation to extend diplomatic recognition to the PLO and have unfailingly extended full support to the Palestinian cause. 19. At the same meeting, a statement was made by Mr. Abdul G. Koroma, Chairman of the United Nations Special Committee with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the ~ranting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. He opined that the decision of the General Assembly to hold this Seminar was not only a measure of the international community's rteep concern for the Palestinian people, but also a reflection of its recognition that a just solution of the Palestinian problem was of overriding importance in the search for a lasting settlement of the Middle East question. In this decision, the General Assembly thus had reatfirmed its commitment to the Palestinian people for the realization of their inalienable rights, and sought to enlighten and mobilize international pUblic opinion towards the attainment of the objectives of the United Nations on the question of Palestine. 20. The Special Com~ittee attaches particular significance to the mobilization of international opinion towards the attainment of self-determination for all people under alien and colonial domir,ation. The General Assembly had repeatedly called for the full and speedy exercise by the Palestinian people of their right to self-determination without external interference and to national independence and sovereignty as well as their right to return to their homes and property from which they hav~ been displaced and uprooted. 21. It was all the more important therefore for the international community to rededicate itself to the promotion of a genuine and lasting settlement of the Middle East conflict. Concerted action was necessary to persuade the supporters of Israel to induce it to respond to relevant United Nations resolutions and to the will of the international community on the question of Palestine. Recent events in the Middle East underline the heavy responsibility incumbent upon the international community to do everything in its power to preserve peace and security in the region. 22. Mr. Nihat Akyol, speaking on behalf of the United Nations Council for Namibia, stated that the question of Palestine could be compared to the problem of Namibia which had been controlled by South Africa in defiance of General Assembly and Security Council resolutions. In both instances, great suffering had been caused to many innocent people. The Palestinian people continued to be denied the fundamental and inalienable rights to live in liberty, peace and dignity in their own country. The international communi~y could not remain indifferent while Israel persisted in its acts of aggression against the Palestinian people and annexed the territories of its neiqhbouring States. -45- The United Nations Council for Namibia reaffirmed its adherence to the resolutions of the General Assembly relating to the rights of the Palestinian people. The Council for Namibia was also convinced that the persistent denial by Israel of the right of the Palestinian people to retur~ to their homeland was in violation of the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter as well as United Nations resolutions on the question of the rights of people under colonial domination. 23. 24. The Council for Namibia affirmed its solidarity with the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and condemned Israeli policies and plans aimed at driving the Palestinian people from its homeland. 25. The twin questions of Palestine and of Namibia haunted the conscience of the international community. Both questions had been on the agenda of the General Assembly of the United Nations for many years, and a solution had not yet been found. 26. This Seminar was an occasion to reaffirm the Council's solemn commitment and determination to be associated with the defence of a noble cause. South Africa and Israel should be compelled to conform to universally accepted norms and should be condemned for their defiance of world opinion. 27. Mr. Nabil Maarouf, Director of Holy Jerusalem and Palestine Department of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, speaking on behalf of Mr. Sayed Sharifuddin Pirzada, Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, stated that the organization had made it a point to participate in the series of regional seminars on the question of a Palestine organized by the United Nations, since these seminars were a valuable contribution towards making the cause of the Palestinian people better known to the world public. 28. The Organization of the Islamic Conference remained fUlly committed to all proposals and solutions that would ensure for the Palestinian people its inalienable historical rights, including its right to return, its right to self-determination and its right to establish its own independent State on its national soil with its capital of AI-Quds Al Sharif, and under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization, its sole legitimate representative. 29. In spite of world pUblic opinion, the Palestinian people had not regained its rights. Israel's intransigence was due to continued political, economic and mili~ary support by the United States of America. It was this support that enabled Israel to violate international law and to defy world public opinion. The Palestine Liberation Organization had displayed its desire for peace by accepting the Fez Peace Plan a~a publicly expressed support for the proposed Middle East Peace Conference which had however been rejected by Israel, whose negative attitude was encouraged by the United States. Ways and means should be found by which effective pressure could be brought to bear upon the United States Administration to recognize the rights of the Palestinian people. All States that supported the Palestinian people should join in this effort. It was very important that the European Community should be persuaded to exert its influence on the United States. 30. 31. At the second meeting, Mr. Hans Teller, representative of UNESCO in China, outlined the assistance given to the Palestinian people by UNESCO, in accordance with resolutions adopted by its General Conference. UNESCO had renewed its -46- --=---------·-----.. . - --------------------with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near ~'st for the period 1984-1985 whereby UNESCO assumed technical responsibilities for the educational proqramme for Palestinian refugees. UNESCO also continued its efforts to maintain the functioning of the cultural and educational institutions in the occupied Arab territories, including their projects concerning the Palestine Open University on which a study had already been approved. agreemen~ 32. With regard to the preservation of cultural properties in the Holy City of Jerusalem, the Director-General of UNESCO had entrusted a personal representative to visit Jerusalem on many occasions for the protection of the cultural heritage of the Holy City. 33. Some 50 fellowships had been granted to Palestinian students and a consultant had been hired to advise the Palestine Literacy Council. A special account had been opened to finance scholarships for Palestinian students and contributions had already been received from some Arab States. Another special account had been opened for assistance to the Palestine Liberation Organization with the financial contributions from the Government of Iraq. 34. At the 7th meeting, Ms. Savitri Kunadi, speaking on behalt of the Special Committee against Apartheid, reaffirmed the Special Committee's support for the General Assemblv resolutions relating to the auestion of Palestine and stressed its solidarity with the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People in the task of securing the practical attainment of those rights. The Special Committee against Apartheid attached great significance to the mobilization of international public opinion for the attainment and realization of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and viewed the early convening of the International Peace Conference on the Middle East as a contribution to the just solution of the Middle East problem, the core of which is the auestion of Palestine. 35. On the occasion of the commemoration of the thirtieth anniversary of the Asian-African Conference in Bandung, Indonesia, in April 1955, the Seminar decided at its 3rd meeting on 23 April 1985, to send a message to His Excellency Dr. Mochtar Kusumaatmadja, Minister of Foreign Atfairs of Indonesia extending felicitations, and recalled that the Bandung Declaration had affirmed its tull support-for the cause of the Palestinian people. 36. The delegation of the Committee on Palestinian rights was officially received by His Excellency Mr. Zhao Ziyan, the Prime Minister of China, on Thursday, 25 April 1985. 37. The closing session on Friday, 26 April 1985, was attended by His Excellency Mr. Qian Qichen, Deputy Foreign Minister of China. The meeting was addressed by the Deputy Foreign Minister, the Chairman of the Seminar and Mr. Shafiq al-Hout, the representative of Chairman Arafat of the Palestine Liberation Organization. -47- ANNEX V United Nations Asian Regional Non-Governmental Organizations Symposium on the Question of Palestine (New Delhi, 1-3 May 1985) Declaration 1. We, the group of non-governmental organizations participating in the United L Nations Asian Regional NGO Symposium on the Question of Palestine, wish to thank the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People for convening this meeting. We are indeed honoured by the i' f presence of the Chairman, Members and Observers of the distinguished United Nations I' i body · Special thanks are extended to the Government of India for hosting this Symposium and for the generosity and co-operation extended to the participants. , we were honoured by the presence and statement of His Excellency, D i; Mr. Khurshid Alam Khan, Minister of State for External Affairs, at the official ~ opening of the Symposium. We recognize and genuinely appreciate the long-standing Ix and unfailing support that the Government of India has given to the just cause of the Palestinian people. :~ I 3. L, I' 2. We also wish to thank the Chief of the Division for Palestinian Rights, the NGO liaison officer, the staff of the Division, the Department of Conference r Services including the services of the interpreters for their valuable assistance U in the preparation and execution of this Symposium. We believe this meeting marks :,r a pivotal point in the constructive interaction between the United Nations and the i Asian NGO community concerned with the question of Palestine and we look forward to i increasing levels of understanding, appreciation and co-operation. i: , [, r ~ who spoke here and offered valuable historical, political as well as practical I t 4. We also wish to sincerely voice our appreciation to the distinguished experts t by NGOs. The practical suggestions assisted us in formulating future plans for insights into the auestion of Palestine and the potential central role to be played effective collaboration in Asia and the Pacific and in linking our efforts to a broader, global network. f 5. We resolutely reaffirm the internationai consenaus that the Palestine Liberation Organization is the sole and legitimate representative o~ the Palestinian people. We affirm the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination without external interference, to return, and to the creation of an Independent Palestinian State 6n its own national territory under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization, in conformity with relevant United Nations resolutions. 6. We further strongly suppo~t the convening of the United Nations-sponsored International Conference on Peace in the Middle East as specified in United Nations resolution 38/58 C. The Palestine Liberation Organization strongly supported this resolution but it was opposed by both Israel and the United States of America. As the positions of these two Governments constitute a serious obstacle to world peace, we urge that more pressure be exerted on both States to join in the global consensus on the issue. We urge those undecided States, especially members of the -48- Security Council, to lend their support to this resolution. In this manner, we also uniformly support the declaration on this issue adopted by the International NGO Meeting on the Question of Palestine held in August 1984 in Geneva. 7. we express our qrave concern over the protracted Arab-Israeli conflict ·. We recognize that the basic cause of that conflict is the denial by Israel and its supporters of the inalienable riqhts of the Palestinian people. In particular, we regret the record of successive Administration of the United States of America which have supported Israeli State terrorism. The convening of the International Peace Conference on the Middle East, as endorsed by General Assembly resolution 38/58 C, offers the only realistic and practical way towards a solution to the problem of Palestine and the establishment of a Palestinian State. 8. We turther reaffirm our belief that only a full and comprehensive solution involving the Palestine Liberation Organization and all concerned countries of the region and with the participation of the United States of America and the USSR can create the basis for a just and lasting peace. We reject partial and piecemeal agreements as such agreements have proved to be counterproductive and not conducive to a comprehensive peaceful solution and have totally ignored the core of the Arab-Israeli conflict. 9. 10. This Symposium further asserts the close connection between the struggle of the Palestinian people and every struggle in each part of the world of peoples fighting for their independence, defending their freedom and building their life on the basis of their sov~reignty. The cause of the Palestinian people is interconnected with the struggle of all peoples for world peace and against colonialism. 11. This Symposium of ~he NGOs of Asia and the Pacific positively points to the growing support in the United Nations for Palestinians and the Palestine Liberation Organization. It stresses the very significant role played by the Movement of the Non-Aligned Countries representing over two thirds of the world's Governments in awakening qlobal public opinion to the urgent need to resolve this issQe and in exposi~g the parts played by ~he Governments of the United States of America and Israel. 12. We further endorse the global signature campaign to increase popular support for the proposed international peace conference on the Middle East and will endeavour to co-ordinate our efforts with the Interim Co-ordinating Committee for NGOs throughout Asia and the Pacific, CUlminating in the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on 29 November 1985. 13. we concur that influencing world public opinion is a key factor in the just resolution of the auestion of Palestine. As NGOs, we have access to local populations, "the grass roots", in many societies and are determined to work to increase their understanding of the question of Palestine and to effectively mobilize their potential political, socia~ and spiritual power. 14. Beyond these principles, we firmly believe that non-governmental organizations are a uniaue asset in securing the rights of the Palestinian people, for we can present the issue in its vital human dimension to individuals and other non-qovernmental organizations. -49- 15. We are aware of the forces opposed to our efforts. But the inherent Justice of our cause and the sound construction of a genuine regional and global NGO network will be mutually reinforcing and demonstrably advance our endeavours. 16. We have reviewed and considered the initial activities of the Interim Co-ordinating Committee for NGOs (ICC) established at the International Meeting on the Question of Palestine, convened at Geneva in August 1984 and regard it as a suitable transitional mechanism for the initial c~rordination of the world-wide NGO effort on the auestion of Palestine. We look fa~ourably upon its transformation from an "interim" to an "international" Co-ordinating Committee after the scheduled consideration of its future structure and composition at the International Meeting on the Question of Palestine to be convened from 9-12 September 1985 in Geneva. 17. We strongly urge the United Nations through the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestini~n People to assist the ICC in every possible way in its worthwhile efforts to build a viable, global network of NGOs active on the auestion of Palestine. This assistance should include further serious efforts to secure an NGO liaison in Geneva in addition to the current New York-based liaison activities and to aid in the establishment of a properly resourced ICC secretariat. The central co-ordination of all common NGO activities on this issue is a necessary condition for influencing domestic and global pUblic opinion. 18. We Asian NGOs present here for this Symposium see ourselves as a nucleus ot a broader, regional effort. We must reach out, identify and involve many other NGO committees to a just resolution of the question of Palestine. To accomplish these worthy qoals, we are requesting United Nations assistance, including financial help, to establish an Asian Regional Interim Co-ordinating Committee of NGOs to serve as a initial focus for our regional efforts. We visualize such a Co-ordinating Committee establishing close links with the work of ICC and its successor. 19. The Asian and Pacific Region is an area ot increasing geopolitical importance. As a result, forces opposed to the Palestinian cause are attempting to neutralize the traditional commitment of the peoples of this region to the Palestinian cause. Such attempts, notably by the State of Israel and its alter ego, the World Zionist Organization, and as well as by imperialism, must be resisted as they constitute impediments to achieVing a just, comprehensive and enduring resolution of the question of Palestine. We distinguish between Judaism as a religion and political zionism as manifested by Israel, an unjust, undemocratic, racist, and dangerous ideolOgy. In combating such opposition, Asia and Pacific NGOs could be expected to play a key role as moulders of pUblic opinion in the region. 20. To ensure proper representation of this region at the forthcoming International Meeting on the Question of Palestine, we strongly urge the United Nations through the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights ot the Palestinian People, to fund the participation of a representative number of NGO delegates from the region. To be effective such aid should include transportation to Geneva and accommodation during the conference. 21. In co-operation with the stated objectives of the ICC, we Asian NGOs call for the compilation of a regional data base of information on NGOs in Asia and the Pacific, active on the issue as a potent addition to global networking efforts. NGOs in Melbourne, Australia, have offered to commence the effort and to assist in the production of regional materials. -50- · - 22. we are determ ined to cultiv ate an expan ding regio nal NGO const ituen cy linke d to a world -wide NGO netwo rk that will emerg e as a signi fican t compl ement ary force in the campa ign for the just resol ution of the quest ion of Pales tine. We firmly belie ve that we can most effec tively expre ss our solid arity with the Pales tinian peopl e in this way. We call upon the Unite d Natio ns, throug h the Comm ittee on the Exerc ise of the Inalie nable Right s of the Pales tinian Peopl e, to offer every assis tance includ ing finan cial suppo rt, to achle ve these ends. 23. We look with great inter est to the forthc oming Unite d Natio ns-sp onsor ed World Confe rence to Review and Appra ise the Achie vemen ts of the Unite d Natio ns Decad e for Women in Nairo bi, Kenya , as a prime oppor tunity to call atten tion to the quest ion of Pales tine with speci al focus on the pligh t of Pales tinian women under occup ation. We call upon the Comm ittee to assis t us in furth er streng theni nq the netwo rk of women worki ng for a just, compr ehens ive and lastin g peace in the Middl e East. 24. We urge the elect ion of the Asian Regio nal Interi m Co-or dinati ng Comm ittee to be compo sed of repre senta tives of organ izatio ns prese nt at this Sympo sium. 25. We appla ud Unite d Natio ns, the Pales tinian as possi ble but the conve ning ot this Regio nal Symposium and stron gly reque st the thOrough the Comm ittee on the Exerc ise of the Inalie nable Right s of Peopl e, to plan a follow -up sympo sium in Asia and Pacif ic as soon hopef ully withi n the comin g year. -51- ANNEX VI Report of the Eleventh United Nations Seminar on the 9~estion of Palestine (Georgetown, 17-20 June 1985) 1. The Eleventh United Nations Seminar on the Question of Palestine was held at the Pegasus Hotel, Georgetown, Guyana, from 17 to 20 June 1985 in accordance with the terms of General Assembly resolution 38/58 B. Five meetings were held at which eight panelists presented papers on different aspects of the question of Paiestine. 2. The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People was represented by Mr. Massamba Sarre (Senegal), Chairman, Mr. Alberto Velazco-San Jose (Cuba), Mr. David Karran (Guyana), Mr. Miklos Endreffy (Hungary) and Mr. Zehdi L. Terzi (Palestine Liberation Organization). Mr. Massamba Sarre was Chairman and Mr. David Karran Rapporteur of the Seminar. Opening statements 3. The Seminar was opened by H.E. Mr. Rashleigh Jackson, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Guyana and was attended by many distinguished personages, including H.E. Mr. Ptolemy Reid, Deputy Leader of the People's National Congress, Vice-Presidents and cabinet ministers as well as heads of diplomatic missions. 4. Mr. Jackson, in his opening remarks, warmly congratulated Ambassador Massamba Sarre of Senegal, Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, and stated that the Committee had played a ~aluable supportive role in the Palestinian struggle by drawing up a structured programme of action for the achievement of the objectives Which had inspired its creation. The Seminar, which was part of that programme ot action, had provided an opportunity for the Latin American region to have attention focused on the Committee1s perspectives and thereby assist in the overall co-ordination of the strategies of the supporters of the Palestinian cause in all regions of the world. 5. In a sense, the Seminar 'was not restricted to the question of Palestine alone, because a number of principles were at stake which were of a universal nature and which were cardinal to the national poli~ies of many States, inclUding Guyana. Amongst them were the right of peoples to self-determination and independence, respect for independence, sovereignty and non-acquisition of territory by force. 6. The situation of the Pal~stinian people was one ot the more sordid tragedies of recorded history. Like many people of Africa and Asia, the Palestinians were in the diaspora and had suffered the indignities of living in refugee camps and of being the objects of global compassion. However, dispersion and degradation, occupation and repression had served only to reinforce the determination of the Palestinian people to intensify their struggle under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization. Guyana congratula~ed the Palestine Liberation Organization for the effectiveness of its policies and its activities in the political and diplomatic fronts which had earned the Palestine Liberation Organization international respect and support. -52- 7. The Quest ion of Pales tine was the crux of the Middl e East situa tion and lastin g peace in the regio n would remai n elusiv e until the inalie nable right s of the Pales tinian peopl e w~re fully respe cted. The strug gle of the Pales tinian peopl e was also an integ ral part of the world -wide strug gle again st foreig n domin ation. T~e Gover nment and peopl e of Guyana had alway s been firm in their suppo rt for the right s of the Pales tinian peopl e. Guyan a's parti cipat ion in the work of the Comm ittee was testim ony of its comm itment to that cause . The Comm ittee could count on Guyan a's abidin g suppo rt. 8. Much neede d to be done. Such issue s had suffe red much from media neqle ct or delib erate disto rtion and disin forma tion. The world 's peopl e neede d to be educa ted about the Quest ion of Pales tine. At the same time, every effor t shoul d be made to conve ne an Inter natio nal Peace Confe rence on the Middl e East, a propo sal which had great merit and enjoy ed wides pread intern ation al suppo rt. Israe l shoul d be made to realiz e that its best inter ests would be serve d by parti cipat ing in such a Confe rence . 9. Mr. Massamba Sarre , welco ming parti cipan ts, recal led that His Excel lency the Forei gn Minis ter had, as the distin guish ed repre senta tive of Guyana to the Unite d Natio ns, been one of the earli est members of the Comm ittee and parti cipat ed activ ely in its work at a time when the Comm ittee was chart ing its cours e. Guyana had alway s been an activ e member of the Comm ittee and the fact that it had so kindly provi ded the venue for the Semin ar as well as the prese nce of His Excel lency the Forei gn Minis ter and other distin guish ed guest s at the openi ng were a refle ction of the impor tance that Guyan a attach ed to the quest ion of Pales tine and its comm itment to findin g a just and lastin g solut ion to the proble m. 10. The Comm ittee laid great stres s on the value of world pUbli c opini on on the Pales tine Quest ion and was convi nced that a knowl edge of all the facts of the case would lead to a bette r under stand ing of the issue s and promo te a lastin g solut ion. The Semin ar was intend ed to alert publi c opini on in the Latin Ameri can and Carib bean regio n to the vario us aspec ts to the Quest ion of Pales tine since publi c opini on could make a valua ble contr ibutio n towar ds makin g the voice of reaso n heard in the forma tion of polic ies. In the cours e of the Semin ar, the views of sever al influ entia l policy -make rs would be heard on the role of Latin Ameri can and Carib bean publi c opini on. Their views and the discu ssion s that would take place would be of the great est value in asses sing what still neede d to be done in that field . 11. The Comm ittee also, along with a major ity of State s, fully endor sed the conve ning of an Inter natio nal Peace Confe rence on the Middl e East as a valua ble step forwa rd in the searc h for peace in the regio n. Conse quent ly, it had made it the focus of its work in 1985. It was for that reaso n that one of the panel s of the Semin ar was devot ed exclu sively to the Inter natio nal Peace Confe rence . It was the Comm ittee's hope that the views expre ssed at the Semin ar would help to promo te the conve ning of such an impor tant Confe rence . 12. At the openi ng meeti ng, the Semin ar also heard a messa ge from Mr. Yasse r Arafa t, Chairm an of the Execu tive Comm ittee of the Pales tine Liber ation Organ izatio n, conve yed by Mr. Zehdi L. Terzi , Perma nent Obser ver of the Pales tine Liber ation Organ izatio n to the Unite d Natio ns. In his messa ge Mr. Arafa t expre ssed his deep gratit ude for the treme ndous effor ts being made to promo te the legiti mate strug gle of the Pales tinian peopl e and in defen ce of their inalie nable right s. -53- 13. The Palestinian cause was presently witnessing a dangerous phase since Israel was intensifying its repression of the Palestinian people both inside and outside the occupied territories. Those acts were perpetrated with the sole aim of expelling and forcibly deporting the Palestinian people from their land and homes. At the same time, the United States Administration was intensifying its hostile policies against the Palestinian people and increasing its support of Israel militarily and financially. In addition, it denied the Palestinian people their inalienable rights. In spite of such enormous challenges, the Palestinian people continued their struggle and resistance to the hostile policies of Israel and the United States. 14. The Palestine Liberation Organization had availed itself of every opportunity in the search for peace in the firm belief that justice, peace and stability in the area as well as international peace and security should be achieved. It would continue its efforts to achieve a joint Arab political plan aimed at the attainment of a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Middle East conflict. 15. Chairman Arafat expressed his gratitude to the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and its Chairman, Mr. Massamba Sarre, and to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Javier perez de Cuellar. In conclusion, he thanked the people and GOvernment of Guyana for hosting the Seminar and for Guyana's consistent and militant support. 16. Mr. Gajanan Wakankar, High Commissioner of India to Guyana, speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, stated that the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries, had always felt a particular bond of kinship with the Palestinian people. The issue of Palestine had been in the forefront of the deliberations and activities of the Movement from the time of the first Non-Aligned Summit in 1961. The Non-Aligned countries had been particularly active in mobilizing international support in favour of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and against Israel's action in the occupied territories. 17. The Non-Aligned Summit held at New Delhi, in March 1983 had affirmed that a just and durable peace in the Middle East could not be established without a just solution of the problem of Palestine on the basis of the attainment and exercise in Palestine of the inalienable right~ of the Palestinian people. la. The Meeting of Ministers.and Heads of Delegation of the Non-Aligned Countries to the thirty-ninth session of the United Nations General Assembly had, in OCtober 1984, stressed the necessity for .the early convening of the International Peace Conference in the Middle East. More recently, the Committee of Eight at the Level of Ministers had, on 20 April 1985, endorsed the proposal .for the convening of the Conference. They had also decided to continue actively their collective and individual efforts to mobiliz~ all means available with a view to realizing implementation of United Nations General Assembly resolutions and to ensure the convening of the Peace Conference. 19. The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People had made a significant contribution in its search for a just solution to the question of Palestine. The efforts of the Committee towards an ·early convening of the Peace Conference and to mobilize pUblic support for the Palestinian cause had been untiring. 20. India had consistently supported the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and that was one of the hallmarks of India's foreign policy. India's support was rooted in tradition and history and was matched by concrete action. -54- 21. Mr. Mikl6s Endreffy, speaking on behalf of the Special Committee against Apartheid, stated that the international community had recently witnessed developments cUlminating in further suffering for the people of Palestine. Such events reaffirmed the view of peace-loving peoples all over the world that it .was impossible to ensure a comprehensive settlement of the Middle East conflict without resolving its core - the question of Palestine · 22. That could not be achieved while the Israeli occupation of Palestinian and other Arab territories continued. The Government of Israel persisted in its attempts to subdue the desire of the Palestinian people to free themselves. It carried out policies with cruelty and without respect for the human rights of the Palestinian people. However, in spite of Israel's denial of the inalienable rights at the Palestinian people and its policy of oppression and intimidation in the occupied territories, the desire of the Palestinian people for freedom could not be conauered. Each year, the Special Committee against Apartheid submitted a special report to the General Assembly and the Security Council on recent developments concerning relations between Israel and South Africa. That report pointed out very clearly the seriousness of the alliance between those two regimes. Their collaboration constituted an alliance detrimental to the interests of the African and Arab peoples. 23. 24. The Special Committee, in co-operation with the League of Arab States had convened in Tunis in August 1984, a Conference of Arab Solidarity with the Struggle for Liberation in Southern Africa. That Conference had considered the threat facing the Arab and the African peoples as a result of the alliance between Israel and South Africa and adopted several pertinent resolutions. 25. Mr. Enqin Ansay~ Deputy Permanent Observer of the Organization of the Islamic Conference to the United Nations, in an address to the Seminar, on behalf of H.E. Mr. Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada, Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, stated that the organization considered the cause of Palestine and AI--Quds al-Sharif the foremost cause of the Muslim Ummah because of its justnes§ and because of the existence of Islamic holy shrines under occupation. Accordingly, the member States of the Organization of the Islamic Conference had given their unreserved support to the cause of the Palestinian people. In spite of Israel's aggressive policies, the Arab States had made clear their serious desire to bring about a lasting, comprehensive and just peace in the Middle East. For its part, the Palestine Liberation Organization had demonstrated total flexibility with regard to the peace· process. The United States and Israel, however, had rejected every proposal and initiative and would no doubt reject any proposal that recognized the Palestinians' right to self-determination and statehood. The question of Palestine was first and foremost a problem of colonialism1 secondly it was an issue brought about by the aggressiveness of one entity at the expense of another; thirdly it was an issue based on the dangerous doctrine of aggression against a neighbour~ng country. 26. 27. The Organization of the Islamic Conference believed that as long as the auestion of Palestine was not settled on the basis of United Nations approved resolutions, there would be no peace or stability in the Middle East and world peace would continue to be threatened. -55- 28. In defiance of all United Nations resolutions, Israel had announced in 1980, the annexation of AI-Quds and almost every day committed flagrant sacrilegious acts against Islam. Morp.over, Israel's policy of settlements in the occupied Arab territories created one of the greatest threats to peace in the region. Its settlements policy was intended to pre-empt any achievement by the Palestinian people towards the affirmation of their inalienable rights. 29. The Organization of the Islami~ Conference I~aintained that peace was essential to the Middle East but the minimum condition for its realization was the recognition of the Palestinian people's right to their own territory and homeland. Hence, the convening of an International Peace Conference o~ the Middle East constituted the ideal solution since it ensured the participation of all parties concerned. 30. At the 4th meeting, H.E. Mr. Alberto Velazco-San Jose, speaking on behalf of the United Nations Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, stated that the tenets that governed the work of the Special Committee - the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and peoples - proclaimed that the sUbjection of peoples to alien subjugation, domination and exploitation constituted a denial of fundamental human rights, was contrary to the Charter and was an impediment to the promotion of world peace and co-operation. 31. Within that context, the Special Committee viewed with deep concern the plight of the people of Palestine who had been denied their fundamental and inalienable right to determine their destiny and had been subjected to cruel, repressive measures at the hands of their oppressor. 32. Although the Palestinian question continued to be one of the most complex, difficult and dangerous issues facing the United Nations, that should not discourage the international community in its search for a just solution to the problem. On the contrary, it should reinforce with a grave sense of urgency, the international community's commitment to the goal as set forth in a number of resolutions of the United Nations. It became all the more important therefore that the international community should firmly rededicate itself to the promotion of a genuine and lasting settlemen~ of the Middle East conflict. The attainment of that objective would continue to be elusive unless the core of the Middle East conflict, namely the Palestine auestion, was resolv.ed in its totality. Concerted action was long overdue to persuade the supporters of Israel to compel it to respond to relevant United Nations resolutions and to the will of the international community on the auestion of Palestine. 33. He acknowledged with appreciation the very important work carried out by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, under the l)utstanding and dedicated leadership of Ambassador Massamba Sarre of Senegal. It was his confident hope that the holding of the present Seminar would take everyone a step closer to the fUlfilment by the United Nations of its obligations to the Palestinian people. 34. The closing meeting on 20 June 1985, was attended by Mr. Rudy Collins, Head of Department 11 in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Guyana. The meeting was addressed by Mr. Rudy Collins and the Chairman of the Seminar. -56- Panel discussion 35. Three panels were established at the Seminar. These, and the panelists who presented papers on these aspects of the auestion, were as follows: (a) (b) The role of the Palestine Liberation Organization: (Peru); Mr. Chas Mijnals (Suriname); Prof. Juan Abugattas The question of Palestine and Latin American public 0plnlon: Prof. Cesar Arias Quincot (Peru); Prof. T. O. Gittens (Guyana); Dr. Arturo Muftoz Ledo (Mexico); The International Peace Conference on the Middle East, the need for such a conference; efforts and prospects to promote a successful outcome and benefits thereof: Mr. Joshua Chowritmootoo (Guyana); Mr. Ernesto Vera Mendez (CUba); Mr. Jose Luis Villavicencio (Nicar.agua). (c) 36. It was decided that in accordance with established practice, the ::eport of the Seminar would reflect only the main points that emerged during the d:"g/:~ssions and that the full texta of the papers presented would be published in due course. The role of the Palestine Liberation Organization 37. The first discussion panel in the Seminar dealt with the rcle of the Palestine Liberation Organization. 38. It was stated that the Palestine Liberation Organization had served the purpose of reconstructing Palestinian social existence. It was experiencing difficulty in this task bec.~ se of the spiritual and socio-political complexities of the Middle East region. 39. Th~re was no basif~ to the claim that the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian people were two distinct entities and that therefore it would be possible to deal with the Palestinian people without dealing with the Palestine Liberation Organization. The development of the Palestine Liberation Organization was notAing but the result of the development of the social, economic and political institutions of the Palestinian people and, particularly, their social and political conscience. Moreover, the expulsion of the Palestinian people from their homeland and their fragmentation into several communities of refugees living in several Arab countries were the consequence of both the Zionist denial of the existence of the Palestinian people and of British policies in mandated Palestine. Consequently, the Palestinian people had to struggle first and foremost not only to have their existence recognized but their existence as a people as well. 40. 41. This struggle had started mainly in the refugee camps, where, unfortunately, traditional social solidarity had been broken and, consequently, ne~ types of social relations based on social co-operation and mutual aid were the basis of the Palestine Liberation Organization's social and economic institutions as well as its educational and cultural efforts. 42. Reconstruction of social life had started with the displaced Palestinians and later extended to those living under occupation resulting in an open and democratic process which was now a basic character of all the institutions that constituted the Palestine Liberation Organization. In order to be effective, however, the -57- ="""""'!iE:."==, .. Palestine Liberation Organization had had to propose an alternate concept of "nationalism" in order to avoid bOth the dangers of sectarianism and of racism. The alternative proposed was the notion of the secular and non-sectarian State, a formula by which the Palestine Liberation Organization had been able to avoid the problems which divide and weaken States in the Middle East. It had placed itself in a position of antagonism, both in relation to Israel and zionism as well as to United States interests. It had also become a kind of vanguard of the anti-imperialist struggle in the Arab world. Moreover, its structure had proved that it was capable not only of withstanding political pressure, but also, and most importantly, military aggression. Furthermore, by insisting on reminding the Arab States of their responsibility to continue to help in the task of liberating Palestine and by insisting that they should use their resources for the promotion of their common interests, the Palestine Liberation Organization had placed them in a position in which they were opposed to a power that some of them considered their ally. The Arab States had reaffirmed their support to the Palestine Liberation Organization at the summit meeting held in Fez in 1982, when they adopted a series of principles, including the reaffirmation of the recognition of the Palestine Liberation Organization as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. 43. Latin American public opinion and the question of Palestine 44. During the discussion on the question of Latin American pUblic 0plnlon and the question of Palestine it was stated that the development of informed pUblic 0plnlon on any issue or set of. issues was rarely an easy or automatic process. It was indisputably, however, a necessary task in the context of the question of palestine where the rights of a people were being infringed. It was also difficult to discuss Latin American public oplnlon in general as a region, as its tradition of full participation of its people~ in decision-making varied and at varying junctures of history was interrupted and sometimes seriously disrupted. There were a number of reasons for this, among them low literacy rates, limited media coverage and access to media source, and a tendency for pUblic debate and expression to be restricted to the middle and upper classes. 45. All this was accentuated by the fact that the main sources of information were the Western news agencies whose reporting of issues was not necessarily impartial or disinterested. In fact, there seemed often to be a deliberate effort at misinformation or disinformation. Furthermore, the extent of coverage was often circumscribed by the importance of the issue to the regional or national public. 46. 47. There had been little interest in the auestion of Palestine in the Latin American region until the mid-1970s when the aggravation of the situation in the Middle East resulted in more media coverage and, in turn, more interest in the issues, partiCUlarly, the auestion of Palestine. Despite the fact that events in the Middle East in the 1980s tended to eclipse the real issue, which is the plight of the Palestinian people, it was essential that the international community should always remember that the crucial issue remained the question of ?alestine. 48. It was important that the pUblic media should play a more responsive role in providing a more balanced reporting on the Middle East and, in particular, on the plight of the Palestinians as a dispossessed and harassed people. It was also essential that greater efforts be made to reach the pUblic at large with information that is presently confined to limited sections of the people. -58- Institutions such as universities, colleges, research institutes, churches and other religious establishments as well as national and international non-governmental organizations have a crucial role to play in the formation of puhlic opinion. These institutions should be urged to give wider coverage and more balanced treatment to the auestion of Palestine through special features and articles, through the orqanization of lectures and seminars and through every ·other possible means of playing an educative role in the formation of informed pUblic opinion. Furthermore, elementary school textbOoks should take a new approach to third world history which breaks with the colonialist pattern found in encyclopaedias and with religious texts which, within a biased value system, stated the existence ot "chosen people" and "master races" as fact. 49. Symposia organized by the United Nations or other organizations were a pressing necessity tor the Latin American non-governmental organizations. Through these means, the powerful Latin American churches, labour unions, women's groups and service clubs could be sensitized. Special consideration should also be given to wider observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, which has been established by United Nations General Assembly resolution 34/65 0 to be 29 November each year, and the occasion should be taken to give maximum coverage to the question of Palestine. United Nations offices in the region should make 'greater efforts to disseminate information on the issue. 50. The suggestion was also made that the Palestine Liberation Organization should be given facilities to establish information centres throughout the Latin American and Caribbean region and that its representatives should be inVited periodically to tour the region, and be given the opportunity to present their case since this would dramatize the extent of the sutfering endured by the Palestinian people and prove to be of inestimable value in the formation of public opinion. The International Peace Conference on the Middle East 51. The Seminar discussed in depth the auestion of the International Peace Conference on the Middle East. It was agreed that the international community needed peace now more than ever so that it could devote itself wholeheartedly to solvinq the present economic and developmental problems facing it and to halting the arms race to avoid the danger of another world conflagration which would have catastrophic effects on the human race. To achieve peace it was necessary to extinguish the hotbeds of tension that could reach dangerous proportions and bring mankind to the brink of war. The Middle East was undoubtedly one of the principal hotbeds ot international tension today. Only by finding a just and lasting solution to that conflict could the international community move forward towards the elimination of the dangers of anpther holocaust. 52. An analysis of the ramifications of the Middle East conflict led to the conclusion that the only way to establish a just and lasting peace in the region was by convening a peace conference on the Middle East under the auspices of the United Nations and with the participation of all parties concerned, particularly the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. 53. The question of Palestine is at the core of the Middle East problem and there could be no peace in the region until a just and lasting solution was found for this issue. Such a solution had to be founded on the recognition of the inalienable riqhts ot the Palestinian people, inclUding the rights to selt-determination and to a homeland in Palestine. -59- 54. The International Conference on the Question of Palestine held at Geneva in August 1983 had recognized the essential linkage between the question of Palestine and peace in the Middle East and the call for the convening of the International Peace Conference on the Middle East was motivated by a sense of urgency and concern that no just solution to the problem of Palestine had been achieved over the years. A solution to the question of Palestine had to focus on the wider issues to make up a comprehensive settlement which would meet the guidelines endorsed by the overwhelming majority of the international community. 55. The Geneva Declaration adopted by the International Conference on the Question of Palestine envisioned that the Peace Conference would be convened under the auspices of the United Nations. The United Nations, in addition to its sacred trust and responsibility to the Palestinian people, was eminently suited for providing an umbrella and a forum for negotiation and to facilitate the meeting Of all the parties to the conflict. In spite of its shortcomings, the United Nations provided a forum where all parties could sit around the same table and express their views. The Geneva Declaration had also called for the participation of all parties to the conflict, inclUding the Palestine Liberation Organization, as well as the United States of America, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and other concerned States on an equal footing and would take as its guidelines the various proposals consistent with the principles of international law. 56. 57. The gUidelines adopted by acclamation by the Conference and endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly were: (a) The attainment by the Palestinian people of its legitimate inalienable rights, including the right to return, the right to self-determination and the right to establish its own independent State in Palestine; (b) The right of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the representative of the Palestinian people, to participate on an equal footing with other parties in all efforts, deliberations and conferences on the Middle East; (c) The need to put an end to Israel's occupation of the Arab territories, in accordance with the principle of the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force and, consequently, the need to secure Israeli withdrawal from the territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem; (d) The need to oppose and reject such Israeli policies and practices in the occupied territories, inclUding Jerusalem, and any de facto situations created by Israel as are contrary to international law a~d relevant United Nations resolutions, particularly the establishment of settl~ments, as these policies and practices constitute major obstacles to the achievement of peace in the Middle East; (e) The need to reaffirm as null and void all legislative and administrative measures and decisions taken by Israel, the occupying Power, which have al~ered or purported to alter the character and status of the Holy City of Jer~salem, including the appropriation of land and property situated thereon, and in particular: the so-called "Basic Law" on Jerusalem and the proclamation of Jerusalem as the capital ot Israel; (f) The right of all States in the region to existence within secure and internationally recognized bc,undaries, with justice and security for all the people, the sine qua non of which is the recognition and attainment of the legitimate, inalienable rights of the Palestinian people as stated in sUbparagraph Ca) above. -60"f ''-------------------------------------58. These guidelines were important and relevant for the focus on the central issues while fully acknowledging that the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people remained fundamental to any solution. 59. The Seminar regarded the fact that the majority of States in the international community as well as several major intergovernmental organizations had expressed their strong support for the holding of the Conference to be a significant factor and testimony to the vital importance of such a conference. It hoped that all those in support of the Conference, and this was the overwhelming majority of the international community, would unite to overcome the obstacles posed by the refusal of Israel and the United States of America to agree to participate in such a conference. It was the refusal of the~e two States alone that obstructed the progress desired by the international community. 60. The time was ripe to move forward in a peace process. Genuine peace was attainable through negotiations provided that all the parties to the problem participated actively and there existed the necessary political will. The proposal for the International Peace Conference provided such an opportunity and was the most viable mechanism to establish the process for ensuring a lasting peace in the Middle East. 61. The aims of the International Peace Conference should be to work out legally binding agreements which would combine in an organically interrelated fashion the various components of a settlement, ensuring the realization by the Palestinian people of their legitimate national rights, including that of self-determination, return to their homeland and the right to an independent State of their own and the establishment of peace between all States in the region. These elements could be combined with effective guarantees of compliance by the parties involved and the international community could perform its role as a guarantor for the agreement that emanated from the deliberations. 62. The Seminar conveyed to Chairman Arafat of the Palestine Liberation Organization its thanks for his message to the Seminar and expressed its support for the just cause of the Palestinian people. It also conveyed its strong support for the early convening of the International Peace Conference on the Middle East with tqe participation of the permanent members of the Security Council, as well as of the parties most directly involved in the conflict, particularly the Palestine Libe~ation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, as a positive and constructive step in the search for a solution to the question of Palestine. 63. The Seminar also adopted by consensus a motion proposed by the panelists, which reads as follows: "The Eleventh United Nations Seminar on the Question of palestine, meeting in Georgetown, the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, from 17 to 20 June 1985, wishes to convey its profound thanks to the people and Government of Guyana for hosting the Seminar and for the excellent arrangements it made, which greatly contributed to the success of the Seminar. It also expresses its sinc~re thanks for the generous hospitality extended to the participants. "The Seminar wishes to express it particular appreciation to His Excellency Mr. Rashleigh Jackson, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guyana, for his personal concern and guidance. -61- "The Seminar also expresses its appreciation to the people and the Government of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana for their consistent support of the struggle of the palestinian people under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization, its sole legitimate representative, for the exercise of its inalienable rights in Palestine." -62- ANNEX VII Repor t of the Twelf th Unite d Natio ns Semin ar on the Quest ion of Pales tine (Unite d Natio ns Head auarte rs, New York, 8-9 July 1985) 1. The Twelf th Unite d Natio ns Semin ar on the Quest ion of Pales tine, with its centr al theme "The inalie nable right s of the Pales tinian peopl e", was held at Unite d Natio ns Head quart ers, New York, on 8 and 9 July 1985 in accor dance with the terms of Gener al Assem bly resol ution 38/58 B. Four meeti ngs were held at which five pane lists prese nted paper s on diffe rent aspec ts of the quest ion of Pales tine. 2. Mr. Oscar Oram as-Oli va (Cuba ), Vice- Chair man of the Comm ittee on the Exerc ise of the Inalie nable Right s of the Pales tinian Peopl e, was Chairm an of the Semin ar and Mr. Boris Taras yuk (Ukra inian SSR) Rappo rteur of the Semin ar. In the absen ce of the Chair man, Mr. Farid Zarif (Afgh anista n), vice-C hairm an of the Comm ittee, acted as Chairm an of the Semin ar. Openi ng statem ents 3. The openi ng sessio n of the Semin ar on 8 July 1985 was addre ssed by Mr. Willia m B. Buffu m, Unde r-Sec retary -Gene ral for polit ical and Gener al Assem bly Affai rs of the Unite d Natio ns. In welco ming the parti cipan ts on behal f of the Secre tary-G enera l, Mr. Buffum stated that the conve ning of the Semin ar under score d the impor tance that the intern ation al comm unity attach ed to solvin g the quest ion of Pales tine, which was at the very heart of the Middl e East confl ict. It was moreo ver a refle ction of the realiz ation that to permi t a situa tion to remai n criti cal to the point of endan gering intern ation al peace and secur ity had adver se effec ts not only on the State s and peopl es of the regio n but also on the entir e inter natio nal comm unity. 4. The persi stent effor ts of the Unite d Natio ns had over the years produ ced at least ~ conse nsus on the funda menta l eleme nts requi red for a comp rehen sive settle ment of the Middl e East proble m. The call for an inter natio nal peace confe rence on the Middl e East and the contin ued effor ts for its conve ning could not but be viewe d as a recog nition of the fact that a comp rehen sive settle ment would have to be reach ed throug h a proce ss of negot iation s with the parti cipat ion of the parti es conce rned under the auspi ces of the Unite d Natio ns. Any solut ion would have to take into consi derat ion the inter ests and conce rns of all State s and peopl es in the regio n, inclu ding those of the Pales tinian peopl e. 5. Mr. Oscar Oram as-Ol iva, welco ming the parti cipan ts, recal led the impor tance the Comm ittee on the Exerc ise of the Inalie nable Right s of the Pales tinian Peopl e attach ed to the quest ion of Pales tine and its comm itment to findin g a solut ion to the proble m. He gave a brief accou nt of the Comm ittee's work and highl ighte d the signi fican ce of ensur ing that all facts s4rro undin g the quest ion of Pales tine reach ed the publi c so that a prope r under stand ing of the issue s could be achie ved. 6. The Comm ittee also, along with the majo rity of State s, fully endor sed the conve ning of an intern ation al peace confe rence on the Middl e East as a valua ble step forwa rd in the searc h for peace , secur ity and stabi lity in the regio n. Conse quent ly, it had made this the focus of its work in 1985. It was for this -63- reason that one of the panels of the Seminar was devoted exclusively to the International Peace Conference. It was the Committee's hope that the views expressed at the Seminar would help to promote the convening of such an important conference. 7. Mr. Zehdi L. Terzi, Permanent Observer of the Palestine Liberation Organization to the United Nations, conveyed a message from Mr. Yasser Aratat, Chai:m~n of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces of the Palestine Revolution. In his message, Chairman Arafat thanked the participants in the Seminar for their continued efforts in defence of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. 8. Israel's aggressive policies, supported by successive American Administrations, had resulted in the Palestinian cause entering a dangerous phase. However, in spite of enormous challenges, the Palestinians continued their struggle and resistance. The ordeals and hardships they had to undergo did not impair their resolve to continue this struggle, which met with the support of the peoples of the world. 9. The Palestine Liberation Organization had availed itself of every opportunity in the search for peace and would continue its efforts to achieve a joint Arab political plan which aimed to contribute to the attainment of a comprehensive, Just and lasting solution to the Middle East conflict. 10. It was significant that the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People was organizing two distinct activities - the Seminar and a symposium. The message carried by the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) of Canada and the United States of A~erica would focus on the negative attitude of those two States to the International Peace Conference on the Middle East, with the hope that it would result in a positive response in those States. 11. Chairman Arafat extended to the representatives of NGOs his great appreciation for their unrelenting efforts to mobilize pUblic opinion in support of the peace process as particularly manifested in their signature campaign launched internationally on 29 November 1984. 12. The opening session was also addressed by Mt. Natarajan Krishnan on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement; Mr ·. Jonathan Mataa Sibitwa Lichilana on behalt of the United Nations Council for Namibia; Mr. Gennady Oudovenko on behalf of the United Nations Special Committee against Aparth~id; Mr. Ahmad Farouk Arnouss on behalf of the United Nations Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independen~e to Colonial Countries and Peoples; Dr. Clovis Maksoud on behalf of the League of Arab States; Mr. Mamoudou Kane on behalf o~ the Organization of African Unity and Mr. Youssouf Sylla on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. At the 4th meeting, the Seminar was addressed by Mr. Ben Mokwena on behalf of the African National Congress of South Africa. 13. Two panels were established at the Seminar. These, and the panelists who presented papers on these aspects on the question of Palestine, ~ere as follows: (a) The role of the Palestine Liberation Organization; Prof. Ibrahim Abu-Lughod (Palestinian); -64- (b) The International Peace Conference on the Middle East, the need for such a conference, efforts and prospects to promote a successful outcome and benefits thereof, Prof. Naseec Aruri, Mr. Victor J. Gauci, Prof. W. Thomas Mallison, Dr. Igor Petrovich Belyaev. 14. In view of the ~ell researched and in-depth analysis contained in the papers presented at the Seminar and in accordance with established practice, the papers will be published in full, together with the report of the Seminar, as a contribution to a wider understanding of the question of Palestine. The report of the Seminar should reflect only the main points that emerged during the discussions. The role of the Palestine Liberation Organization 15. The Seminar heard an analysis of the role of the Palestine Liheration Organization. It was noted that the Palestinians today neither enjoyed nor exercised political rights as Palestinians anywhere in the world. Nevertheless, their determination, despite many adversities, to normalize their political status was reflected in their struggle to retrieve their national rights, including their right to independence and sovereignty in Palestine, to recovery of their national identity and representation by their own chosen representatives, namely, the Palestine Liberation Organization. 16. The Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian people were not two distinct entities, nor was it possible to deal with the Palestinian people without dealing with the Palestine Liberation Organization. The development of the Palestine Liberation Organization was nothing but the result of the development of the social, economic and political institutions of the Palestinian people and, particularly, their social and political conscience. Consequently, the Palestine Liberation Organization had assumed the responsibility for the cultural, economic, social and political development of the Palestinian people. 17. The Palestine Liberation Organization viewed the struggle of the Palestinian people as a struggle of a colonial population against a form of colonialism described as settler colonialism. In that sense, Israel was viewed as a colonial settler State that was implanted on part of an Arab national homeland with the active support and sustenance of the European/American system of power. To attain justice, the Palestinians would have to obtain the support of States that reject COlonialism ideologically, structurally and culturally. 18. The Palestine Liberation Organization had defined the nature of Palestinian rights. It had articulated these national rights in the broad terms of self-determination. It was this articulation of Palestinian national rights that was essentially affirmed by the United Nations when it supported the Palestinian rights to independence and of return. 19. The Palestine Liberation Organization had struggled since 1968 for a democratic non-sectarian State. While conceiving of coexistence with the Jewish people in peace within the framework of a 'unitary State, the Organization recognized the difficulties in the way of the acceptance of such a solution, not only by Israel but by other States as well. The Palestine Liberation Organization had therefore elaborated its provisional solution, which conceived of the possibility of a de facto coexistence of two States in Palestine, one principally Jewish-Israeli and the other Palestinian Arab. By this it had placed itself in a position of antagonism, both in relation to Israel and zionism as well as to United States interests. It had also become a kind of vanguard of the anti-imperialist -65- struggle in the Arab world. Moreover, its structure had proved that it was capable of not only resisting political pressure, but also, and most importantly, military aggression. 20. In the 21 years since the establishment of the Palestine Liberation Organization, it had experienced various tests and hardships and become overwhelmingly recognized as the sole, legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and as an active force to be reckoned with in the Middle Eastern political arena. In that regard, it had had a decisive influence in the search for a solution of the Palestine question, as well as the problem of the Middle East as a whole. The International Peace Conference on the Middle East 21. The Seminar concluded its deliberations by discussing in depth the auestion of the International Peace Conference on the Middle East. It was noted that, although almost 40 years had passed since the United Nations General Assembly had adopted resolution 181 (I!), which recommended the creation of two States - an Arab State and a Jewish State - so far it had been implemented only to the extent of the creation of the State of Israel. One of the foremost commitments of the international community was to ensure the restoration of the rights of the Palestinian people, including its right to self-determination and creation of its own independent State in palestine. It was felt that the principles enunciated by the United Nations commanded universal adherence and should be supported accordingly, within the framework of a comprehensive solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. The question of Palestine represented a continuing responsibility of the United Nations and of all its Members who cherished the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and who respected the very decisions taken in the United Nations to which they had subscribed. 22. In that connection, it was strongly reaffirmed that the question of palestine was at the core of that conflict, which itself was a multi-faceted problem. Over the years, a broad international consensus had been achieved on the necessity of a comprehensive, just and durable solution. This consensus was defined in the Geneva Declaration adopted by the International Conference on the Question of P&lestine in 1983, and also stressed in United Nations General Assembly resolution 38/58 C, which called for the convening of an International Peace Conference on the Middle Ea~t. It was noted that the Internation~l Conference on the Question of Palestine, held at Geneva from 29 August to 7 September 1983, which adopted the Geneva Declaration, was the first occasion at which so broad an intern~tional forum had met to consider the Palestinian question. No less than 117 States had participated fully in the Conference while 20 others had taken part as observers; in addition, for the first time ever, apprOXimately 100 non-governmental organizations and several eminent personalities had been invited for that occasion. Amongst the NGOs, several came from Israel, thus demonstrating by their presence that there existed within Israel a group of peace-loving persons who also strove for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. 23. The Geneva Declaration adopted by the International Conference on the Question of Palestine envisioned that the peace Conference would be convened under the auspices of the united Nations. The United Nations, in addition to bearing a sacred trust and responsibility to the Palestinian people, constituted the only forum for negotiation to facilitate the meeting of all the parties to the -66- confl ict. The exist ing proce dures at the Unite d Natio ns made possi ble the parti cipat ion of all parti es conce rned. 24. The Geneva Decla ration had also calle d for the parti cipat ion of all par~ies to the confl ict, includ ing the Pales tine Liber ation Organ izatio n as well as the Unite d State s of Ameri ca, the Union of Sovie t Socia list Repub lics and other conce rned State s on an eaual footin g and would take as its guide lines the vario us propo sals consi stent with the princ iples of intern ation al law. 25. The guide lines adopt ed by acclam ation by the Confe rence and endor sed by the Unite d Natio ns Gener al Assem bly were: (a) The attain ment by the Pales tinian peopl e of its legiti mate inalie nable right s, inclu ding the right to retur n, the right to self-d eterm inatio n and the right to estab lish its own indep enden t State in Pales tine; (b) The right of the Pales tine Liber ation Organ izatio n, the repre senta tive of the Pales tinian peopl e, to parti cipat e on an eaual footin g with other parti es in all effor ts, delib eratio ns and confe rence s on the Middl e East; (c) The need to put an end to Israe l's occup ation of the Arab terri torie s, in accor dance with the princ iple of the inadm issibi lity of the acaui sition of territ ory by force and, conse auent ly, the need to secur e Israe li withd rawal from the territ ories occup ied since 1967, inclu ding Jerus alem; (d) The need to oppos e and rejec t such Israe li polic ies and pract ices in ~ occup ied terri torie s, inclu ding Jerus alem, and any de facto situa tions creat ed jY Israe l as are contr ary to intern ation al law and relev ant Unite d Natio ns resol ution s, parti cular ly the estab lishm ent of settle ment s, as these polic ies and pract ices const itute major obsta cles to the achiev ement of peace in the Middl e East; (e) The need to reaffi rm as null and void all legis lativ e and admi nistra tive measu res and decis ions taken by Israe l, the occup ying Power , which have altere d or purpo rted to alter the chara cter and statu s of the Holy City of Jerus alem, inclu ding the appro priati on of land and ptope rty situa ted there on, and in partic l!lar the so-ca lled "Basi c Law" on Jerusa lem and the procla matio n of Jerusa lem as the capit al of Israe l; (f) The right of all State s in the regio n to existe nce withi n secur e and inter natio nally recog nized bound aries, with justic e and secur ity for all the peopl e, the sine qua non of which is the recog nition and attain ment of the legiti mate , inalie nable right s of the Pales tinian peopl e as state d in subpa ragrap h (a) above . 26. These guide lines were impor tant and relev ant for the focus- on the centr al issue s while fUlly ackno wledg ing that the inalie nable right s of the Pales tinian peopl e remai ned funda menta l to any solut ion. They were based on a recog nition of the indisp ensab le role of law in achie ving the great est possi ble measu re of justic e and secur ity for both Israe lis and Pales tinian s. Law was not only the basis of a just solut ion, but provi ded the only pract ical solut ion. It was maint ained that justic e and coerc ion were requi red in peace settle ment s and where justic e was used less, coerc ion neede d to be used more. 27. An intern ation al peace confe rence on the Middl e East could lead to the estab lishm ent of a just and lastin g peace in the regio n and to the attain ment of the inalie nable right s of the Pales tinian peopl e and guara ntee the existe nce and -67- the security of all States in the region, including Israel, lead to the development of economic ties between all nations of the world with the Arab States and with Israel, and lead to agreements which would satisfy all the parties concerned, put an end to the recurring Israeli-Arab wars and thus remove a constant threat to international peace and security. It would furthermore restore the authority of the United Nations and make it once more a potent force in the maintenance of peace. 28. The Seminar regarded the fact that the majority of States in the international community as well as several major intergovernmental organizations had expressed their strong support for the holding of the Confer~~ce to be a significant factor and testimony to the vital importance of such a conference. Its central task would be to implement the existing legal right of Palestinian self-determination. The Seminar urged the Governments of the United States of America and Israel to reconsider their negative attitude to the ongoing peace process within the United Nations system. 29. It also hoped that all those in support of the Conference, and this was the overwhelming majority of the international community, would unite to overcome the obstacles posed by the refusal of Israel and the United States of America to agree to participate in such a Conference. It was the refusal of those two States alone that obstructed the progress desired by the international community. When the other States Members of the United Nations acted without hesitancy to assert leadership in achieving a peacefUl settlement under law, that would have a significant effect upon the United States of America and bring it back to its principled advocacy and practical support for the self-determination of the Palestinian people, which it had recognized at the time of the adoption of the Partition resolution (General Assembly resolution 181 (11». 30. In th~t same connection, the Seminar appreciated the consistency and continuity of the Union of Soviet Socialist RepUblics' policy towards the ~Iiddle East settlement, as reiterated in its latest proposals of 29 July 1984, entitl~d "The proposals of the Soviet Union on the Middle East settlement", which took into account the basic interests of all sides involved in the conflict, including PLO as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and suggested the convocation of an international conference on the Middle East as an instrument for such a settlement. 31. In confirmation of its ~fforts to bring about progress and to maintain the momentum of hope, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People had decided to exert every effort towards the early convening of the proposed Conference. The Committee therefore had made this aspect the main focus of its work programme in 1985. Consequently, in all the seminars and symposia organized this year, one panel would exclusively deal with the International Peace Conference on the Middle East. Furthermore, the Committee had decided to send a delegation of its members to a selected number of countries and, in particular, those who were members of the Security Council, with a view to promoting the early convening of the International Peace Conference. 32. The Seminar therefore considered that it was of paramount importance that the international community should intensify and unite its efforts to ensure the convening without delay of the International Peace Conference on the Middle East, as an instrument to ensure the establishment of a just and comprehensive peace and of security and stability in the Middle East, while at the same time ensuring the attainment and exercise, long overdue, of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. -68- 33. The Seminar conveyed to Chairman Arafat of the Palestine Liberation Organization its thanks for his message to the Seminar and expressed its support for the just cause of the Palestinian people. It also conveyed its strong support for the early convening of the International Peace Conference on the Middle East with the participation of the permanent members of the Security Council, as w~ll as of the parties most directly involved in the conflict, particularly the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, as a positive and constructive step in the search for a solution to the question of Palestin~. -69- ANNEX VIII United Nations North American Regional Non-Governmental Organizations Symps~m on the Question of Palestine (United Nations Headquarters, New York, 10-12 July 1985) Declaration 1. We wish to thank the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and the Division for Palestinian Rights for making this Symposium possible. 2. We also wish to sincerely ~oice our appreciation to the distinguished expert panelists, workshop organizers and resource persons who spoke here and offered valuable insights into the Question of Palestine as well as the potential central role to be played by non-governmental brganizations. The~e practical suggestions assisted us in formulating future plans for effective collaboration in North America and in linking our efforts to a broader, global network. 3. We, the representatives of non-governmental organizations present at the North American NGO Symposium on the Question of Palestine, 10-12 JUly 1985, at United Nations Headauarters in New York, call upon the peoples and Governments of the United States and Canada to take all possible steps to secure a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Arab-Israeli conflict, the core of which is the question of Palestine. 4. We resolutely reaffirm the international consensus that the Palestine Liberation Organization is the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. We affirm the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination without external interference, and to establish an independent Palestinian State on its own national territory under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization, in conformity with relevant United Nations resolutions. 5. It is our belief that all the parties to the conflict should come together in an international peace confer~nce on the Middle East as called for at the International Conference on the Question of Palestine, August 1983, and as adopted b~ the General Assembly in resolution 38/58 C. It is essential that the conference be inclusive of and be attended by representatives of both Israel and the Pal~stine Liberation Organization, those Arab States party to the conflict, the United States and the Soviet Union. 6. We strongly encourage all regional NGOs to work diligently with the general public to develo~ public awareness and support for the Conference. We applaud the United Nations for this recommendation and request the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and the Division for Palestinian Rights to assist North American NGOs by producing a concise pUblication in mass Quantity that clearly explains the objectives and advantages of· such a Conference. 7. We strongly support the global signature campai~n launched on 29 November 1984 by the Interim Co-ordinating Committee (ICC) for NGOs on the Question of Palestine on behalf of convening the International Conference. We are committed to develop creative ways of enlisting organizational support during the coming months. We will co-ordinate our efforts with ICC on this important project. -70- 8. This Symposium has reminded us of the powerful and decisive role played by the media, especially television, in shaping North American public opinion on the question of Palestine. We are determined to seek more effective ways and means of utilizing this media potential in order to accurately inform the public of the actual facts pertaining to this issue with the expressed intention of positively impacting on United States and Canadian Middle East policies. We hereby establish a North American Interim Co-ordinating Committee (NAICC) a/ on the question of Palestine as a mechanism to enhance our collective effectiv;ness and to organize our relationship with the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian people and the Division for Palestinian Rights. 9. 10. We define the initial responsibilities of NAICC to include: (a) Co-operating closely with the United Nations in the planning of the 1986 North American SymposiumJ (b) (c) (d) Recruiting other NGOs for participation in the 1986 SymposiumJ Serving as a channel of information among NGOs in North AmericaJ Circl~lating the minutes of the Co-ordinating committee meetingsJ (e) Building a vibrant, broadly based coalition of groups in North America in order to better inform the public and to influence public policy on the question of PalestineJ (f) Co-ordinating relations with the International Co-ordinating Committee and other international NGOs. 11. NAICC members should attend Committee meetings when possible and build a close working relationship with the Committee. The Division for Palestinian Rights could assist NAICC in contacting ICC and NGOs both in NOrth America and other regions for the purpose of strengthening the global network supporting the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. 12. We urge the Committee to fund che participation of four NOrth American delegates present for this Symposium in the NGO international m~eting to be convened at Geneva in September 1985. We believe that such an initiative by the United Nations will ensure balanced, effective representation at the international meeting. 13. We believe that the effectiveness of United Nations NGO meetings will be significantly enhanced by the participation, as resource persons, of representatives of Israeli peace groups and of Palestinian groups inside Israel and the occupied territories (West Bank and Gaza). We note with satisfaction that some such groups did actively participate in the International Conference on the Question of Palestine (1983) and the International NGO Meeting on the Question of Palestine (1984), and we call for invitati~ns to be extended to them for regional symposia as well, in order that the discussions may focus on solutions to the question of Palestine that include relevant perspectives. NAICC should make a special effort to expand contacts with Palestinian organizations in North America, as well as NOrth American Jewish and Arab organizations, to explain NOrth American NGO work and ~ involve them in co-operative activities. -71- 14. We NGOs intend to develop additional effective educational resource materials on the question of Palestine, including teaching aids and relevant bibliographies. we hereby ask the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the palestinian People and the Division for Palestinian Rights to provide technical and financial assistance in the final production of these materials. 15. We are distressed by the decline in international financial support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency as noted in the workshop report on religious institutions. We call on all NGOs to encourage both the United States and Canadian Governments to give top priority to funding UNRWA at its full budgeted level. 16. We gratefully note the emphasis by the many resource centres of the presbyterian Church (USA) on the question of Palestine. We request that the Division provide copies of its publications and other relevant United Nations documents in quantity for their effective utilization by the resource centres. 17. We urge the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian people and the Division to continue to emphasize and work on the integral issue of women under Israeli occupation. While clearly not separate from the whole situation, women's lives are beset with particular problems that must be addressed by all North American NGOs. The full report of the women's workshop outlines our recommendations for co-ordinating activities in the coming years. 18. We urge the Committee and the Division to extend their outreach into the region in every possible way. We specifically request that the Division's NGO liaison and information officers, as well as Department of Public Information officers, be encouraged to attend the conferences and activities of NGOs, trade unions, ethnic and other minority groups, peace and disarmament groups and others to demonstrate the linkage between their various areas of concern and the question of palestine and to recruit their active participation in future NGO symposia, conferences and meetings sponsored by the United Nations. The process of achieving peaceful coexistence and justice in the region is essential to the success of the global struggle for disarmament, peaceful coexistence and justice. 19. We urge the Chairman of th~ Committee on the Exercise of th~ Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian people to convey this Declaration to the General Assembly at its fortieth session as part of the Committee's report. NOtes The 1985/1986 membership of the NAICC is the following~ American Friends Service Committee) America-Israel Council for Israeli-Palestinian Peace) Board of Global Ministries, United Methodist Church; Canadian Arab Federation) NAJDA (Women Concerned about the Middle East») Near East Cultural and Eaucational Foundation of Canada (NECEF») Palestine Human Rights Campaign. ~/ -72- ANNEX IX United Nations African Regional Non-Governmental Organizations Symposium on the Question of palestin~ (Dakar, 5-7 August 1985) Declaration 1. We, the group of non-governmental organizations which participated from 5 to 7 August 1985, at the Centre International d'Echanges, Dakar, in the United Nations African Regional Non-Governmental Organization Symposium on the Question of palestine held in implementation of paragraph 3 Cb) of resolution 38/58 B on the Question of palestine, adopted by the General Assembly on 13 December 1983, wish to thank the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People for convening this meeting. We are indeed honoured by the presence of the Chairman, members and observers of the distinguished United Nations body. 2. We also wish to thank the Chief of the Division for Palestinian Rights, the NGO liaison officer, the staff of the Division, the Department of Conference Services, for their valuable assistance in the preparation and execution of this Symposium. We believe this meeting marks a pivotal point in the constructive interaction between the United Nations and the African NGO community concerned with the question of Palestine and we look forward to increasing levels of understanding, appreciation and co-operation. 3. Special thanks are extended to the Government and people of Senegal for hosting this Sympos~um and for the "Teranga", generosity and co-operation extended to the participants. We were honoured by the presence and perceptive statement of His Excellency Mr. Ibrahima Fall, Minister for Foreign Affairs, at the official opening of the Symposium, representing His Excellency President Abdou Diouf, current Chairman of the Organization of African Unity. We record with pride and genuinely appreciate the long-standing and unfailing militant and effective support that t~ Government and people of Senegal, as tireless pioneers, have given to the just cause of the Palestinian people. 4. We also wish to sincerely voice our appreciation to the distinguished experts who spoke here and offered valuable historical, political as well as practical insights into the question of Palestine and the potential central role to be played by NGOs. The practical suggestions 'assisted us in formulating future plans for effective collaboration in Africa and in linking our efforts to a broader, global network. 5. We emphasize the richness and depth of the exchanges of information, views and experience which ensued, and which all converged on support for the Palestinian cause. 6. We resolutely reaffirm the international consensus that the Palestine Liberation Organization is the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. We affirm the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination without external interference, to return and to the creation of an independent Palestinian State on its own national territory under the Palestine Liberation Organization, in conformity with relevant United Nations resolutions. We call especially upon the United States of America to recognize the right of the -73- Palestinian people to self-determination, because the right to self-determination is a sacred right of all peoples. we condemn Israeli rejection of all peace initiatives adopted by the international community to put an end to the Middle East conflict. This militaristic policy of Israel increases tension in the world and is leading the Middle East to a cycle of perpetual war. 7. We strongly approve and support the convening of the United Nations-sponsored International Conference on Peace in the Middle East as specified in the United Nations resolution 38/58 C. The Palestine Liberation Organization strongly supported this resolution. We condemn the unjustified opposition to this initiative by Israel and the United States of America, which constitutes a serious obstacle to world peace. we urge that more pressure be exerted on both States to join in the global consensus on the issue. We urge those undecided States, especially members of the Security Council, to lend their support to this resolution. In this manner, we also uniformly support the declaration on this issue adopted by the International NGO Meeting on the Question of Palestine held in August 1984 in Geneva. 8. we express our grave concern over the protracted Arab-Israeli conflict. we recognize that the basic cause of that conflict is the denial by Israel and its allies of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and their refusal to recognize the PLO as the sole and authentic representative of that people. In particular, we regret the record of successive Administrations of the United States of America which have encouraged and supported Israeli State terrorism. 9. The convening of the International endorsed by General Assembly resolution practical way towards a solution to the of a Palestinian State and of a global, parties to the conflict. Peace Conference on the Middle East, as 38/58 C, otfers the only realistic and problem of Palestine and the establishment just and lasting solution for all the 10. We turther reaffirm our belief that only a full and comprehensive solution involving the Palestine Liberation Organization and all concerned countries, in particular the United States of America and the USSR, can create the basis for a just and lasting peace. we reject partial and piecemeal agreements as such agreements have proved to be counterproductive and not conducive to a comprehensive peaceful solution and have totally ignored the cqre of the Arab-Israeli conflict. 11. This Symposium further asserts the close connection between the struggle of the Palestinian people and every struggle in each part of the world of peoples fighting for their independence, defending their freedom and building their life on the basis of their sovereignty. The cause of the Palestinian people is interconnected with the struggle of all peoples for world peace "and against colonialism, in particular, the struggle of the peoples of southern Africa. In this connection, we condemn wi~h all the force at our command all the injustices and violations of human rights perpetrated in South Africa, Namibia and the front-line countries by the illegal colonial and racist apartheid regime. 12. we atfirm the close solidarity in their struggle of the African and Arab peoples in the face of the military and political collusion and nuclear collaboration between the Zionist State of Israel and the racist State of South Africa. we strongly condemn the imposition of the state of emergency in South Africa, and demand the immediate and unconditional release of all political detainees. -74- 13. This Symposium of the NGOs of Africa positively points to the growing support in the United Nations for Palestinians and the Palestine Liberation Organization. It stresses the very significant role played by the Organization of African Unity and the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries representing over two thirds of the world'S Governments in awakening global pUblic opinion to the urgent need to resolve this issue and in exposing the parts played by the Governments of the United States of American and Israel. 14. We call on African Governments to implement all the resolutions of the Organization of African Unity on the question of Palestine, particularly that relating to the diplomatic isolation of Israel. We note with satisfaction that the maJority of African States have broken otf diplomatic relations with the Zionist State, and urge them to remain faithful to that position. 15. We further endorse the global signature campaign to increase popular support for the international peace conterence on the Middle East and will endeavour to co-ordinate our efforts with the Interim Co-ordinating Committee for NGOs throughout Africa, culminating in the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on 29 November 1985. 16. We concur that influencing world pUblic opInIon is a key factor in the just and lasting resolution of the auestion of Palestine. As NGOs, we have access to local populations, the grass rocts, in our societies and are determined to work to increase their understanding of the question of Palestine and to effectively mobilize their potential political, social and spiritual power. 17. Beyond these principles, we firmly believe that non-governmental organizations are a uniaue asset in securing the rights of the Palestinian people, for we can presen~ the issue in its vital human dimension to all people and to non-go'iTernmental organizations. 18. We are aware of the forces opposed to our efforts. But the inherent justice of our "cause and the sound construction of a genuine regional and global NGO network will be mutually reinforcing and demonstrably advance our endeavours. 19. We have reviewed and considered the initial activities of the Interim Co-ordInating Committee for NGOs (ICC) established at the International Meeting on the QuestIon of Palestine convened in Geneva in August 1984 and regard it as a suitable transitional mechanism for the initial co-ordination of the world-wide NGO et fort on the question of palestine. We look favourably upon its transformation from an interim to an international co-ordinating committee after the scheduled consideration of its future structure and composition at the International Meeting on the Question ot Palestine to be convened from 9-12 September 1985 in Geneva. 20. We strongly urge the United Nations, through the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, possible way in its worthwhile efforts to build a active on the question of Palestine. The central activities on this issue is a necessary condition global pUblic opinion. \ the Committee on the Exercise of to assist the ICC in every viable, global network of NGOs co-ordination of all common NGO for influencing domestic and 21. We, African NGOs present here for this Symposium see ourselves as a nucleus of a broader, regional effort. We must reach out, identify and involve many other NGO committees in the search for a just and lasting solution of the question of Palestine. To accomplish these worthy goals, we are requesting United Nations -75- assistance, including financial help, to establish a regional interim co-ordinating committee of NGOs to serve as an initial focus for our regional efforts. we visualize such an African co-ordinating committee establishing close links with the work of ICC and its successor. 22. The African region is an area of increasing political importance. As a result, forces opposed to the Palestinian cause are attempting to neutralize the traditional commitment of the peoples of this region to the Palestinian cause. Such attempts, notably by the State of Israel, the United States of America and the world Zionist movement, as well as by imperialism, must be resisted as they constitute impediments to aChieving a just, comprehensive and enduring resolution of the auestion of Palestine. We distinguish between Judaism as a religion and political zionism as manifested by Israel, an unjust, undemccratic, racist and dangerous ideology. In combating the forces opposed to the Palestinian cause, African NGOs must play a key role as mouldels of public opinion in the region. 23. To ensure proper representation of this region at the forthcoming International Meeting on the Question of Palestine, we strongly urge the United Nations, through the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, to fund the participation of a representative number of NGO delegates from the reqion. To be effective, such aid should include transportation to Geneva and accommodatinn during the conference. 24. In co-operation with the stated objectives of the ICC, we African NGOs call for the compilation of a regional data base of information on NGOs in the region active on the issue as a potent addition to global networking efforts. 25. We are determined to cultivate an expanding regional NGO constituency linked to a world-wide NGO network that will emerge as a significant complementary force in the campaign for the just resolution of the question of Palestine. We firmly believe that we can most effectively express our solidarity with the Palestinian people in this way. We call upon the United Nations, through the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, to offer all necessary assistance, including financial support, to achieve these ends. 26. we note with satisfaction the results of the World Confe~ence to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for women: Eauality, Development and Peace, held at Nairobi (Kenya) from 15 to 26 July 1985. The Conference particularly emphasized the situation of the Palestinian people, and increased awareness of the question of Palestine on the part of the international community. 27. We note with interest the activities in solidarity with th~ Palestinian people conducted in the context of the International Youth Year, particularly on the occasion of the Twelfth world ¥outh and Students Festival held at Moscow from 27 July to 4 Auqust 1985, and earnestly invite the young people of the world in general, and of Africa in particular, to increase their support for the Palestinian cause. 28. We express the wish that the Arab Summit which opens on 7 August 1985 at Casablanca, Morocco, will contribute to the strengthening of Arab unity and solidarity with the cause of the Palestinian people. We also hope that the Arab Summit will adopt appropriate means of putting into effect the principles of Fez and of the International Conference on Peace in the Middle East, under the auspices of the United Nations and in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions. -76- -------~----Oil1;-~=-"""""-_IliiOlililii.i~---~-------29. We decide to establish the Interim Co-ordinating Committee for Africa, composed of representatives of organizations which participated in this Symposium, in order to expand and strengthen the activities of solidarity with the Palestinian cause undertaken by African NGOs. 30. We applaud the convening of this Regional Symposium and strongly request the United Nations, through the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, to plan at least two follow-up symposiums in the region as soon as possible, but hopefully within the coming year. -77- ANNEX X International Meeting of Non-Governmental Organizations on the Question of palestine (Geneva, 9-12 September 1985) Declaration 1. We, the non-governmental organizations participating in the second United Nations International NGO Meeting on the Question of palestine, wish to thank the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalien3ble Rights of the Palestinian people for convening this meeting. We are indeed honoured by the presence of the members and Observers of the distinguished United Nations body. 2. We also wish to thank the Chief of the Division for Palestinian Rights, the NGO liaison officers, the staff of the Division, the Department of Conference Services, including the services of the interpreters, for their valuable assistance in the preparation and exec~tion of this meeting. We believe this meeting strengthens the constructive interaction between the United Nations and the international NGO community concerned with the absence of a just and durable solution to the question of Palestine and we look forward to increasing levels of understanding, appreciation and co-operation. 3. We also wish to voice our appreciation to the distinguished experts and resource persons who spoke her~ and offered valuable historical, political, as well as practical insights into the question of Palestine as well as a perspective on the important role to be played by NGOs. The practical suggestions emanating from the workshops assisted us in formulating future plans for effective collaboration in linking our efforts to a broader, global network. The workshop reports are available separately. 4. In particular, we want to draw attention to the important presentations made here. We consider the panel "Ways and Means to Implement United Nations Resolution 38/58 C. The International Peace Conference on the Middle East is the means for a just, durable and comprehensive solution to the auestion of Palestine and the Middle East conflict", to be of great significance and urge the United Nations to reproduce those statements and widely circulate them. We also urge the United Nations to convene this same pane~ in other locations (USA/Europe) so that its peLspective can be communicated to wider audiences. 5. We resolutely reaffirm the international consensus that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. We affirm the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination without external interference, to return, and to the establishment of an independent Palestinian State on its own national territory under the leadership of the PLO, in conformity with all relevant United Nations resolutions. 6. We further strongly support the convening of the International Conference on Peace in the Middle East under the auspices of the United Nations as specified in United Nations resolution 38/58 C. We note that the PLO and other Arab parties and the Government of the USSR have supported the resolution and that the Government of Israel and the United States of America have opposed the convening of such a -78- conference. we consider that the stand taken by these two Governments on the issue militates against the search tor peace in the Middle East. We therefore urge that all Governments and all groups that can, should exert all possible pressure on these two Governments to reconsider their position and join the rest of the world, Governments and peoples in thE! movement for peace. 7. In this manner, we uniformly support the declaration on this issue adopted by the International NGO Meeting on the Question of Palestine held in August 1984 in Geneva. 8. The convening of the International Peace Conference on the Middle East, as endorsed by General Assembly resolution 38/58 C otfers a realistic and practical way towards a solution to the problem of Palestine and the establishment of a Palestinian State. We further reaffirm OQr belief that only a full and comprehensive solution involving, in particular, the United States of America and the USSR, as permanent members of the Security Council and co-chairmen of the Geneva Peace Conference, can create the basis for a just and lasting peace. we concur that influencing world public opinion is a key factor in the just and durable resolution of the question of Palestine. As NGOs we have access to local populations, the grass roots in our societies, and are determined to work to increase their understanding of the question of Palestine and the just cause of the Arab people of Palestine, and to effectively mobilize their potential political, social and spiritual power. Beyond these principles, we firmly believe that NGOs are a unique asset in securing the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, for we can present the issue also from a vital, human perspective. 9. 10. we confirm our support for the global signature campaign to increase popular and organizational support for the International Peace Conference on the Middle Eat East and will redouble and co-ordinate our efforts with the International Co-ordinating Committee for NGOs throughout the world, culminating in the International Day of' Solidarity with the Palestinian people on 29 November 1987. Our emphasis will be to attract the support of popular organizations with large memberships, parliamentarians, peace forces in Israel, North America and Europe, and others. 11. We NGOs present here for this international meeting see ourselves as a nucleus of a broader, world-wide effort. We undertake to reach out, identify and involve many ,other NGOs in the just resolution of the question of Palestine. 12. we express our grave concern over the protracted Arab-Israeli conflict. We recognize that the basic cause of t~at conflict is the denial by Israel and its supporters of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. We deplore the vigorous assaults upon Palestinian human rights by Israel and urge all NGOs to activate their networks to protest this repression in every effective way. In particular, we condemn the record of successive administrations of the United States of America which have encouraged and supported Israel's expansionist policies. 13. We urge all NGOs to inform their Governments of the deteriorating economic, social, cultural and health situation of the Palestinian people in the occupied territories and abroad. we reject the campaign for a so-called "Improvement of the quality of life" under Israeli control as a ruse devised to pre-empt independent Palestinian development in the occupied territories. -79- 14. Recognizing that more attention needs to be paid to the specific situation of Palestinian Arabs within Israel, we intend to continue to address this subject at future international NGO meetings and urge all NGOs to create heightened awareness of this subject. we call upon the Government of Israel to establish and guarantee full eaual rights to the Palestinian Arabs inside Israel, who are an integral part of the Palestinian people. 15. We express our strongest oppositlon to the Israeli Government policy of "Iron Fist" rule in the occupied territories: the closure of An-Najah University and other institutions of higher education and the closure of the Arab Hos~ital in the Austrian Hospice in Jerusalem which have deprived the people of their vital services; the arbitrary administrative detention and expulsion of leaders of student organizations, trade unions, voluntary organizations and youth movements. These actions and attitudes are flagrant violations of human rights and basic human decency. In particular, we demand the abolition of the expulsion orders against the following persons: Amin Darwish Maqbul of Nablus Walid Ahmad Nazzal of Qabatiyya Bahjat Mustafa Jayyusi of Jayyus, as well as the abolition of the orders of administrative detention against Zalu Jaradat and Ghazi Shashtari, who are both Law in the Service of Man field workers, all of which contravene international law. All NGOs must take immediate action to draw attention to these glaring abuses of power and violations of human rights. All of our networks should be mobilized to protest to the detaining authorities, and to the United States Government, and to the United Nations, and to demand an end to the Israeli occupation. 16. We are deeply concerned over the persistent policy of Israel to confiscate Arab land in the occupied Palestinian territory and to establish Jewish colonial settlements thereon. This constitutes a flagrant violation of the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention. we call upon the Security Council to apply means and measures to ensure respect and implementation of its relevant resolutions, particularly 465 (1978). 17. We consider that the proposed law by the Israeli Knesset prohibiting contacts between Israelis and members of the PLO constitutes a further obstacle in the search for peace. In the ligtit of this proposed law, it is of the utmost imgortance that NGOs take the initiative to convene meetings between Israeli citizens and Palestinians representing the PLO with the aim to implement the relevant United Nations resolutions, in particular, United Nations General Assembly resolution 38/58 C. 18. We voice grave concern over the fate of the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, and recall the historical responsibility of the United Nations for the fate of the Palestinian people. We call upon the United Nations to shoulder this responsibility. 19. We note the fundamental importance of the forthcoming summ~t meeting between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist RepUblics and call on them to have the question of Palestine and peace in the Middle East included in the agenda and to consider, during the summit, the convening of the International Peace Conference on the Middle East. -80- 20. We are aware that 1986 will be qlobally designated as the Year of peace, and that there will be no peace without peace in the Middle East. We must take all action to make it a year of peace with justice for the Palestinian people by selflessly collaborating with one another in order to influence public opinion and governmental policy. We strongly condemn the military and political collusion and nuclear collaboration between the Government of Israel and the Government of South Africa. 21. We have reviewed and considered the initial activities of the Interim Co-ordinating Committee for NGOs (ICC) established at the International Meeting on the Question of Palestine convened at Geneva in August 1984. We hereby establish a succeSSor organization, the NGO International Co-ordinating Committee on the Question of Palestine in order to expand and strengthen the NGO global network. The ICC will work diligently to develop even closer links with the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and the Division for Palestinian Rights. The names of the member organizations on the 1985/1986 ICC are given in footnote ~/. 22. We sincerely thank the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights, of the Palestinian People for inviting a representative of the ICC to speak as a panelist at each of the regional NGO symposia convened since May 1985. We believe that these symposia increased NGO contact and created circumstances for the establishment of regional NGO co-ordinating committees in Asia, North America and Africa. 23. We urge the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and the Division for Palestinian Rights to continue such regional and other NGO symposia in the coming year in order to involve under-represented regions and to reinforce the networking already under way in other areas. Upcoming regional NGO symposia should include Latin America, East Asia and Pacific, and Europe. Follow-up symposia in other regions are needed to maintain continuity and expansion of the global NGO network on Palestine. We further urge the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and the Division for Palestinian Rights to facilitate the convening of meetings of the IeC in the coming year so that the ICC can co-ordinate its ef~orts on behalf of the NGO community it represents. 24. ,Based on our experience over this past year the NGOs participating in this meeting propose that the new Ice consider Lie establishment of an administrative secretariat and also consider ways and means of funding the activities of the ICC and proposed secretariat. 25. We are determined to cultivate an expanding global NGO constituency linked to a world-wide NGO network that will emerge as a significant force in the campaign for the just resolution of the question of Palestine. The establishment of the NGO International Co-ordinating Committee symbolizes this commitment and the growth of the global movement. We firmly believe that we can most effectively express our solidarity with the Palestinian people and work for peace in this way. We call upon the United Nations, through the Unit~d Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian people, to offer every assistance, including financial support, to achieve these ends. 26. We call upon the united Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People to convey this report of the International NGO Meeting on the Question of Palestine held in Geneva, 9-12 September 1985, to the General Assembly at its fortieth session as part of the Committee's report. -81- Notes ~I All-India Indo-Arab Friendship AssociationJ American Friends Service CommitteeJ Arab Lawyers UnionJ Association des Juristes Democrates du SenegalJ Council for the Advancement of Arab/British Understanding; Democratic Front for Peace and Equality; French NGOs Committee; International Jewish Peace Union; Israel Council for Israeli/palestinian PeaceJ Near East Cultural and Educational Foundation of CanadaJ Palestinian Committee for NGOsJ Palestine Human Rights Campaign of Australia; Palestinian Human Rights Campaign; parliamentary Association for Euro-Arab Co-operation; Soviet Afro-Asian Solidarity Committee; Union Inter-Africaine des Avocatsz Women's International Democratic FederationJ World Council of Churches/Middle East Council of ChurchesJ World Peace CouncilJ World Young Women's Christian Association. 85-26620 2236-37a (E) -62- HOW TO OBHIN I'NITEI> :'oIAlIOl'iS PI'RUCA no,s I:n1t~d N;lllons pLlhh(;1l10ns ma~ h,' ohlall1",llrl1111 h(l·· ~,tl1I~' ;lIld dl,tnhLll"r' Ihl"Ll~"')11l Ih~ "",rid. 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