General Assembly general debate – Statements by Lebanon/Syria/Libya – Press release (excerpts)

Fifty-fifth General Assembly

Plenary

14th Meeting (AM)

STRENGTHENED PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS, MIDDLE EAST PEACE

ADDRESSED, AS FIFTY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONTINUES DEBATE

Hears from Foreign Ministers of Lebanon, Norway, Libya, United Kingdom,

Germany, Syria, Ireland, Sweden, Bosnia and Herzegovina

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The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Lebanon, Selim El-Hoss, told the Assembly that in the second half of May, for the first time since 1978, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was allowed to fulfil its mandate under Security Council resolution 425 (1978). Israel must compensate Lebanon for the human, material and economic losses sustained as a result of Israeli occupation and his country would, in that matter, resort to the International Court of Justice. He appealed to the donor countries and the international financial institutions to provide sufficient assistance for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the South.

He believed that the opportunity for a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East remained, provided that Israel committed to the resolutions of international legitimacy and the Madrid terms of reference. To achieve peaceful settlement, the Palestinian refugees must be allowed to return to their homeland.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Syria, Farouk Al-Shara, said it was obvious that the continued Israeli occupation of Arab territory was the major obstacle in the path of peace. The serious and carefully considered negotiations Syria had conducted had proven that Israel was neither desirous nor serious in pursuing a just and comprehensive peace according to United Nations resolutions. Syria had the right to a full return of the entire Golan to the line of 4 June 1967, without concession or compromise.

Syria was committed to the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to return and to self-determination, he said. It supported the establishment of their independent state on their sovereign land, and also supported the rights of Muslims and Arabs to a full Palestinian sovereignty over the Quds-al-Sharif, he said.

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Assembly Work Programme

The General Assembly met this morning to continue its general debate.

Statements were scheduled by the representatives of Lebanon, Norway, United Kingdom, Libya, Germany, Syria, Ireland and Sweden.

Statements

SALIM EL-HOSS, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Lebanon, said that in the second half of May, Lebanon and the United Nations witnessed a historic event, when his country recovered most of its occupied territories in the South and in the western Bekaa. Israel had to withdraw from those territories after a senseless occupation of 22 years, leaving behind a trail of devastation and a collapse in the local production sectors. For the first time since 1978, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was allowed to fulfil its mandate under Security Council resolution 425 (1978). The United Nations had to identify a line for the purpose of confirming the Israeli withdrawal.

Regrettably, in three locations that line did not conform to the internationally-recognized “Boundary Line” demarcated in 1978, he said. The United Nations line also left the Sheba’a farmlands outside UNIFIL’s area of operations. Despite Israel’s repeated violations of the withdrawal line and its obstructive practices, the international force was at long last able to deploy, accompanied by the Lebanese armed forces. He paid tribute to the Secretary- General and UNIFIL for the tireless efforts they had made in fulfillment of their noble task.

He underlined, among other things, that Lebanon’s internationally recognized borders were not negotiable and that his country insisted on its right to sovereignty over the Sheba’a farmlands. Lebanon also insisted on its sovereignty and authority over the locations set by the United Nations inside the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) line in the Mount Hermon area. Israel must compensate Lebanon for the human, material and economic losses sustained as a result of Israeli occupation and his Government would resort to the International Court of Justice. He appealed to the donor countries and the international financial institutions to provide sufficient assistance for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the South.

He believed that the opportunity for a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East remained, provided that Israel committed to the resolutions of international legitimacy and the Madrid terms of reference. The conflicting agendas of the Israeli political groups would hinder the settlement process in the region and compromise the protracted pursuit of peace. He stressed that to achieve the peaceful settlement, the Palestinian refugees must be allowed to return to their homeland. Lebanon was anxious to reconstruct and rehabilitate its vital and civil institutions and productive sectors. “We in Lebanon strive for a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East that will bring back stability to our region and allow us to play a role in building the world in which we aspire to live”, he said.

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ABDURRAHMAN M SHALGHEM, Secretary of the General People’s Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation of Libya, said that the United Nations needed reform. The role of the General Assembly had to be strengthened, so that it became the authority responsible for determining what conditions were truly threatening to international peace and security. The Security Council should be restructured in a manner that achieved fair geographical representation in its membership, and its activities made more transparent. The prerogatives that the victors in the Second World War granted themselves should be abolished, particularly the right of veto, which was undemocratic. Finally, he proposed the establishment of an international committee answerable to the United Nations, to undertake the task of inspection and implementation of United Nations programmes.

He said that the international community had an obligation to assist Africa in its efforts to reach peace and stability. Many of Africa’s problems lay in the abuse of its resources, the plundering of its wealth, intervention in its internal affairs and the imposition of foreign concepts, alien to its traditions and culture. Such practices should be discontinued. He called upon the States that colonized Africa to offer their apologies and fully compensate it for the damages inflicted by colonialism. Turning to the Palestinian question, he said that there was no other solution other than the return of Palestinian people to their homeland, and the establishment of their State on the land of Palestine, with Jerusalem as its capital. The sanctions against Iraq should be immediately lifted, he added.

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FAROUK AL-SHARA’, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Syria, said …

It was quite obvious to all engaged in the Middle East peace process that the continued Israeli occupation of Arab territory, once explained as the psychological need of Israel for security, was the major obstacle in the path of peace. The serious and carefully considered negotiations Syria had conducted had proved that Israel was neither willing nor serious in its pursuit of a just and comprehensive peace as expressed.in United Nations resolutions. Syria had the right to a full return of the entire Golan to the line of 4 June 1967, without concession or compromise.

Syria was committed to the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to return and to self-determination. It supported the establishment of their independent state on their sovereign land, and also supported the rights of Muslims and Arabs to a full Palestinian sovereignty over the Quds-al-Sharif. The United Nations had to take a firmer and less selective stand in defending its Charter and international law, forcing Israel to respect international legitimacy and international conventions and to implement the resolutions of the United Nations. He pledged support to Lebanon on all national issues, especially the ones concerning the return of its entire territory and the return of its hostages, and urged donor countries to fulfil their commitments to help Lebanon reconstruct what Israel had destroyed.

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