CEIRPP meeting – Press release

U N I T E D   N A T I O N S

Press Section

Office of Public Information

United Nations, N.Y.

(FOR USE OF INFORMATION MEDIA — NOT AN OFFICIAL RECORD)

Committee on Rights of                              Press Release GA/PAL/19

 Palestinian People                                 11 May 1976

15th Meeting (AM)

PALESTINIAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE CONSIDERS ITS REPORT

     The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the

Palestinian People this morning considered its draft report and recommendations to the Secretary-General, and heard the views and suggestions of its members.

     The Committee, established under the General Assembly resolution 3376 (XXX), is requested under the same resolution to submit its report and recommendations to the Secretary-General no later than 1 June 1976, who, in turn, would transmit the report to the Security Council for consideration. The Security Council is requested, under the resolution, to consider, as soon as possible after 1 June 1976, the question of the exercise by the Palestinian people of the inalienable rights recognized in resolution 3236 (XXIX).

     Statements on the draft report, which was introduced this morning by

Victor J. Gauci (Malta), Rapporteur of the Committee, were made by the

representatives of Tunisia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Romania, German Democratic

Republic, Turkey, India, Cyprus, Ukraine, Lao Republic, Indonesia and

Madagascar.  Observers from Syria and the Palestinian Liberation Organization

(PLO) also spoke on the draft report.

     In summarizing the debate, Ricardo Alarcon Quesada (Cuba), Chairman of

the Committee, said that the Committee thus agreed, in principle, to the

adoption of the draft report, which would be further revised to reflect the

comments made today by delegations.

     The Committee will meet again on 20 May, when it is expected to take

final action on the draft report.

     Details of Draft Report

     In addition to summarizing the deliberations of the Committee, the

draft report contains a series of recommendations made on the belief that

"the question of Palestine is at the heart of the Middle East problem" and,

therefore, no solution in the area could be envisaged without taking into

account the "legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people".

     In the draft report, the Committee endorses the "legitimate and

inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to return to their homes

and property and to achieve self-determination, national independence

and sovereignty" and states that the full implementation of these rights

would "contribute decisively" to a comprehensive and final settlement of

the Middle East issue.  The Committee also maintains that the participation of

the PLO on an equal footing with other parties was "indispensable in all efforts, deliberations and conferences on the Middle East which are held under the auspices of the United Nations".

     The Committee also recommends in the report that the United Nations

and its organs should play a "more influential role" in promoting a just

solution to the question of Palestine.  Further, the Security Council,

in particular, should "take appropriate action to facilitate the exercise

by the Palestinians of their right to return to their homes, lands and

property", the report recommends.

     On the right of return of the Palestinian people to their homes,

the Committee recommends that the programme of implementation of the

exercise of this right should be carried out in two phases, the first

phase involving the return of the Palestinians displaced as a result

of the war of June 1967, and the second phase involving the return of

those displaced between 1948 and 1967.  In the implementation of phase

one, the Security Council would be requested to call on the immediate

implementation of its resolution 237 (1967), while the International

Committee of the Red Cross and/or the United Nations Relief and Works

Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) might be asked

to "assist in the solution of any logistical problems involved in the

resettlement" of those returning to their homes.  The Committee also

stipulates that these agencies could also assist, in co-operation with

the host countries and the PLO, in the identification of the displaced

Palestinians.

     Further, while the first phase was being implemented, the United

Nations, in co-operation with the States directly involved and the PLO,

would be asked to make necessary arrangements to help the Palestinians

displaced between 1948 and 1967 to exercise their right to return to

their homes.  The Committee also recommends that those Palestinians not

choosing to return to their homes should be paid "just and equitable

compensation" as provided for in General Assembly resolution 194 (III).

     As regards the Palestinian right to self-determination, national

independence and sovereignty, the Committee recommends that the Security

Council establish a time-table for the complete withdrawal by Israel

from those areas occupied in 1967, and that such withdrawal should be

completed no later than 1 June 1977.  Further, the Committee recommends,

in its draft report, that the Council request Israel 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, the Committee recommends.

     The Committee further recommends that the evacuated territories, with

all property and services intact, may be handed over to the United Nations

which, with the co-operation with the League of Arab States, would sub-

sequently hand over these evacuated areas to the PLO as the representative

of the Palestinian people.  Further, the United Nations would be asked to

provide the economic and technical assistance necessary for the consolidation

of the Palestinian entity.

     Statements Made

     RACHID DRISS (Tunisia) said the Committee should adopt the draft report

in principle, but that all the stylistic revisions orally introduced today

should be presented in a corrected version.  He wished that a separate

document would be issued containing the list of 188 resolutions adopted by

the General Assembly and the Security Council thus far on the Palestine

question.

     The Secretary-General, he said, should be asked to extensively

disseminate the recommendations formulated by the Committee.

     REZSO BANYASZ (Hungary) said his delegation had firm conviction that

the "dangerous hot-bed in the Middle East has been created and maintained

by imperialist manoeuvres, by colonialist designs".  The implementation

of the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to

sovereign national existence, to homeland and to return he said, was a

cornerstone of any possible just and lasting, peaceful solution of the

Middle East conflict.  Without putting an end to the "striking injustices

and untold sufferings" that had afflicted the Arab people of Palestine for

over a quarter of century, there would be no peace in the Middle East, he

asserted.  Further, his delegation believed that the participation of the

"Palestine Liberation Organization, the representative of the Palestinian

people" on an equal footing with other parties … was indispensable in

all efforts, deliberations and conferences on the Middle East.

     The draft report of the Committee, he said, clearly showed the basis

conviction of the members of the Committee that the right of return and the

right to a homeland of the Palestinian Arab people were not negotiable.

The United Nations, he said, had the obligation to implement the "long

overdue resolutions" and to help in the solution of the many political and

practical matters in a way the draft report suggested.  It was clear, he

said, that the Middle East question was a question of basic concern to

international peace and security, and as such belongs, first and foremost,

to the sphere of competence of the Security Council.

     Stating that the socialist countries — among them Hungary — had no

selfish interests in the Middle East, he asserted that the interest of the

socialist countries was to promote peace based on justice, security through

peaceful co-operation of all the nations of the region.

     JAKSA PETRIC (Yugoslavia) said the draft report, which successfully

compiled the views of the Committee members, should be adopted.

     ION DATCU (Romania), supporting the adoption of the draft report, said

that the Committee could then complete its task before 1 June, as stipulated

in the General Assembly resolutions.

     PETER FLORIN (German Democratic Republic) said that, although his

delegation had some reservations on certain points contained  in the draft

report, it supported the idea of adopting the report by consensus.

     The Israeli authorities, he said, continued to practice its Zionist

policies, thus aggravating the efforts to restore the rights of the

Palestinian people.  Recently, his Government made a statement on the

Middle East situation, commending as "constructive" the Soviet policy as

proclaimed in April by that country.  His Government believed that the

Israeli authorities were blocking the way to a just and lasting solution.

Powerful imperialistic countries continued their assistance to Israel.

     Israel, he said, should withdraw its troops from the territories it

occupied in 1967.  The Geneva Peace Conference, he said, was a "suitable"

international forum for a just and stable peace in the Middle East.

     ILTER TURKMEN (Turkey) said that the draft report, taken as a whole,

reflected a well-balanced view of the Committee.  His delegation supported

the draft report.

     RIKHI JAIPAL (India) said that the draft report recognized that a

solution of the Middle East question depended on the co-operation between

the General Assembly and the Security Council.

     He made some suggestions for amending the text of the report and said

that the inclusion in the report of a possible role to be played by the

International Court of Justice might weaken the over-all effect of the

recommendations.  The question of the role of the World Court, he said,

could be dealt with outside the report.

     JOSEPH J. STEPHANIDES (Cyprus) said he agreed with the Indian

representative on the inclusion of a paragraph on the advisory opinion of

the International Court of Justice.

     He said the Security Council must take into account the "scrupulous

approach" the Committee had taken in discharging its mandate.

     VLADIMIR N. MARTYNENKO (Ukraine) said that genuine and lasting peace in

the Middle East could not be attained without the full restoration of the

Palestinian rights.  The 28 April statement by the Soviet Government this

year on the Middle East situation, he said, rightly stated that the in-

alienable rights of the Palestine people should be restored.

     It also recognized the political encouragements given to Israel by

certain Powers to undermine the efforts of those working for independence,

he said.  The Soviet statement, he noted, stated that the rights of the

Palestinian people should be fully satisfied, that the Israeli forces should

withdraw from the occupied territories, and that international peace and

security should be maintained.

     His delegation believed that the Soviet position, as presented in its

28 April statement, should be fully reflected in the report of the Committee.

     His delegation had certain reservations on the draft report before

the Committee but agreed, in principle, to the adoption of the report.

     KHAM THONG BOULOM (Lao Republic) said that his delegation supported

adoption of the draft report.

     AUGUST MARPAUNG (Indonesia) said his delegation believed the report

was "well-balanced", and "constructive in approach".  He supported the

Indian suggestion on the removal from the report of a reference to the

possible role of the International Court of Justice.  He commended the

positive role the PLO had played in the work of the Committee.

     ZEHDI L. TERZI, observer of the PLO, said that his organization was

"very grateful" to the Committee which put the question of Palestine in

its "proper perspective" and considered the matter in a very "serious"

manner.  He hoped a reference would be made in the report to the statements

made, respectively by Chairman Arafat and Mr. Kaddoumi of the PLO.

     As to the possible role of the International Court of Justice, the

sentence referring to it could be moved elsewhere in the report, so as to

avoid its being confused with the recommendations.  He hoped the Committee

would meet again towards the end of the month to consider further suggestions

for amendments.  He, for one, wished to send the draft report to his

headquarters for consideration before the Committee adopted the final

version.

     HENRI RASOLONDRAIBE (Madagascar) said more time should be given to

delegations to study in depth the draft report as a whole.  His delegation

was pleased with the recommendations contained in the report, as they

rightly reflected the belief that a solution to the Middle East crisis

could not be attained without the full recognition of the rights of the

Palestinian people.

     MOWAFFAK ALIAF (Observer of Syria), commenting on a number of oral

amendments suggested to the draft report, said that his delegation

supported the PLO request for inclusion in the report of a reference to

statements made by Chairman Arafat and Mr. Kaddoumi of the PLO.

     His delegation objected to a reference in the report to the possibility

that the International Court of Justice might be requested to consider the

validity of certain General Assembly resolutions which had already been

adopted.  Such an approach, he said, would undermine the very basis on which

the Committee's work was carried out.

     Furthermore, the question of Jerusalem, which the report briefly

referred to, fell outside the mandate of the Committee, he said.  The report

should also refrain from the use of such "dangerous" terms as "territorial

arrangements" and "future sovereignty", he said.

     He hoped the Committee would meet within one week or so to finalize the

report.

     Mr. JAIPAL (India) said his delegation shared the reservations expressed

by Syria concerning the question of Jerusalem and the use of certain words.

As to the paragraph on the possible role of the International Court of

Justice, he believed that it could either be deleted completely or be moved

to a more appropriate place in the report.

     Responding to comments, the Rapporteur of the Committee, VICTOR J. GAUCI

(Malta) said that an annex could be attached to the report containing the

list of resolutions of relevances to the Palestine question.  A reference

would also be made in the revised version to the statements made by Chairman

Arafat and Mr. Kaddoumi of the PLO.

     Furthermore, he believed that certain terms could be deleted or replaced

so as to avoid confusion

     On the possible role of the International Court of Justice, he personally

believed the reference could be deleted from the present draft.

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