Palestine question – Romania/PLO communique – letter from Romania

Letter dated 6 June 1987 from the Minister for Foreign Affairs

Of Romania to the Secretary-General

I have the honour to submit herewith the text of the joint communiqué concerning the meeting and talks between the Secretary General of the Romanian Communist Party and President of the Socialist Republic of Romania, Nicolae Ceauscescu, and the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Yasser Arafat, adopted at Bucharest on 5 June 1987 (see annex).  The communiqué contains the conclusions arrived at during the talks between the two leaders.

Of note is the joint stand regarding the establishment of comprehensive, lasting and just peace in the Middle East, on the basis of Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied Arab territories, of solving the Palestinian people question through the recognition of its right to self-determination – including the setting up of it own independent Palestinian State – and of the guaranteed integrity, sovereignty and security of all States in that area.

The two leaders underscored the necessity of convening an international conference, under United Nations auspices, with the participation of all parties interested in the Settlement of the conflict, including the Palestine Liberation Organization, as the only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, as well as of the permanent members of the Security Council.  To this end, the need to set up a preparatory committee composed of the Arab States concerned, the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel, as well as the permanent members of the Security Council, was stressed.

The two leaders considered that such an international conference and in general the solution of the Middle East issues should be based on all United Nations resolutions concerning the Palestinian and the Middle East questions, including Security Council resolution 242 (1967).

I should be grateful if you would have the text of this communiqué circulated as an official document of the General Assembly, under items 38 and 39 of the preliminary list, and of the Security Council.

(Signed) Ioan V. TOTU

Minister for Foreign Affairs.

ANNEX

Joint communiqué on the meeting and talks between the

Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party and

President of Romania and the Chairman of the Executive

Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization

At the invitation of the Secretary General of the Romanian Communist Party and the President of the Socialist Republic of Romania, Nicolae Ceausescu, the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Yasser Arafat, paid a friendly visit to the Socialist Republic of Romania on 4 and 5 June 1987.

During the visit, president Nicolae Ceausescu and Chairman Yasser Arafat held talks and had a broad exchange of views on the present stage of bilateral relations and on their prospects, as well as on a number of present issues relating to the Palestinian movement, the trend of developments in the Middle East and other aspects of present international affairs.

During the talks, the Secretary General of the Romanian Communist party and the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization noted with satisfaction that the good relations of friendship, co-operation and solidarity between the Romanian Communist Party and the Palestinian people had been developing continuously for their mutual benefit and in the interest of peace, détente and understanding in the Middle East and all over the world.  In this context, they emphasized the particular importance of the meetings and talks between the two leaders and expressed their joint determination to intensify the summit dialogue and periodic consultations with a view to further strengthening and developing the relations between the Romanian Communist Party and the Socialist Republic of Romania, on the one hand, and the Palestine Liberation Organization, on the other.

Chairman Yasser Arafat expressed heartfelt thanks to Romania and to President Nicolae Ceausescu personally for their consistent and principled position in favour of the cause of the Palestinian people and for the active support that they had given the struggle waged by the Palestinian people in order to attain its freedom and independence and to realize its inalienable national rights.

President Nicolae Ceausescu reaffirmed, on that occasion as well, the determination of Romania and the Romanian people to continue giving full support to the struggle waged by the Palestinian people with a view to achieving its legitimate aspirations to live and develop in its own free and independent State and in full security and peace.

During the exchange of views, Chairman Yasser Arafat set forth the position of the Palestine Liberation Organization on the recent developments in the Middle East and referred to the Palestine Liberation Organization initiatives aimed at seeking solutions conducive to the settlement of the complex problems existing in that area and to the establishment of peace in the region.

President Nicolae Ceausescu reaffirmed the stand of the Romanian communist Party and Socialist Romania in favour of a comprehensive and negotiated settlement of the Middle East questions and emphasized the need for intensified political and diplomatic moves and for new initiatives and actions aimed at paving the way for a just and equitable settlement of the Palestinian people question.

During the talks, the Secretary-General of the Romanian Communist Party, Nicolae Ceausescu, and the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Yasser Arafat, firmly called for the just settlement of the Middle East questions and the establishment of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in that area, to be based on the withdrawal by Israel from the occupied Arab territories, the settlement of the problems of the Palestinian people through the recognition of its right to self-determination, including the setting up of its own independent Palestinian State, and on the guaranteed integrity, sovereignty and security of all States in that area.  In order to achieve those goals, the two leaders held that it was necessary to convene an international conference under United Nations aegis and with the participation of all parties interested in the settlement of the conflict in the area, including the Palestine Liberation Organizations, as the only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, as well as the permanent members of the Security Council.  They further stressed the need to set up a preparatory committee composed of the Arab States concerned, the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel, as well as the permanent members of the Security Council.  The two leaders welcomed any positive contribution from other States tot he success of such an international conference.

The two leaders emphasized that an international conference, as outlined above, and in general any solution to the Middle East questions should be based on all United Nations resolutions on the Palestinian and Middle East questions, including Security Council resolution 242 (1967), and on the guaranteeing of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and to setting up an independent Palestinian State.

During the talks, President Nicolae Ceausescu and Chairman Yasser Arafat stressed the particular importance of intensifying efforts and actions with a view to strengthening the co-operation and solidarity of Arab States as an essential prerequisite to the constructive settlement of the Middle East questions and the establishment of peace in that area.  They also underscored the need for most resolute actions to be taken further on with a view to strengthening the unity of the Palestinian people and of its national forces within the Palestine Liberation Organization people and of its national forces within the Palestine Liberation Organization, so as to consolidate the strength of the organization as they only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.

The two leaders called for the earliest possible cessation of the war between Iran and Iraq and for the immediate beginning of procedures conducive to the peaceful, negotiated settlement of the issues between the two countries, with due regard for the relevant United Nations resolutions and all the proposed peaceful initiatives aimed at putting an end to that war.

Expressing their deep concern about the existing international situation, which continued to be most grave and complex, the two leaders emphasized that the fundamental issues of our time were the resolute curbing of the arms race, the undertaking of concrete disarmament measures, first of all in the nuclear field, and the defence of peoples’ right to live in freedom, dignity and peace.  They expressed their appreciation for the positive proposals advanced by the Soviet Union and General secretary Mikhail Gorbachev regarding the liquidation, by stages, of all nuclear weapons by the year 2000.

They stressed that, in view of the grave and complex situation existing in the world, it was imperative to do the utmost in order to unite the efforts of all peoples and of the democratic and progressive forces everywhere in order to halt the dangerous trend of developments towards confrontation and war and to ensure the renunication of the use force in the relations among States and the resolute promotion of the policy of détent, independence, co-operation and peace all over the world.

They also emphasized the need for continued and intensified action at the international level with a view to liquidating underdevelopment and establishing a new world economic order, based on relations of full equality and equity among States, which should make possible the faster progress of all peoples, of the less developed ones in the first place, and secure the harmonious development and the stability of the world economy.

The Secretary General of the Romanian Communist Party and the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization stressed the importance of ensuring all necessary conditions for the participation of all countries, regardless of size or social system, on an equal footing, in the settlement of the important issues existing in present international affairs.  They held the opinion that a major role in this respect should be played by small and medium-sized countries, developing countries and non-aligned States ,which constituted the great majority of the world’s States and are directly interested in a policy of détente, independence, equality, co-operation and peace.

The two leaders also held the view that the United Nations and other international agencies should play a more active role in the process of safeguarding peace and the democratic settlement of issues facing mankind.

Examining the profound changes that had occurred in the contemporary world and the international balance of forces, President Nicolae Ceausescu and Chairman Yasser Arafat stressed that an essential feature of present international trends was the ever stronger assertion of peoples’ will to live and develop in peace and freedom, in an atmosphere of trust, security and peace.  Acting in unity, peoples and the progressive, democratic and advanced forces all over the world could set international affairs on a new track and ensure the success of the policy of peace, disarmament, understanding and co-operation among all the nations of the world.

President Nicolae Ceausescu and Chairman Yasser Arafat expressed their satisfaction with the talks that they held on this occasion and expressed their determination to take further action in order to ensure that the relations of friendship and solidarity between the Romanian Communist Party and the Palestine Liberation Organization and between the Romanian people and the Palestinian people developed ever more strongly, for their mutual benefit and in the interest of the construction settlement of the Middle East and world questions, of the general cause of co-operation and peace and of building up a better and juster world on our planet.

The talks were conducted in a most cordial and friendly atmosphere.

* A/42/50.