Mideast situation/Palestine question – Final Declaration of NAM Conference (excerpts) – Letter from Cuba

QUESTION OF PALESTINE

Letter dated 22 July 1980 from the Permanent Representative of

Cuba to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

On instructions from my Government, I have the honour to request you to circulate, as an official document of the seventh emergency special session of the General Assembly under agenda item 5, the attached text containing the part of the Final Declaration of the Sixth Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries which relates to the situation in the Middle East and the question of Palestine.

The convening of an emergency special session of the General Assembly on this issue underlines the importance and seriousness of the Palestine question, which is at the heart of the situation in the Middle East, and the necessity of finding a just, global and lasting solution.

(Signed)  Raúl ROA-KOURI

Ambassador

Permanent Representative of Cuba

to the United Nations

ANNEX

The part of the Final Declaration of the Sixth Conference of Heads of State

or Government of Non-Aligned Countries which relates to the situation

in the Middle East and the question of Palestine

THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST

101. The Conference reaffirmed that the situation in the Middle East continues to pose a serious threat to world peace and security due to the increasing possibility of a new war as a result of Israel's determination to pursue its policy of aggression, expansionism and colonial settlement in the occupied territories with the support of the United States of America. This support encourages Israel, in violation of all the relevant resolutions adopted by the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement, in its refusal to recognize the inalienable national rights of the Palestinian people and to withdraw from all the occupied Arab territories.

102. The Conference therefore considered it essential to reaffirm all the principles and resolutions already adopted by the Non-Aligned Movement on the question of Palestine and the situation in the Middle East since its inception, particularly since the Israeli aggression of 1967. It reaffirmed that no just solution to the problem could be found or peace restored in the region until the following basic principles were simultaneously applied in their entirety:

(a) The Palestinian question is the crux of the problem of the Middle East and the fundamental cause of the Arab-Israeli conflict;

(b) The question of Palestine and the problem of the Middle East are an integral whole neither can be settled in isolation from the other. In consequence, there can be no partial solution or a settlement that involves only some of the parties to the conflict, just as there can be no separate peace. Peace must be all-embracing, include all the parties, eliminate all the causes of the conflict and be just;

(c) No just peace can be established in the region unless it is based on total and unconditional withdrawal by Israel from all the occupied Palestinian and other Arab occupied territories, and the recovery by the Palestinian people of all its inalienable national rights, including its right to return to its homeland, to self-determination and to the establishment of an independent State in Palestine, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 3236 (XXIX).

(d) The city of Jerusalem is an integral part of occupied Palestine. It must be evacuated in its entirety and restored unconditionally to Arab sovereignty;

(e) The Palestine Liberation Organization is the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. It alone possesses the right to represent the Palestinian people and is entitled to exercise the full and sovereign right to participate on an equal footing in all international conferences, activities and forums dealing with the Palestinian problem and the Arab-Israeli conflict with a view to recovering the inalienable national rights of the Palestinian people and to achieving a settlement of the Middle East problem. No settlement to the problem can be comprehensive, just and acceptable without the Palestine Liberation Organization participating in it as a sovereign party and on an equal footing with the other parties concerned:

(f) All measures taken by Israel in the Palestinian and Arab territories since their occupation, including all arrangements, constructions, modifications and alterations designed to transform the political, cultural, religious, physical, geographic and demographic features, are illegal and null and void and

(g) The establishment of colonies (settlements) in the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied by Israel constitutes an illegal act which is null and void and is an obstacle to peace. For this reason, such colonies must be dismantled immediately and no new ones allowed to be established.

103. The Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries noted that the United States policy in aligning itself with Israel and in supporting it in all areas, particularly in its continued occupation of the Arab territories, at the very time when the United States has opted against the Palestinian people and their inalienable rights, plays a major role in preventing the establishment of a just and comprehensive peace in the region. Far from working for peace, the United States is trying instead to obtain partial solutions that are favourable to Zionist aims and underwrite the gains of Israeli aggression at the expense of the Palestinian Arab people and the entire Arab nation. For this reason, the Conference condemned United States policies and manoeuvres in the region.

104. The Conference affirmed that any departure from the resolutions of the conferences of the non-aligned countries on the Middle East problem and the question of Palestine undermines the struggle for the liberation of the occupied Arab territories and the realization of the inalienable national rights of the Palestinian people and is prejudicial to the unity of the Non-Aligned Movement in its fight against colonialism, occupation, racism and Zionism. Such departure also runs counter to the determination of the non-aligned countries to put an end to the occupation of the Palestinian and Arab territories and to assist the Palestinian people to achieve its inalienable national rights.

105. The Conference reaffirmed that the Non-Aligned Movement considers the cause of Palestine and of the Arab territories occupied since 1967 as the cause of all the non-aligned countries.

106. The Conference endorsed the right of the Palestine Liberation Organization and of the Arab States to reject and oppose any solution or settlement detrimental to the inalienable national rights of the Palestinian people and the liberation of all the occupied Arab territories and to foil them through all possible means.

107. The Conference condemned energetically all the partial agreements and separate treaties which constitute a flagrant violation of the rights of the Arab nation and of the Palestinian people; of the principles of the Charters of the OAU and the United Nations and of the resolutions adopted in different international forums on the question of Palestine which impede the aspirations of the Palestinian people to return to their homeland, to achieve self-determination and to exercise full sovereignty over their territories.

108. Bearing in mind that the Camp David Agreements and the Egypt-Israel Treaty of 26 March 1979 constitute a partial agreement and a separate treaty that mean total abandonment of the cause of the Arab countries and an act of complicity with the continued occupation of the Arab territories and violate the inalienable rights of the people of Palestine, the Conference condemned the Camp David Agreements and the Treaty between Egypt and Israel.

109. Within this context, the Heads of State or Government considered the proposal that the Government of Egypt be suspended as a member of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries for having violated its principles and resolutions. The Conference decided to entrust the Co-ordinating Bureau, acting as an ad hoc committee, with the examination of the damage caused to the Arab countries, particularly the Palestinian Arab people, by the conduct of the Egyptian Government in signing the Camp David Agreements and the Egyptian-Israeli Separate Peace Treaty.  The ad hoc committee will report on this matter to the Ministerial Conference to be held in New Delhi, which will take a decision regarding the status of Egypt in the Movement.

110. The Conference vigorously denounced Israel's exploitation of the natural resources of Palestine and the occupied Arab territories and its violation of the Hague and Geneva Conventions and called upon all States to take the necessary measures to prevent any co-operation with Israel which might enable it to continue its illegal exploitation of those resources or obtain illicit profits from such exploitation.

111. The Conference condemned Israel's persistent violation of the fundamental rights and freedoms of the inhabitants of the occupied Palestinian and Arab territories. It likewise condemned Israel's persistent policy of colonization and expulsion of the indigenous Arab population; its alteration of the physical, cultural, religious and demographic features of the occupied territories; the destruction of Arab homes; and the confiscation of Arab property in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949). The Conference also condemned Israel's refusal to receive or co-operate with the commission established by Security Council resolution 446 (1979) to investigate the situation relating to settlements in the occupied Arab territories, including Jerusalem, and its rejection of Security Council resolution 452 (1979).

112. The Conference recalled the resolutions adopted by the United Nations and reaffirmed the resolutions of the non-aligned conferences which determined that Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination.

113. The Conference demounced the position adopted by certain States, notably the United States of America, which continue to supply Israel with advanced weaponry and various forms of aid for the development of an arms industry in Israel. The Conference expressed its deep concern at the escalation of Israeli military strength in both conventional and nuclear weapons, with the aim of establishing Israel as a colonialist and racist base in the third world in general and Asia and Africa in particular, thus posing a threat to world peace and security.

114. The Conference called for the implementation of resolution 33/33 adopted by the United Nations General Assembly at its thirty-third session concerning military co-operation with Israel.

115. The Conference condemned the co-operation existing between Israel and the racist regime of South Africa for the development of Israel's arms industry so that it can supply advanced weapons to repressive and racist regimes and be used by the United States of America as an intermediary for that purpose.

116. For the sake of safeguarding international peace and security, and in particular to put an end to Israeli aggression against Lebanon, the Conference appealed to all member countries to call upon the United Nations Security Council to take the necessary enforcement measures against Israel, in accordance with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations, especially those set forth in Chapter VII.

117. The Conference affirmed its support for the unity of Lebanon, its land and its people and its independence and sovereignty and strongly condemned Israel's raids and continued aggression in southern Lebanon, its failure to withdraw from parts of Lebanese territory and its continued and repeated attacks against Lebanon, particularly against peaceful towns and villages in the south, using the most advanced aircraft and weapons supplied by the United States of America; killing thousands of innocent people, including women, children and the elderly; and destroying towns, villages and the economic structure of the area; and causing the exodus of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians from their homes in the area.

118. The Conference condemned Israel's attempt to consolidate its occupation of parts of southern Lebanon through its agents, thus disrupting the unity of Lebanon and its people and undermining its sovereignty over all its territory. The Conference further condemned all acts which constitute a violation of the Charter of the United Nations as well as the resolutions adopted by the Security Council.

119. The Conference called upon all States to support the people of Lebanon, who are being subjected to savage Zionist attacks, and appealed to them to exert efforts by all means to put an end to those attacks and to ensure respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Lebanon.

120. The Conference called upon the Security Council to implement all resolutions relating to this question, particularly resolutions 425, 426 and 450, and to take the measures against Israel prescribed in Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations.

The Conference further called on all member States of the Non-Aligned Movement to support the Lebanese position in all international organizations, particularly at the United Nations.

121. The Conference strongly condemned the action taken by the imperialist States, in particular the United States of America, to increase and consolidate their military presence in the region. It further condemned threats made by the United States of America to use force against the Arab countries, in particular the oil-producing countries.

The Conference also denounced threats and pressures against other countries which support the just Palestinian and Arab cause.

122. The Conference commended the active solidarity shown by other peace-, freedom-, and justice-loving, democratic and progressive States, forces and organizations which support the struggle of the Palestinian people and the Arab nation. It invited those States, forces and organizations to intensify their political, diplomatic and material support for the Palestinian people and the Arab countries in their efforts to recover all their national rights and all the occupied Arab territories.

THE QUESTION OF PALESTINE

123. The Conference reaffirmed that the Zionist occupation and the usurpation of Palestine and of the rights of its people are the core of the Middle East conflict and consequently rendered any solution to that conflict impossible without the exercise by the Palestinian people of its inalienable national rights, including the right to return, to attain self-determination and to establish an independent Palestinian State in Palestine.

124. The Conference recalled that the United Nations General Assembly in itsresolution 33/28 declared that the validity of agreements purporting to solve the problem of Palestine required that they be within the framework of the United Nations and its Charter and resolutions on the basis of the full attainment and exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including the right of return and the right to national independence and sovereignty in Palestine, and with the participation of the Palestine Liberation Organization. The Conference declared all agreements which did not meet the said requirements null and void; invited all member States to continue to support the Palestinian people's right to pursue its struggle by all means, including armed struggle, against the Zionist occupation of Palestine, until the recovery by the Palestinian people of its inalienable national rights; and invited all members to intensify their efforts within the United Nations and its specialized agencies in compliance with General Assembly resolutions, in particular resolution 3236 (XXIX).

125. The Conference noted with deep concern that, since the Camp David Agreements among Egypt, Israel and the United States, Israel has intensified the implementation of its policy by confiscating Palestinian lands in occupied territory, establishing Zionist settlements and installing new military posts, in addition to annexing Jerusalem and turning it into a Jewish city; it condemned Israel and demanded the halting of that policy, the immediate dismantling of existing settlements and the restoration of the Arab character of Jerusalem, in compliance with Security Council resolution 452 (1979).

126. The Conference affirmed that the restoration of Jerusalem to Arab sovereignty is an indispensable condition for a durable peace. Israel should be compelled to adhere to the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council regarding Jerusalem and the Holy Places. The Conference appealed to members of the Non-Aligned Movement to take firm measures, including severance of diplomatic and economic relations, with countries which formally or by implication recognized the city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

127. The Conference expressed its concern at the escalation of the barbaric attacks on southern Lebanon and the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, which have been increasing in scope since the Camp David Agreements and the Egyptian-Israeli treaty. This aggression, carried out by land, sea and air, is tantamount to genocide of the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples, with Israel using the most sophisticated weapons supplied by the United States of America, thereby sowing death and destruction, and causing the flight of hundreds of thousands of Lebanese and Palestinian civilians, including large numbers of women and children.

128. The Conference denounced the Zionist and racist policy pursued by Israel, which is stubbornly continuing to ignore the decisions of the international community and maintaining its military occupation, engaging in terror and brutal oppression against the Palestinian people, thereby demonstrating its racist, expansionist, aggressive and discriminatory nature. That policy is a challenge to world opinion and a flagrant violation of the principles of the United Nations and its resolutions and of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

129. The Conference stressed the need for concrete solidarity in every form – political, cultural and informational and in respect of programmes for military aid to the Palestinian people, led by the Palestine Liberation Organization – so as to develop the struggle for the liberation of its homeland and also called for the adoption of all measures to ensure further international recognition of the Palestine Liberation Organization as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.

130. The Conference invited the Security Council to meet its responsibilities by imposing on Israel the sanctions provided for in Chapter VII of the Charter.  The Heads of State or Government participating in the Conference affirmed their commitment, in concert with all peace-loving States and forces, to the adoption of all measures, within the United Nations and in particular in the Security Council, to confront the continuing challenge by Israel. These measures should include the application of all necessary sanctions against Israel, as well as a mandatory and total embargo and its exclusion from the international community.  It is essential, also, to study the political, diplomatic and economic measures to be taken against countries that support the Zionist racist régime.

131. The Conference expressed its appreciation for the work of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and its positive contribution to the search for a just solution to the Palestinian problem. The Conference also reaffirmed its support for the decisions and proposals of the Committee and called upon it to consider the situation as it developed and to make further appropriate recommendations.

132. The Conference expressed its regret that the Security Council has not yet taken any decision concerning the General Assembly recommendations providing for the free exercise by the Palestinian people of its inalienable rights. It reiterated its request to the Security Council to study these recommendations and adopt them.

133. The Conference condemned the threat by the United States to use the veto in the Security Council against any resolution concerning the implementation of the Palestinian people's inalienable national rights. In the face of that threat, which was calculated to obstruct Security Council action, the Conference decided that an emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly should be convened should the Security Council fail to act because of lack of unanimity among the permanent members of the Council.  It entrusted the Co-ordinating Bureau in New York, acting in co-ordination with the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, to call for such an emergency special session at the appropriate time. With that in mind, the Conference again stressed the threat to world peace and security should the Security Council fail to meet its obligations under the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.

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