Mideast situation – SecGen report

THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Report of the Secretary-General

(in pursuance of General Assembly resolution 38/180)

1. The present report is submitted in light of the reporting responsibility conferred upon the Secretary-General in resolutions 38/180 A to D, which the General Assembly adopted on 19 December 1983, at its thirty-eighth session, under the agenda item entitled "The situation the Middle East".

2. In resolutions 38/180 A and D which deal with the Israeli policies in the Syrian Golan Heights and other occupied territories and the search for a comprehensive, just and lasting solution of the Middle East problem, the General Assembly called upon all States to put an end to the flow to Israel of military, economic and financial aid and to take various other measures in regard to Israel.

3 In resolution 38/180 B the General Assembly called upon the Government of Israel "to make full restitution, through the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, of all cultural properties belonging to Palestinian institutions, including the archives and documents removed from the Palestine Research Centre and arbitrarily seized by the Israeli forces".

4. In resolution 38/180 C the General Assembly deplored the transfer by some States of their diplomatic missions to Jerusalem in violation of Security Council resolution 478 (1980), and called once again upon those States to abide by the relevant United Nations resolutions, in conformity with the Charter.

5. In order to fulfil his reporting responsibility under the above-mentioned resolutions, the Secretary-General addressed notes verbales to the Permanent Representative of Israel and to the Permanent Representatives of the other Member States, on 15 and 16 March 1984 respectively, and requested them to convey to him any information their Governments might provide concerning the implementation of the relevant provisions of the resolutions.

6. The present report covers the replies received by the Secretary-General in this connection. In accordance with a specific request contained in resolution 38/180 D, the Secretary-General is submitting separately a comprehensive report covering developments in the Middle East in all their aspects.

7. The reply of the Permanent Representative of Israel, dated 28 August 1984, concerns resolution 38/180 B. He indicated that his statement in the General Assembly on 19 December 1983 (A/38/PV.102, p. 50) fully reflected his Government's position on this matter. It will be recalled that the Permanent Representative said at the time that Israel had returned the files referred to in the resolution. In this connection, the Secretary-General has been informed by the international Committee of the Red Cross that, in the context of the release by Israel of Palestinian prisoners, it had received from the Israeli authorities several hundred boxes, which were flown to Algiers on 23/24 November 1983 and handed over to representatives of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). PLO has confirmed receipt of those boxes, containing books and files taken from the Palestine Research Centre. In addition, the Secretary-General has been kept informed of efforts undertaken by the Director-General of UNESCO since 1982 to assess the extent of the destruction of Palestinian educational and cultural institutions in Lebanon and to determine the priority needs of these institutions within UNESCO's areas of responsibility. Upon the request of the Agency's Executive Board, the Director-General is pursuing his contacts with the Lebanese authorities and with the United Nations Co-ordinator of Assistance for the Reconstruction and Development of Lebanon in order to obtain all information required for that purpose.

8. In response to the Secretary-General's request, the Governments of Afghanistan, Botswana, Bulgaria, China, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic, Mozambique, Poland, Sierra Leone, Trinidad and Tobago, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Venezuela and Viet Nam have conveyed to him their views or the measures they have taken concerning the implementation of resolutions 38/180 A to C. The pertinent parts of their replies are reproduced in the annex to the present report.

ANNEX

Replies received from Member States

AFGHANISTAN

1. As a result of Israel's adventurist and American interventionist policies and the overall irresponsible actions of the present United States Administration, the Middle East has become one of the most dangerous and explosive areas of the world.

2. The occupationist and inhuman policy of Zionist Israel, which enjoys the all-sided support of the United States imperialism, and the imperial ambitions of the United States itself towards the Middle East, are creating a great threat not only to peace and security of the region but also the whole world.

3. By rendering Israel extensive military and economic support, the United States imperialism, on the one hand, encourages Israel's aggressive, expansionist policy and backs its invasion of Arab States and nations and, on the other hand, by turning Israel into a powerful militaristic State, Washington strives to promote its neo-colonialist plans in the region.

4. The United States imperialism is not only supplying Israel with sophisticated and modern weapons, but also helping her in building up conventional and nuclear weapons in order to reinforce her position as a stronger base for colonialism and aggression against the national liberation movements in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and other parts of the world.

5. The establishment of a "strategic alliance" between the United States imperialism and the Israeli Zionism gives Tel Aviv the opportunity to strengthen its aggressive role and to continue the occupation of Arab territories and to deny the inalienable rights of Palestinian people for self-determination and the establishment of an independent State in Palestine.

6. Today, the ever-increasing aid of the United States imperialism to its so-called strategic ally has made the United States Administration a direct accomplice to Israeli crimes against the nations of the Middle East. Worst than all is the fact that the United States of America now engages direct interference, including armed interference, in the affairs of Arab States. The  tragedy of the long suffering Lebanon, devastated by American and Israeli forces, is a glaring example.

7. The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, while condemning the ominous and sinister United States-Israeli alliance, urges that the international community must remain vigilant in the face of the danger that could ensue from the warmongering United States policies in the Middle East. The threat to international peace and security arising from these policies must be prevented.

8. The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, which has always stood side by side with the Arab and Palestinian people in their just struggle against imperialism and Zionism, will spare no effort to contribute to the attainment of the desired peace in the Middle East, to the comprehensive, just and lasting solution of the problems in the region.

9. We reaffirm our support for General Assembly resolutions 38/180 A to E. We believe that the implementation of the said resolutions by the member countries is one of the effective means of exerting pressure on Israel and its supporter to give up their colonialist and expansionist policies vis-a-vis the Middle East and to recognize the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people for self-determination and national liberation, and to withdraw from the occupied Arab territories.

10. The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, while condemning those countries, particularly the United States, for creating obstacles in the way of implementation of these and other relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and of the Security Council for a just, lasting and comprehensive settlement of the Middle East problem, requests the United Nations to adopt appropriate measures for implementation of the said resolutions and to intensify international action in support of the rightful cause of Arabs and the Palestinian people's struggle for self-determination and national liberation.

BOTSWANA

As Botswana has had no relations with Israel since 1973, the relevant provisions of resolutions 38/180 A to E have long been implemented by the Government of Botswana.

BULGARIA

1. The People's Republic of Bulgaria shares the grave concern of the international community concerning the development of the Middle East situation which is endangering world peace and security.

2. The dangerous situation in this region is the result, above all, of the continuing illegal occupation by Israel of the Arab territories seized since 1967, as well as of Tel Aviv's denial to recognize the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.

3. The People's Republic of Bulgaria condemns categorically these policies and actions aimed at perpetuating the Israeli occupation and at strengthening the military and political presence of the United States in the Middle East region. Israel would not have been so openly in defiance of the international community had it not been encouraged and given political, military and financial support by its "strategic ally", had the United States not blocked irresponsibly in the Security Council any chances for adopting effective measures against the aggressor and had the United States not tried to channel the development of events along the route of the discredited Camp David deal.

4. Proceeding from its principled and consistent position on the situation in the Middle East, the People's Republic of Bulgaria broke off, as early as 1967, its diplomatic relations with Israel and has strictly implemented ever since the measures set forth in General Assembly resolution 38/180 A, paragraph 13, aimed at the total isolation of the Israeli r4gime. In numerous official declarations the Government of Bulgaria has condemned in most resolute terms Israel's policy in the occupied Arab territories and the attempts of the forces of imperialism to reinforce their political and military presence in the region. Moreover, Bulgaria has invariably given and continues to give all possible material and moral support for the Arab people of Palestine and for its legitimate representative, the PLO, aiming at a just settlement of the Palestinian question which is at the heart of the Middle East crisis.

5. The comprehensive, lasting and just settlement of the Middle East problem would be unthinkable without Israel's withdrawal from all Arab territories occupied since 1967, without the realization of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to the establishment of their own State, without the elimination of the illegal occupation of Jerusalem, without guarantees for the territorial integrity, independence and peaceful development of all States of the region.

6. The People's Republic of Bulgaria pays tribute to the efforts of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to contribute, within the framework of the prerogatives conferred upon him, to the pacific settlement of the conflict in the region. In this connection we support the appeal of the General Assembly of the United Nations, contained in its resolution 38/58 C calling for arranging and convening an international conference on the Middle East. It is our opinion that the United Nations and its Secretary-General can make an effective contribution to the realization of this conference.

7. On account of its geographical location the People's Republic of Bulgaria is particularly concerned at the growing military threat in a region in close proximity to its territory. In accordance with the principles of its peace-loving foreign policy, the People's Republic of Bulgaria will continue in the years ahead to contribute in an unswerving and steadfast manner to the efforts for achieving a just, durable and peaceful solution of the Middle East problem.

CHINA

The Chinese Government has always respected and implemented the various resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly on the situation in the Middle East as mentioned in Your Excellency's letter. The Chinese Government holds that the Palestinian issue is the crux of the Middle East question. A comprehensive and just solution of the Middle East question must include two basic conditions, i.e. Israel's withdrawal from all the Arab territories it has occupied since 1967, including Arab Jerusalem, and the complete restoration of the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people, including the right to return to their homeland, the right to self-determination and the right to establish their own State. The Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legal representative of the Palestinian people, is entitled to participate in the negotiations for the comprehensive and just solution of the Middle East question.

CZECHOSLOVAKIA

1. Czechoslovakia severed its diplomatic relations with Israel on 10 June 1967 and expressed thus its fundamental disagreement with the policy of the Israeli Government at that time which flagrantly infringed against the generally accepted principles of international law when it attacked its neighbors and used force to occupy territories that had never belonged to Israel.

2. At the same time, Czechoslovakia discontinued all its political, commercial and cultural contacts with Israel with the exception of contacts with progressive Israeli organizations. The Czechoslovak position concerning the severing of diplomatic relations with Israel and of not granting it any sources of assistance remained unchanged till the present day, because the policies pursued by subsequent Israeli Governments did not offer any grounds for reversing that position.

3. Czechoslovakia has never accepted the annexation of Jerusalem. A Joint Political Declaration of the Political Consultative Committee of the Warsaw Treaty of 5 January 1983 calls unequivocally for the withdrawal of Israel from East Jerusalem and assumes that territory should become a part of the future independent Palestinian State.

4. Czechoslovakia's position of support for the struggle of the Palestinian people against the expansionist policies of Israel was reaffirmed in an exposition by the Czechoslovak Minister for Foreign Affairs in the Federal Assembly on 9 November 1982, as well as in his statement in the general debate of the thirty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly which expressed Czechoslovakia's fundamental disagreement with the dangerous changes in the demographic nature of the occupied territories undertaken by Israel.

5. Czechoslovakia's disagreement with the policies of the Israeli Government was furthermore expressed in the statement of the Read of the Czechoslovak delegation to the International Conference on the question of Palestine, which was recorded on 31 August 1983 as an official document of the Conference (A/CONF.114/26).

GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

1. The German Democratic Republic watches the perilous course of developments in the Middle East with growing concern. While in western Europe, the most aggressive imperialist circles are flouting the stated will of millions of peace-loving people and keep on busily deploying nuclear weapons with a first-strike capability, they are, at the same time, seeking to turn the Middle East into a military staging area for NATO against the peoples in that region. The aim is always the same – to subject the Middle East to unlimited imperialist domination. As a consequence of the massive escalation of Israel's policy of aggression and occupation and of the United States' direct military interference in the region, the situation has deteriorated and the resulting dangers to the interests of the peoples in the Near and Middle East and to world peace in general have increased to an extraordinary degree. The German Democratic Republic demands the immediate cessation of the Israeli aggression. It speaks out resolutely against any enlargement of the military presence of the United States in the region, strongly opposes the political, financial, economic and military assistance that is being provided to the "strategic ally" of the United States, and supports all efforts undertaken by the majority of States and the United Nations with a view to achieving a just and lasting peace settlement in the Middle East. The German Democratic Republic considers that it is high time that Israel's aggressive policies and internationally unlawful practices in the occupied Arab territories be countered by every means available. This makes it necessary for all peace-loving States to combine their efforts and to act in concert.

2. In the German Democratic Republic’s view based on the fundamental principles of its socialist foreign policy and corresponding with the relevant decisions of the United Nations, a comprehensive settlement of the Middle East conflict presupposes as necessary conditions:

(a) The complete withdrawal of the Israeli troops from all Arab territories occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem;

(b) The implementation of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including the right to self-determination and the right to-establish its own State;

(c) The guarantee of the right of all States in the region to secure an independent existence and development.

It takes an equally consistent stand in supporting the independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Lebanon and in demanding the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the Israeli troops from southern Lebanon.

3. The German Democratic Republic fully supports the action-oriented concluding documents of the International Conference on the Question of Palestine. In accordance with General Assembly resolutions 38/58 C and D, and acting in unison with the great majority of States, the German Democratic Republic comes out in favor of convening an international peace conference on the Middle East with the participation of all interested-sides, including the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the Arab people of Palestine. This proposal corresponds with the USSR's six-point plan of 1982, which sets out the basic requirements for establishing a durable peace in the Middle East, and it reflects the Arab States' posture on this question, as embodied in the decisions of the Fez Summit Conference. The call from the majority of States for the convening of an international conference on the Middle East as the only practicable road to peace, security and justice in the region as well as to the realization of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people confirms once again the accuracy of the conclusion that the policy of imperialist separate deals has ended in fiasco.

4. The German Democratic Republic strongly condemns the Israeli policy of occupation in the illegally occupied Arab territories. The resistance of the population and the heroic struggle of the Palestinian people against the Israeli occupation are to be stifled by the use of force and terror. To follow up the annexation of the Syrian Golan Heights and of East Jerusalem, preparations have begun for the final absorption of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The German Democratic Republic supports General Assembly resolution 38/79 D, in which it is said that "all measures taken by Israel to change the physical character, demographic composition, institutional structures or status of the occupied territories, or any part thereof, including Jerusalem, are null and void … ".

5. The people of the German Democratic Republic has a long-standing close and friendly relationship with the Arab people of Palestine and its sole legitimate representative, the Palestine Liberation Organization, which maintains an embassy in the capital of the German Democratic Republic, Berlin.

6. In its just struggle for the implementation of its legitimate rights, which – as the history of so many peoples' freedom fight abundantly proves – will triumph in the end, the Palestinian people has the German Democratic Republic's active political, moral and material support. This commitment has guided and will continue to guide the German Democratic Republic in its activities as a member of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.

MOZAMBIQUE

1. The Government of the People's Republic of Mozambique is following the developments in the Middle East with a sense of profound concern.

2. The Middle East is a zone of tension which threatens international peace and security.

3. Israel's militaristic, genocidal and expansionist policy continues to be the cause of the tragic and dangerous situation prevailing in that part of the world. In other words, Israel is continuing:

(a) To annex and occupy the Arab territories, including Jerusalem, in violation of the Charter of the United Nations, the principles of international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions;

(b) To refuse to accept the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to the establishment of an independent Palestinian State;

(c) To commit acts of aggression and to oppress and massacre inhabitants both within the occupied territories and outside them, particularly in Lebanon.

4. Israel's intransigence is such that the international community must take vigorous steps with a view to obliging the Israeli authorities to respect the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, as a prerequisite for creating a climate of peace and stability in the region.

5. For its part, the Government of Mozambique will continue firmly to support PLO and its just cause. It urges the international community to put pressure on the Israeli authorities to comply with United Nations resolutions demanding respect for the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and independence and calling for withdrawal from the occupied Arab territories and for non-interference in the internal affairs of the States of the region.

6. Accordingly, the Government of Mozambique is complying with both the letter and the spirit of resolution 38/180 and has no military, economic, financial, diplomatic or cultural relations with Israel.

POLAND

1. The Government of the Polish People's Republic is of the opinion that the continuing Israeli occupation of the Arab territories occupied as the result of the 1967 war and of the 1982 aggression against Lebanon as well as the non-implementation of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people constitute the principal obstacle for the establishment of a lasting and just peace in the Middle East. The continuation of this state of affairs results from the expansionist tendencies in the policy of the State of Israel.

2. The expansionism of Israel, in violation of principles of international law and in disregard for the provisions of numerous United Nations resolutions, has found its expression in the annexation of the eastern part of Jerusalem and in the decision to extend Israeli legislation, jurisdiction and administration to the Syrian Golan Heights. In relevant statements of its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Government of the Polish People's Republic has resolutely condemned those acts of policy of annexation and aggression contrary to the Charter of the United Nations.

3. Poland steadfastly supports the legitimate aspiration of the Arab Palestinian people for the implementation of its inalienable national rights, including the right to self-determination and to the establishment of its own independent State, along with the safeguarding of peaceful existence and security for all States and peoples of the Middle East. We condemn Israel's policy of planned colonization of the West Bank and of the Gaza Strip. It leads, in a conscious and illegal manner, to the change of the demographical character of these territories, to the detriment of its indigenous Palestinian population. it is also accompanied by acts of repression and discrimination against the Palestinians. Poland condemns those actions as contrary to the norms of international law. It is likewise consistently implementing relevant resolutions and decisions of the United Nations concerning the question of Palestine and the situation in the occupied territories.

4. Poland invariably and consistently speaks out in favor of a lasting, just and political settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict with a comprehensive consideration of all its aspects. The experiences of past decades and the present development of the situation in the region show clearly that the Middle East conflict cannot be solved by military force, piecemeal agreements or by imposition of unilateral settlement formulas that do not take into consideration the interests of the Arab nations. A political manifestation of Poland's position in favor of a peaceful settlement in the Middle East is our participation in the United Nations peace-keeping forces in the region. At present, a Polish military contingent is carrying out its peace mission with the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force.

5. Speaking out in favor of a comprehensive settlement of the Middle East conflict, the Government of the Polish People's Republic sees a practical way, towards the implementation of this goal in the convening of an international peace conference with the participation of all parties concerned, including the Palestine Liberation Organization as the role legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. We have consistently supported the idea of the peace conference, inter alia, at the International Conference of the Question of Palestine held at Geneva in 1983 and in the General Assembly of the United Nations. This idea has found its expression in General Assembly 38/58 and in the initiative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the convening of such a conference, undertaken in conformity with its provisions. Poland lends its full support to all actions aiming at the implementation of this initiative.

6. Poland has no diplomatic relations with Israel since 1967. In the field of bilateral contacts and as regards its attitude towards the State of Israel, the Government of the Polish Peoples's Republic is strictly following the provisions of relevant United Nations resolutions, including General Assembly resolution 38/180.

SIERRA LEONE

1. The Government of Sierra Leone continues to abide strictly by the terms of the relevant resolutions adopted by the United Nations on the situation in the Middle East.

2. Further Sierra Leone does not have any diplomatic trade or cultural relations with Israel nor does it co-operate with Israel in the field of technology.

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

There are no arrangements or agreements of any kind between Trinidad and Tobago and Israel which could contribute to Israel's military capability.

UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS

1. The Soviet Union voted in favor and fully supports the provisions of General Assembly resolution 38/180, which condemns Israel's aggressive policy against the neighboring Arab States and the Palestinian people and qualifies Israel's actions as a threat to international peace and security and a clear violation of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and of the decisions of the Security Council and-the General Assembly. The turn of events in the Middle East confirms that Israel's policy as well as the all-round support given to Israel by the United States of America, which is encouraging the expansionist aspirations of its partner through the "strategic alliance" and is even resorting to direct armed intervention against the Arab countries, are responsible for the preservation in that region of a dangerously explosive hotbed of tension.

2. The USSR endorses the General Assembly's call for the total isolation of Israel and the cessation of co-operation with it in every sphere, and points out that since Israel's aggression against the Arab States in June 1967 it has severed diplomatic, trade and cultural relations with Israel and maintains no such relations with it at the present time. The Soviet Union does not supply Israel with any weapons or military equipment; nor does it buy weapons or military equipment from Israel or give it any economic, financial or technological assistance.

3. The Soviet Union considers that everything possible must be done in order to secure the cessation if Israel's aggression, eliminate the consequences of that aggression and ensure the establishment of a just and durable peace in the Middle East. The Soviet Union's proposals of 29 July 1984 for a Middle East settlement are aimed at the attainment of that object; these proposals set forth the principles of a comprehensive settlement in the region and point out that the only right and effective way of ensuring a radical solution to the Middle East problem is through collective efforts with the participation of all parties concerned, in other words, through talks within the framework of an international conference on the Middle East convened specially for the purpose.

VENEZUELA

1. In general, Venezuela's view of the Middle East situation is consistent with an international doctrine based on the principles of law and the prerequisites for peace. In the context of the United Nations, Venezuela has always advocated the search for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East which would guarantee every State in the area, including Israel, the right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries in accordance with Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973).

2. In addition, Venezuela is convinced of the legitimacy of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination in accordance with the guidelines laid down in resolution ES-7/2 adopted by the General Assembly at its seventh emergency special session, in 1980.

3. As regards the issues dealt with in resolution 38/180, Venezuela has the following comments:

(a) In connection with resolution 38/180 A, paragraph 6, concerning the Golan Heights, Venezuela has repeatedly expressed its support for Security Council resolution 497 (1981) – for it believes that Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights has no legal validity whatsoever – and, at the ninth emergency special session of the General Assembly, held in 1982 to discuss this item, Venezuela stressed that, as a democratic and peace-loving country, it upholds the principle of the inadmissibility of the acquisition-of territory by force.

(b) With regard to resolutions 38/180 C, paragraph 3, and 38/180 D, paragraph 7, concerning the status of Jerusalem, it should be noted that, in 1980, Venezuela moved the site of its Embassy from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv and, in addition, took particular interest in the elaboration of resolution 181 (II) of 1947, which lays the bases for the international status of the City of Jerusalem, thereby preserving for posterity its intrinsic value for Muslims, Jews and Christians.

4. In the same spirit, Venezuela supported similar resolutions in 1948 and 1949, as well as the resolutions which, starting from 1967, condemn unilateral attempts to alter the status of Jerusalem.

VIET NAM

1. The Socialist Republic of Viet Nam has special concern about the developments in the Middle East, one of the flash points of the world today. Viet Nam recalls with satisfaction that it has actively contributed to those genuine endeavors to find an equitable, political, comprehensive solution to the Middle East problem and by the same token, it has been one of the co-sponsors of the General Assembly resolutions on this problem since its admission to the United Nations in 1977. Therefore it considers as its obligation to see to the strict implementation of the aforementioned resolutions.

2. Viet Nam shares the assessment of and is in full agreement with the relevant resolutions/political declarations adopted by the General Assembly, the Seventh Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement and the International Conference on the Question of Palestine. Viet Nam is of the view that the Middle East problem and the question of. Palestine are entwined with the latter lying in the heart of the former; any settlement of the Middle East problem can be reached only with a solution to the question of Palestine as the prerequisite. Such a settlement should ensure, inter alia, the exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, i.e. their right to self-determination and to return and establish an independent State which they are endowed with in Palestine. Viet Nam is fully convinced that an equitable, political and comprehensive solution lies in the convening of an international peace conference on the Middle East, with its composition and agenda as enumerated in resolution 38/58 C and reiterated in the Secretary-General’s letter dated 5 January 1984 (S/16409). The Socialist Republic of Viet Nam commends the Secretary~General for his efforts and supports those countries in their endeavor towards the said conference.

3. Israel, during more than three decades of its existence, has illegally occupied Palestine and Jerusalem; it has denied the Palestinian people every fundamental right and freedom; it has resorted to repression and terrorism in a wild attempt to terminate the existence of the Palestinians as a people. In the same vein, Israel has conducted wars of aggression against its Arab neighbors, invading and still occupying parts of their territories. It has systematically flouted all the resolutions adopted by the General Assembly and the Security Council on the Middle East problem and the question of Palestine; it has violated the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and the norms of international law. Israel, in its practices of Zionism, has become a constant factor of instability in the Middle East, a grave threat to peace and security of adjacent areas and the world. Viet Nam has joined the international community in voicing indignation and condemnation of these acts by Israel. Viet Nam has no relations, in whatsoever forms, with the Tel Aviv authorities; furthermore it considers as imperative that urgent and effective measures should be taken to put an end to zionist practices and to guarantee the relevant resolutions to be strictly observed.

4. The United States must bear equal responsibility for aggravated tensions in the Middle East. On the one hand, the United States provides Israel with economic and military aid and political protection to destabilize the region from within, which runs counter especially to paragraphs 13, 14 and 15 of resolution 38/180 A, paragraph 3 of resolution 38/180 C, paragraph 11 of resolution 38/180 D and paragraphs 3 and 4 of resolution 38/180 E. On the other hand, it has directly interfered in the internal affairs of the region, with the presence of its fleet in the Mediterranean Sea and its armed forces in the area, thus endangering national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the countries in the region and adjacent areas.

5. The people of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam are kept fully informed of what is going on the Middle East. The mass media broadcast and/or headline the latest developments of the situation in that region. Viet Nam designated its high-ranking representatives to international conferences, seminars and/or symposiums on the two aforementioned entwined questions; statements were issued; activities performed in support of and solidarity with the people of Palestine in particular and of Arab countries in general. The Socialist Republic of Viet Nam tries its best to preserve and develop friendly relations with Arab people who have much in common in their struggle against imperialism and expansionism to defend their countries and peoples.

6. Viet Nam is firmly confident that the Arab people, particularly the Palestinians, having enjoyed support and assistance of the international community, will continue their struggle and bring home final victory.