Mideast situation/Palestine question – NAM meeting of Foreign Affairs Ministers – Declaration/Statement

Letter dated 2 October 2003 from the Permanent Representative
of Malaysia to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General 

On behalf of the Chairman of the Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement, I have the honour to request that the declaration and the statement on Palestine (see annex) that were adopted at the meeting of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Non-Aligned Movement, held at United Nations Headquarters on 26 September 2003, be circulated as a document of the General Assembly, under agenda items 3, 10, 11, 37, 38, 39, 47, 50, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 73, 84, 91, 100, 102, 109, 110, 113, 116, 117, 155, 156 and 157. 

(Signed) Rastam Mohd Isa
Ambassador
Permanent Representative 

Annex to the letter dated 2 October 2003 from the Permanent Representative of Malaysia to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General 

Declaration of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Non-Aligned Movement at the fifty-eighth session of the General Assembly

 New York, 26 September 2003

1. We, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) met in New York on 26 September 2003 on the occasion of the 58th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. We exchanged views on the items of the agenda of the General Assembly that are of vital importance to the Movement as well as other developments in the international arena that constitute important challenges to the Movement.

2. We reiterate our commitment to the principles, objectives and decisions of the Movement, as reaffirmed at the XIII Conference of Heads of State or Government of the Non-Aligned Movement held in Kuala Lumpur from 24 to 25 February 2003. The positions and decisions of the Movement adopted in Kuala Lumpur would constitute the foundation for the Movement's contribution at the 58^th Session of the General Assembly and its work in the future.

3. We reiterate the need to continue with the reform process of the United Nations in order to make it more effective in pursuing the principles and purposes enshrined in its Charter. In this connection, we express the Movement’s readiness to continue to participate actively in the process of strengthening, restructuring, reform and revitalising the United Nations system, in particular its major organs.

4. We take note of the efforts of the Coordinating Bureau in establishing the Working Group on the Plan of Action on the Role of NAM to formulate a Plan of Action in fulfillment of the request by our leaders as enumerated in paragraph 19 of the Final Document of the XIII Conference of Heads of State or Government of the Non-Aligned Countries, held in Kuala Lumpur from 20 to 25 February 2003. We request the Coordinating Bureau to continue its deliberation on the Plan of Action on the basis of the concrete measures contained in the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on Continuing the Revitalisation of the Non-Aligned Movement and decide to further consider the matter at our next Ministerial Meeting.

5. We welcome the efforts undertaken by the Coordinating Bureau to revive the relevant NAM mechanisms and are convinced that they would greatly contribute towards further enhancing the overall achievement of the goals and objectives of the Movement. We encourage the Coordinating Bureau to continue to identify and implement other measures and modalities in our on-going efforts to further revitalise the Movement.

6.   We welcome the strengthening of coordination among Non-Aligned countries in the Hague and Vienna, as well as the continued coordination in Geneva. We are convinced that these mechanisms would contribute to the unity and further increase the effectiveness of the Movement in the multilateral fora. We emphasise the need for these mechanisms and the Coordinating Bureau in New York, in its capacity as the focal point for coordination, to continue to closely coordinate their activities in addressing the concerns of the Movement. We reiterate the importance of strengthening the coordination and cooperation between the NAM and the G77 through the Joint Coordinating Committee (JCC) in the promotion and defense of the common interest of the developing countries. In this regard, we encourage the JCC to meet on a regular basis, as necessary.

7. We reiterate the importance of addressing international challenges and problems by strictly abiding to the United Nations Charter and the principles of international law. In this regard, we stress the vital role of the United Nations in the maintenance of international peace and security and the strengthening of international co-operation. We also reiterate our firm condemnation of all unilateral military actions including those made without proper authorisation from the United Nations Security Council, as well as of threats of military action against the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Member States of the Movement which constitute acts of aggression and blatant violations of the principle of non-intervention and non-interference.

8. We express our rejectionof unilateralism, which is increasingly leading to the erosion and violation of international law, to the use and threat of use of force and to pressure and coercion by certain countries as a means to achieving their policy objectives. In this connection, we stress our commitment to multilateralism.

9. We remain firmly opposed to evaluations, certifications and other coercive unilateral measures as a means of exerting pressure on Non-Aligned Countries and other developing countries, which are contrary to international law, international humanitarian law, the United Nations Charter and the norms and principles governing peaceful relations among States and thus are to be further decried by the international community. We reiterate our rejection of the increasing trend in this direction. We also strongly object to the extra-territorial nature of those measures, which, in addition, threaten the sovereignty of States and call on States applying unilateral coercive measures to put an immediate end to those measures.

10. We reaffirm and reiterate the long-standing principled positions of the Movement on disarmament and international security enshrined in the decisions adopted by the XIII Conference of Heads of State or Government of the Non-Aligned Countries in Kuala Lumpur as well as other previous Ministerial Conferences and Summits of the Movement.

11. We reiterate our principled positions on nuclear disarmament and the related issue of nuclear non-proliferation. We also reiterate our deep concern over the slow pace of progress towards nuclear disarmament which remains our highest priority. We also express our concern at the lack of progress by the Nuclear Weapon States to accomplish the elimination of their nuclear arsenals leading to nuclear disarmament. We stress our concern at the threat to humanity derived from the continued existence of nuclear weapons and of their possible use or threat of use. We underscore the need to accomplish the total elimination of nuclear weapons and emphasize, in this regard, the urgent need to commence negotiations without delay.

12. We welcome the increased cooperation between the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Islamic Republic of Iran, and encourage Iran to continue this cooperation. We regret that the divergent views on this issue could not be reconciled in a consensus resolution at the recent meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors held in Vienna from 8 to 12 September 2003. We also affirm the NAM statement vis-a-vis the interpretation of different paragraphs of the resolution and in particular on paragraph 4, NAM believes that by putting the deadline at the end of October 2003, it would tie the Agency's hands by this date. The Board resolution should not be intended to forestall or hinder the process before or after 2003. We invite all States to assist the Director-General of the IAEA to establish a framework of cooperation, in consultation with Iran, to bring all outstanding issues to a closure. We, however, believe that the process should lead to an appropriate and precise conclusion as soon as possible. We call on the NAM Members in Vienna to continue coordinating their efforts and position, and pursue the issue in this context.

13. We express our strong concern at the growing resort to unilateralism and unilaterally imposed prescriptions and in this context strongly underline and affirm that multilateralism and multilaterally agreed solutions, in accordance with the United Nations Charter, provide the only sustainable method of addressing disarmament and international security issues. In this regard, we welcome the adoption of resolution 57/63 by the General Assembly on the “ Promotion of Multilateralism in the Area of Disarmament and Non-Proliferation”.

14. We express our satisfaction with the consensus among states on measures to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction. We welcome the adoption by consensus of the General Assembly resolution 57/83 entitled “ Measures to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction” and underline the need for this threat to humanity to be addressed within the United Nations framework and through international cooperation. While stressing that the most effective way of preventing terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction is through the total elimination of such weapons, we emphasize that progress is urgently needed in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation in order to help maintain international peace and security and to contribute to global efforts against terrorism. We call upon all member states to support international efforts to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction, their means of delivery. We urge all member states to take and strengthen national measures, as appropriate, to prevent terrorist from acquiring weapons of mass destruction, their means of delivery and materials and technologies related to their manufacture.

15. We recognize the importance of the recent First Biennial Meeting of States to Consider the Implementation of the 2001 UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, held in New York from 7 to 11 July 2003 and call upon the international community to take appropriate measures for the implementation of the Programme of Action.

16. We the States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction, welcome the convening of the Fifth Meeting of State Parties to the Convention in Bangkok, Thailand from 15 to 19 September 2003. We also call upon the international community to provide the necessary assistance to mine affected countries to ensure their access to material equipment, technology and financial resources for mine clearance and increased humanitarian assistance for victims of landmines.

17. We reaffirm our principled position concerning terrorism as contained in paragraphs 103 to 119 of the Final Document of the XIII Conference of Heads of State or Government of the Non-Aligned Countries held in Kuala Lumpur in 2003.

18. We reiterate that terrorism cannot be attributed to religion, nationality, or civilisation.

19. We reaffirm that criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public, a group of persons or particular persons for whatever purposes, wherever and by whomever committed are, in any circumstance, unjustifiable, whatever the considerations or factors that may be invoked to justify them.

20. We reject recent attempts to equate the legitimate struggle of peoples under colonial or alien domination and foreign occupation, for self-determination and national liberation with terrorism in order to prolong occupation and oppression of the innocent people with impunity.

21. We unequivocally condemn international terrorism as a criminal act. We note that terrorism endangers the territorial integrity, as well as national and international security. Such acts also violate human rights, in particular the right to life, destroys the physical and economic infrastructure, and attempts to de-stabilise legitimately constituted governments. We express our resolve to take speedy and effective measures to eliminate international terrorism including the need to address the underlying causes of terrorism and urge all States to fulfil their obligations under international law, including prosecuting or, where appropriate, extraditing the perpetrators of such acts and preventing the organisation, instigation and the financing of terrorism against other States from within or outside their territories or by organizations based in their territories. We reaffirm our support for General Assembly Resolution 46/51 of 27 January, 1992 which unequivocally condemned as criminal and unjustifiable all acts, methods and practices of terrorism wherever and by whomever committed and called upon all States to fulfil their obligations under international law and international humanitarian law to refrain from organising, in stigating, assisting or participating in terrorist acts in other States, or acquiescing in or encouraging activities within their territory towards the commissioning of such acts.

22. We reiterate that all States are under the obligation pursuant to the purposes and principles and other provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and other relevant international instruments, codes of conduct and other rules of international law and Security Council and General Assembly resolutions to refrain from organising, assisting or participating in terrorist acts in the territories of other States or acquiescing in or encouraging activities within their territories directed towards the commission of such acts, including allowing the use of national territories and territories under their jurisdiction for planning and training or financing for that purpose. We solemnly reaffirm the Movement’s unequivocal condemnation of any political, diplomatic, moral or material support for terrorism. In this context, we emphasise that States should ensure, in conformity with international law, that refugee status is not abused by the perpetrators, organisers or facilitators of terrorist acts and that claims of political motivation are not recognised as grounds for refusing requests for the extradition of alleged terrorists. We also encourage all States to consider to accede to and implement existing international conventions against terrorism.

23. We welcome the adoption by the General Assembly of Resolution 57/337 of 3 July 2003 on the “Prevention of Armed Conflict” as a manifestation by the international community to commit itself to the culture of prevention of armed conflict.

24. We welcome Security Council Resolution 1506 (2003) of 12 September 2003, by which the sanctions imposed on Libya was permanently lifted and commend the constructive efforts that Libya undertook in order to reach this positive result. We reiterate our demand for the lifting of all unilateral sanctions imposed against Libya as a means of political coercion in contravention of United Nations Resolutions, in particular the General Assembly Resolution 57/5 of 16 October 2002 and acknowledge Libya’s right for compensation for human and material damages caused by these sanctions.

25. We reiterate our unwavering support for the realisation of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including the right to national independence and the exercise of sovereignty in their State, Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital. We express our commitment to a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and our support for the two State solution, based on the 1967 line. We reiterate our determination to follow-up with the implementation of the XIII NAM Summit statement on Palestine, including within the UN system.

26. We reaffirm the Movement’s demand that Israel comply with Security Council Resolution 497 (1981) and withdraw from the occupied Syrian Golan to the lines of 4 June 1967, in implementation of Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, and that Israel adheres to the Madrid Terms of Reference based on the principle of land for peace to achieve just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East. We also call for an end to the continuing Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty and for the release of all Lebanese detained in Israel.

27. While reiterating NAM’s principled position regarding the war against Iraq, we call for the respect of the independence, sovereignty, security, territorial integrity and stability of Iraq and its neighbouring countries. We express our deep concern about the security situation prevailing in Iraq which has become a destabilizing factor for Iraq and the entire region, as well as a source of an increased suffering for the Iraqi people. We will exert our utmost efforts, on the basis of the principles and purposes enshrined in the United Nations Charter to assist the Iraqi people in ending the foreign occupation, restoring the sovereignty and independence of Iraq and retaining their control over their rights, land, and economic, political and security institutions.

28. We stress that the UN should be the central entity in the recovery and reconstruction efforts in Iraq. In this regard, we recall Security Council Resolution 1500 (2003) of 14 August 2003, which established the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and welcomed the establishment of the Governing Council of Iraq on 13 July 2003 as an important step towards the restoration of the sovereignty of Iraq. We call upon the Iraqi interim Governing Council to set out a clear timetable, towards drafting a constitution and holding elections, which will lead to the formation of a sovereign and internationally recognised Iraqi government that will assume its full responsibilities.

29. We strongly condemn the grave violation of human rights and the killing of Kuwaiti and other third country nationals by the former Iraqi government, in disregard of the provisions of international law and international humanitarian law. We call for the bringing to justice those in the former Iraqi government responsible for committing such crimes.

30. We strongly condemn the attack on the United Nations Headquarters in Iraq, which cost the lives of civilians and UN personnel including the Special Representative of the Secretary General to Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello. In this regard, we welcome the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1502 (2003) of 26 August 2003 aimed at protecting humanitarian personnel, the United Nations and its associated personnel against all forms of violence. We also condemn the terrorist attack against the Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad. 

31. We reaffirm the commitment of our leaders at the XIII Conference of Heads of State or Government of the Non-Aligned Movement in Kuala Lumpur to the further strengthening of South-South Cooperation and underline the importance of the implementation of the outcome of the South Summit held in Havana from 10 to 14 April 2000. We welcome the initiative taken by the Asian-African Sub Regional Organisations Conference (AASROC) in Bandung from 29 to 30 July 2003 to establish a new Strategic Partnership based on the coordination of activities among the secretariats of sub-regional organizations. We welcome the convening of the High Level Conference on South-South Cooperation in Marrakech, Kingdom of Morocco to be held from 16 to 19 December 2003 and take note of the offer made by Nigeria to the G77, to host the South Summit in 2005.

32. We reiterate our continued support for the implementation of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and welcome the decision of the African Union (AU) at the 2^nd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union held in Maputo from 10 to 12 July 2003, which mandated the integration of NEPAD into the AU structures and processes. We invite the international community to honour and renew their strong support, as reflected in the adoption of General Assembly Resolutions 57/2 and 57/7 of 16 September and 4 November 2002 respectively. We welcome the establishment of the Office of the Special Advisor on Africa, with the responsibilities to coordinate the United Nations support to Africa, guide reporting on Africa and coordinate global advocacy in support of NEPAD and look forward to the allocation of adequate resources to this office in order for it to fulfill its expanded mandate.

33. We reaffirm the importance of the full implementation of all internationally agreed development goals, including those contained in the Millennium Declaration. We welcome the adoption of General Assembly Resolution 57/270B of 23 June 2003 on the integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic and social fields. We urge the international community, especially the developed countries to ensure effective and durable implementation of the commitments as reflected in the specific outcomes of the summits and conferences within their mandates.

34. We call for measures to ensure that developing countries participate in and benefit from globalisation, in particular through their full and effective participation in the processes of decision-making on world economic problems. We reiterate the Movement's call for the reform of the Bretton Woods Institutions, in order to guarantee democracy and transparency in the decision-making process in these institutions. In this regard, we reiterate the need for a stable, adequately financed international financial system that assists developing economies to respond adequately to the challenges of development.

35. We call for the effective implementation of the Brussels Programme of Action and urge all stakeholders to meet their obligations to help the least developed countries to reduce their poverty and promote sustainable development through, inter-alia, increased ODA, FDI, debt relief and market access.

36. We welcome the International Ministerial Conference of Landlocked and Transit Developing Countries and Donor Countries and International Financial and Development Institutions on Transit Transport Cooperation held in Almaty from 28 to 29 August 2003. We express our strong support for the implementation of the Almaty Programme of Action aimed at addressing the special needs of landlocked developing countries and establishing a new global framework for action for developing efficient transit transport systems in landlocked and transit developing countries, taking into account the interests of both landlocked and transit developing countries.

37. We pledge our continued support of the Barbados Programme of Action to address the special needs for Small Islands Developing States and welcome the preparations being undertaken for the International Meeting Small Islands Developing States to be held next year in Mauritius. We invite all Member States to participate, and the international donor community to support the full and effective participation of Small Islands Developing States, in the comprehensive review of the Barbados Programme of Action for Small Islands Developing States in Mauritius in 2004.

38. We underscore the importance of revitalising international co-operation and multilateral negotiations with a North-South or development orientation. In this context, we welcome the convening of the inaugural Enlarged Dialogue Meeting between the G8 leaders and leaders of some developing countries, including the Chair of NAM, held in Evian, France on 1 June 2003. We hope that the convening of such a dialogue would continue and be further enlarged and strengthened so as to contribute effectively towards attaining all internationally agreed development goals.

39. We attach importance to the better understanding by the developed countries of the need for international actions such as aid on concessional terms, measures to counter the instability and weakness of commodity markets, preferential tariffs for developing country exports, debt reduction, mechanisms for the transfer of technology and basic reforms in the international financial architecture, as well as to avoid enforcing actions affecting developing countries without having carried out the necessary consultation processes.

40. We express regret on the failure to reach agreement at the Fifth World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial Conference held in Cancun from 10 to 15 September 2003. We commend the efforts of the Group of 77 in formulating a common position through the adoption of the declaration on the Fifth WTO Ministerial Conference, which reflected the concerns and interests of developing countries towards ensuring a multilateral system that is responsive to the needs and concerns of developing countries. We reaffirm the need to establish an open, rule-based, accountable, transparent, predictable, just, secure, equitable, development oriented and non-discriminatory global trade system. We agree to work towards seeking greater market access for agricultural and other non-agricultural exports of interest to the developing countries in multilateral negotiations. We reiterate that negotiations on these issues must fully take into account the concerns and special needs of the developing countries, especially the need for operationalisation of Special and Differential treatment to promote, inter alia, food security, rural development and export diversification in developing countries, which are predominantly agrarian economies. In this regard, we stress the importance of the further strengthening of our productive capacities and creation of an environment conducive to product and export diversification.

41. We reaffirm our long-standing and principled position that all human rights are universal, inalienable, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated. We stress the importance of addressing the international human rights agenda in a fair and balanced manner. We remain concerned over the continued exploitation of human rights for political purposes, including selective targeting of individual countries for extraneous considerations, which are detrimental to the promotion and protection of all human rights for all.

42. We reiterate the concern expressed by the Non-Aligned Movement in its Declaration at the 91^st International Labor Conference over the current methods and procedures for supervising labor standards. We welcome international cooperation as an important contribution to the effective realization of International Labor Standards and, to this end, we particularly regard as a necessity the effective review and improvement of the working methods of the Committee on the Application of Standards for the sake of transparence and impartiality. 

43. We reiterate our strong support for the promotion of the social agenda that currently is being demanded by our nations, meaning the urgent eradication of poverty through inter-alia, enhanced international cooperation and solidarity, the amelioration of social conditions, the rising of living standards, as well as, the protection of the environment, in order to ensure that the twenty-first century becomes the century of development for all. In this connection, we emphasise the importance of dialogue on strengthening international cooperation and partnership based on the mutuality of interests and benefits, common but differentiated responsibilities and genuine interdependence.

44. We reiterate our commitment to the improvement of the situation of women, without exception. We emphasise the need to ensure the participation of women in the mainstream of development as well as in the political process, while at the same time pledge to combat all forms of discrimination and violence against women. We look forward to the convening of the NAM Ministerial Meeting on the Advancement of Women, in Malaysia in 2004.

45. We reiterate the Movement’s concern over the intolerable persistence of adverse social and economic conditions faced by children on account of poverty, use of children in armed conflict, including abduction of children for training as child mercenaries and in terrorism, mass killing of children in communal and sectarian violence, child labour, particularly the worst forms of child labour, the continued exploitation and trafficking of children for pornography, prostitution and drug trafficking, the sale of children and their organs, the increasing number of children affected by HIV/AIDS, as well as the suffering of refugee and displaced children especially in Africa. Urgent steps, including through international co-operation, must be undertaken to address these problems. In this regard, we note the entry into force of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict and on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography and encourage all Member States to consider signing, ratifying or acceding to the Optional Protocols of the Convention. 

46. We remain concerned over the scourge of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and encourage the continued engagement by the United Nations in this matter, as manifested by the General Assembly High-level Plenary meetings held on 22 September 2003 in New York. We reiterate the need for greater international cooperation and the flow of assistance, in particular from developed countries in the fight against the pandemic and in this regard, welcome the convening of the Fifteenth International Conference on HIV/AIDS to be held in Thailand in 2004. We are concerned over the growing epidemics of Malaria, Tuberculosis and Hepatitis and other communicable diseases, which have devastating impact on economic development of the Member States.

47. We also express our concern that new forms of diseases such as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) can have a tremendous impact on the people and economies of affected countries and welcome the Special ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting on SARS held in Bangkok in June 2003 as an example of regional cooperation that has been undertaken to deal with this communicable disease that stands to affect the economy and social well being of developing countries. We urge the enhancement of international cooperation to deal with these emerging threats.

48. We continue to be concerned about the threat posed by the illicit drug problem and related crimes such as money laundering and we remain steadfast in our determination to take effective measures and further enhance cooperation to counter the illicit production of, trafficking in and consumption of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. In this regard, we place particular importance to strengthening control on trade in precursors and essential chemical substances, sharing of information on prevention and suppression measures, and enhancing international cooperation to support alternative development programmes implemented in the process of eradicating illicit crops, including through market access.

49.   We welcome the generous offer of the Government of Sudan to host the 14^th Ministerial Conference of NAM in Khartoum in 2004.

Statement of the Ministerial Committee on Palestine of the
Non-Aligned Movement

New York, 26 September 2003

1. The Ministers affirmed their adherence to the positions on Palestine adopted by the XIIIth NAM Summit, detailed in its main document, as the guidelines for the Members of the Movement as well as their adherence to the positions set forth in the statement on Palestine, including with regard to recent events and positions on practical steps to be taken by the Members of the Movement in this regard.

2. The Ministers expressed their grave concern at the further deterioration of the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the continuing downward spiral to a near-catastrophic situation. They condemned the continuing and escalating Israeli military campaign against the Palestinian people, including the reported war crimes. They condemned in particular the willful killing of civilians, including extrajudicial executions, and the continuing settler colonialism as well as the building of the expansionist wall. The Ministers also condemned in particular the Israeli threats against the safety and freedom of President Yasser Arafat and expressed their solidarity with the President of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian leadership and stressed the necessity for ending these threats. They welcomed the overwhelming adoption of General Assembly resolution ES-10/X on 19 September 2003 and called for scrupulous compliance with its provisions.

3. The Ministers expressed their deep regret that the Road Map had largely not been implemented. They noted with concern the fact that the Israeli government had never formally accepted the Road Map, attached several reservations to it and failed to take the necessary first step in adherence with its obligations therein. They called for an intensification of efforts by the Quartet and for the full and honest implementation of the Road Map.

4. The Ministers affirmed the important role, as well as the responsibility, of the Security Council vis-à-vis the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. They affirmed that the Security Council could and should play a central role in this regard, including by providing strong support for the Road Map and by requiring the two sides to comply with and implement its provisions in addition to establishing a monitoring mechanism.

5. The Ministers expressed their support for the proposal of a comprehensive Security Council resolution in line with the Road Map, which would also set forth positions on the components of a final settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as well as establish an effective international presence or monitoring mechanism. In this regard, the Ministers expressed their belief that such a draft resolution would be best pursued through broad consultations with Members of the Security Council, including examining its adoption under Chapter 7 in a way that would ensure the smooth and timely proceeding of the peace process and ensure the implementation by the two sides of their respective obligations towards the final destination of two States based on the line of 1967.

6. The Ministers expressed their support for the idea that, in addition to the existing set of United Nations General Assembly resolutions on Palestine, the work during the 58^th session should also focus on the expansionist Israeli wall, which has involved the confiscation and destruction of thousands more dunums of Palestinian land, the isolation of Palestinian cities, towns and villages and the destruction of the lives of thousands of Palestinian civilians and which continues to be built by the occupying Power. The Ministers affirmed the importance of and called for the application of legal remedies in accordance with provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention and other relevant instruments without impunity to war crimes committed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. The Ministers also reiterated that Israel’s representation in the General Assembly must be in conformity with international law and called for ensuring that the Israeli credentials to the United Nations do not cover the territories occupied by Israel since 1967, including East Jerusalem.

7. The Ministers stressed the important role to be played by the Movement and entrusted the Chair to lead the efforts of the Movement with regard to the question of Palestine and peace in the region. They expressed their appreciation to the Members of the Committee on Palestine. They further instructed their Permanent Representatives to continuously follow up with such issues related to the United Nations.

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