Mideast situationQuestion of Palestine – OAU resolutions – Letter from Nigeria (excerpts)

CO-OPERATION BETWEEN THE UNITED NATIONS AND THE

ORGANIZATION OF AFRICAN UNITY

Letter dated 6 July 1983 from the Permanent Representative of Niger

to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

I have the honor to request you to circulate as an official document of the General Assembly, under item 26 of the provisional agenda, the resolutions adopted by the nineteenth ordinary session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

ANNEX

Resolutions adopted by the Assembly of Heads of State and

Government of the Organization of African Unity at its

nineteenth ordinary session, held at Addis Ababa

from 6 to 12 June 1983

CONTENTS

…

RESOLUTION ON THE MIDDLE EAST QUESTION

The Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity, meeting in its Nineteenth Ordinary Session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 6 to 12 June 1983,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity on the Middle East and the Palestinian question, document AHG/111 (XXX),

Having listened to the statements of the various delegations and of the representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization on the Middle East question,

Guided by the principles and purposes of the Charter of the Organization of African Unity and the United Nations and by the common destiny of African and Arab peoples and their struggle for freedom, progress and peace,

Recalling the successive resolutions adopted by the previous sessions of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the OAU on the Middle East and the Palestinian questions,

Further recalling the earlier recommendations and decisions of the United Nations General Assembly, the Security Council and the Conference of Non-Aligned Countries on the Middle East and Palestinian questions,

Seriously concerned about the explosive situation prevailing in the region following the occupation of Arab territories by Israel and its refusal to recognize the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to return to their country, to exercise their right to self-determination and to establish an independent State in their territory, as well as Israel's refusal to comply with the resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly and of the Security Council, and its disregard for international law and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights through its continued aggression against the Palestinian people and the Arab territories, particularly against Lebanon and Palestinian refugee camps, while adopting a policy of genocide and total destruction against the Palestinian people. This policy was illustrated in the most tragic manner during the brutal aggression perpetrated by Israel against Lebanon in the summer of 1982 and the indiscriminate massacres of the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples,

Reaffirming its full support for the just struggle being pursued by the Palestinian people under the leadership of, the PLO for the recovery of all their legitimate and inalienable rights,

Noting with grave concern that the collusion between Israel and racist South Africa would continue to aggravate the policy of terrorism and genocide against the Palestinians and Africans in Palestine and South Africa respectively,

1. Reaffirms all the previous resolutions adopted by the Council of Ministers as well as its full and unflinching support for the struggle of the Arab and Palestinian peoples under the leadership of its only legitimate representative, the Palestine Liberation organization (PLO);

2. Reaffirms its support for the Arab front-line States and the Palestinian people in their just struggle to recover their occupied territories and their usurped rights;

3. Strongly condemns Israel's scheme, its expansionist and racist policy, as well as its disregard for the United Nations resolutions, an attitude which constitutes, in the final analysis, a serious threat to peace in the Middle East region and in the world as a whole;

4. Strongly condemns the establishment by Israel of settlements in Palestine and in other occupied Arab territories and further condemns the Judaization of the city of Jerusalem and its proclamation as the capital of Israel;

5. Strongly condemns Israel, the occupying Power, for not giving adequate protection to the civilian persons in the occupied Arab territories, in conformity with the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the protection of civilian persons in time of war (17 August 1949);

6. Reaffirms the urgent need to end the continued occupation of Arab territories and to accelerate Israel's withdrawal from these territories including Jerusalem which has been occupied since 19671

7. Strongly condemns the aggression perpetrated . against Lebanon and the continued occupation of its territory and urgently calls for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the Israeli occupying forces in compliance with the relevant Security Council resolutions 508 and 509 (1982);

8. Strongly condemns all acts of Israel violating the provisions of the terms of reference and violence perpetrated by Israel to prevent the United Nation Peace-keeping Force from safeguarding peace in Lebanon and from accomplishing its peace-keeping task fully, including the control of territories up to the recognize international borders;

9. Condemns the aggressive collusion between the racist Zionist regime of Israel and the racist régime of South Africa directed against African and Arab peoples, and calls upon all Member States to close their ranks in the common struggle so as to face the growing dangers of this collusion, especially in the nuclear field;

10. Strongly recommends that Israel and South Africa do not benefit from any co-operation in the field of nuclear technology so long as they do not become parties to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and they do not accept an international inspection, under the aegis of the IAEA, of the nuclear research facilities;

11. Affirms that the armed struggle against the racists in south Africa and Palestine is legitimate and constitutes the most effective way of putting an end to the policy of expansion and domination over Arab and African peoples;

12. Recommends to Member States to renew their firm undertaking to maintain severance of diplomatic relations with Israel, the natural and unconditional accomplice of South Africa;

13. Strongly condemns further all partial agreements and separate treaties which constitute a flagrant violation of the right of the Palestinian people, the principles of the OAU and United Nations Charters and the resolutions adopted in various international forums on the Palestine issue, and which prevent the realization of the Palestinian people's aspiration to return to their homeland, to self-determination and to exercise full sovereignty on their territories;

14. Affirms that any attempt to solve the question of Palestine, which is at the core of the Middle East problem, will not lead to peace without the effective participation of the Palestine Liberation organization and without the recognition of the national inalienable and legitimate rights of the Palestinian people;

15. Firmly supports the Arab Peace Plan adopted at the 12th Arab Summit at Fez (Morocco) on 9 September 1982 as an important contribution to the search for a just, comprehensive and lasting settlement of the Middle East conflict. In this connection, makes a solemn appeal to the Arab sister countries to strengthen their concerted action for the realization of the objectives of this Plan. It also emphasizes the need to consolidate Afro-Arab solidarity in the interest of the peoples of the two regions;

16. Reaffirms the right of the Arab front-line States and of the Palestinian people to have total and permanent sovereign power over their territories, their wealth and natural resources and considers all measures adopted by Israel, violating this sovereignty null and illegal, particularly those concerning Jerusalem;

17. Appeals to the international community to exert pressure on Israel in all fields so as to compel it to comply with the resolutions of the United Nations, and requests the Security Council of the United Nations to take the necessary steps to compel Israel to put an end to its occupation of the Palestinian and Arab territories and to allow the Palestinian people to exercise their national rights according to the recommendations adopted by the Special Committee of the United Nations on the exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people;

18. Appeals to the Security Council to take effective steps to guarantee the national inalienable rights of the Palestinian people recognized by the United Nations General Assembly, and considers that the Security Council resolution 242 of 22 November 1967 does not guarantee the future of the Palestinian people and their inalienable rights, and does not constitute a sufficient basis for an acceptable solution to the Palestinian question which is at the core of the Middle East problem;

19. Requests the OAU Secretary-General to follow up the Palestinian and the Middle East questions and to report to the next ordinary session of the Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity.

RESOLUTION ON THE PALESTINIAN QUESTION

The Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African unity, meeting in its Nineteenth Ordinary session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 6 to 12 June 1983,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity on the Middle East and the Palestinian questions, document AHG/111 (XIX),

Having heard the statements of various delegations and, in particular, that of the representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO),

Recalling the resolutions adopted by the sessions of the Council of Ministers on the problem of the Middle East and on the Palestinian question,

Further recalling the report of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the People of Palestine (document A/34/35) which reaffirms the inalienable national rights of the people of Palestine to their homeland including their rights to return to it, to self-determination, to sovereignty as well as to the establishment of an independent state on their soil,

Guided by the principles and purposes of the Charters of the Organization of African Unity and of the United Nations and by the common struggle against Zionist and racism for the cause of freedom, independence and peace,

Recalling that the Palestinian question constitutes the very core of the Middle East conflict, and that the PLO is the only legitimate representative of the people of Palestine,

Reiterating the relevant decisions of the OAU making the Palestinian question an Arab and African issue,

Conscious of the seriousness of the present situation resulting from the continued occupation of Palestinian and Arab territories by Israel, its refusal to respect the resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council of the United Nations, its firm determination to establish settlements, in the occupied Arab territories, especially in Jerusalem, thus altering the geographical, demographical, cultural and social characteristics of Palestine,

Reaffirming the legitimacy of the struggle of the people of Palestine led by the Palestine Liberation organization (PLO) to recover their land and exercise their national rights,

Further reaffirming that a just and lasting peace can only be achieved when the people of Palestine exercise their inalienable rights, particularly their right to return to their homeland, the recovery of national sovereignty, their right to self-determination without any foreign interference whatsoever and their right to create an independent state on their territory,

Considering that partial agreement and a separate treaty are greatly prejudicial to the people of Palestine and constitute a violation of the principle of the right of people to self-determination and independence,

Taking into account the resolutions adopted at the special sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations on the Palestinian question,

Taking into account the recommendations of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the People of Palestine,

Taking into account the conclusions of the African Regional Preparatory Meeting for the International Conference on the Question of Palestine held in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania, from 29 March to 1 April 1983,

Noting with grave concern that the alliance between the Zionist regime of Israel and the racist regime of South Africa aims at intensifying acts of terrorism and genocide against the people of Palestine and South Africa,

1. Reaffirms all previous resolutions on the Palestinian question and reiterates its unwavering support for the people of Palestine led by the Palestine Liberation organization (PLO), their sole legitimate representative, and reaffirms the right of the people of Palestine to continue their struggle under all political and military forms as well as the use of all means to liberate their occupied territory and to recover their inalienable national rights, particularly the right to return to their homeland, the exercise of their right to self-determination and to establish an independent state in their territory;

2. Strongly condemns all maneuvers and formulae aimed at preventing the people of Palestine from exercising their rights to self-determination, to achieve their national aspirations to return to their homeland and exercise their freedom and complete sovereignty;

3. Strongly condemns any initiatives, measures or agreements which do not take into account the aspirations of the people of Palestine and of their sole legitimate representative the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO); considers null and void any agreement on the Palestinian question without the participation of the Palestine Liberation Organization;

4. Strongly condemns the expansionist policies pursued by Israel and aimed at imposing fait accompli territories; also condemns the policy of expansion, establishment of settlements, expropriation of lands and the massive or individual extermination of people with a view to forcing them to emigrate, to modify the demographic characteristics of the territory, and expel the leaders of the people of Palestine thinkers and citizens as well as other Arab peoples, especially the Lebanese people;

5. Strongly condemns Israel's expansionist, colonialist, racist and terrorist actions against the Palestinian people, in particular the massacres in Sabra and Shatila as well as against the Lebanese people;

6. Further condemns the collusion between the Zionist régime of Israel and the racist regime of South Africa and calls upon all Member States to intensify their efforts to face the danger and to strengthen the struggle against zionism, racism and imperialism. To this end, calls upon the African States, and members of the League of Arab States to include in the agenda of all sessions the following item, "Collusion between South Africa and Israel";

7. Calls upon the international community to exert more pressure on Israel in all fields so as to compel it to conform to the Charter of the United Nations and with the resolution adopted on the Palestinian question, emphasizes the efforts deployed by the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the People of Palestine and calls upon the Security Council to implement the recommendation of this Committee adopted by the General Assembly;

8. Calls upon the Security Council to take effective measures to guarantee the exercise by the people of Palestine of their national and inalienable rights recognized by the United Nations General Assembly and considers that Security Council resolution 242 of 22 November 1967 does not guarantee the future of the Palestinian people and their inalienable rights nor does it provide a basis for a just solution to the Palestinian question;

9. Firmly supports the Arab Peace Plan adopted at the 12th Arab Summit held at Fez (Morocco) on 9 September 1982, as an important contribution to the search for a just, comprehensive and lasting settlement of the Middle East conflict;

10. Endorses the recommendations of the African Regional Preparatory Meeting for the International Conference on the Question of Palestine held in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania, from 29 March to 1 April 1983;

11. Urgently calls upon all the Member States to participate actively and massively at the highest level, in the International Conference on the Question of Palestine scheduled for 1983;

12. Commends the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the People of Palestine for its efforts aimed at restoring the inalienable rights of the people of Palestine;

13. Urges the international community to exert more pressure on Israel in all fields so as to compel it to release the Palestinian and Lebanese prisoners, mainly those who are in the Ansar concentration camp;

14. Requests the OAU Secretary-General to follow the development of the Palestinian question and to report to the next ordinary session of the Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity.

….

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* A/ 38/150.