Palestine question – Lisbon Declaration – Letter from Libya

Letter dated 27 November 1979 from the Permanent Representative

of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to the United Nations addressed

to the Secretary-General

With reference to the World Conference in Solidarity with the Arab People and Their Central Issue: Palestine, which was held in Lisbon from 2 to 6 November 1979, I request that you kindly circulate as a document of the General Assembly, undoer agenda item 24, and of the Security Council the annexed document entitled "Lisbon Declaration", which was adopted at that Conference.

(Signed) Mansur R. KIKHIA

Permanent Representative

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WORLD CONFERENCE IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE ARAB PEOPLE

AND THEIR CENTRAL ISSUE: PALESTINE

HELD IN LISBON, PORTUGAL

From 2 to 6 November 1979

LISBON DECLARATION

The struggle for freedom, justice and peace constitutes an indivisible international responsibility. On the one hand, there is worldwide support for the cause of the Palestinian and Arab people in their struggle for the attainment of their inalienable national rights and the total withdrawal of Israel from the occupied territories. On the other hand, an explosive situation has been created as a result of Israel’s persistent policy of continued occupation, annexation of territories, suppression and expulsion of Arabs from their homelands and the conspiracies of American imperialism violating the sovereignty of the Arab states. This has created a situation that threatens not only the security of the Arab region but also international peace and security.  This situation is further aggravated by escalating brutal Israeli aggression against Southern Lebanon and the provocation of Syria and the exercise of a war of attrition against her, thus creating the most critical situation in this region.

This World Conference, in which more than 750 delegates representing 325 international popular bodies, parties and organizations in more than 100 countries have come to participate in Lisbon, Portugal from November 2nd to 6th, firmly and solemnly:

1. Condemns all imperialist and Zionist schemes, especially the Camp David accords and the Egyptian-Israeli Treaty. These accords have no validity because they violate and deny the inalienable national rights of the Palestinian Arab people and condone continued Israeli occupation of Palestinian and Arab territories.

2. Reaffirms its support to the struggle of the Arab people, especially the Palestinian Arab people, under the leadership of the P.L.O. which has achieved significant political gains in international and national forums.

3. Records its appreciation of the heroic struggle of the Palestinian Arab people in the occupied territories against Israeli occupation and against the so-called self-rule that denies their right to sovereignty and independence.

And calls for:

A. The unconditional, total and immediate Israeli withdrawal from all the occupied Arab and Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem, as affirmed by U.N. General Assembly resolutions and particularly Resolution No. 33/29.

B. The restoration of the national inalienable rights of the Arab Palestinian people including their right to return to their homeland, self-determination, and the establishment of their national independent state as affirmed by the Resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly, particularly Resolution 3236.

C. The reaffirmation of the right of the Arab Palestinian people to conduct all forms of struggle, including armed struggle, to regain their national inalienable rights, as endorsed by the United Nations Resolutions, and the principles of International Law applicable to all national liberation movements.

D. Full support to the Resolutions of the United Nations and other organizations condemning Israel for:

i. Expropriating Arab lands and water resources in the occupied territories and establishing settlements thereon.

ii. Arbitrarily detaining and torturing freedom fighters in Israeli prisons and imposing collective punishment and arrests.

iii. Changing the political, demographic and cultural characteristics of the occupied Arab territories, including Jerusalem.

E. Full support to the United Nations General Assembly Resolution No. 3379, which declares that Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination, and for dissemination of relevant information in this regard.

F. The peoples of the world to work for wider recognition of the P.L.O. by governments all over the world.

The Conference expresses its solidarity with and appreciation for the struggle of the national, patriotic and progressive forces in Lebanon in defence of unity and territorial integrity, and independence of Arab Lebanon and its democratic development. The Conference further expresses its support to the presence of the Palestinian resistance in Lebanon for fulfilling its militant responsibility. It condemns the continuous and barbaric Israeli attacks on Lebanon, particularly in South Lebanon. It also condemns the fascist, isolationist proposals which have inherent dangers as they seek to give legitimacy to Israeli occupation of a part of South Lebanon. The Conference calls for the immediate and strict implementation of Security Council Resolutions 425, 426, 444 and 450 as well as the decisions of the Beiteddin Conference and relevant decisions of the Baghdad Summit, especially the provisions dealing with Israel and the removal of obstacles that prevent the role of the Arab deterrent forces in helping the legal authorities to restore the sovereignty of Lebanon.

The Conference declares its full solidarity with the Egyptian national and progressive movement in its struggle for democracy and to nullify the Camp David Agreements and Washington Treaty that usurped the national sovereignty of Egypt over its territory.

The Conference declares its full solidarity with the struggle of the Syrian Arab Republic in its frontline confrontation against Zionism and imperialism, the struggle of the Arab Front of Steadfastness and Confrontation, (Syria, Algeria, Libya, Democratic Yemen and the P.L.O.), as well as the Arab Peoples Conference in opposing the Camp David Accords. The Conference also expresses its support for the decisions arrive at in the Ninth Arab Summit Conference held in Baghdad.

The Conference expresses support to the national movements of the Arab peninsula and the Gulf, in their struggle against pacts and military bases. The Conference also calls for vigilance against alliances formed by the U.S.A., Israel and Sadat, aimed against the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Algeria and Democratic Yemen.

The Conference also condemns the U.S. policy of obstructing the work of the U.N., particularly in adopting resolutions recognizing the inalienable right of the Palestinian people and the use of the Veto to achieve its aims.

The Conference finally calls upon all patriotic organizations and all peace-loving forces to support the P.L.O. with all concrete and tangible means in order to achieve its objectives and fight all conspiracies and aggression.

The Conference records its satisfaction with the close coordination of the democratic and progressive forces in the Arab homeland in the struggle against reactionary, Zionist and U.S. imperialist schemes.

The Conference also appreciates the significant role of the socialist countries, particularly the Soviet Union, the non-aligned countries, the Organization of African Unity, the Islamic Conference Organization, friendly states, and all forces of liberation, democracy and peace in support of the just struggle of the Arab people. This has led to the convening of ,the International Conference of Solidarity with the Arab People and their Central Issue: Palestine.

In order to further its objective and in support of the struggle of the Arab nation and the Arab people of Palestine, the Conference decides that the International Secretariat for Solidarity should continue its work.

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