Jerusalem/Settlements – GA emergency session – SecGen note

CONVENING OF THE SESSION

Note by the Secretary-General

1. In a letter dated 31 March 1997 addressed to the Secretary-General (see annex), the Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations requested an emergency special session of the General Assembly to discuss an item entitled "Illegal Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory".

2. Upon receipt of the aforementioned letter, in a note dated 1 April 1997, the Secretary-General transmitted the text to Member States requesting them, bearing in mind his responsibilities under rule 9 (b) of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly, to inform him whether they concurred in the request for the convening of an emergency special session.

3. In a note dated 22 April 1997, the Secretary-General informed Member States that the majority of Members had concurred in Qatar's request and that, accordingly, the tenth emergency special session would convene at United Nations Headquarters on Thursday, 24 April 1997, at 10 a.m.

4. The provisional agenda of the session will be issued as document A/ES-10/2.


ANNEX

[Original:  Arabic]

Letter dated 31 March 1997 from the Permanent Representative of

Qatar to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

The Group of States members of the League of Arab States has discussed the dangerous situation resulting from the illegal Israeli actions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, in particular the commencement of the construction of the Jabal Abu Ghneim settlement to the south of occupied East Jerusalem, and other measures regarding Jerusalem and the building of settlements.

The Arab States have considered the failure of the Security Council to exercise its role in maintaining international peace and security owing to the use of the veto by a permanent member of the Council on two successive occasions in less than two weeks.

Given their belief that the illegal Israeli measures in question represent a threat to international peace and security as undermining the Middle East peace process and are in violation of international law and the relevant General Assembly and Security Council resolutions, and in the light of Israel's persistence in these measures and of the failure of the Security Council to exercise its primary responsibility under the Charter of the United Nations, the States members of the League of Arab States have decided that it is necessary to convene an emergency special session of the General Assembly, pursuant to its resolution 377 A (V) of 3 November 1950, entitled "Uniting for peace", to consider "Illegal Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory".

Accordingly, and in my capacity as Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations, I request that an emergency special session of the General Assembly be convened pursuant to resolution 377 A (V), entitled "Uniting for peace", in order to consider this important matter.

I should be grateful if you would initiate the necessary procedures for the convening of this emergency special session.

(Signed)  Nasser Bin Hamad AL-KHALIFA   

Permanent Representative of Qatar

to the United Nations      

Chairman of the Arab Group   

—–

emspecsess10.97


Document symbol: A/ES-10/1
Document Type: Letter, Note
Document Sources: General Assembly, General Assembly 10th Emergency Special Session
Country: Qatar
Subject: Agenda Item, International Conventions/Treaties, Jerusalem, Settlements
Publication Date: 22/04/1997
2019-03-11T20:47:56-04:00

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