Cooperation between UN and OAU – Letter from Kenya

CO-OPERATION BETWEEN THE UNITED NATIONS AND THE

ORGANIZATION OF AFRICAN UNITY

Letter dated 3 October 1989 from the Permanent Representative of

Kenya to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

I have the honor to request that you arrange for the distribution as an official document of the General Assembly, under agenda item 27, of the resolutions adopted by the Council of Ministers of the organization of African Unity at its fiftieth ordinary session, held at Addis Ababa from 17 to 22 July 1989 (annex I), and the Declaration on Namibia (annex II) and the resolutions adopted by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity at its twenty-fifth ordinary session, held at Addis Ababa from 24 to 26 July 1989 (annex III).

ANNEX I

Resolutions adopted by the Council of Ministers of the

Organization of African Unity at its fiftieth ordinary

session, held at Addis Ababa from 17 to 22 July 1989

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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CM/Res.1211 (L)

RESOLUTION ON THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST

The Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity, meeting in its Fiftieth ordinary Session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 17 to 22 July, 1989,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General of the organization of African Unity on the Middle East as contained in Document CM/1544 (L),

Guided by the principles and purposes of the Charters of the OAU and the United Nations, and by the common determination of the African and Arab peoples to fight jointly to safeguard their independence,

Recalling the successive resolutions adopted previously by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, and the Council of Ministers of the OAU on the situation in the Middle East,

Noting with deep concern that in spite of the many resolutions adopted particularly by the United Nations General Assembly, the Security Council, the Organization of African Unity and the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries urging Israel to withdraw from Arab territories occupied since 1987, including Jerusalem, not only has Israel persistently refused to comply with these resolutions but continue to pursue its expansionist, repressive and occupationist policy,

Affirming its concern over Israel's continued policy of thwarting the efforts aimed at finding a just solution to the Palestinian problem within the framework. of an international peace conference,

Noting with concern that the collusion between the Zionist regime of Israel and the Apartheid regime of South Africa is aimed at promoting, the policy of terrorism and liquidation of the Palestinians and Arabs in the occupied territories on one hand and the majority of the population of South Africa and Namibia on the other:

1. REAFFIRMS all previous resolutions adopted by all the Sessions of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government and the Council of Ministers of the OAU on the Middle East Question and Palestine;

2. FURTHER REAFFIRMS ITS SUPPORT for the struggle of the Arab countries, victims of Israeli aggression, and its support for the Palestinian people in their just legitimate struggle to recover their usurped rights and their occupied territories; and REAFFIRMS ITS FULL and EFFECTIVE SUPPORT for the struggle of the Palestinian people under the leadership of its sole legitimate representative, the Palestine Liberation Organization;

3. AFFIRMS ITS SUPPORT for the efforts of the special Committees on Palestine, affiliated to the United Nations, the Non-aligned Movement and the Committee of Seven in the League of Arab States;

4. STRONGLY CONDEMNS Israel, the occupying power, for not complying with the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 12 August 1949, on the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War;

5. CONDEMNS VIGOROUSLY the confiscation of Palestinian territories, the establishment of settlements by Israel in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories;

6. MAKES AN URGENT APPEAL to the international community to exert an effective pressure on Israel in all fields until it complies with the principles of international law and put and end to its occupation of Palestinian and other occupied territories;

7. REITERATES ITS REQUEST to the Security Council to take the necessary measures to secure international protection for the Palestinian people in the occupied territories until they are able to exercise their inalienable rights;

8. STRONGLY SUPPORTS the convening of an International Conference with mandatory power on the situation in the Middle East under the auspices of the United Nations with the supervision of the Permanent Members of the Security Council as well as all the parties concerned including the Palestine Liberation Organization, as a party on equal footing with other parties;

9. STRONGLY COMDEMNS the continued occupation of Southern Lebanon and CALLS for the implementation of Resolution 425 adopted in 1978 by the United Nations Security Council stipulating respect of the territorial integrity of Lebanon and the immediate evacuation from occupied Lebanese territories;

10. COMMENDS the efforts deployed by the Committee of Three, comprising Algeria, Morocco and Saudi Arabia, which was set up by the Extraordinary Arab Summit Conference, held in Casablanca from 1-3 to 26 May, 1989, to create favorable conditions for the establishment of the unity and sovereignty of Lebanon and CALLS UPON all the parties concerned to support its efforts;

11. CONSIDERS NULL AND VOID any measures taken by Israel in the occupied Arab territories, aimed, at exploiting their resources and REQUESTS all States, International Organizations and investment agencies not to recognize Israel's authority over these territories and not to cooperate with it, in any form whatsoever in its illegal exploitation of these resources;

12. REJECTS all attempts and initiatives that ignore the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, and which aim at aborting the heroic uprising of the Palestinian people and by-passing the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people;

13. STRONGLY CONDEMNS the alliance between the racist Tel Aviv and Pretoria regimes and their co-operation in the field of nuclear energy and armament which threatens security and peace in Africa and in the Middle East, and therefore CALLS UPON Member States to deploy all efforts to prevent these two racist regimes from implementing their plans;

14. WELCOMES the cease-fire between Iraq and Iran and hopes that the peace talks will lead to the full implementation of Security Council Resolution No. 598;

15. REQUESTS the OAU Secretary-General to monitor the developments in the Middle East Question and to report to the next Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity.

CM/Res.1212 (L)

RESOLUTION ON THE QUESTION OF PALESTINE

The Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity, meeting in its Fiftieth Ordinary Session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 17 to 22 July, 1989,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on the question of Palestine as contained in Document CM/1545 (L),

Recalling the resolutions adopted by the previous sessions of the Council of Ministers and the Assembly of Heads of State and Government on the Question of Palestine and the problem of the Middle East,

Guided by the principles and objectives of the OAU and the Charter of the UN and the joint struggle against Zionism and Racism in order to attain freedom, independence and peace,

Further recalling all relevant resolutions of the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement on the Question of Palestine and the problem of the Middle East,

Noting the relevant reports of the United Nations Committee on the exercise by the Palestinian people of their inalienable rights,

Referring to the Resolutions of the Palestinian National Council at its Nineteenth Extraordinary Session held in Algiers from 12 to 15 November, 1988, and to the speech of the Head of State of Palestine, Mr. Yasser Arafat before the United Nations General Assembly meeting in its Forty-third Session in Geneva from 22 September to 15 December, 1988,

Reaffirming the legitimacy of the struggle of the Palestinian people under the leadership of the PLO, its sole legitimate representative in order to retrieve their land and exercise their full national rights,

Following attentively and with deep concern the continued heroic popular uprising of the Palestinian people in the occupied territories to put an end to the Israeli occupation and to regain their national and inalienable rights, including their right to repatriation, self-determination and the establishment of their independent Palestinian State with Jerusalem as the Capital,

Noting with deep concern the continued escalation of Israeli aggressive repression against the Palestinian people and their leadership inside and outside the occupied territories,

Noting further with deep concern the alliance of the Zionist regime of Israel and the Apartheid regime of South Africa, both countries adopting a terrorist policy against the Palestinian people and the Arabs in the Arab and Palestinian occupied territories on one hand, and the peoples of South Africa and Namibia on the other,

Noting with Profound indignation the statements made by Israeli Ministers, including the recent one by Minister Sharon calling for the physical elimination of President Yasser Arafat, and other PLO leaders,

Gravely concerned by the threats in that they constitute fresh acts of aggression on the part of Israel against any African or Arab country:

1. REAFFIRMS all the previous resolutions and recommendations adopted by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government and the Council of Ministers on the Question of Palestine;

2. FURTHER REITERATES:

(a) the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to return to their homes and in Palestine from which they were displaced and recover their property;

(b) the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination without any outside interference and the establishment of their independent Sovereign Palestinian State on their homeland with Jerusalem as Capital;

3. DEMANDS the immediate unconditional withdrawal of Israel from all Palestinian occupied territories including Jerusalem, and CALLS ON the UN and more specially the Security Council, to take all the necessary measures to put an end to Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and extend the International Protection through UN machinery, to the Palestinian people and place the occupied Palestinian territories under the supervision of the United Nations for a specific period as part of the peace process;

4. CONSIDERS that the Resolutions adopted by the Nineteenth Session of the National Palestinian Council held in Algiers from 12 to 15 November, 1988, which led to the proclamation of the State of Palestine, its acceptable of the United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) are a positive contribution to the efforts for the restoration of a just and lasting peace through the organization of an International Peace Conference under the auspices of the United Nations;

5. CALLS UPON those State's which recognized the State of Palestine to endorse its application to join the United Nations Organization and its Specialized Agencies;

6. AFFIRMS its support for the Palestinian Peace Initiative approved by the Palestinian National Council at its Nineteenth Session held in Algiers in November 1988, and announced by President Yasser Arafat before the UN General Assembly in December 1988, initiative based on the Arab Peace Plan and International Law and approved by the Extraordinary Arab Summit held in Casablanca, from 23 to 26 May, 1989 and WELCOMES international support for this initiative;

7. SUPPORTS the stand taken by the Palestinians according to which elections should be held in the occupied territories after the withdrawal of Israel from these and, under international supervision as part of the overall peace process for the plan proposed by Israel aims at undermining the popular Palestinian uprising, by-passing the Palestine Liberation Organization and circumventing the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people;

8. EXPRESSES ITS UNCONDITIONAL SUPPORT for the legitimate popular uprising of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territories and CALLS ON Member States to urgently provide the PLO with concrete assistance to enable it to continue to support the uprising of the militant Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territories;

9. STRONGLY CONDEMNS Israel, the occupying power for its policy of repression, aggression, terrorism, torture and deportation aimed at suppressing the Palestinian people in the occupied territories; for its continued policy of occupation, confiscation of land and exploitation of water resources; policy of deportation, detention bone breaking, causing of abortion, use of toxic gas and chemical weapons, burial and burning of people, all the above constituting 6 flagrant violation of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, International Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention;

10. CONDEMNS the death call made by some Israeli leaders and in particular a Minister, Sharon, and CALLS for the vigilance of the International Community to prevent the implementation of these threats;

11. CALLS ON THE United Nations, particularly on the Security Council to take the necessary measures to ensure the release of Palestinian prisoners in the occupied Palestinian territories, the return of deportees; to put an end to the terrorism practiced by the Israeli occupation authorities against the Palestinian people to see to the application of Security Council Resolutions Nos. 605, 607, 608 adopted in 1988 and Resolution No. 681 adopted in 1989 and to the implementation of the Geneva Convention on this matter;

12. REITERATES ITS SUPPORT for the need to convene an International Conference for Peace in the Middle East in accordance with the provisions of the relevant resolutions of the UN General Assembly particularly the Resolution adopted on 13 December, 1988, Conference to be held with the participation of the Permanent Members of the UN Security Council and the parties concerned including the PLO, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, on an equal footing with other parties;

13. CALLS ON the Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity to follow up the developments of the Palestinian Question and submit a report on them to the forthcoming Session of the OAU Council of Ministers.

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