Mideast situation – Communiqué by GCC – Letter from UAE (Excerpt)

Letter dated 14 April 1993 from the Chargé d'affaires a.i.

of the Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to

the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

On instructions from my Government I have the honour to transmit herewith, in the Arabic language, the communiqué issued by the Ministerial Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council at its forty-sixth session, held at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 4 and 5 April 1993 (see annex).

I should be grateful if you would have this letter and its annex circulated as an official document of the General Assembly, under items 34, 35, 42, 55, 79, 86, 92 and 149 of the preliminary list, and of the Security Council.

(Signed) Ali Thani AL-SUWAIDI

Deputy Permanent Representative

Chargé d'affaires a.i.

ANNEX

Communiqué issued by the Ministerial Council of the Gulf Cooperation

Council at its forty-sixth session, held at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,

on 4 and 5 April 1993

The Ministerial Council held its forty-sixth session on Sunday and Monday, 4 and 5 April 1993 (12 and 13 Shawwal 1413) at Riyadh under the chairmanship of His Excellency Mr. Rashid Abdullah al-Nuaimi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, and with the following in attendance:

– His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed Bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bahrain;

– His Royal Highness Prince Saud al-Faisal, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia;

– His Excellency Mr. Yousef Bin Alawi Bin Abdulla, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Oman;

– His Excellency Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jaber Al Thani, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Qatar;

– His Excellency Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Kuwait.

The Ministerial Council also studied developments in the Middle East peace process and reaffirmed the commitment of its member States to supporting peace negotiations aimed at arrival at a just, lasting and comprehensive solution of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the question of Palestine based on Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), the achievement of total Israeli withdrawal from the Arab occupied territories, including Jerusalem, the guaranteeing of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including its right to self-determination, and the establishment of sound foundations to ensure security and stability in the region.

The Ministerial Council commends the efforts being made by the sponsors of the Conference, particularly the affirmation by President Clinton's Administration of the absolute commitment of the United States of America to the peace process, its assumption of a role of full participation and its endeavour to overcome the obstacles holding up the momentum of the talks.

The Council vehemently condemns the Israeli sides violation of the rights of Palestinians in the occupied Arab territories and its practices involving the most repugnant kinds of terrorism, oppression, murder, the taking of innocent lives, particularly those of children, demolition of homes, the continuation of settlement operations in the occupied Arab territories and the deportation of more than 400 Palestinians from their land, in violation of the fourth Geneva Convention.  It calls upon the Security Council to take action to ensure the implementation of resolution 799 (1992) concerning the return of the Palestinian deportees to their land.