85th Inter-Parliamentary Conference – Letter from DPR of Korea (excerpts)

REPORT OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

QUESTION OF PALESTINE

THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST

POLICIES OF APARTHEID OF THE GOVERNMENT OF SOUTH AFRICA

REDUCTION OF MILITARY BUDGETS

COMPLIANCE WITH ARMS LIMITATION AND DISARMAMENT AGREEMENTS

EDUCATION AND INFORMATION FOR DISARMAMENT

CESSATION OF ALL NUCLEAR-TEST EXPLOSIONS

AMENDMENT OF THE TREATY BANNING NUCLEAR WEAPON TESTS IN THE

ATMOSPHERE, IN OUTER SPACE AND UNDER WATER

URGENT NEED FOR A COMPREHENSIVE NUCLEAR-TEST-BAN TREATY

ESTABLISHMENT OF A NUCLEAR-WEAPON-FREE ZONE IN THE REGION OF THE MIDDLE EAST

ESTABLISHMENT OF A NUCLEAR-WEAPON-FREE ZONE IN SOUTH ASIA

CONCLUSION OF EFFECTIVE INTERNATIONAL ARRANGEMENTS TO ASSURE NON-NUCLEAR-

WEAPON STATES AGAINST THE USE OR THREAT OF USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS

PREVENTION OF AN ARMS RACE IN OUTER SPACE

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECLARATION OH THE DENUCLEARIZATION OF AFRICA

CHEMICAL AND BACTERIOLOGICAL (BIOLOGICAL) WEAPONS

GENERAL AND COMPLETE DISARMAMENT

REVIEW AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONCLUDING DOCUMENT OF THE

TWELFTH SPECIAL SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

REVIEW OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND DECISIONS

ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY AT ITS TENTH SPECIAL SESSION

ISRAELI NUCLEAR ARMAMENT

CONVENTION ON PROHIBITIONS OR RESTRICTIONS ON THE USE OF

CERTAIN CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS WHICH MAY BE DEEMED TO BE

EXCESSIVELY INJURIOUS OR TO HAVE INDISCRIMINATE EFFECTS

STRENGTHENING OF SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN REGION

PROTECTION AND SECURITY OF SMALL STATES ELIMINATION

OF RACISM AND RACIAL DISCRIMINATION

HUMAN RIGHTS QUESTIONS

Letter dated 23 September 1991 from the Permanent Representative of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

On instructions from my Government, I have the honour to request that the resolutions adopted by the 85th Inter-Parliamentary Conference held at Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, from 29 April to 4 May 1991, be circulated as an official document of the General Assembly under agenda items 12, 33, 35, 37, 47, 48, 49, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 67, 69, 92 and 98.

(Signed)  PAK Gil Yon

Ambassador

ANNEX

Resolutions adopted by the 85th Inter-Parliamentary Conference held at Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, from 29 April to 4 May 1991

ROLE OF PARLIAMENTS IN SUPPORTING EFFORTS TO VITALIZE PEACE ACTIONS IN THE NEAR AND MIDDLE EAST, INCLUDING THE PERSIAN GULF

(Resolution adopted by 889 votes, with 37 abstentions)*

The 85th Inter-Parliamentary Conference,

Recalling all the resolutions adopted by the United Nations Security Council on the situation in the Near and Middle East, including the Persian Gulf, which, according to the United Nations Charter, must be applied by all member States,

Also recalling all the resolutions adopted by the Conferences of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, especially the 77th Conference (Managua) and the 84th Conference (Punta del Este), which reaffirms in particular the right of all nations to safeguard their territorial integrity and the inviolability of international borders,

Affirming its commitment to a world order established under the authority of the United Nations and based on the principles of observance of international law, arbitration, respect for human rights, the sovereignty of States, the right of peoples to self-determination and the existence of democratic parliamentary institutions,

Bearing in mind the vital need to ensure just and lasting peace in the Middle East on the basis of the implementation of all Security Council resolutions concerning the region, and aware that the existing climate is propitious to the achievement of this goal,

Noting that the Middle East is a land of great spirituality as the birthplace of the great monotheistic religions, and the cradle of great civilizations, and that by reason of that unique situation the men and women of the region should be able to overcome their antagonisms and live in peace,

Deeply disturbed by the situation of innumerable refugees in the region,

Concerned by the grave violations of human rights in the occupied territories of Palestine, which constitutes a serious threat to peace and security in the Middle East, and stressing the need for effective monitoring of these violations by the United Nations, in conformity with paragraphs 7 and 8 of Security Council resolution 681,

Also concerned by the grave violations of the human rights of the Palestinians in Kuwait, the Kurds and Turkmens in Iraq and other oppressed minorities,

Deploring the disastrous damage to the environment caused by the Gulf war, which could very well have long-term, if not irreversible, effects,

1. Welcomes the re-establishment of Kuwait's sovereignty in accordance with the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council;

2. Reiterates its belief that the convening of the international conference on peace in the Middle East, under United Nations auspices, provides a framework for a just and lasting solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict;

3. Affirms the need to implement all UN Security Council resolutions, particularly resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973);

4. Stresses the right of every State in the area, including Israel, to live in peace within secure and recognized borders, safe from threats or acts of force;

5. Urges Israel to implement United Nations resolutions and to withdraw unconditionally from the occupied Arab territories of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights and South Lebanon;

6. Calls for an end to the establishment, development and planning of settlements in the occupied Arab territories, and recommends that existing settlements by dismantled;

7. Considers that the Palestinian people is entitled to national independence (resolution of the 1974 UN General Assembly), and that its legitimate rights must be recognized, namely, its right to a homeland, to self-determination and to create an independent State on its territory;

8. Supports the national reconciliation process in Lebanon as a means of re-establishing that State's sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity, and calls for the departure of all foreign troops from the country;

9. Invites each State to respect the personality and cultural, ethnic and linguistic identity of all minorities living on its territory;

10. Requests that the Kurdish, Turkmen and other populations that have been forced to leave their countries be able to return, under United Nations auspices, to their respective countries and live there in total security;

11. Calls on the United Nations to provide effective guarantees for the rights of all minorities;

12. Invites all parties involved to consider the possibility of setting up a mechanism similar to that of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe in order to foster dialogue and détente in the region, thereby facilitating the settlement of unresolved questions in the Middle East that relate to the fields covered by the three CSCE "baskets";

13. Supports the Executive Committee's initiative to organize a conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union on co-operation and security in the Mediterranean, which would contribute to the elimination of hotbeds of tension in the region;

14. Invites Governments to refuse authorisation for arms exports to dictatorial régimes and to all countries that fail to respect human rights, and to adopt stringent regulations concerning products that may be used for both civilian and military purposes;

15. Calls on the Parliaments and Governments of the world to provide aid to the populations that are the victims of the events in the Middle East;

16. Urges the Security Council to decide without delay to lift the embargo against Iraq, in accordance with Security Council resolution 687, and to take effective measures to assist Iraqi population living in distressing circumstances, excluding the provision of arms and all materials which can be used for military purposes;

17. Invites all States in the area to facilitate efforts by the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), as well as by relief agencies, to assist prisoners of war, refugees and the victims of hostilities;

18. Requests all Parliaments and Governments to use their influence to secure the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages still held in Lebanon and elsewhere;

19. Considers that parliamentarians have a role to play in bringing together the peoples of the region and their cultures so as to foster mutual acknowledgement of the value and diversity of each one of them;

20. Calls on all nations to co-operate in repairing the damage to the environment caused by the Gulf war, and urges the international community to seek measures to prevent the recurrence of acts that may cause damage to the environment;

21. Recommends that the Union's Committee on Middle East Questions should continue its work and report at the next session of the Inter-Parliamentary Council on steps taken under this resolution and, to this end, invites all countries to co-operate with this Committee.

ROLE OF PARLIAMENTS IN SUPPORTING EFFORTS TO VITALIZE PEACE ACTIONS

IN THE NEAR AND MIDDLE EAST, INCLUDING THE PERSIAN GULF

Vote on the resolution

Results of the vote

Affirmative votes………889

Negative votes………….29

Abstentions…………….37

/…

______________

*- The delegation of the United Arab Emirates expressed reservations on the eighth preambular paragraph.

– The delegation of Iraq expressed reservations on the eighth preambular paragraph and on operative paragraphs 10 and 16.

– The delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran expressed reservations on operative paragraphs 3, 4 and 18.