Middle East situation/Palestine question – Final communiqué of OIC FMs Annual Coordination meeting – Letter from Sudan

Letter dated 27 September 2002 from the Chargé d’affaires a.i.

of the Permanent Mission of the Sudan to the United Nations

addressed to the Secretary-General

I have the honour, in my capacity as Chairman of the Islamic Group, to transmit herewith the text of the final communiqué adopted at the Annual Coordination Meeting of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of States members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, held at United Nations Headquarters on 17 September 2002 (see annex).

I should be grateful if you would have the text of the present letter and its annex circulated as a document of the General Assembly, under agenda items 10, 21, 22 (o), 31, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40, 47, 49, 50, 52, 53, 54, 63, 69, 76, 77, 91, 108, 109 and 160, and of the Security Council.

(Signed ) Omer Bashir Mohamed Manis
Chargé d’affaires a.i.
Deputy Permanent Representative

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Annex to the letter dated 27 September 2002 from the

Chargé d'affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of the Sudan

to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

[Original:  Arabic, English and French]

Final communiqué of the Annual Coordination Meeting of Foreign Ministers

of the States members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference

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1. The Meeting called on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities by compelling Israel to end its aggression, respect the international covenants, conventions, and resolutions and undertake the following:

(a) Pull out its forces to the areas it has occupied before 28 September 2000, as a preliminary step towards the complete withdrawal of all its forces from the occupied Palestinian and Arab territories to the 4th of June 1967 borders in accordance with resolutions of international legitimacy, particularly Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973); lift the internal and external blockade, and end the cordons imposed upon all Palestinian cities, villages and refugee camps.

(b) Lift the oppressive blockade imposed upon the Palestinian people and leadership, terminate all inhumane measures and practices, and cease the collective punishments being imposed upon the Palestinian people, which are contrary to all international covenants and conventions.

(c) Halt and back down from building the Apartheid Wall aimed at plundering Palestinian land, and thereby creating obstacles to the establishment of the Palestinian State, and exacerbating the situation on the ground.  Consideration should also be given to the fact that setting up such a wall constitutes a flagrant violation of international covenants and conventions and of the agreements it has signed with the Palestinian side.

(d) Put an end to targeting civilians, committing massacres and assassinations, destroying homes and deporting the families of Palestinian activists.

(e) Release the prisoners and detainees, and abstain from violating the freedoms and properties of the Palestinians.

(f) Release the funds due to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), which it has seized, and allow the entry of good and medical assistance to the Palestinian people.

2. The Meeting hailed the efforts deployed by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, to preserve the Arab-Islamic identity of the city of Al-Quds Al-Sharif and ensure that this city remains a cradle of dialogue and co-existence between the three revealed religions.

3. The Meeting exhorted the United Nations Security Council to assume its responsibilities by ensuring the necessary international protection for the Palestinian people.  It urged the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 to take the necessary measures for implementing the provisions related to the Protection of Civilians in Times of War in the occupied Palestinian territories, including Al-Quds Al-Sharif.

4. The Meeting called on all States to recognize the State of Palestine, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, as soon as it is proclaimed on Palestinian soil and to provide all forms of support to it so that it can concretize its sovereignty over Palestinian land within the 4th of June 1967 borders and in conformity with the resolutions of international legitimacy.  It appealed to all States, as well, to support the State of Palestine's candidature for full membership of the United Nations Organization.  It also reiterated its support for the legitimate Palestinian leadership and reaffirmed that the Palestinian people are the only party habilitated to choose their leadership.

5. The Meeting called for a more active participation, on the part of the United Nations, in helping to ensure the success of the Middle East peace process and affirming the United Nations' continuing and firm responsibility towards the question of Palestine until such time as a just and comprehensive peace settlement of all its aspects is reached.  It also affirmed the continuing responsibility of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in fulfilling its functions towards the Palestinian nationals wherever they may be residing by virtue of the relevant General Assembly resolution.

6. The Meeting expressed for Lebanon in its efforts to complete the liberation of all its territories up to its internationally recognized borders and urged the United Nations to compel Israel to pay reparations for all the losses it has inflicted, or caused, as a result of its persistent aggression against Lebanon.  It further supported Lebanon in its demands for the removal of the mines left behind by the Israeli occupation, which is responsible for planting these mines and therefore for removing them.  It also supported the inalienable rights of Lebanon to utilize its waters in accordance with international law and condemned Israel's designs on these waters.  It held Israel responsible for any action such as to infringe upon Lebanon's sovereignty, its political independence, the safety of its people, or the integrity of its territories.

7. The Meeting strongly condemned Israel's policy of refusing to comply with United Nations Security Council resolution 497 of 1981 and of imposing its laws, mandate, and administration of the occupying Syrian Golan as well as its policies of annexation, building of settlements, confiscation of land, diversion of water sources, and imposition of Israeli citizenship upon Syrian citizens.  It considered all such measures as null and void and constituting a violation of the provisions and principles of international law and international humanitarian law, particularly the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention.  It urged Israel to fully withdraw from the whole of the occupied Syrian Golan and to pull back to the 4th of June 1967 lines.

8. The Meeting took up the Arab Peace Initiative adopted by the 14th Summit of the League of Arab States held in March 2002 in Beirut.

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Annex 1

Report of the meeting of the OIC six-member Committee on Palestine

HELD ON 5 RAJAB 1423H (12 SEPTEMBER 2002)

The OIC Six-Member Committee on Palestine held a meeting at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, on 5 Rajab 1423H (12 September 2002) under the chairmanship of His Excellency Dr. Abdelouahed Belkeziz, Secretary General of the OIC.

2. The meeting was attended by Their Excellencies the Foreign Ministers of the Committee Member States, namely:

– Republic of Guinea;

– Malaysia;

– Islamic Republic of Pakistan;

– State of Palestine;

– Republic of Senegal;

3. In his inaugural address, the Secretary-General reiterated the OIC's unwavering position on the cause of Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Sharif. He called for concerted efforts to put an end to the illegal and inhuman Israeli measures being perpetrated against the Palestinian people, and to salvage the peace process by working for the implementation of all international resolutions, primarily Security Council resolutions 242 (1967)and 338 (1973), and General Assembly resolution 194 (1948) as well as an resolutions on Al-Quds Al-Sharif.

4. The Foreign Minister of the State of Palestine then delivered a statement which included a detailed review of the deteriorating conditions in Palestine as well as the continuing and escalating Israeli aggression, now in its second consecutive year. He elaborated on the Arab and Islamic efforts being exerted to stop the bloodshed in the occupied Palestinian territories and to resume negotiations in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative.

5. In their interventions, the Committee members reiterated tbeir respective governments' positions supporting Palestinian rights, the steadfast Palestinian position on the issue, and the valiant Palestinian Intifada. Their Excellencies affirmed the need to launch an international campaign for the cause of Palestine; and to put an end to the continuing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people. In this connection, they recommended the formation of a delegation, at the level of Heads of State, which would pursue the necessary contacts and actions.  They proposed that the delegation be composed of His Majesty Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, Chairman of Al-Quds Committee; His Highness Sheikh Hmad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar, Chairman of the Ninth Islamic Summit Conference; His Excellency Abdoulaye Wade, President of the Republic of Senegal, Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, His Royal Highness Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, initiator of the Arab Peace Initiative, and His Excellency Dato' Seri Mahathir Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia, the host-Country of the next Islamic Summit Conference.

6. The Committee submitted the following recommendations to the Annual Coordination Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the OIC Member States:

i- Reaffirming the provisions of all the resolutions adopted by the relevant Islamic conferences and Al-Quds Committee on the question of Palestine and Al-Quds as well as the Arab-Israeli conflict.

ii- Commending the resistance of the Palestinian people, under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization, and their defense of Al-Quds Al-Sharif as well as all Islamic and Christian shrines so as to put an end to the Israeli occupation and concretize the freedom, sovereignty, and independence of the Palestinian people. The Committee also invited Member States to continue strengthening solidarity with the legitimate and just struggle of the Palestinian people.  It invited Member States to continue backing the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and the Palestinian people who are experiencing a dire financial and economic situation.

iii – Condemning the Israeli expansionist settlement policy, and affirming the necessity of working for a halt of all Israeli settlement acts, practices, and measures, which run counter to the resolutions of international legitimacy as well as the agreements concluded between the Palestinian and Israeli sides in this regard. The Commission called upon the Secretary-General of the United Nations to prevent such measures and to act for the dismantling of the Israeli settlements, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 465 (1980), and to revive the International Committee for Supervision and Control to Prevent Settlements in Al-Quds and the Occupied Arab Territories, in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 446 (1979).

iv – Requesting the international community to assume its responsibilities by compelling Israel to end its aggression, respect international conventions, norms, and resolutions and undertake the following actions:

(a) Pull out its forces immediately to the positions it was occupying before 28 September 2000 as a preliminary step towards the total Israeli withdrawal from all the occupied Palestinian and Arab territories, including Al-Quds Al-Sharif to the borders of the 4th of June 1967, in accordance with resolutions of international legitimacy particularly Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973); lift the internal and external blockade, and end the cordons imposed upon all Palestinian cities, villages, and refugee camps.

(b) Lift the oppressive blockade imposed upon the Palestinian people and leadership, terminate all inhumane measures and practices, and cease the collective punishments imposed upon the Palestinian people, which are contrary to all international conventions and norms.

(c) Halt and roll back the scheme of building the Apartheid Wall aimed at plundering Palestinian land, thereby creating obstacles to the establishment of the Palestinian State, and exacerbating the situation on the ground. Consideration should also be given to the fact that setting up such a wall constitutes a flagrant violation of international covenants and conventions, and of the agreements signed with the Palestinian side.

(d) Put an end to targeting civilians, perpetrating massacres and assassinations, destroying homes, and deporting the families of Palestinian activists.

(e) Release the prisoners and detainees, and abstain from violating the freedoms and properties of the Palestinians.

(f) Release the funds due to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), which it has seized, and allow the entry of food and medical assistance to the Palestinian people.

v – Exhorting the UN Security Council to shoulder its responsibilities by ensuring the necessary international protection for the Palestinian people, and urging the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to take the necessary measures to implement the provisions related to protecting civilians in times of war in the occupied Palestinian territories, including Al-Quds Al-Sharif.

vi – Reaffirming the necessity of implementing Security Council resolution 237 (1967) on the return of displaced Palestinians, as well as UN General Assembly resolution 194 (1948) relating to the return of Palestinian refugees to their homes and properties, considering that these two resolutions constitute two fundamental requirements of a comprehensive and just settlement.

vii – Reaffirming that all occupation and colonialist settlement measures and practices in Al-Quds and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territories are null and void, in consonance with the decisions of international legitimacy as well as international covenants and conventions, which consider all Israeli legislative, administrative, and settlement schemes and measures designed to alter the legal, demographic, architectural, cultural, and civilizational status of the Holy City as null and void, running counter to the resolutions of international legitimacy, and international covenants and conventions as well as the agreements signed by both the Palestinian and Israeli sides. The Commission calls upon the UN Security Council to revive the Committee for supervision and control to prevent settlements in Al-Quds and the occupied Arab territories, in accordance with Security Council resolution 446 (1979).

viii – Inviting all countries of the world to recognize the State of Palestine with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, as soon as it is proclaimed on Palestinian soil and provide all forms of support to this State to concretize its sovereignty over Palestinian land within the 4th of June 1967 borders, in conformity with the resolutions of international legitimacy.  Appealing to all countries, as well, to support the State of Palestine's candidature for full-fledged membership of the United Nations.  The Committee stressed its support to the elected and legitimate Palestinian leadership.  It also reaffirms that the Palestinian people are the only party having the right to elect their leadership.

ix – Highlighting its backing of the Middle East peace process on the basis of the foundations that were laid down for it at the Madrid Peace Conference, in accordance with the United Nations Charter and resolutions, especially Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 425 (1978), and the "land-for-peace" principle. It reaffirmed its support of the Arab Peace Initiative to solve the question of Palestine and the Arab Israeli conflict.

x – Urging for more effective participation of the United Nations in promoting the peace process in the Middle East, and stressing the necessity for the United Nations to pursue its enduring responsibility towards the question of Palestine until a comprehensive and just settlement has been reached.

xi – Affirming the continued responsibility of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in fulfilling its mission and discharging its duties towards Palestinian nationals wherever they may be residing, by virtue of the relevant General Assembly resolution.

xii – Exhorting the international community and the Security Council to compel Israel to comply with United Nations resolutions, especially Security Council resolution 487 of 1981; to join the Non-Treaty on the Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and implement the resolutions of the UN General Assembly and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) according to which all Israeli nuclear installations must be subjected to the Agency's system of comprehensive guarantees; and request that Israel to publicly renounce nuclear armaments, and submit a complete statement on its capabilities and reserves in terms of nuclear arms and substances to both the Security Council and the IAEA, as a prerequisite to the creation of an area free of ones in the Middle East of mass destruction, foremost among which are the nuclear weapons, and the establishment of a comprehensive and just peace in the region.

xiii – Mandating the Secretary-General of the OIC to take all necessary measures to enhance communications and coordination on the question of Palestine and the Arab-Israeli conflict between the OIC, on the one hand, and the League of Arab States, the African Union (AU), the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), the European Union (EU), the United Nations, and its specialized agencies, on the other, and to express appreciation for the positions taken by those organizations in sodality with and support for the just struggle of the Palestinian people.

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