Mideast situation/Palestine question/Lebanon – Final Communiqué by GCC – Letter from Saudi Arabia (excerpts)

CO-OPERATION BETWEEN THE UNITED NATIONS

AND THE LEAGUE OF ARAB STATES

Letter dated 3 February 1988 from the Permanent Representative

of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

I have the pleasure upon instructions from my Government to transmit herewith the text of the final communiqué that was issued by the eighth session of the Supreme Council of the Gulf Co-operation Council, which met at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 26 to 29 December 1987.

I kindly request that you circulate the text of this communiqué as a document of the General Assembly under the item entitled "Co-operation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States".

(Signed) Samir S. SHIHABI

Ambassador

Permanent Representative

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ANNEX

Final communiqué of the eighth session of the Supreme Council of the

Gulf Co-operation Council, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,

6-9 Jumada I A.H., 1408 (26-29 December 1987)

At the invitation of the Custodian of the Holy Places, King Fahd ibn Abd al-Aziz Al Saud, King of Saudi Arabia, the eighth session of the Supreme Council of the Co-operation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (Gulf Co-operation Council) was held at Riyadh from 6 to 9 Jumada I A.H. 1408 (26-29 December 1987), in the presence of Their Majesties and Highnesses:

– His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahayan, Head of State of the United Arab Emirates;

– His Highness Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Emir of the State of Bahrain;

– The Custodian of the Holy Places, King Fahd ibn Abd al-Aziz Al Saud, King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia;

– His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, Sultan of Oman;

– His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar;

– His Highness Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad Al Sabah, Emir of the State of Kuwait.

The Supreme Council reviewed developments in co-operation among member States in the political, security, military, economic and social fields. The Council also reviewed developments in the Iraq-Iran war, the situation in the Gulf, the Arab situation, the Palestinian cause and the Lebanese problem.

With regard to co-operation and co-ordination among member States, the Supreme Council expressed its satisfaction with the progress that the Council had achieved in this connection for the benefit and welfare of the population, in pursuit of the objectives for which the Council was established.

[…]

The Arab situation

The Supreme Council discussed developments in the Palestinian cause and the situation resulting from the continuing Israeli occupation of Arab territories, in the light of the resolutions of Arab Summit Conferences. In this connection, the Council praised the Palestinian popular uprising in the occupied territories against the enemy, its settlement projects and continued violations of the sanctity of the holy places in Palestine. It deplored the oppressive and violent measures taken by the enemy against the Palestinian people in the occupied territories and observed with admiration that the valiant resistance and resolute defiance of the Palestinian people under occupation provide a clear indication of the rejection by this Arab fighting people of the fait accompli policy which the Zionist enemy is trying to impose on it as well as of its firm and legitimate commitment to self-determination with a view to preserving its national identity and exercising its national rights on its land and soil.

The Council stresses its support and backing for this uprising with all the means at its disposal. It also decided to request the Presidency to send letters to the permanent members of the Security Council on this subject, in view of the importance of these events, which constitute a significant development and a qualitative change in the history of the Palestinian people's struggle.

In this regard, the Council hails the latest Security Council resolution on this subject. It calls upon the international community to assume its full responsibility in dealing with this situation.

The Council views this upheaval as a new factor, which makes it necessary speedily to convene an international peace conference under the auspices of the United Nations and with the participation of all the parties concerned, including the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, on an equal footing, and the permanent members of the Security Council, as the only appropriate means of settling the Arab-Israeli conflict in a peaceful, just and comprehensive manner.

The Supreme Council also devoted particular attention to the situation in fraternal Lebanon and expressed its sympathy for the sufferings of the Lebanese people as a result of this sad situation. It called upon the leaders and the people of Lebanon to let the welfare of Lebanon and overall Arab welfare prevail over any other considerations, to exert sincere efforts to find a way out of this bloody ordeal and to reach a quick solution that would assure the security, stability, territorial integrity and sovereignty of fraternal Lebanon. The Council in affirming its support for Lebanon in its ordeal, calls upon the international community to join in providing the necessary humanitarian assistance required by the Lebanese people.

[…]

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