Question of Palestine – Communiqué of NAM Committee on Palestine – Letter from Zimbabwe

QUESTION OF PALESTINE

Letter dated 14 December 1988 from the Permanent Representative of

Zimbabwe to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

I have the honor to request that the enclosed communiqué of the Non-Aligned Movement Committee of Nine on Palestine be issued as an official document of the General Assembly under agenda item 37.

ANNEX

Communiqué of the Non-Aligned Committee of Nine on Palestine,

issued at Geneva on 14 December 1988

1. The Non-Aligned Movement Committee of Nine on Palestine met at Ministerial Level in Geneva on Wednesday, 14 December 1988, during the consideration of the question of Palestine at the United Nations Office at Geneva.

2. The meeting was attended by Ministers from Algeria, Bangladesh, Cuba, India the PLO, Senegal, Yugoslavia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

3. Chairman Yasser Arafat was invited by the Committee and he briefed the Meeting on the following matters:

(1) The intifadah of the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation.

(2) The nineteenth session of the Palestine National Council (PNC) – the extraordinary session of intifadah.

(3) PLO efforts to convene the International Peace Conference on the Middle East – under United Nations auspices.

(4) The Proclamation of the Independent State of Palestine.

4. The Ministers welcomed the decision of PNC to proclaim the independent State of Palestine, and expressed their support for the State of Palestine and to the Executive Committee of the PLO in its capacity as the interim representative of the Provisional Government of Palestine.

5. The Ministers took note with great appreciation of the statement of Chairman Arafat delivered at the 78th plenary meeting of the General Assembly on 13 December 1988 and welcomed the important "PLO peace initiative" he presented, in which he reaffirmed the position of PNC of accepting Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), condemning of terrorism in all its forms, and supporting the General Assembly decision concerning the establishing of an Arab State and a Jewish State in Palestine.

6. The Ministers fully supported the initiative as a major contribution to the efforts and endeavors to achieve a comprehensive peace. They are of the opinion that a preparatory committee of the Conference should be convened and towards the end they decided to take the necessary steps to facilitate its convening. In this context the Ministers are of the view that the Security Council should assume its responsibilities with regard to the above.

7. In assessing the international response to the statement by Chairman Arafat, the Ministers are of the opinion that PLO has made an historic contribution towards the achievement of peace in the Middle East. They expressed regret that the Government of the United States of America, as an influential party, has not responded positively to this initiative. They, however, hoped that the United States administration will reconsider its position and contribute constructively towards the achievement of a comprehensive peace in the Middle East through the convening of the International Peace Conference.

8. Having considered the situation in the Palestinian territory under Israel occupation, the Ministers called upon the United Nations to assume its responsibilities to provide protection to the Palestinian people there particularly by increasing United Nations presence in the occupied territory. They are of the opinion that such a step will contribute to the creation of an atmosphere conducive to the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the termination of occupation.

9. The Ministers considered that the appropriate mechanism to achieve a comprehensive peace is through the convening of the International Peace Conference on the Middle East, which will ensure equality of representation and participation of the parties to the Arab-Israeli conflict and, in particular, the achievement and exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to national independence and sovereignty in the State of Palestine, and the right to live in peace and security for all peoples and States in the region.

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