CEIRPP meeting – Summary record

COMMITTEE ON THE EXERCISE OF THE INALIENABLE

RIGHTS OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

SUMMARY RECORD OF THE 203rd MEETING

Held at Headquarters, New York,

on Thursday, 2 December 1993, at 10.30 a.m.

Chairman: Mr. CISSE (Senegal)

later:    Mr. FARHADI (Afghanistan) (Vice-Chairman)

CONTENTS

Adoption of the agenda

Consideration of draft resolutions on the question of Palestine

The meeting was called to order at 11.05 a.m.

ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA

1. The agenda was adopted.

CONSIDERATION OF DRAFT RESOLUTIONS ON THE QUESTION OF PALESTINE

Draft resolutions A, B, C, D and E

2. Mr. AL-KIDWA (Observer for Palestine) reported on the consultations that his delegation had had with various States, in particular the States members of the League of Arab States, with a view to introducing significant changes to the traditional draft resolutions on Palestine.  He drew attention to the texts which had been considered by the Special Political and Decolonization (Fourth) Committee, some of which had been adopted by consensus and five by an overwhelming majority of the General Assembly.  He reported also on the negotiations that had led to the submission of draft resolutions A/48/L.32, on the Middle East peace process, and A/48/L.34, on Jerusalem, to the General Assembly.  He also drew attention to relevant draft resolutions under consideration by the Second Committee.

3. The CHAIRMAN drew attention to draft resolutions A, B and C, which were before the Committee and covered the programme of work of the Committee, the Division for Palestinian Rights and the Department of Public Information, respectively.  A number of adjustments had been made to the texts adopted at previous sessions of the General Assembly to reflect new developments relating to the Palestinian question and the recommendations made by the Committee in its report to the General Assembly (A/48/35).  In draft resolution A, a third preambular paragraph had been added, which read:

"Welcoming the signing of the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements, including its annexes and agreed minutes (A/48/486-S/26560), between the Government of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization on 13 September 1993 in Washington, D.C.".

Paragraph 2 was also new and read:

"Considers that the Committee can make a valuable and positive contribution to the international efforts to promote the effective implementation of the Declaration of Principles and to mobilize international support and assistance to the Palestinian people during the transitional period".

4. Draft resolution B was essentially the same as General Assembly resolution 47/64 B and included a reference to the continued development of the computer-based information system on the question of Palestine.

5. In draft resolution C, a new subparagraph (f) had been added to paragraph 2, reading:

"To provide, in cooperation with the specialized agencies of the United Nations system, particularly the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, assistance to the Palestinian people in the field of media development".

6. Mr. AL-KIDWA (Observer for Palestine) said that his delegation fully supported the amendments to draft resolution A and understood that the Committee's recommendations as contained in its report to the General Assembly would form the political basis of its work.  However, in the consultations which his delegation had had with other States on the draft resolution, a proposal had been put forward to delete the phrase "particularly in Europe and North America" from paragraph 5.

7. His delegation also supported draft resolutions B and C, to which only slight amendments had been made.  However, it had been suggested that draft resolution C should be amended to include a reference to the recent political developments.  He therefore proposed that the existing preambular paragraphs should be followed by an additional preambular paragraph that would read: "Aware of the Declaration of Principles reached between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel and its positive implications".  He further proposed that paragraph 2 (b) should be redrafted to read:  "To continue to issue and update publications on the various aspects of the question of Palestine in all fields".

8. He then drew attention to draft resolution D, entitled "Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine".  The text before the Committee was a revised version of General Assembly resolution 47/64 D which included new paragraphs intended to reflect the recent political changes and safeguard the principles relating to a final settlement and the achievement of a comprehensive peace, a matter of great importance to his delegation.

9. The Group of Arab States had endorsed the draft resolution, while the views of the States members of the European Union, with whom consultations had been held, were also generally positive.  However, paragraph 5 should be reworded to incorporate a reference to the forthcoming negotiations on a final settlement. Subparagraph 5 (e) should also be replaced by one of the following alternatives:

"Resolving the problem of the Israeli settlements, which are illegal and an obstacle to peace, in conformity with relevant United Nations resolutions;" or

"Resolving the problem of the Israeli settlements in the territories occupied since 1967, in conformity with the principle that they are illegal and an obstacle to peace;".

He believed that such wording would ensure the adoption of the draft resolution by the General Assembly.

10. Lastly, he drew attention to draft resolution E, on the uprising (intifadah) of the Palestinian people.  In view of the difficulty in amending that text, he proposed that it should be submitted to the General Assembly in its current form without being put to a vote.

11. Stressing the effort that had been made in the drafting of the resolutions to reflect the recent political changes and maintain a principled stand, he expressed the hope that the Committee would lend its support on all issues related to Palestine and the situation in the Middle East.

12. Mr. Farhadi (Afghanistan), Vice-Chairman, took the Chair.

13. The CHAIRMAN invited Committee members to comment on the statement by the observer for Palestine regarding draft resolutions A, B, C, D and E and on the amendments he had proposed.

14. Mr. SHAHEED (Observer for the Syrian Arab Republic) said that that statement had not been altogether accurate.  Positions had differed in the Arab Group on draft resolution D, which had not been endorsed unanimously by the Group.

15. Mr. JERANDI (Tunisia) thanked the observer for Palestine for his overview of the draft resolutions and said that his proposed amendments constituted improvements which, without challenging the Committee's principles, took into account the views of other Member States and thus guaranteed the draft resolutions more support.  His delegation was in favour of all the proposed amendments.

16. Ms. VASISHT (India) also thanked the observer for Palestine for his overview.  The proposed amendments remained within the parameters of the principles previously endorsed by the Committee while improving the draft resolutions' chances of acceptance.

17. Mr. VASILYEV (Belarus) said that his delegation had no objection to the amendments proposed by the observer for Palestine or to the changes made to the text of resolutions on the same topics adopted at the forty-seventh session of the General Assembly.  It would, however, reserve its position in the matter, since it had not yet received specific instructions in that connection.

18. The CHAIRMAN said that, as the Committee appeared to support draft resolutions A, B, C, D and E, including the amendments proposed by the observer for Palestine, he took it that the Committee wished to approve the draft resolutions as amended and submit them to the General Assembly, in the hope that many of them would be adopted by consensus.

19. The Committee approved draft resolutions A, B, C, D and E, as amended.

The meeting rose at noon.