Mideast situation/Palestine question – NAM Twelfth Ministerial Conference communique – Letter from Colombia(excerpts)

Letter dated 27 May 1998 from the Permanent Representative

of Colombia to the United Nations addressed to the        

Secretary-General

In my capacity as Chairman of the Coordinating Bureau of the Movement of the Non-Aligned Countries, I have the honour to enclose herewith the documents of the Ministerial Meeting of the Coordinating Bureau of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries held at Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, on 19 and 20 May 1998.

I would highly appreciate if the present letter and its enclosures could be circulated as a document of the fifty-second session of the General Assembly, under agenda items 10, 11, 18, 20, 21, 27, 30, 35, 36, 37, 39, 41, 42, 43, 46, 51, 56, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 64, 66, 67, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 87, 88, 89, 92, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 108, 110, 111, 112, 114, 117, 120, 142, 146, 150, 151 and 152  and of the Security Council.

                                               (Signed) Julio LONDOÑO PAREDES

Ambassador

     Permanent Representative

ANNEX

Communiqué of the Ministerial Meeting of the Coordinating

Bureau of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries, held at

Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, on 19-20 May 1998

1. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Heads of Delegation of the Non-Aligned countries met in Cartagena de Indias on 19 and 20 May, 1998, to prepare the Movement for the Summit to be held in Durban, South Africa and to consider issues of major importance for the Movement.

2. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Heads of Delegation welcomed with appreciation the report of the Chairman on the activities of the Movement since the Ministerial meeting held in New York on 25 September, 1997, which contributed to the strengthening and to the promotion of the unity and solidarity among the members of the Movement.

CHAPTER I

GLOBAL ISSUES

REVIEW OF THE INTERNATIONAL SITUATION

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20. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Heads of Delegation reiterated their satisfaction for the important role that the General Assembly exerts in maintaining international peace and security in accordance with resolution 377 of the General Assembly of 3 November 1950, titled: "Uniting for Peace", which led to the convening of the Tenth Emergency Special Session on "Illegal Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory" as called for by the XII Ministerial Conference of the Movement.

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DISARMAMENT AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

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120. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Heads of Delegation reiterated their support for the establishment in the Middle East of a zone free of all weapons of mass destruction. To this end, they reaffirmed the need for the speedy establishment of a nuclear-weapons-free zone in the Middle East in accordance with Security Council resolutions 487 (1981) and 687 (1991) and the relevant General Assembly resolutions adopted by consensus. They called upon all parties concerned to take urgent and practical steps towards the establishment of such a zone and, pending its establishment, they called on Israel, the only country in the region that has not joined the NPT nor declared its intention to do so, to renounce possession of nuclear weapons, to accede to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) without delay, and to place promptly all its nuclear facilities under full-scope IAEA safeguards. They expressed great concern over the acquisition of nuclear capability by Israel which poses a serious and continuing threat to the security of neighboring and other States and they condemned Israel for continuing to develop and stockpile nuclear arsenals. They are of the view that stability cannot be achieved in a region where massive imbalances in military capabilities are maintained particularly through the possession of nuclear weapons which allow one party to threaten its neighbors and the region. They further welcomed the initiative by H.E. Mohammed Hosni Mubarak, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, on the establishment of a zone free from weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East. They stressed that necessary steps should be taken in different international fore for the establishment of this zone. They also called for the total and complete prohibition of the transfer of all nuclear-related equipment, information, material and facilities, resources or devices and the extension of assistance in the nuclear-related scientific or technological fields to Israel.

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ANALYSIS OF THE INTERNATIONAL SITUATION

A. PALESTINE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

PALESTINE

154. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Heads of Delegation reiterated their traditional longstanding solidarity with the Palestinian people, and noted that these days mark the 50th Anniversary of the dispossession of the Palestinian people and the uprooting of hundreds of thousands Palestinians from their land, homes and properties. They called for the implementation of all UN Resolutions on the question of Palestine including those related to Palestinian refugees". They reiterated their support for the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to retain their homeland and to have their own independent State with Jerusalem as its capital, and they reiterated their demand for the withdrawal of Israel, the occupying Power, from all the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, and the other Arab territories occupied since 1967.

155. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Heads of Delegation reaffirmed their position on occupied east Jerusalem, the illegal Israeli settlements, and the applicability of the fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 to all the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem. They demanded that Israel, the Occupying Power, implement relevant Security Council Resolutions in this regard and abide by its legal obligations. They reiterated their support for the recommendations contained in the resolutions adopted during the Tenth Emergency Special Session (ES-10/2, ES-10/3, ES-10/4 and ES-10/5) including, inter alia, the recommendation to convene a conference of the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention on measures to enforce the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, and to ensure its respect in fulfillment of their collective responsibility as stipulated in common article 1 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

156. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Heads of Delegation expressed support for the draft resolution submitted by the Arab Group and other States to the 52nd Session of the UN General Assembly to enable the full participation of Palestine in the work of the United Nations and all its subsidiary organs. They reiterated that the Israeli participation in the work of the General Assembly must be in conformity with International law and the Charter of the United Nations.

157. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Heads of Delegation expressed their deep concern over the current deadlock of the Palestinian-Israeli Track of the Middle East peace process as a result of the policies and actions of the Israeli Government, in violation of the existing agreements, including settlement activities, repressive measures and economic suffocation of the Palestinian people. In this regard, they condemned in particular the recent killing and wounding by the Israeli army of scores of Palestinian civilians. They called for increasing efforts to ensure compliance by Israel with the existing agreements and their timely implementation.

SYRIAN GOLAN

158. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Heads of Delegation reaffirmed that all measures and actions taken, or to be taken by Israel, the occupying power, such as its illegal decision of 14 December 1981 that purport to alter the legal, physical and demographic status of the occupied Syrian Golan and its institutional structure, as well as the Israeli measures to apply its jurisdiction and administration there, are null and void. They also reaffirmed that all such measures and actions constitute a flagrant violation of international law, international conventions, the Charter and decisions of the UN, particularly Security Council resolution 497 (1981), the fourth Geneva Convention of 12 August 1949 on the protection of civilians in time of war, and a defiance of the will of the international community. They demanded Israel to comply with Security Council resolution 497 (1981) and to withdraw fully from the occupied Syria Golan, to the lines of 4 June 1967, in implementation of Security Council resolutions 242 and 338.

159. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Heads of Delegation affirmed their unwavering support and solidarity with the Syrian just demand and right to fully restore the occupied Syrian Golan on the basis of the terms of reference of the Madrid peace process, the decisions of the international legitimacy, as well as the formula of land for peace. They demanded that Israel respect all commitments and pledges entered into' and to resume the peace talks from where they stopped.

LEBANON

160. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs and the Heads of Delegation of the Non-Aligned countries while expressing their deep concern over the continued Israeli aggression against Lebanon, called for Israel's complete, immediate, and unconditional and unrestricted withdrawal from Southern Lebanon and Western Bekaa to the internationally recognized boundaries in accordance with Security Council Resolutions 425 (1978) and 426 (1978) and to fully and strictly respect the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Lebanon. They also maintained that any conditions put forward by Israel for the implementation of Resolution 425 (1978) would alter its legal and political structure and are hence unacceptable.

THE PEACE PROCESS

161. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Heads of Delegation reaffirmed the need to achieve comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East. They affirmed their determination to actively strive toward the attainment of this objective. They reiterated their support for the Middle East Peace Process based on Security Council Resolutions 242, 338 and 425 and the principle of land for peace; They further reiterated the need for compliance with and implementation of the agreements reached between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel as well as the fulfillment of the commitments and pledges made in accordance with the terms of reference of Madrid conference and the ensued negotiations. They expressed grave concern over the current plight of the process, the deadlock of the Palestinian-Israeli track and the total cessation of the Syrian-Israeli and Lebanese-Israeli tracks. They deplored the attempts of the Israeli Government-to change the terms of reference of the peace process, to create facts on the ground which are obstacles to peace and to try to develop unacceptable concepts which are contrary to the principle of land for peace and the national rights of the Palestinian people.

162. In view of the urgency and seriousness of the situation, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Heads of Delegation request NAM countries to increase pressure and use all available measures on regional and international level to ensure Israel's compliance with the terms of reference of the Madrid Conference and the land for peace principles and its full implementation of all agreements. undertakings, and commitments reached by the concerned parties on all tracks during the peace talks. The Ministers also affirmed that failure by the Israeli government to respond positively. would require NAM members to take further appropriate measures.