Palestine question – GA debate – Verbatim record (excerpts)

Official Records

General Assembly

Fifty-sixth session 

80th plenary meeting

Friday, 7 December 2001, 3 p.m. 

New York

In the absence of the President, Mr. Ileka (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Vice-President, took the Chair.

The meeting was called to order at 3.10 p.m.

 Agenda item 21 ( continued)

Cooperation between the United Nations and regional and other organizations

 (a)   Cooperation between the United Nations and the Latin American Economic System

    Report of the Secretary-General (A/56/171)

 (b)   Cooperation between the United Nations and the International Organization of la Francophonie

   Report of the Secretary-General (A/56/390)

   Draft resolution (A/56/L.34)

 (c)  Cooperation between the United Nations and the Council of Europe 

    Report of the Secretary-General (A/56/302)

   Draft resolution (A/56/L.31)

 (d)   Cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Conference

   Report of the Secretary-General (A/56/398)

   Draft resolution (A/56/L.36)

 (e)  Cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States

    Report of the Secretary-General (A/56/474)

   Draft resolution (A/56/L.26)

 (f)   Cooperation between the United Nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union 

    Reports of the Secretary-General (A/55/996, A/56/449)

   Draft resolution (A/56/L.35)

 (g)   Cooperation between the United Nations and the Economic Community of Central African States

   Report of the Secretary-General (A/56/301)

   Draft resolution (A/56/L.25/Rev.2)

 (h)  Cooperation between the United Nations and the Economic Cooperation Organization

   Report of the Secretary-General (A/56/122)

   Draft resolution (A/56/L.32)

 (i)   Cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

   Report of the Secretary-General (A/56/125)

 (j)   Cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity

    Report of the Secretary-General (A/56/489)

   Draft resolution (A/56/L.37) 

  (k)   Cooperation between the United Nations and the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization

Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (A/56/317)

Draft resolution (A/56/L.38)

 (l)   Cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons     Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (A/56/490)

Draft resolution (A/56/L.30)

 (m)  Cooperation between the United Nations and the Pacific Islands Forum

    Draft resolution (A/56/L.29)

 The Acting President : In accordance with General Assembly resolution 3369 (XXX), of 10 October 1975, I now call on the observer for the Organization of the Islamic Conference.

 Mr. Lamani (Organization of the Islamic Conference) (spoke in Arabic ): On behalf of the general secretariat of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), it is my privilege to address the General Assembly on sub-item (d) of agenda item 21, entitled “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Conference”.

  I wish to convey to the Assembly the greetings of Mr. Abdelouahed Belkeziz, Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, as well as his best wishes for the success of all the endeavours of the Assembly at this session.

  We have read with interest the report of the Secretary-General contained in document A/56/398. We commend the United Nations Secretariat for its part in the preparation of the report, which, like others in the past, also includes contributions from other organizations of the United Nations system. Much of the report is devoted to detailing the status of the implementation of programmes and activities in priority areas of cooperation jointly developed by our two organizations and by our respective specialized agencies and institutions during the period under review. As reported, the progress of implementation is encouraging, and I would like to reassure the General Assembly of our specialized and affiliated institutions’ continued dedication to the tasks that we are jointly pursuing.

[…]

  Paragraphs 3 through 8 of the report of the Secretary-General refer to other political situations, notably the situation in the Middle East and in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem. Consultations between the United Nations and the OIC have continued with a view to finding just, acceptable and lasting solutions. We express the hope that the same degree of concern that the United Nations is demonstrating in remedying the conflict-ridden situation in Afghanistan and in rebuilding that country’s national institutions, infrastructure and social and economic strength, will be focused also on the Middle East in order to put an end to the Israeli occupation of Arab lands and of Palestinian territory, and to enable the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination and to establish their own independent sovereign State. We are convinced that here the United Nations has an important and mandated role in implementing the general will of the international community as reflected in numerous resolutions of the General Assembly and of the Security Council.

[…]

The meeting rose at 4 p.m.

This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the interpretation of speeches delivered in the other languages. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room C-178. Corrections will be issued after the end of the session in a consolidated corrigendum.