Cooperation between the UN and the Arab League, OIC – GA debate – Verbatim record (excerpts)

Official Records

General Assembly
Sixty-third session
37th plenary meeting
Monday, 3 November 2008, 3 p.m. 
New York

President:   Mr. D'Escoto Brockmann ………………………………………………….. (Nicaragua)

In the absence of the President, Mr. Beck (Solomon Islands), Vice-President, took the Chair.

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

Agenda item 114 (continued)

Cooperation between the United Nations and regional and other organizations

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Ms. Negm (Egypt) (spoke in Arabic):

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Cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States is of equal and increasing importance, not only because of the leading role of the United Nations in the process of the peaceful settlement of the Middle East question and its role in the diplomatic Quartet, but also in promoting the international process of addressing the case of the Palestinian refugees and ensuring their access to urgently needed humanitarian assistance, and in confirming the fact that the United Nations remains at the centre of the political process aimed at establishing an independent, viable Palestinian State with Jerusalem as its capital.

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Mr. Badji (Senegal) (spoke in French): The Senegalese delegation associates itself with the statement made by the representative of Uganda, on behalf of the States members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), on cooperation between the United Nations and the OIC. However, Senegal, in its capacity as Chair of the OIC Summit at its eleventh session, would like to share with the Assembly some of our thoughts with regard to that cooperation.

The important role of regional organizations and others in dealing with the major issues on the agenda of the United Nations General Assembly has been reaffirmed many times since this debate began. In point of fact, whether it is terrorism, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, peacebuilding, human rights or even humanitarian action, organizations such as the African Union and the Organization of the Islamic Conference are well-placed to understand the deep-seated causes and to provide suitable solutions, either because of their knowledge of the region concerned or because of the particular membership of the organizations.

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The meeting rose at 6.40 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-154A. Corrections will be issued after the end of the session in a consolidated corrigendum.