NAM documents – Eleventh Ministerial meeting – Letter from Egypt (excerpts)

Letter dated 25 June 1994 from the Minister for Foreign Affairs

of Egypt addressed to the Secretary-General

I have the pleasure to enclose herewith the documents of the Eleventh Ministerial Conference of the countries of the Non-Aligned Movement, held at Cairo from 31 May to 3 June 1994.

I request that the present letter and the enclosed documents be circulated as a document of the General Assembly, under items 18, 24, 25, 33, 34, 35, 36, 38, 39, 40, 42, 43, 44, 48, 50, 51, 52, 53, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 63, 64, 65, 66, 69, 70, 72, 73, 79, 80, 90 (a) and (c), 91 (c) and (i), 92 (a), 95, 96, 97, 98, 100, 101, 102, 103, 143, 145 and 147 of the provisional agenda, and of the Security Council.

(Signed)  Amre MOUSSA

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Egypt

ANNEX*

Documents adopted by the Eleventh Ministerial Conference

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

Cairo from 31 May to 3 June 1994

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V. DISARMAMENT AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

55. The Ministers considered the establishment of nuclear weapon free zones a necessary first step towards attaining the objective of the elimination of weapons of mass destruction. In this context they welcomed the various initiatives for the establishment of such zones. They particularly welcomed the adoption by consensus of General Assembly Resolution 48/71 of 16 December 1993 on the Establishment of a Nuclear Weapon Free Zone in the Middle East, a concept initially proposed by Iran and Egypt. They called on all parties concerned to take urgent and practical steps towards the establishment of such a zone and, pending its establishment, called on Israel to renounce possession of nuclear weapons, to accede to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and to place all its nuclear facilities under full-scope IAEA safeguards.

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XI. THE MOVEMENT: GENERAL POLITICAL ISSUES

130- The Ministers considered specific developments which have been taking place since the Jakarta Summit in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Latin America and other regions of the world.

PALESTINE AND THE MIDDLE EAST QUESTION

131- The Ministers reaffirmed their support for the peace process initiated at the Madrid Peace Conference of October 1991 which aims at achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East based on Security Council resolutions 242 and 338 and the principle of land for peace. They acknowledged as important steps the Palestinian-Israeli Declaration of Principles signed between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization on 13 September 1993 and the Agreement signed in Cairo by the two parties on 4 May, 1994 relating to the Gaza Strip and Jericho area which gave tangible first stage implementation of that Declaration through the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the entry of a Palestinian police force. The Ministers also acknowledged as an important step the Jordanian-Israeli Common Agenda, and expressed the hope that urgent progress would be achieved on the other tracks through Israeli fulfillment of the basic requirements of a comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

132- The Ministers affirmed that comprehensive peace in the Middle East should entail: full withdrawal of Israel from all Palestinian territory including Jerusalem as well as from the Syrian Golan and Jordanian territories occupied since 1967, and from the occupied Lebanese territories, the realization of the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people, primarily its right to self-determination on its national soil, guaranteeing arrangements for peace and security of all States in the region, including those named in resolution 181 (II) of 29 November 1947, within secure and internationally recognized boundaries; resolving the problem of the Palestinian refugees in conformity with General Assembly Resolution 194 (Ill) of 11 December 1948, and subsequent relevant resolutions, resolving the problem of the Israeli settlements.

133- The Ministers recalled Security Council resolution 252 of 21 May, 1968 which calls upon Israel to rescind all measures which change the legal status of Jerusalem. They reaffirmed their view that all legislative and administrative measures and actions taken by Israel, the occupying power, which had altered or purported to alter the character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem, in particular the so-called " Basic Law" on Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, were null and void. In this respect, they recalled Security Council Resolution 478 ( 1980) of 20 August 1980, which called upon those States that had established diplomatic missions at Jerusalem to withdraw such missions from the Holy City.

They reiterated, in this regard, that the issue of Jerusalem could not be resolved by unilateral measures and noted that the Declaration of Principles signed between Israel and the PLO on 13 September 1993 stipulated that Jerusalem would be one of the issues to be dealt with in the final stages of negotiations.

134- The Ministers reaffirmed that Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territory and other Arab territories occupied since 1967 were illegal, an obstacle to peace and should be dismantled. They emphasized that there were grave security, economic and social repercussions of the Israeli policy and practice of building settlements in the occupied territories. They considered that full peace required, inter alia, the dismantling of these settlements.

135- The Ministers recalled Security Council Resolution 465 (1980), of 1 March 1980 and other resolutions affirming the applicability of the Geneva Convention, relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Times of War of 12 August 1949 to the occupied Palestinian territory, including the Holy City of Jerusalem. and all other territories occupied by Israel since 1967.

136- The Ministers reiterated their support for Security Council Resolution 904 (1994) which condemned the massacre inflicted upon unarmed innocent Palestinians while at prayer in the Ibrahimi Mosque at Hebron in the occupied West Bank in February 1994 and called for the most decisive action to be taken by the international community to ensure that such acts are not repeated. They also reiterated that sufficient measures had to be taken to ensure the security and protection of the Palestinians in the occupied territories and that Israel must put an end to its policy of establishing or consolidating settlements in the Arab occupied territories. They reaffirmed that it was imperative to address the issue of illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied territories as a matter of urgency and priority since their presence continues to be a violation of the relevant Security Council Resolutions, the Fourth Geneva Convention and proved to be a serious threat to the peace process.

137- The Ministers reaffirmed that Israel, the occupying power, should facilitate the return of Palestinians deported from the occupied. Palestinian territory since 1967, accelerate the release of Palestinians arbitrarily detained or imprisoned and respect scrupulously all fundamental freedoms of the Palestinian people, such as the freedom of education, including the free operation of schools, universities and other educational institutions.

138- The Ministers noted, with appreciation, the remarkable efforts exerted by the Syrian, Lebanese and Jordanian Governments in order to open up possibilities for achieving progress, in their full commitment to peace in the Middle East, and demanded that Israel totally withdraw from the occupied Syrian Golan, Lebanese and Jordanian territories, in implementation of die relevant Security Council resolutions and in accordance with International law, and the principle of the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force.

139- The Ministers considered that all legislative and administrative 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 character and legal status of the occupied Syrian Golan are null and void, constitute a flagrant violation of international law and of the Geneva Conventions relative to the protection of civilian persons in times of war, of 12 August 1949, and have no legal effect. They called upon Israel to comply with Security Council Resolution 497 (1981) of December 17, 1981 and withdraw fully from the occupied Syrian Golan to the lines of the 4th of June 1967, in implementation of Security Council and General Assembly Resolutions.

LEBANON

140- The Ministers commended the positive developments that have taken place in Lebanon, namely the continued progress in the national reconciliation process, the successful efforts by the Lebanese Government, through its own national forces, to ensure the full exercise of its authority over all its territory, in particular the south of Lebanon and West Bekaa Valley.   They called for the respect of Lebanon's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and condemned the continued Israeli occupation of parts of South Lebanon and West Bekaa Valley. They reaffmned the necessity of prompt and unconditional implementation of Security Council resolution 425 (1978). They stressed the urgent need for the reconstruction of Lebanon and urged the international community to play a more active role in contributing to this massive effort.

141- As a result of the Israeli aggression on South Lebanon on 3 June 1994, the Ministers adopted a separate resolution condemning the aggression and calling on the U.N. Security Council and the Co-Sponsors of the Middle East peace talks – the U.S.A. and the Russian Federation – to take immediate action to put an end to that aggression and escalation in order to save the entire peace process from collapsing. The resolution was unanimously adopted and appears in document (NAC/M.II/Res.3)

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III.  RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED BY THE 11TH MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE

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3- Resolution on Lebanon

The Eleventh Ministerial Conference on the Non-Aligned Movement Expresses its grave concern over the repeated aggressions perpetrated by the Israeli anned forces against Lebanese towns and villages, in which dozens of civilians were killed;

This new massacre and the previous incidents of abduction terrorism and piracy, committed by Israel in the depth of Lebanon are undoubtedly meant to undennine the peace process and stymie the international peace efforts. exerted by the two sponsors Russia and America;

The Ministerial Conference strongly condemns these acts of aggression; it expresses its full solidarity with the government and people of Lebanon and reaffirms its full support to Lebanon's legitimate right to self-defence, and resistance to the Israeli occupation with all available means. This right is one of the principles of international law and of the United Nations Charter;

The Non-Aligned Movement, bent on the success of the international peace efforts aimed at reaching a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, on the basis of UN resolutions, international legality and the "Land for Peace" principle, calls on the Security Council and particularly the co-sponsors of the peace process, the United States and Federal Russia, to take immediate action to curb the aggression and escalation of hostilities and prevent the peace process from collapsing.

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