Israel’s statement at SecCo meeting of 30 Jan. 2008 on Mideast situation/Palestinian question – NAM response, letter from Cuba

    Letter dated 31 January 2008 from the Permanent Representative of Cuba to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council

  In my capacity as Chairman of the Coordinating Bureau of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries, I have the honour to address you in your capacity as President of the United Nations Security Council for the month of January, regarding the Security Council debate held yesterday on the situation in the Middle East, including the question of Palestine.

  In this connection, I have the honour to transmit herewith the Non-Aligned Movement’s due response to the fallacious remarks made against it by the Permanent Representative of Israel during the aforesaid debate (see annex).

  I should be grateful if you would have the present letter and its annex circulated as a document of the Security Council.

(Signed ) Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz

Ambassador

Permanent Representative of Cuba 

Chairman of the Coordinating Bureau

of the Non-Aligned Movement

    Annex to the letter dated 31 January 2008 from the Permanent Representative of Cuba to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council

[Original: English]

    Response from the Chairman of the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement to the statement made by the Permanent Representative of Israel at the meeting of the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question

  On the occasion of the meeting of the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, held on 30 January 2008, the Permanent Representative of Israel made several offensive and distorted remarks regarding the position of the Non-Aligned Movement on the item under discussion.

  The Permanent Representative of Israel falsely accused the Movement, among other things, of supporting terrorism and of action motivated by political aversion towards the State of Israel.

  The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) did not have the opportunity to respond immediately to those remarks because our legitimate request to participate in the aforementioned meeting was rejected by certain members of the Council. Nevertheless, the truth should and will be said and the record will be set straight.

  In my capacity as Chairman of the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement, which is composed of 118 sovereign States, I strongly reject the fallacious, misleading and provocative remarks of the Permanent Representative of Israel.

  Once again, he tried to create a smokescreen to divert attention from the real issues and to distort and hide the facts on the ground, which are starkly evident to all. The Representative of the Government of Israel is totally mistaken if he thinks that distorting the long-standing principled NAM positions regarding the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, will deter the Movement from expressing those positions in every appropriate international forum, including the Security Council.

  NAM will continue to express its strong opposition to the illegal Israeli occupation and its full support of the establishment of the independent State of Palestine in all of the Palestinian Territory occupied by Israel, with East Jerusalem as its capital; we will continue to denounce the lack of respect for international law by the occupying Power as the major obstacle to the success of efforts to achieve a just, lasting and comprehensive peace; we will continue to demand that Israel withdraw completely from the Occupied Syrian Golan to the borders of 4 June 1967; we will not be silent about Israel’s relentless aggression and serious violations of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon.

  We express the hope that instead of distorting and ridiculing NAM positions, the Government of Israel will focus from now on on demonstrating a real commitment, not only in words and rhetoric, but with genuine actions to advance the peace process.

  The Non-Aligned Movement will continue, as has always been the case, to strongly support the Middle East peace process on the basis of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), 425 (1978), 1397 (2002) and 1515 (2003) and on the principle of land for peace.

New York, 31 January 2008

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