Mideast situation/Palestine question – OAU action – Letter from Swaziland (excerpts)

CO-OPERATION BETWEEN THE UNITED NATIONS AND THE

ORGANIZATION OF AFRICAN UNITY

Letter dated 7 June 1988 from the Permanent Representative of

Swaziland to the United Nations addressed to the

Secretary-General

I have the honour to request you to have circulated as an official document of the General Assembly, under item 26 of the preliminary list, the resolutions, decisions and declarations adopted at the forty-eighth ordinary session of the Council of Ministers (annex I) and of the twenty-fourth ordinary session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government or the Organization of African Unity (annex II) held at Addis Ababa from 19 to 23 May 1988 and from 25 to 28 May 1988, respectively.

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CM/Res.1154 (XLVIII)

Resolution on the question of Palestine

The Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity, meeting in its forty-eighth ordinary session, held at Addis Ababa from 19 to 23 May 1988,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on the question of Palestine as contained in document CM/1497 (XLVIII),

Recalling the resolutions adopted at the previous sessions of the Council of Ministers and Assembly of Heads of State and Government on the question of Palestine and the problems of the Middle East,

Guided by the principles and objectives of the Charter of OAU and the Charter of the United Nations and the joint struggle against zionism and racism in order to attain freedom, independence and peace,       *

Further recalling all relevant resolutions of the United Nations and of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries on the question of Palestine and the problem of the Middle East,

Noting the report of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People,

Noting also the reports of the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the question of Palestine and his continuous efforts to realize a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East,

Reaffirming the legitimacy of the struggle of the Palestinian people under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), its sole legitimate representative, in order to retrieve their land and exercise their full national rights,

Following attentively and with deep concern the popular uprising of the Palestinian people in the occupied territories to put an end to the Israeli occupation and to regain their national and inalienable rights, their right to repatriation, and the establishment of their independent Palestinian State with Jerusalem as its capital,

Noting with deep concern the Israeli-organized State terrorism against the Palestinian people and their leadership inside and outside the occupied territories,

Noting further the alliance between the Zionist regime of Israel and the apartheid regime in South Africa aimed at maintaining a terrorist policy and at liquidating the Palestinians and the Arabs in the Arab and Palestinian occupied lands on one hand, and the peoples of South Africa and Namibia on the other,

1.   Reaffirms all the previous resolutions and recommendations adopted by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government and the Council of Ministers on the question of Palestine;

2.   Further reiterates;

(a)  The inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to return to their homeland and properties in Palestine from which they were displaced;

(b)  The right of the Palestinian people to self-determination without any outside interference and the establishment of their independent sovereign Palestinian State on their homeland with Jerusalem as its capital;

(c)  Its call for the immediate unconditional withdrawal of Israel from all Palestinian occupied territories including Jerusalem, and calls upon the United Nations and more especially the Security Council, to take all the necessary measures to put an end to Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and to extend international protection through the United Nations machinery, to the Palestinians in the occupied territories as well as to supervise operations during the transitional period until the Palestinian.people can fully exercise their inalienable national rights;

3.   Expresses its unconditional support for the legitimate heroic popular uprising of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territories and salutes all countries, organizations and individuals that condemned the fascist Zionist aggression against the Palestinian people and supported the heroic uprising; also salutes the international mass media, which played an important role in unveiling Israel's Zionist practices in the Palestinian occupied territories;

4.   Strongly condemns Israel, the occupying Power, for its oppressive racist policy of aggression against the Palestinians in the occupied territories, as the continued occupation, confiscation of land and water resources, deportation and illegal detentions constitute a flagrant violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Geneva Convention of 12 August 1949 on the protection of civilians in times of war;

5.   Invites member States to supply all forms of assistance, as a matter of urgency to the Palestine Liberation Organization to enable it to support the uprising of the Palestinian people struggling in their occupied territories;

6.   Strongly condemns the criminal act by the Zionist State of Israel in assassinating the Palestinian freedom fighter Khalil Al-Wazir (Abu Jihad) in Tunisia, and considers this assassination as an act of State terrorism committed against a sovereign State member of OAU and an act of aggression and provocation threatening peace and security;

7.   Supports the efforts for convening an International Peace Conference on the Middle East in accordance with the provisions of the relevant resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly, in particular resolutions 38/58 C of 13 December 1983 and 41/43 D of 2 December 1986, with the participation of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and the parties concerned, including PLO, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian, people, as an independent party, and on equal footing with the other parties;

8.   Welcomes the convening of the coming Extraordinary Arab Summit meeting in Algeria and considers it a sound support to the Palestinian people and their uprising in the occupied territories and an opportunity to enhance the common Arab efforts towards the achievement of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East;

9.   Calls for the implementation of Security Council resolutions 605 (1987), 607 (1988) and 608 (1988) on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories;

10.  Deeply regrets the continuation of United States policies, in particular:

(a)  Its support to Israel in all fields, which enable the Zionist entity to continue its occupation of the Palestinian territories;

(b)  Its decision to close down the PLO mission in New York which is considered a clear violation of the Headquarters Agreement signed in 1947 between the United Nations and the host country;      ,

11. Calls upon the Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity to follow up the developments of the Palestinian question and to submit a report on them to-the forthcoming session of the OAU Council of Ministers.

CM/Res. 1155 (XLVIII)

Resolution on the situation in the Middle East

The Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity, meeting in its forty-eighth ordinary session, held at Addis Ababa from 19 to 23 May 1988,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity on the Middle East as contained in document CM/1496 (XLVIII),

Guided by the principles and purposes of the Charters of OAU and of the United Nations, and by the common determination of the African and Arab peoples to fight jointly ,to safeguard their freedom,

Recalling the successive resolutions adopted at previous sessions of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, and of the Council of Ministers of OAU on the situation in the Middle East,

Noting with deep concern that, in spite of the many resolutions adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, the Security Council and the Organization of African Unity urging Israel to withdraw from Arab territories, occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem, not only has Israel persistently refused to comply with these resolutions but has continued to pursue its policy of expansionism and occupation,

Reaffirming that the violation of other countries' space, waters, and lands by Israel are acts threatening peace and security,

Deploring the systematic obstruction by Israel of all efforts made towards reaching a peaceful solution of the problem,

Noting with concern that the collusion between the Zionist regime of Israel and the apartheid regime of South Africa is aimed at promoting the policy of terrorism and liquidation of the Palestinians and Arabs in the occupied territories, on one hand, and the majority of the black population of South Africa and Namibia on the other,

Noting with deep concern the Israeli attempts to penetrate the African continent through the United Nations international organizations, such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other establishments,

1.   Reaffirms all previous resolutions adopted by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government and the Council of Ministers of OAU and its total and effective support for the Palestinian people under the dynamic leadership of its sole and legitimate representative, the Palestine Liberation Organization;

2»   Further reaffirms its support for the Arab countries, victims of Israeli aggression, and its support for the Palestinian people in their just struggle to recover their usurped rights and their occupied territories;

3.   Strongly condemns Israel, the occupying Power, for not complying with the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 12 August 1949, on the protection of civilian persons in time of war;

4.   Condemns vigorously the establishment of settlements by Israel in Palestine and other occupied territories and the Judaization of the city of Jerusalem and the proclamation of it as its capital;

5.   Makes an urgent appeal to the international community to exert effective pressure on Israel in all fields until it complies with the principles of international law and puts an end to its occupation of Palestinian and Arab territories;

6.   Reiterates its request to the Security Council to take the necessry measures to secure international protection for the Palestinian people in the occupied territories until they are able to practice their national rights;

7.   Strongly condemns all agreements concluded separately and all commitments made individually which constitute a flagrant violation of the rights of the Palestinian people and which hinder the fulfilment of their aspirations;

8.   Strongly supports the convening of an International Peace Conference on the Middle East under the auspices of the United Nations with the participation of the permanent members of the Security Council as well as all the concerned parties, including the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people as an independent party on equal footing with other parties;

9.   Strongly commends the militant role of the Lebanese people in confronting Israeli aggressions, and condemns the aggression perpetrated against Lebanon and the continued occupation of its territories;

10.  Considers null and void any measures taken by Israel in the occupied Arab territories, aimed at exploiting their resources and requests all States, international organizations and investment agencies not recognize Israel's authority over these territories and not co-operate with it in any form whatsoever in its illegal exploitation of these resources;

11.  Strongly condemns the Zionist Israeli criminal act of assassinating freedom fighter Khalil Al-Wazir (Abu Jihad), in Tunisia and considers this to be an act of terrorism and flagrant violation of the International Law against an independent sovereign State and member of OAU and an act of provocation threatening peace and security;

12.  Rejects all attempts and initiatives that ignore the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, and that aim at aborting the uprising of the Palestinian people and at bypassing the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole -legitimate representative of the Palestinian people;

13.  Recommends that member States renew their firm determination not to establish or re-establish diplomatic ties with Israel, a natural and unconditional accomplice of racist South Africa;*

14.  Requests that member States reject the continuous Israeli attempts to penetrate the African continent through the United Nations Development Programme;

15.  Strongly condemns the alliance between the racist South African regime, and Israel and their co-operation in the atomic field, which threatens security and peace in Africa and the Middle East, and their similarity in oppression, aggression and destabilization of neighbouring States in South Africa and the Middle East respectively;

16.  Appeals to both the leaders of the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to consider the problems of the Middle East and its core, the guestion of Palestine, with priority when discussing regional conflicts in their forthcoming meeting in Moscow and to spare no efforts in contributing to a just and lasting solution which guarantees the national inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination, return, and establishment of the independent Palestinian State with Jerusalem as its capital;

17.  Requests the OAU Secretary-General to monitor the developments in the Middle East question and to report to the next ordinary session of the Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity.

CM/Kes.1156 (XLVIII)

Resolution on solidarity with Tunisia following the Israeli

aggression against its sovereignty and territorial integrity

The Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity, meeting at its forty-eighth ordinary session, held at Addis Ababa from 19 to 23 May 1988,

Gravely concerned over the systematic violation of Tunisia's sovereignty and territorial integrity by the State of Israel, because of Tunisia's constant support to the people of Palestine under the leadership of PLO in their struggle against the Zionist State of Israel for the recovery of their inalienable right to self-determination,

Considering that the assassination on Tunisian territory, of Khalil Al-Wazir, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Palestinian Revolutionary Forces (Abu Jihad) was planned, organized and executed by the State of Israel, was aimed at weakening the heroic struggle of the Palestinian People,

Profoundly indignant at this savage act and concerned about the serious threat of such State terrorism,

1.   Vehemently condemns this heinous act, which is a further illustration of Israel's policy of aggression and dest«bilization, and State terrorism practised by Israel;

2.   Reiterates its support for and solidarity with Tunisia, victim of •Israel's repeated aggression, and denounces the violation, by the State of Israel, of Tunisia's sovereignty and territorial integrity which constitutes a serious threat to peace and security for the countries in the region, in particular, and to international peace in general.

* Reservations by Cameroon, Togo and Zaire to paragraph 13.

CM/Res.1157 (XLVIII)

Resolution on Afro-Arab co-operation

The Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity, meeting in its forty-eighth ordinary session held at Addis Ababa from 19 to 23 May 1988,

Havjng considered the report of the Secretary-General contained in document CM/1510 (XLVIII),

Bearing in mind the Declarations and the Programme of Action adopted by the first Afro-Arab Summit Conference held at Cairo from 7 to 9 March 1977,

Reaffirming its determination to promote and strengthen Afro-Arab co-operation,

Recalling its resolution CM/Res.1138 (XLVIII),

Considering the recommendations of the ad hoc meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the outgoing and the current Chairmen of OAU and the outgoing and current Chairmen of the Council of the League of Arab States as well as the Secretaries-General of the two organizations, held at Damascus on 2 and 3 May 1988,

1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on Afro-Arab Co-operation;

2. Congratulates the Governments of the countries that took part in the Damascus meeting and the Secretaries-General of the two organizations, OAU and the Arab League, on the efforts deployed to ensure the success of the meeting;

3.   Accepts the recommendation of the meeting to convene in the latter part of 1988, the ninth session of the Standing Commission for Afro-Arab Co-operation at Ouagadougou with the participation of only the member States of the Commission;

4.   Urges the Standing Commission for Afro-Arab Co-operation to consider ways and means to reactivate the functioning of the, supreme organs of Afro-Arab co-operation, namely the Joint Afro-Arab Conference of Ministers and the Afro-Arab Summit;

5.   Also requests the Standing Commission to prepare the draft agenda of the first session of the Joint Afro-Arab Conference of Ministers to be held at Khartoum on a date to be fixed by the GovernmentT of the Republic of the Sudan and the Secretaries-General of the League of Arab States and the Organization of African Unity;

6.   Expresses its thanks to the Government of the Arab Republic of Syria for hosting the ad hoc meeting at Damascus;

7.   Expresses its gratitude to the Government of Burkina Faso for its readiness to host the ninth session of the Standing Commission for Afro-Arab Co-operation;

8.   Expresses its thanks to the Government of the Republic of the Sudan for its ever-readiness to host the first session of the Joint Afro-Arab Conference of Ministers;

9.   Requests the Secretary-General of OAU to pursue his efforts in close co-operation with his counterpart in the League of Arab States, to reactivate all the institutional organs of Afro-Arab co-operation set up by the first Afro-Arab Summit Conference, and to prepare carefully the ninth session of the Standing Commission for Afro-Arab Co-operation scheduled to take place between November and December 1988.

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