CEIRPP meeting – Summary record

COMMITTEE ON THE EXERCISE OF THE INALIENABLE RIGHTS

OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

SUMMARY RECORD OF THE 179th MEETING

Held at Headquarters, New York,

on Friday, 16 August 1991, at 10.30 a.m.

________________________________________________________

Chairman:  Mrs. DIALLO (Senegal)

CONTENTS

Adoption of the agenda

European NGO Symposium and International NGO Meeting on the Question of Palestine, Vienna, 26-30 August 1991

Other matters

This record is subject to correction.

Corrections should be submitted in one of the working languages.  They should be set forth in a memorandum and also incorporated in a copy of the record.  They should be sent within one week of the date of this document to the Chief, Official Records Editing Section, Department of Conference Services, room DC2-750, 2 United Nations Plaza.

Any corrections to the record of this meeting and of other meetings will be issued in a corrigendum.

The meeting was called to order at 10.55 a.m.

ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA

1. The agenda was adopted.

EUROPEAN NGO SYMPOSIUM AND INTERNATIONAL NGO MEETING ON THE QUESTION OF PALESTINE, VIENNA, 26-30 AUGUST 1991

2. The CHAIRMAN drew the Committee's attention to two status reports on the upcoming European NGO Symposium and International NGO Meeting, reflecting the changes that had taken place recently.  If there were no comments, she would take it that the Committee wished to take note of the reports.

3. It was so decided.

4. The CHAIRMAN said that the Committee delegation to those events would consist of Mr. Khodaidad Barshamal, Permanent Representative of Afghanistan; Mr. Nasser Al-Kidwa, Permanent Observer of Palestine; and herself as chairman of the delegation.

OTHER MATTERS

5. The CHAIRMAN said that Mr. Borg Olivier, the Rapporteur and Chairman of the Working Group, had relinquished the service of his country.  Since September 1987, the Committee had greatly benefited from his knowledge, experience and legal background.  On behalf of the Committee, she conveyed to Mr. Borg Olivier its deep appreciation for the invaluable contribution that he had made to the Committee's work and wished him every success in his future assignments.

6. Mr. GHAREKHAN (India), Mr. INSANALLY (Guyana), Mr. AKSIN (Turkey), Mr. MUJICA CANTELAR (Cuba), Miss JANJUA (Pakistan), Mr. MANSOUR (Observer for Palestine) and Mr. HAMMAD (Observer for United Arab Emirates) joined in expressing appreciation for the outstanding contribution made by Mr. Borg Olivier to the cause of the Palestinian people and wished him continued success in the future.

7. Mr. OUDOVENKO (Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic) said that he wished to associate himself with the remarks addressed by the preceding speakers to Mr. Borg Olivier, whose work had always demonstrated a high degree of professionalism and adherence to principle.  His delegation expressed its appreciation for Mr. Borg Olivier's contribution to the work of the Committee and wished him success in his future endeavours.

8. Very important changes were taking place with regard to the peace process in the Middle East.  There was a historic chance to achieve consensus and convene an international conference on the Middle East.  The United Nations and, particularly, the Committee must increase their efforts in actively promoting that process.  His delegation welcomed the fact that all parties directly involved in the Arab-Israeli conflict were moving towards a peace conference.  Israel had, to all appearances, agreed to such a conference, as proposed by the Soviet Union and the United States.  In that regard, he stressed the importance of overcoming the remaining difficulties, including resolving the question of the representation of Palestine, so that the conference could be convened as soon as possible.  The position of the Palestine Liberation Organization showed that the Palestinians were flexible and serious.  If the parties concerned demonstrated the necessary political will and fortitude, those problems could be solved.  In that connection, it was no exaggeration to say that Mr. Borg Olivier had made a significant contribution to those efforts.

9. Mr. BORG OLIVIER (Malta), Rapporteur, expressed his heartfelt appreciation for the kind words addressed to him by the members of the Committee.  He was proud to have participated actively in the work of the Committee for the past four years and would continue to be a strong supporter of the cause of the Palestinian people.

The meeting rose at 11.35 a.m.