Palestine queston – NAM communique, Letter from Sri Lanka

QUESTION OF PALESTINE

Letter dated 17 August 1978 from the Permanent Representative

of Sri Lanka to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

I have the honour to transmit herewith the text of a communique issued today the Group of Non-Aligned Countries.

I should "be grateful if you would kindly have the communique circulated as document of the General Assembly under item 31 of the provisional agenda.

(Signed) B. J. FERNANDO

Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka

to the United Nations and Chairman of

the Co-ordinating Bureau of

Non-Aligned Countries

ANNEX

Communique issued on 17 August 1978 by the_Group

of Non-Aligned Countries

The Group of Non-Aligned Countries meeting in extraordinary session in New York  on 17 August 1978, reiterated following paragraphs of the resolution on the question of Palestine adopted at the Conference of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Non-Aligned Countries, held at Belgrade:

"The Conference of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Non-Aligned Countries meeting Belgrade from 25 to 30 July 1978

…

"1.  DECIDES:

(a) TO REAFFIRM its total, effective support for the Palestinian people in their legitimate struggle under the leadership of Palestine Liberation Organization, their sole legitimate representative, in order to recover their inalienable national rights in Palestine which comprise.

"Their right to return to their homeland, and to recover their as guaranteed by United Nations resolutions,

"Their self-determination, without any outside interference in keeping with the principles of the United Nations and of the Declaration of Human Rights,

"Their right to freely exercise sovereignty over their territory,  their right to  establish their independent national State in Palestine.

"5. TO REAFFIRM the need to take the necessary measures to ensure the representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, in the capitals of non-aligned countries, to grant it all the rights, privileges and immunities accorded to diplomatic missions and to call upon those non-aligned countries that have not yet taken such measures to do so forthwith."

* Reissued for technical reasons *

** A/33/150.