Question of Palestine – OAU resolutions

CO-OPERATION BETWEEN THE UNITED NATIONS AND

THE ORGANIZATION OF AFRICAN UNITY

Letter dated 25 October 1977 from the Permanent Representative of Tunisia to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

I have the honour to request you to arrange for the circulation of the attached resolutions adopted at the twenty-ninth regular session of the Council of Ministers (annex I) and the resolutions and decisions adopted at the fourteenth regular session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity (annex II) as an official document of the General Assembly under Agenda item 29.

(Signed) Mahmoud MESTIRI

Permanent Representative of

Tunisia to the United Nations

Chairman of the African Group

ANNEX I

Resolutions adopted at the twenty-ninth regular session of the

Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity held

at Libreville from 23 June to 3 July 1977

CONTENTS

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RESOLUTION ON THE QUESTION OF PALESTINE

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RESOLUTION ON THE QUESTION OF PALESTINE

The Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity meeting in its Twenty-ninth Ordinary Session in Libreville, Gabon, from 23 June to 3 July 1977,

Having considered the report of the Administrative Secretary-General of the OAU on the Palestinian question, document CM/831(XXIX),

Recalling the resolutions adopted by, previous sessions of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government and the Council of Ministers on the Palestinian question and in particular AHG/Res.77(XII), CM/Res.460(XXVI) and CM/Res.482(XXVII) and CM/Res.529(XXVIII),

Recalling further the report of the Committee on the Exercise  Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People which reaffirms the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to their national homeland in Palestine and the establishment of their independent and sovereign State,

Guided by the principles and objectives of the Charters of the OAU and the UN and the common destiny of the African and Arab peoples and their continued joint struggle to recover their land and for the exercise of their inalienable rights to freedom, peace, self-determination and independence,

Having examined the developments of the Palestinian cause and the serious situation which prevails due to the continuation of the Israeli occupation of the Arab countries and its usurpation of the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, its refusal to abide by the resolutions of the General Assembly,

Gravely concerned about the reaffirmation of the aggressive designs and the policy of expansion reiterated in the statements made by all Israeli governments including by the newly formed Israeli Government and, in particular, its vicious and expansionist plans in the West Bank of the Jordan River and Gaza arid its refusal to recognize the national legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and the exercise of their sovereignty on their territory,

Noting that the Palestinian question is the main cause of the problem against Israel,

Reaffirming the legitimacy of the struggle of the Palestinian People under the leadership of the PLO for the restoration of all their national rights,

Reaffirming that a just and lasting peace cannot be attained except on the basis of total Israeli withdrawal from all the occupied Arab territories and the recognition of the national legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to their territory, its sovereignty and national independence and its right to self-determination and the creation of its own independent State on its national territory,

Noting with indignation that the alliance between Israel and the racist regimes in South Africa and Rhodesia aims at the continuation of the policy of terrorism, extermination of the Palestinian and Arab peoples in the occupied Arab territories and the African people in South Africa, Namibia and Rhodesia, and that Israel and the racist regimes are pursuing identical methods and manoeuvres,

1. ENDORSES the report of the Secretary-General as contained in document CM/83(XXIX);

2. FURTHER ENDORSES all previous resolutions by which the Council re-affirmed its total and effective support for the Palestinian people;

3. REAFFIRMS its total support to the Arab front line States and the Palestinian people in their legitimate struggle in order to restore, by all means, the occupied territories and the usurped rights;

4.   DECLARES its total support to the PLO as the only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and its heroic struggle against Zionism and racism;

5. STRONGLY CONDEMNS the Israeli aggressive designs and policy of expansion as reiterated in the statements of the newly formed Israel Government;

6. STRONGLY CONDEMNS, once more, the alliance between Israel and the racist regimes in South Africa, Rhodesia and invites all Member States to be vigilant against the dangers of this alliance;

7. CALLS ON OAU Member States to step up their diplomatic, economic political and military isolation of Israel and to support the just cause of the Palestinian people;

8. ENDORSES the recommendations of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and, in particular, their legitimate and inalienable rights to return to their national homeland and to create an independent State of Palestine and requests the General Assembly of the UN to take all measures for the implementation of these recommendations;

9. REQUESTS the Security Council to reconsider its position concerning the recommendations made by the Committee on the Exercise  the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People to take all the necessary measures with a view to implementing these recommendations after they have become the expression of international will by virtue of their adoption by the Thirty-first Session of the General Assembly,

10. REQUESTS the Administrative Secretary-General to follow up the developments of the Palestinian question and present a report to the Thirtieth Session of the Council of Ministers.

RESOLUTION ON THE MIDDLE EAST PROBLEM

The Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity meeting in its Twenty-ninth Ordinary Session in Libreville, Gabon, from 23 June to 3 July 1977,

Having considered the reports of the Administrative Secretary-General of the OAU on the Middle East problem (document CM/Res.830 (XXIX),

Having heard the statement delivered during the Session by H.E. the Minister of State for Foreign Relations of the Arab Republic of Egypt,

Recalling the resolutions adopted by previous sessions of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government and the Council of Ministers  on the Middle East and the occupied Arab territories and on the Palestinian problem and, in particular, AHG/Res .76 (XII) and CM/Res.459  (XXIX), and CM/Res.48l(XXVII) and CM/Res.529(XXVIII),

Recalling further the report of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People which reaffirms the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to their national homeland in Palestine and the establishment of their independent sovereign State,

Guided by the principles and objectives of the OAU and the UN Charters and the common destiny of the African and Arab peoples and their continued joint struggle for the exercise of their rights, freedom, peace and independence,

Reaffirming that a joint and lasting peace cannot be attained except on the basis of total Israeli withdrawal from all the occupied Arab territories and the recognition of the national legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to sovereignty and national independence and its right to self-determination and the creation of its own State,

Noting with indignation that the alliance between Israel and the racist regimes in South Africa and Rhodesia aims at the continuation of the policy of terrorism and extermination of the Palestinian and Arab peoples in the occupied Arab territories and the African peoples in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe and that Israel and the racist are pursuing identical methods and manoeuvres,

Gravely concerned about the reconfirmation of the aggressive designs and policy of expansion reiterated in the statements by the newly formed Israeli Government and in particular its vicious and expansionist plans in the West Bank of the Jordan River and Gaza which Constitute a flagrant violation of the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people,

1. ENDORSES the report of the Secretary-General as contained in document CM/830(XXVIII);

2. TAKES NOTE of the statement by the Minister of State of the Arab Republic of Egypt on the Middle East problem and the Palestinian question;

3. FURTHER ENDORSES all previous resolutions by which the Council reaffirmed its total and effective support for Egypt, the Arab front line States and the Palestinian people;

4. STRONGLY CONDEMNS the Israeli aggressive designs and policy of expansion as reiterated in the statements of the newly formed Israeli Government;

5. STRONGLY CONDEMNS, once more, the alliance between Israel and the racist regimes in South Africa, Rhodesia and invites all Member States to be vigilant against the dangers of this alliance;

6. CALLS ON OAU Member States to step up their diplomatic, economic, political and military isolation of Israel and to support the just cause of the Palestinian people;

7. REQUESTS the Administrative Secretary-General to follow up the developments on the two questions and present a report to the Thirtieth Session of the Council of Ministers.

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