East Jerusalem/archaeological sites – LAS resolution – Letter from Palestine

Letter dated 15 May 2001 from the Permanent Observer of Palestine

to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

I have the honour to transmit to you herewith the text of resolution 115/6057, entitled “Dubious attempts by Israel to have a number of archaeological sites in East Jerusalem inscribed on the World Heritage List”, which was adopted by the Council of the League of Arab States meeting at its one hundred and fifteenth regular session at the level of ministers for foreign affairs, held at the seat of the League's secretariat in Cairo on 12 March 2001.

I should be grateful if you would have this letter and its annex circulated as a document of the General Assembly, under agenda items 40, 41 and 85, and of the Security Council.

(Signed) Nasser Al-Kidwa

Ambassador

Permanent Observer

Annex to the letter dated 15 May 2001 from the Permanent Observer

of Palestine to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

Dubious attempts by Israel to have a number of archaeological sites

in East Jerusalem inscribed on the World Heritage List

The Council of the League of Arab States,

Having considered:

The note dated 5 February 2001 from the Permanent Mission of the State of Palestine;

The note by the Secretariat;

And the recommendation of the Political Affairs Committee,

Decides:

1. To condemn Israel's dubious attempts to assert its sovereignty over Jerusalem and certain areas of the West Bank by seeking to have a number of archaeological sites in Jerusalem and the occupied Palestinian territories inscribed on the World Heritage List;

2. To have member States establish the necessary contacts, at the ministerial level, with the States members of the World Heritage Committee in order to convey to them the Arab position that Jerusalem and the occupied Palestinian territories have since 1967 constituted occupied territory under the terms of resolutions that have the force of international law and the resolutions of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization; and to have member States make the necessary endeavours for the deferral of any action on the Israeli request to the World Heritage Committee;

3. To request the Secretary-General, as a matter of urgency, to form a committee of experts on legal matters and on matters relating to Jerusalem, open to representatives of all member States and meeting at League headquarters, to consider the question of the Israeli endeavours to have a number of archaeological sites in Jerusalem and the occupied Palestinian territories inscribed on the World Heritage List and to submit a report to the Council at its next session;

4. To request the Secretary-General, acting in coordination with the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization, to hold consultations with the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and to report to the Council at its next session.

Resolution 6057

One hundred and fifteenth regular session

2nd meeting

12 March 2001