CEIRPP meeting – Summary record

COMMITTEE ON THE EXERCISE OF THE INALIENABLE RIGHTS

OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

SUMMARY RECORD OF THE 181st MEETING

Held at Headquarters, New York,

on Friday, 15 November 1991, at 10.30 a.m.

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CONTENTS

Adoption of the agenda

Draft report of the Committee to the General Assembly at its forty-sixth session

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 11.10 a.m.

ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA

1. The agenda was adopted.

DRAFT REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY AT ITS FORTY-SIXTH SESSION (A/AC.183/1991/CRP.2/Rev.1 and Add.1/Rev.1)

2. Mr. CAMILLERI (Malta), Rapporteur, introducing the Committee's draft report to the General Assembly (A/AC.183/1991/CPR.2/Rev.1 and Add.1/Rev.1) said that the draft had been the object of thorough consideration by the Working Group at two meetings held on 10 October and 12 November 1991.  In accordance with established practice, the annexes, listed in the table of contents, would consist of the original recommendations of the Committee and the conclusions, recommendations and declarations adopted by participants in regional seminars and non-governmental organization meetings and symposia, preceded by a brief factual introduction.  As those documents were already known to the Committee, they had not been circulated again.

3. Briefly describing the contents of the report, he said that the main body of the report was in chapter IV, which gave an account of the action taken by the Committee and the Division for Palestinian Rights in implementation of their respective mandates.  Chapter VI contained the Committee's recommendations, which had been drafted taking into account recent developments.  He trusted that the report could be adopted by the Committee at the current meeting for submission to the General Assembly the following week.

4. The CHAIRMAN invited the Committee to consider the draft report chapter by chapter.

5. It was so decided.

6. Chapters I to VI were adopted.

7. The draft report was adopted.

OTHER MATTERS

8. Mr. AL-KIDWA (Observer for Palestine) thanked the members of the Committee for their continuing support for the struggle of the Palestinian people to realize its inalienable rights.  His delegation believed that an important juncture had been reached in that struggle requiring further solidarity and support from all friendly and peace-loving States.  A series of major political developments had taken place recently, first and foremost the convening of an international peace conference on the Middle East in Madrid, which had been formally welcomed by the Palestine Liberation Organization.

9. Concerted efforts were needed to ensure the success of that political process in the hope of bringing about peace in the Middle East and a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the question of Palestine, the core of the conflict in the region.  In that context, the United Nations and the international community as a whole must reaffirm their position of principle and convey to the Palestinian people that they remained committed to securing the exercise of its inalienable rights.  Above all, they must reiterate their concern at the continued occupation of Palestinian territory by Israel and insist on Israel's full withdrawal, as well as emphasizing the need for substantial changes in Israeli policy, including recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people and especially its right to self-determination.

10. It was to be hoped that the General Assembly, at its forty-sixth session, would be able to contribute in full measure to bringing peace closer.  That would require a successful outcome from its work regarding the question of Palestine and related items on its agenda.  His delegation would remain in close and continuing contact with the Committee in order to examine any further developments that might take place.

11. Lastly, he noted that the Committee was meeting on the third anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the State of Palestine issued by the Palestine National Council and acknowledged by the General Assembly in its resolution 43/177.

12. The CHAIRMAN said it was indeed auspicious that the Committee's meeting coincided with the third annivresary of the proclamation of the independent State of Palestine.  She could assure the Observer for Palestine that the members of the Committee had been following the recent developments concerning the Middle East and Palestine with special attention and that the Palestinian people could count on the Committee's continued support and solidarity in its struggle to secure the exercise of their inalienable rights.  She welcomed the continuing contacts between the Committee and the delegation of Palestine and expressed the hope that the current initiatives would be pursued and lead to a just and lasting settlement of all the problems of the Middle East and, in particular, the question of Palestine.

The meeting rose at 11.45 a.m.