Mideast situation/Pres. Sadat’s visit to Israel – Pan-Arab Front – Tripoli Summit Declaration, Letter from Libya

QUESTION OF PALESTINE

THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Letter dated 5 December 1977 from the Permanent Representative of the

Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to the United Nations addressed to the

Secretary-General

I have the honour to convey herewith the text of the Tripoli Declaration made at the conclusion of the Summit Conference held at Tripoli, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, between 2 and 5 December 1977. I have the further honour to request that the said Declaration be distributed to the membership of the United Nations as an official document of the General Assembly and in the context of the recent Assembly debates on agenda items 30 and 31.

(Signed) Mansur R. KIKHIA

Permanent Representative

ANNEX

The Tripoli Declaration

Made at the conclusion of the Summit Conference held at Tripoli,

the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 22 to

25 Thul Hija 1397, A.H. (2 to 5 December 1977 A.D.)

Upon the invitation of Col. Muammar Al Qathafi, a Summit Conference was held in Tripoli, capital of the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, between 22 and 25 Thul Hija 1397, A.H. corresponding to 2 to 5 December 1977 A.D., and was attended by their Excellencies President Houari Boumediene, President of the people's Democratic Republic of Algeria; President Hafez El-Assad, President of the Syrian Arab Republic; Colonel Muammar Al Qathafi, Secretary-General of the General People's Congress of the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Brother Abdul Fatah Ismail, Secretary-General of the Unified Political Organization, the National Front, representing the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen; Brother Taha Yassin Ramadan, representing the President of the Republic of Iraq; Brother Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and General Commander of the Palestinian Revolution Forces.

With a complete sense of Pan-Arab responsibility, the Conference examined the dimensions of the present stage of the Arab cause in general and the cause of Palestine in particular, and the American Zionist designs aimed at imposing surrender settlements upon the Arab nation, and infringing on the national and firmly established rights of the Palestinian people, the liquidation of national Arab achievements and striking against the movement of Arab liberation as a prelude to subjugate the Arab region, to control its destiny and to chain it to international imperialism.

The Conference also studied the visit undertaken by President Sadat to the Zionist entity in the framework of the implementation of hostile designs and reviewed the consequences emerging from the visit, which constitutes a flagrant isolation of the principles and aims of the Pan-Arab struggle against the Zionist enemy and a betrayal of the rights of the Palestinian Arab people, deviation from the unity of Arab ranks, a serious violation of the Charter of the Arab League and the resolutions of the Arab Summit Conferences and an exclusion of Egypt from the front of struggle against the Zionist enemy, all of which is considered by the conferees as a great service rendered by President Sadat to Zionism and American imperialism and their designs, and an endorsement of the Zionist entity, their case and tool in the Arab area.

The conferees studied the present situation in all its dimensions and concluded that the objectives of the conspiracy are as follows:

1. Eliminating the possibility of establishing a just and honourable peace hat will safeguard the national rights of the Arab nation and ensure the liberation of its occupied lands, foremost of which is Jerusalem, and guarantee for the Palestinian people their firmly established national rights;

2. Isolation of the Arab nation from its allies and friends in the African continent, which took an historic stand in support of the Arab cause and exposed organic links between the Zionist entity and the racist regimes in the south of the African continent;

3. Isolation of the Arab nation from the group of non-aligned and Islamic countries, which adopted the Arab cause in all its stages and committed itself to stand in solidarity with the just struggle of the Palestinian people;

4.  To damage the relations of friendship and co-operation between the Arab States, on the one hand, and the Soviet Union and States of the Socialist bloc on the other, which have provided assistance and support to the Arab nation for its historic struggle against the Zionist-imperialist enemy;

5. To enable forces hostile to the Arab nation, headed by the United States of America, to score gains that will tilt the international balance in favour of the Zionist and imperialist forces and infringe on the national independence, of the countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America;

6. Establishment of an alliance between the Zionist enemy and the existing Egyptian regime with the aim of liquidating the Arab cause and the cause of Palestine, and to dismember the Arab nation and forfeit its national interests.

The Conference, aware of the nature of the Zionist-imperialist challenges bent upon weakening the Arab will of liberation and infringing on the firmly established national rights of the Palestinian people which have been given international legitimacy, foremost of which is the right of the Palestinian people to return to their homeland and to self-determination and the establishment of its independent State on its national soil under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and in consideration of its Pan-Arab and historic responsibilities, the Summit Conference decides the following:

1. The condemnation of President Sadat's visit to the Zionist entity as it constitute high treason against the sacrifices and struggle of our Arab people in Egypt and their armed forces, and against the struggle, sacrifices and principles of the Arab nation.  The Conference, while appreciating the role of the Egyptian people in the nationalist struggle of the Arab nation, affirms that Egypt is neither the beginning nor the end and, if the Arab nation is great with Egypt, Egypt cannot be great but with the Arab nation, without which Egypt becomes smaller.

2. To work for the elimination of the results of President Sadat's vis it to the Zionist entity and his negotiations with the leaders of the Zionist enemy and the subsequent proceedings, including the proposed meeting in Egypt.  The Conference warns all those who attempt to follow suit or deal with these results and they will be responsible, nationally and on the tan-Arab level.

3. The freezing of political and diplomatic relations with the Egyptian Government and suspending dealings with it on the Arab and international levels, and the implementation of the laws, regulations and the resolutions of the Arab Boycott of the Zionist enemy against Egyptian individuals, companies and institutions dealing with the Zionist enemy.

4. Abstention from participation in meetings of the Arab League and its organizations held in Egypt. It also decides to hold contacts with the member States of the Arab League to study the question of its seat and its affiliated organizations as well as the question of Egypt's membership in the League.

5. To salute the steadfast Palestinian Arab people in the occupied homeland and all their national and popular organizations which struggle against occupation and which rejected President Sadat's visit to occupied Palestine.  It also warns against any attempt to question the legitimacy of the representation of the Palestinian people by the Palestine Liberation Organization.

6. It records with satisfaction the preliminary stances of the Arab States which condemned the visit and rejected its results and, from a position of responsibility and in accordance with its collective commitments and resolutions, the Conference calls upon those States to adopt practical measures, to confront the seriousness of this capitulations policy, including the suspension of political and material support. The Conference also condemns the disgraceful stances of all those who acclaim this visit or support it and warns them of the consequences of their languid and defeatist policy.

7.  To appeal to the Arab nation on the official and popular levels to provide economic, financial, political and military assistance and support to the Syrian Arab Republic, which has become the main confrontation State and the main base of resistance confronting the enemy, as well as to the Palestinian people represented by the Palestine Liberation Organization.

8.  Salutes our Arab people in sisterly Egypt, specially its nationalist and progressive forces, which reject the policy of surrender executed by the Egyptian Regime constituting a betrayal of the sacrifices and martyrs of the people and an insult to their armed forces.

9.  Stressing the importance of the combatant and nationalist Syrian-Palestinian relations, the Syrian Arab Republic and the Palestine Liberation Organization have declared the formation of a unified front between them to face the Zionist enemy and to confront the imperialist conspiracy with all its parties and to defeat every attempt for surrender. The People's Democratic Republic of Algeria the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and the Democratic People's Republic of Yemen have decided to join this front, being the nucleus of a Pan-Arab front for resistance and confrontation, open for other States to join.

10.  The Pan-Arab Front considers aggression against any of its members as an aggression against all the members.

The Conference, which pledges before the Arab nation to continue the march of struggle, resistance and confrontation, and adherence to the objectives of the Arab struggle, expresses its deep faith and absolute confidence that the Arab nation, which staged the revolutions, surmounted the difficulties and conquered the conspiracies during the march of its long history of struggle and heroism, is quite able today to retaliate strongly against those who have offended its dignity, have forfeited its rights, have stabbed its solidarity and have violated the principles of its struggle, and is quite certain of its means for the liberation, progress and victory, with the help of God.

The conferees put on record their satisfaction from the Palestinian national unity within the framework of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

Signatures:

Colonel Muammar Al Qathafi

President Houari Boumediene

President Hafez El-Assad

Abdul Fatah Ismail

Yasser Arafat

Tripoli, 25 Thul Hija 1397, A.H. – 5 December 1977 A.D.

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