Palestine question/Jerusalem – Final communiqué of OIC FMs – Letter from Qatar (excerpts)

Letter dated 5 March 1999 from the Permanent

Representative of Qatar to the United Nations

addressed to the Secretary-General

I have the honour to transmit to you herewith the final communiqué and annexes thereto adopted at the Annual Coordination Meeting of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of States members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, held at United Nations Headquarters in New York on 1 October 1998 (see enclosure).*

I should be grateful if you would have these documents circulated as a document of the General Assembly, under agenda items 10, 26, 39, 40, 41, 45, 54, 58, 59, 60, 74 and 94, and of the Security Council.

(Signed)  Nassir Abdulaziz AL-NASSER

Ambassador

Permanent Representative

of the State of Qatar

Chairman of the Islamic Group

______________

* The enclosure is being circulated in the languages of submission only.

Enclosure

[Original:  Arabic, English and French]

FINAL COMMUNIQUE

OF THE ANNUAL COORDINATION MEETING OF

MINISTERS FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF

THE STATES MEMBERS OF

THE ORGANIZATION OF THE ISLAMIC CONFERENCE

UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

11 JUMADA II 1419H

(1 OCTOBER 1998)

The Annual Coordination Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the OIC Member States was held on II Jumada II, 1419H corresponding to 1 October 1998 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, under the Chairmanship of His Excellency Sheikh Hamad Bin Jasim Bin Jabar Al-Thani, Minister of Foreign Affiance of the State of Qatar, Chairman of the Twenty-fifth Session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers.

2. The Meeting was attended by His Excellency Dr. Esmat Abdel Meguid, Secretary General of the League or Arab States, and His Excellency Mr. Ibrahima Fall, Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

3. The Meeting took note with deep appreciation of the Reports presented by the Secretary General on the agenda items.

4. It approved the accession of the Republic of Guyana as a full member of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference.

5. It decided to grant the Kingdom of Thailand the status of Observer at the OIC.

QUESTION OF PALESTINE, AL-QUDS AL-SHARIF AND THE MIDDLE EAST:

6. The Meeting approved the Report of the Meeting of the Six-Member Committee on Palestine (Annex-I) held on 5 Jumada II, 1419H (25 September 1998).

7. It reaffirmed support for the peace process in the Middle East, and the necessity of implementing the agreements signed in its framework between the parties concerned, and of adhering to the commitments and pledges made in accordance with the principles underpinning the initiation of the peace process in Madrid particularly the "land-for-peace" principle and the relevant resolutions of the United Nations, foremost of which are Security Council resolutions 241, 338 and 412 which demand that Israel withdraw from an occupied Palestinian and Arab territories, including Al-Quds Al-Sharif, from the occupied Syrian Golan to the line of 4 June 1967, and from the occupied Lebanese territories, and restitute the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.

8. It requested the Security Council to enforce its resolutions on protecting the status of Al-Quds, to develop a mechanism for implementing its resolution 1073 (1996), to take the necessary measures for the Council to continue putting into effect the contents of the Presidential Statement it issued on 13 July 1998, and to take appropriate decisions and measures in this regard, pursuant to the U.N. Charter considering that Israel's action in Al-Quds constitutes a violation of the principles of peace in the Middle East, a threat to international peace and security and an act of aggression.

9. It reaffirmed the applicability of the accreditation of Israel's delegation to the United Nations General Assembly to the representation of the Arab and Palestinian territories occupied in 1961, including Al-Quds Al-Sharif. It expressed its appreciation of the support extended by the international community for upgrading the representation or Palestine in the United Nations, and called on all states in the world to recognize the State of Palestine upon its proclamation on Palestinian soil pursuant to the resolutions of international legality.

10. It called on the Security Council to revive the International Commission of Supervision and Control to prevent colonization in the occupied Al-Quds and other Palestinian and Arab territories, in compliance with Security Council resolution 446.

11. It welcomed the offer made by the Swiss Government for the convening before the end of this year, or a meeting of the High Signatories to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 Relative to the Protection or Civilian Persons in Time of War, to take the necessary measures for ensuring implementation of the Convention in the occupied Palestinian territories including Al-Quds Al-Sharif.

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Annex I

REPORT OF THE MEETING OF THE O.I.C. SIX-MEMBER COMMITTEE

ON PALESTINE HELD ON 5 JUMADA II, 1419H (25 SEPTEMBER 1998)

TO THE ANNUAL COORDINA TION MEETING OF

FOREIGN MINISTERS OF THE O.I.C. MEMBER STATES

(UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK) 1998

I- The OIC Six-Member Committee on Palestine held a meeting at the U.N. Headquarters in New York, on 5 Jumada II, 1419H (25 September 1998) under the Chairmanship of His Excellency Dr. Azeddine LARAKI, OIC Secretary General.

II – The meeting was attended by Their Excellencies the Foreign Ministers of the following Member States:-

– Islamic Republic of Pakistan

– Republic of Senegal, and

– State of Palestine

in addition to the representatives of the Republic of Guinea, and Malaysia.

III. Their Excellencies the Ministers and representatives of the Member States on the Committee made a close evaluation of the situation in the city of Al-Quds Al-Sharif and the occupied Palestinian and Arab territories, and of the critical stage through which the peace-process in the region is going due to Israel's persistence in its colonialist and expansionist policies in the city of Al-Quds and the Palestinian territories its terrorist practices against the Palestinian people, and its violation of the resolutions of international legality, a policy which threatens to undermine the peace process.

IV. The Committee decided to submit the following recommendations to the OIC Annual Coordination Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the OIC Member States:-

1- To continue Member States' support to the PLO and backing of its position in the negotiations with Israel aimed at establishing the PLO sovereignty over the entire Palestinian territories, including Al-Quds Al-Sharif, since these territories constitute an integral geographic unit, and at fulfilling the inalienable and imprescriptible national rights of the Palestinian people, including their rights of return, self-determination and establishment of their own independent State on national soil with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

2- To continue to support the peace process in the Middle East and the implementation of the agreements signed in its framework between the concerned parties as well as all the commitments and pledges made on the basis of the principles underpinning the initiation of the peace process in Madrid, particularly the principle of "land for peace" and the relevant resolutions of the United Nations and primarily resolutions 242, 338 and 425 of the Security Council which call  on Israel to withdraw from an the occupied Palestinian and other Arab territories including Al-Quds Al-Sharif, from the occupied Syrian Golan to the line of 4 June 1967, and from the occupied Lebanese territories, and to fulfill the inalienable and imprescriptible national rights of the Palestinian people.

3- To affirm that Al-Quds Al-Sharif forms an integral part of the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967 and is subject to the same provisions as the rest or the occupied territories in accordance with the resolutions of the Security Council and the UN General Assembly. To make every effort to put an end to all the measures and practices being carried out by the Israeli occupying authorities in the holy city to change its geographic and demographic status as well as to the violations of Islamic and Christian shrines there, which are aimed at judaizing the holy city.  To call for concerted efforts to ensure the return of Al-Quds Al-Sharif to Palestinian sovereignty as the capital of the State of Palestine.

4- To call on the Security Council to put its resolutions on the protection of the status of Al-Quds into effect, develop a mechanism for implementing its recent Resolution No.1073 (1996) and take the necessary steps for the Security Council to continue implementation of the content of the presidential statement issued by the Security Council on July 13, 1998, including adoption of appropriate resolutions and measures in compliance with the UN Charter, considering that the steps taken by Israel in Al-Quds constitute a violation of the basic principles of peace in the Middle East as well as a threat to international peace and security and an act of aggression.

5- To urge all countries to comply with Security Council resolution 478 (1980) calling on them to refrain from moving their diplomatic missions to the city of Al-Quds and to avoid dealing with the Israeli occupation authorities in a manner that may be construed in any way as a tacit recognition of the fait accompli imposed by Israel in considering the city of Al-Quds as its capital. To reject the recommendation made by the U.S. House of Representatives for the recognition of Al-Quds as the unified capital of Israel, and for the transfer of the American Embassy to Al-Quds.

6- To urge the Islamic States which have initiated steps towards establishing relations with Israel in the framework of the peace process to reconsider such relations, including the closure of their missions and offices, until Israel complies with United Nations resolutions and implements the agreements, pledges and commitments reached by the concerned parties to the peace process, in accordance with the principles laid down by the Madrid Conference, the Oslo Agreement, and the other accords concluded with the Palestine Liberation Organization.

7- To condemn Israel's persistence in its expansionist colonization policy in the city of Al-Quds Al-Sharif and the other occupied Palestinian and Arab territories; to consider this policy as contrary to an international resolutions including Security Council resolution 465, to the principles of international law which consider all the settlements established or to be established by Israel as null and void, and also contrary to the agreements signed between the Palestinian and the Israeli parties, a policy which constitutes a real and serious threat to the entire peace process; and to call on the international community and, in particular, the two co-sponsors of the Peace Conference and the States of the European Union to compel Israel to stop all settlements activities.

8- To request the Security Council to revive the International Supervision and Control Commission to prevent colonization in Al-Quds and other occupied Palestinian and Arab territories, in accordance with resolution 446.

9- To make every effort in the United Nations and other international institutions and fora to induce Israel to release the detainees, put an end to the method of collective punishment, stop the confiscation of land and property and the demolition of houses, lift the economic blockade imposed on the Palestinian areas; and desist from all inhuman measures and practices against the Palestinian people.

10- To call for a more effective participation of the United Nations in promoting the success of the Middle East peace process; and to emphasize the continued and constant responsibility of the United Nations towards the Palestine question until a just and comprehensive settlement is reached guaranteeing the end of occupation and the exercise of the inalienable and imprescriptible national rights of the Palestinian people.

11- To call on the international community and the Security Council to force Israel to comply with the U.N. resolutions particularly resolution 487 (1981) of the Security Council accede to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and implement the resolutions or the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) calling for the submission of an the Israeli nuclear facilities to the Comprehensive Safeguards System of the Agency; and declare its renunciation of nuclear armament and submit a full statement of its stockpile of nuclear weapons and materials to both the Security Council and the IAEA, considering that these steps are essential for establishing a zone free of weapons of mass destruction and particularly nuclear weapons in the Middle East, a fundamental factor for the establishment of a comprehensive and just peace in the region.

12- To ensure that the accreditation of Israel's delegation to the U.N. General Assembly shall not apply to the representation of the Arab and Palestinian territories occupied in 1961 including Al-Quds Al-Sharif.

13- To emphasize the continued responsibility of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) for carrying out the tasks assigned to it for the benefit of the Palestinian people wherever they may be by virtue or the relevant resolution of the UN General Assembly; and to invite the Member States to call on the UN Secretary-General to ensure that the Conciliation Commission, in cooperation with UNRWA and the concerned countries, shall take a census of the Palestinian refugees and their properties, and prepare a comprehensive conceptual design for solving their problems on the basis of their right of return to their homeland Palestine pursuant to the international resolution No.194.

14- To call on the United Nations to despatch a "fact-finding mission" to investigate the status of Palestinian lands, their uses, the revenues derived therefrom, the violation of their property rights, and their  exploitation, and to obtain full copies of all documents and maps relating to the lands held by the Israeli administration.  To make every conceivable effort to ensure implementation of the UN General Assembly resolution No. 43/57(H) of 6 December 1988 on the revenues derived from Palestinian refugee properties, which "requests the Secretary-General to take an appropriate steps, in consultation with the United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine, for the protection and administration of Arab property, assets and property rights in Israel and to establish a fund for the receipt of income derived therefrom, on behalf of the rightful owners". And to call on the United Nations to appoint a permanent superintendent for those properties, who would submit a periodic report to the U.N. on the status and protection of those properties until the return or their owners.

15- To continue the.efforts made to ensure implementation of the two Security Council resolutions Nos. 237 (1967) and 338 (1973) and the relevant U.N. resolutions on the return of the displaced persons.

16- To coordinate the positions of Member States so as to preserve the principled stand of the OIC in respect of all the resolutions on the question of Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict, which are submitted for discussion during the current session of the UN General Assembly. .

17- To welcome the invitation extended by the Swiss Government to hold, before the end of the current year, a meeting of the High Signatory Parties to.the 4th Geneva Convention of 1949 relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War to take the necessary measures for the implementation of the Convention in the occupied Palestinian territories, including the city of Al-Quds Al-Sharif, and to call on the Member States to take part in the said meeting.

18- To invite all the States that extend economic and financial assistance to Israel, especially the United States of America, the European Union countries and the international donor institutions and funds to halt their assistance which is used by Israel to carry out its colonization schemes in the occupied Palestinian and Arab territories as well as the occupied Syrian Golan.

19- To express appreciation for the position of the European Union refusing to consider Al-Quds and the Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian and other Arab territories as an Israeli place of origin allowing Israel to export their products to the European Union countries under the Convention on European-Israeli Partnership. To call on the European Union to speed up the implementation of the resolution on stopping such Israeli exports to its countries and to invite the other States to adopt the same attitude.

20- To call upon all countries to recognize the State of Palestine upon its proclamation on the land of Palestine pursuant to the resolutions of international legality, and to express appreciation or the support extended by the international community in raising the status of representation of Palestine to the United Nations.

V- The Committee is submitting the present report to the Annual Coordination Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the OIC Member States for appropriate decision.

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