Mideast peace process-Ministerial Declaration/Group of 77-Letter from Indonesia(excerpts)

Fifty-third session

Agenda items 12, 20 (a) and (b), 24, 30, 37, 39, 40,

51, 56, 58, 61, 91 (a), (b), (c) and (d), 92 (b), 93 (a),

(c), (d), (e) and (f), 94 (a), (b), (c), (d) and

(e), 95, 98, 99, 100, 104, 112, 113, 114 and 115

Report of the Economic and Social Council

Strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief

assistance of the United Nations, including special economic assistance:

strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance

of the United Nations; special economic assistance to individual

countries or regions

Implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of

Africa in the 1990s, including measures and recommendations agreed upon

at its mid-term review

United Nations reform: measures and proposals

Implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development

Question of Palestine

The situation in the Middle East

Elimination of coercive economic measures as a means of political and

economic compulsion

Launching of global negotiations on international economic cooperation

for development

Strengthening of the United Nations system

Restructuring and revitalization of the United Nations in the economic,

social and related fields

Macroeconomic policy questions: trade and development; financing of

development, including net transfer of resources between developing and

developed countries; commodities; external debt crisis and development

Sectoral policy questions: industrial development cooperation

Sustainable development and international economic cooperation:

implementation of and follow-up to major consensus agreements on

development; implementation of the outcome of the United Nations

Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II); renewal of the dialogue

on strengthening international economic cooperation for development

through partnership; implementation of the Programme of Action for the

Least Developed Countries for the 1990s; implementation of the Programme

of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development

Environment and sustainable development: implementation of and follow-up

to the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Environment and

Development, including the outcome of the nineteenth special session of

the General Assembly for the purpose of an overall review and appraisal

of the implementation of Agenda 21; protection of global climate for

present and future generations of mankind; implementation of the outcome

of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island

Developing States; Convention on Biological Diversity; Implementation of

the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries

Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa

Operational activities for development

Implementation of the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of

Poverty (1997B2006)

Commemorative meeting of the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the

Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical

Cooperation among Developing Countries

Social development, including questions relating to the world social

situation and to youth, ageing, disabled persons and the family

Implementation of the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women

Review of the efficiency of the administrative and financial functioning

of the United Nations

Programme budget for the biennium 1998–1999

Programme planning

Improving the financial situation of the United Nations

Letter dated 29 September 1998 from the Permanent Representative of

Indonesia to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

I have the honour to transmit herewith the Ministerial Declaration of the Group of 77 and China adopted on the occasion of the 22nd annual meeting of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Group of 77, held at United Nations Headquarters in New York on 25 September 1998 (see annex).

On behalf of the Group of 77 and China, I would highly appreciate it if you could arrange for the present letter and its annex to be circulated as a document of the General Assembly under agenda items 12, 20 (a) and (b), 24, 30, 37, 39, 40, 51, 56, 58, 61, 91 (a), (b), (c) and (d), 92 (b), 93 (a), (c), (d), (e) and (f), 94 (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e), 95, 98, 99, 100, 104, 112, 113, 114 and 115.

(Signed) Makarim Wibisono

Ambassador

Permanent Representative of

Indonesia to the United Nations

Chairman of the Group of 77

Annex

Ministerial Declaration

1. The Twenty-second Annual Meeting of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Group of 77 was held in New York on 25 September 1998.

2. The Ministers welcomed the admission of Turkmenistan as a full member of the Group of 77.

3. The Ministers addressed issues of interest to the Group of 77 covering areas such as global economic situation, globalization and liberalization, development and international economic cooperation, renewal of the dialogue, eradication of poverty, financing of development, official development assistance, external debt of developing countries, microcredit, international trade, industrialization, reform of the United Nations, development account, environment and development, Habitat and UNEP, follow-up to the United Nations major conferences and summits, United Nations operational activities for development, the least developed countries, the critical economic situation in Africa, the critical situation in the Middle East, the financial situation, administrative and budgetary issues of the United nations and South-South Cooperation.

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Critical situation in the Middle East

62. The Ministers expressed their concern over the deteriorating economic and social situation of the Palestinian people as a result of the continued illegal Israeli policies and actions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, particularly settlement activities, the closure of the Palestinian territory and the withholding of Palestinian revenues.  In this context, the Ministers stressed the need to preserve the territorial integrity of all of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, to guarantee the freedom of movement of persons and goods, and to respect the fundamental human rights of the Palestinian people.  The Ministers reemphasized the need for international assistance to support Palestinian development efforts in the economic and social fields, and called on the international donor community to deliver the financial assistance pledged to the Palestinian Authority.

63. The Ministers expressed their deep concern at the stalled peace process in the Middle East and the persistence of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, and the other Arab territories, which gravely deteriorate the living conditions of the Arab population under occupation, as well as negatively affect the national efforts to achieve sustained economic growth and sustainable development in the region.  They further expressed grave concern over the escalating Israeli policies of building and expanding settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem and the occupied Syrian Golan, in violation of international law, relevant United Nations resolutions and the Fourth Geneva Convention, of 12 August 1949.  They reaffirmed their support to the Palestinian people in their effort to achieve their inalienable rights, including their right to establish an independent state on their national soil, including Jerusalem.  They also reaffirmed their support for the Middle East peace process, aimed at achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the region on the basis of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), and 425 (1978) and the principle of land for peace.  In this context the Ministers urgently called for the implementation of the agreements reached and international support to reactivate and complete the peace process from the point where it was stopped at, emphasizing the necessity to respect all agreements, pledges and commitments reached during the previous stage of the peace talks.  The Ministers reaffirmed further the permanent responsibility of the United Nations towards the Question of Palestine, and called upon Israel to comply with all relevant United Nations resolutions and to put an end to its occupation of Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, and the other Arab territories including the Syrian Golan and South Lebanon.

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