CEIRPP meeting – Summary record

COMMITTEE ON THE EXERCISE OF THE INALIENABLE RIGHTS

OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

SUMMARY RECORD OF THE 159th MEETING

Held at Headquarters, New York,

on Friday, 9 December 1988, at 10.30 a.m.

Chairman:  Mrs. DIALLO (Senegal)

CONTENTS

Adoption  of  the  agenda

Draft  resolutions  on  the  question  of  Palestine

     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  DC2-0750,   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 11.15 a.m.

ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA

1.   The agenda was adopted.

DRAFT RESOLUTIONS ON THE QUESTION OF PALESTINE

2.   The CHAIRMAN drew the attention of the Committee to draft resolutions A, B and C on the question of Palestine.  The draft resolutions, which dealt with the work of the Committee, the Division for Palestinian Rights and the Department of Public Information (DPI), respectively, were similar to the corresponding ones adopted by the General Assembly at its forty-second session.  Draft resolution B contained two new paragraphs:  the fourth preambular paragraph and paragraph 3.  The three draft resolutions did not have additional budgetary implications and were designed to enable the Committee, the Division and DPI to continue their programme of work as provided for in the budget adopted by the General Assembly at its previous session.  If she heard no objection, she would take it that the Committee wished to adopt draft resolutions A, B and C.

3.   It was so decided.

4.   Mr. TERZI (Observer, Palestine Liberation Organization) said that the current period was very crucial and marked the first anniversary of the start of the intifadah, the uprising of the Palestinian people.  The Palestine Liberation Organization was grateful for the work of the Committee and its support for the struggle of the Palestinian people.  The adoption of the Political Communiqué and the Declaration of Independence by the Palestine National Council at its nineteenth extraordinary session had been a major event.  The declaration of the formation of the Provisional Government of the State of Palestine, adopted by the Palestine National Council on 15 November 1988, would be submitted in due course to the Committee for consideration.

5.   The establishment of an Arab Palestinian State had been proclaimed in Palestine in spite of the Israeli occupation.  The right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, which had been reaffirmed in numerous United Nations resolutions, was the basis for its legitimacy.  The State of Palestine should be admitted to the United Nations without prejudice to the rights acquired by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) pursuant to General Assembly resolutions. He drew the attention of the Committee to paper B containing the text of a draft resolution with four options in that regard to be considered. It was hoped that a final draft could be adopted by the Committee and voted on at the session in Geneva on 15 December 1988.  That was a complicated issue and would require thorough consideration.

6.   Paper A contained the text of a draft resolution aimed at placing the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem, under the supervision of the United Nations for a limited period, to create an atmosphere conducive to the success of the proceedings of the International Peace Conference on the Middle East.  He recalled that in 1976 the Committee had suggested in its report to the General Assembly (A/31/35) that the United Nations should assume responsibility for the occupied territories in order to enable the Palestinian people to exercise its inalienable rights in Palestine.  The PLO hoped that agreement could be reached on a text which would be generally acceptable and could be implemented in order to bring about a just and comprehensive settlement of the question of Palestine.

7.   Mr. RATH (India) and Mr. TARMIDZI (Indonesia) inquired as to the connection between paragraph 4 of paper A and the formation of the Provisional Government.

8.   Mr. ZACHMANN (German Democratic Republic) said that his country had welcomed the Declaration of Independence adopted by the Palestine National Council, which promoted efforts to achieve a just and comprehensive settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict, the core of which was the question of Palestine.  The two papers submitted by the observer for the Palestine Liberation Organization were in accordance with efforts to ensure the implementation of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and should be given careful consideration.  The Committee should do more to bring about the convening of the International Peace Conference on the Middle East under the auspices of the United Nations with the participation, on an equal footing, of all parties to the conflict, including the Palestine Liberation Organization, and the five permanent members of the Security Council.  The consideration of agenda item 37 in Geneva would give further impetus to arrival at a solution to the problem.  His Government reaffirmed its solidarity with the just cause of the Palestinian people under the leadership of the PLO and supported the three draft resolutions just adopted by the Committee.

9.   Mr. AYUB (Pakistan) said that his country recognized the State of Palestine. During the consideration of agenda item 37 in Geneva, an effort should be made to broaden the scope of the consultations to include those countries which would have problems accepting the texts in question.

10.  Mr. ABOU-HADID (Observer for the Syrian Arab Republic) said that his country had always supported the concept of a sovereign and independent Palestinian State and welcomed its formation.  Referring to paper A, his delegation proposed that the word "effective" should be inserted in paragraph 2 before the words "International Peace Conference".  He felt that paragraph 3 b and the phrase in paragraph 5 "and to provide guarantees for security measures, agreed upon by the Conference, for all States in the region" should be deleted.  With regard to paper B, his delegation preferred option A in paragraph (A).  Paragraph (D) served no purpose and should be deleted.

11.  Mr. DOST (Afghanistan) said that his delegation had supported draft resolutions A, B and C.  Although Afghanistan had no difficulty with the papers put forward by the observer of the Palestine Liberation Organization, more time would be required in order to reach agreement on the final texts.

12.  Mrs. FLORES (Cuba) said that her delegation supported draft resolutions A, B and C and wished to sponsor them.  Cuba had no difficulty with papers A and B put forward by the observer for the Palestine Liberation Organization and felt that consultations should be held in order to reach consensus on the texts to be submitted to the General Assembly.  Her delegation was ready to co-operate actively to ensure that the two papers reflected the position of the Committee.

13.  Mr. TERZI (Observer, Palestine Liberation Organization), replying to the question raised by the representatives of India and Indonesia, said that in its report in 1976 and in subsequent reports the Committee had envisaged a step-by-step solution and had also suggested that the occupied territories should be placed under the supervision of the United Nations.  That position had also been supported at the 1982 Fez Summit Conference.  The United Nations had a role to play as an intermediary for a limited period.

14.  The CHAIRMAN said that the members of the Committee would be able to consider the papers put forward by the observer for the Palestine Liberation Organization and that consultations would be held on them so that a decision could be taken in Geneva.

                             The meeting rose at noon