DPR Monthly Bulletin – Vol. XV, No. 9 – CEIRPP, DPR bulletin (September 1992) – DPR publication

 September 1992

Volume XV, Bulletin No. 9

I. EXCERPT FROM STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE MINISTERIAL COUNCIL OF

THE GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL AT ITS FORTY-FOURTH SESSION,

HELD AT JEDDAH ON 8 AND 9 SEPTEMBER 1992

“The Council is following the progress of the peace efforts aimed at bringing an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict and reaching a just and durable solution to the Palestine issue on the basis of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) and of the principle of land for peace. It welcomes the resumption by the parties concerned of the bilateral talks in Washington, it renews the affirmation of its commitment to support the peace efforts being made, and it commends the endeavours of the co-sponsors of the Peace Conference. The Council expresses its aspiration that a peaceful, just, comprehensive and lasting solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict and the question of Palestine should be achieved in such a manner as to secure Israeli withdrawal from all occupied Arab territories, including Jerusalem, guarantee the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people, including its right to self-determination, and build firm foundations for the consolidation of security and stability in the Middle East region.” (see A/47/441-S/24559)

II. EXCERPT FROM FINAL COMMUNIQUE OF THE ANNUAL COORDINATION

MEETING OF THE MINISTERS FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE

ORGANIZATION OF THE ISLAMIC CONFERENCE, HELD AT

UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS ON 23 SEPTEMBER 1992

“The Meeting examined the report submitted by the Six-Member Committee on Palestine (document OIC/NY-92/SMCP/REP) and adopted its recommendations.

“It reviewed the overall developments of the situation in Palestine and the Middle East. It saluted the blessed intifadah of the Palestinian people and reiterated its full solidarity with the valiant Palestinian people and the population of other occupied Arab territories, as well as its active support to their just cause.

“It reaffirmed that the issue of Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Sharif constitutes the central. issue for the Islamic Ummah and is the core of the Arab-Israeli conflict, and a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East region can only be achieved through a complete Israeli withdrawal from all the Palestinian and Arab territories occupied since 1967, including the city of Al-Quds Al-Sharif, and by enabling the Palestinian people to exercise their inalienable national rights, and establish their independent Palestinian State with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, under the leadership of their sole

legitimate representative, the Palestine Liberation Organization.

“It expressed its support to the ongoing peace process aimed at the achievement of a just and comprehensive solution to the issue of Palestine and the Arab-Israeli conflict in conformity with the resolutions of international legitimacy, including Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), the principle of land for peace, the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and the settlement of the issue of the Palestinian refugees in accordance with United Nations resolutions, and more particularly General Assembly resolution 194 (III) and Security Council resolution 237 (1967) and in this regard it called for a more effective role of the United Nations in ongoing negotiations. It stressed the need for all the representatives of the Palestinian people to participate in all the stages of the negotiations and all the multilateral committees in a manner that would reflect the unity of the Palestinian people, as well as the need to ensure that the city of Al-Quds Al-Sharif is not left out, both as an issue and in terms of representation, in the ongoing negotiations, for it constitutes an integral part of the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 and is subject to the same treatment applied to all the remaining territories in accordance with United Nations resolutions.

“It reaffirmed that the United Nations has a permanent responsibility towards the Palestinian cause until there is a just and global settlement of all aspects of this issue guaranteeing the end to occupation and enabling the Palestinian people to exercise their inalienable rights. In this spirit it emphasized the importance of carrying out the mission entrusted to the United Nations by the General Assembly and the Security Council and in particular the need to implement Security Council resolution 681 (1990) envisaging notably the convening of a meeting of the signatories to the Fourth Geneva Convention with a view to taking necessary measures to ensure international temporary protection for the Palestinian people in the occupied territories.

“It recommended that the Islamic Group in the United Nations must endeavour with a view to forcing Israel to discontinue its inhuman practices against the Palestinian citizens in the occupied Palestinian territories, and emphasized the need to implement international resolutions demanding the discontinuation of Israeli settlements and the removal of those which already exist in the occupied territories, including Al-Quds Al-Sharif and the Syrian Golan.

“It further reiterated that the legislative and administrative measures imposed by the Israeli occupation authorities on the city of Al-Quds Al-Sharif and its inhabitants are null and void. It recalled in this regard Security Council resolutions 465 (1980), 476 (1980) and 478 (1980).

“It also emphasized the need to act to force Israel to submit all of its nuclear facilities to international inspection.

“It urged all international organizations and institutions, in particular the humanitarian ones, to increase their assistance to the Palestinian people to enable them to face up to the serious living conditions resulting from continued Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.

“It welcomed the efforts being exerted by the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People in the service of the Palestine cause.” (see A/47/483-S/24604)

III. EXCERPTS FROM THE JAKARTA MESSAGE AND THE FINAL DOCUMENT

OF THE TENTH CONFERENCE OF HEADS OF STATE OR

GOVERNMENT OF NON-ALIGNED COUNTRIES, HELD

AT JAKARTA FROM 1 TO 6 SEPTEMBER 1992

At Jakarta, the message of the Tenth Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-aligned Countries included the following paragraph:

“We remain unflinching in our support for the legitimate struggle of the Palestinian people to secure their inalienable rights to self-determination and independence and reiterate our demand for the withdrawal of Israel from all occupied Arab lands, including Jerusalem. We hope that a just and lasting settlement of the question of Palestine on the basis of the principles and resolutions adopted by the United Nations shall soon be reached through the current peace process.” (see NAC 10/Doc.12, para.7)

The final document of the Conference contained the following sections regarding Palestine and the Arab-Israeli conflict (see document NAC 10/Doc.2/Rev.l, paras. 17 to 28):

PALESTINE

“The Heads of State or Government reaffirmed the position on Palestine adopted by previous Summit Conferences concerning the need for a just and comprehensive settlement under the auspices of the United Nations and for the realization of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination, independence and statehood, and welcomed the significant developments, especially the proclamation of the State of Palestine. They further reiterated their condemnation of Israel for occupying Palestinian, Syrian Golan and other Arab lands and for its flagrant violations of relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and international humanitarian law. They commended the global opposition to the Israeli Government’s policies of perpetuating occupation in order to create ‘a greater Israel’, which has had a destabilizing impact on regional peace and security.

“The Heads of State or Government strongly condemned Israel’s policy of settlement and expansion through demographic, cultural and social changes and the continuing denial of the human rights of the Palestinian people of the occupied territories, including the increasing imposition of harsh collective punishments and other repressive measures.

“They reiterated that the essential elements of a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the question of Palestine must include the withdrawal of Israel from the Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and from the Syrian Golan and other occupied Arab territories; respect for the right of all States in the region to live in peace within secure and internationally recognized boundaries; and the recognition and exercise of the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people, and primarily the right to self-determination.

“They commended the activities of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and appealed to it to continue its endeavours so as to enable the Palestinians to gain their rights, which have long been recognized and reiterated by the international community.”

THE ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT

“The Heads of State or Government expressed their deep concern at the volatile situation in the region resulting from continued Israeli occupation of the Palestinian land, the Syrian Golan and other Arab territories and considered that the persistence of Israel in its aggressive policies and expansionist practices in the region constitutes a dangerous threat to the peace and security of the region and beyond.

“They condemned the occupying power for its provocative defiance of the will expressed by the international community, its wilful flouting of the resolutions adopted by the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council, as well as the new dimensions of violence and terror, which have evoked widespread anger, bitterness and despair among inhabitants under Israeli occupation. They further condemned Israel for its rigid position towards any effort to achieve a peaceful and just solution to the Middle East conflict, which has reinforced suspicion as to Israel’s real designs and true intentions towards the region. They noted the need for the negotiation process to be based on the serious commitment of Israel to Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 425 (1978), the return of land for peace and to interpret its statements into concrete terms. In this context, they reiterated that Israel should totally and promptly end all settlement activities in the occupied territory, including Jerusalem.

“They commended the Governments of the Arab States participating in this endeavour for their statesmanship and for their rational and flexible approach to the negotiating process, and were particularly pleased that Palestinian representatives are participating in this forum with other States concerned, which constitutes a belated acknowledgement of their identity and years of valiant struggle to be recognized as a nation, thus registering yet another historic stride towards the materialization of the already proclaimed Palestinian State. They expressed their positive appreciation of the Final Declaration issued in Damascus on 25 July 1992. They considered this Declaration as a strong affirmation of the seriousness of the Arab parties to negotiate in good faith for the realization of a just and comprehensive settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

“The Heads of State or Government welcomed the convening of the Peace Conference which flowed from the historic decision of the parties to negotiate with the aim of reaching a just and comprehensive peace settlement through two parallel tracks of direct negotiations, one between Israel and the Arab States and the other between Israel and the Palestinians. They called for the intensification of efforts to give greater impetus to the next round of negotiations, abiding by international legality and retaining the principle of land for peace as a basic formula for all parties concerned. In this regard, they invited the United Nations to assume a fundamental role in the peace negotiations as its resolutions served as the terms of reference for the Madrid Conference and basically for international legality and the overall peace process.

“The Heads of State or Government stressed that any approach to a solution of the Palestine question and the Arab-Israeli conflict should be comprehensive in nature, that any settlement cannot address some of the causes of the conflict to the exclusion of others, and that peace cannot prevail in the region if it does not include the Palestinians, whose cause is at the core of the conflict. They therefore expressed the firm view that the Peace Conference should seek a speedy implementation of United Nations Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), long recognized as the cornerstones of a comprehensive settlement. They reiterated their full support for the basic position adopted by the Palestine National Council (PNC) with regard to the current peace process. They endorsed the resolutions adopted by the PNC which called for the implementation of all United Nations resolutions and for universal recognition of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. They concurred with the position taken by the PLO in the ongoing peace process, especially with regard to any interim arrangements, which must include the right of Palestinians to exercise control over internal security, with the assistance of United Nations peace-keeping forces, as well as over all land occupied since 1967, and over water and other resources, and to resolve the question of refugees in accordance with United Nations General Assembly resolution 194 (II) of 1948 and Security Council resolution 237 (1967).

“They recalled that the crux of the Arab-Israeli conflict has long been Israel’s persistent refusal even to consider ending its illegal occupation of the Palestinian, Syrian Golan and other Arab territories and to recognize the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. They strongly condemned Israel’s defiant policy of building settlements and aggressive expansion, which threatens to transform the demographic, cultural and social make-up of the occupied territories in an irreversible way. Israel must unconditionally halt the establishment of new settlements and provide guarantees for the dismantling of the existing ones. They urged the Movement’s members to intensify their contacts with all parties involved in the issue of Jewish emigration to the Arab territories occupied since 1967, particularly those countries which provide the main source of such emigration. They further urged the Movement’s members to intensify their contact with the permanent members of the Security Council in order to indicate the risks and negative implications of such continued emigration and to dissuade those countries from providing any financial assistance likely to boost settlement in the occupied Arab territories. They considered that the pursuance of that process will undermine the ongoing peace process, and that it is a source of danger to peace and security in the Middle East. They reaffirmed their condemnation of Israel for its continued occupation of the Syrian Golan, in defiance of the relevant United Nations resolutions, particularly Security Council resolution 497 (1981) which was unanimously adopted, and its flagrant violation of the Hague Agreement of 1907, and the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 on the protection of civilians in time of war. They reiterated that Israel’s decision of 14 December 1981 to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration in the occupied Syrian Golan is null and void and produces no legal effect.

“They called upon Israel to accept the inevitable trend of history and make its contribution to the ongoing search for peace by according the right of self-determination to the Palestinian people, unconditionally withdrawing from all occupied territories, observing international treaties and conventions and implementing United Nations resolutions and decisions. They reiterated their long-standing support for these essential elements as the foundation upon which to build a durable structure for peace and justice in the Middle East. They were convinced of the need to resolve the various interrelated aspects of the conflict and its multilateral dimensions through a comprehensive negotiated settlement, to be achieved through the International Peace Conference on the Middle East, held under the auspices of the United Nations and with the participation on an equal footing of all parties involved, including the PLO and the permanent members of the Security Council.

“They agreed that, amid the positive transformation of the global political landscape and peaceful settlement of various disputes, the Middle East can no longer be a cauldron of violent upheaval, insecurity and instability. They called for a new regional order of justice, dignity and stability through mutual accommodation, based on the principle of peaceful coexistence and international legality.”

IV. EXCERPT FROM THE REPORT OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

ON THE WORK OF THE ORGANIZATION, SEPTEMBER 1992

The report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization, submitted to the General Assembly at its forty-seventh session, contained the following paragraphs relating to the question of Palestine (see A/47/1, paras. 122 and 123):

“Developments of the past year have had stark consequences for the Palestinian people, including the 2.6 million refugees served by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The aftermath of the Gulf crisis has continued to cause hardship for tens of thousands of Palestinians who lost jobs and employment opportunities in Kuwait and other Arab Gulf States. Their influx into camps and towns in Jordan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Lebanon and the occupied territories has further tightened the already overstretched financial resources of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

“New challenges are arising from the more positive developments of the past year in the Middle East, namely, the start of substantive discussions between Israel, its Arab neighbours and the Palestinians over the framework of a peace settlement. The situation calls for a spirit of compromise and a mutual building of confidence.”

V. UNRWA COMMISSIONER-GENERAL RENEWS FUNDING APPEAL

The following press release was issued by UNRWA on 11 September 1992: (see PAL/1782)

“Ilter Türkmen, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), appealed for some $20 million in special funding for the Agency’s programmes during two meetings in Vienna yesterday and today. ‘The alarming fact is that the Agency is still short of funds to carry out essential operations which could improve the quality of life for Palestine refugees’, Mr. Türkmen said. He made his remarks in a special briefing today for permanent missions to the United Nations in Vienna and to UNRWA’s annual Advisory Commission, which met yesterday.

“Mr. Türkmen said that only $6.7 million had been received from donors in response to his November 1991 appeal which was reissued in April for some $25 million for the Agency’s emergency programmes. ‘Important activities are on hold until this funding can be assured’, he said.

“Referring to his earlier appeals, the Commissioner-General pointed to an expected $4-to-5 million shortfall in the Agency’s emergency programme which provides general assistance such as legal aid and cash assistance for Palestine refugee families in acute distress. Mr. Türkmen told participants at the meetings that UNRWA still requires $5 million for urgently needed school and health centre construction and for environmental health projects. The Agency also requires over $8 million for critically needed housing repair and reconstruction for refugees living in Lebanon and the occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

“Noting the depressed job market in the region, he also issued a new request for $2 million to enable the Agency to expand its income-generation programme which provides low-interest business loans to Palestinians.

“During its meeting yesterday, the UNRWA Advisory Commission, composed of 10 Governments, stressed that it was essential ‘that the Agency’s projects and programmes… be given the necessary means’ to improve ‘the daily life of refugees’ and called on ‘all Member States and present and potential donor countries to increase their contributions or to start contributing to the Agency”. The Advisory Commission also discussed the Commissioner-General’s draft annual report for 1991/1992 which will be presented to the United Nations General Assembly later this year.”

VI. NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS:

ACTIVITIES AND INFORMATION

1. ICCP Newsletter No. 45, special issue on the Ninth United Nations International NGO Meeting on the Question of Palestine. Available from: the International Coordinating Committee for NGOs on the Question of Palestine, 150 route de Ferney, Case postale 2100, CH-l211 Geneva 2, Switzerland.

2. Arab/American Issues, monthly publication of the Arab/American Institute. Available from: 918 16th Street NW, Suite 601, Washington, D.C., 20006, United States of America.

3. Peace Conference Information Project, publication issued as a service by the International Coordinating Committee on Palestine and the North American Coordinating Committee for NGOs on Palestine (NACC). Available from: ICCP, P.O. Box 2100, CH-l211 Geneva 2, Switzerland.

4. Une Terre Deux Peuples, publication of the Association pour l’union entre les peuples juif et palestinien. Available from: Case postale 43, 1247 Anières, Geneva, Switzerland.

5. Gulf Newsletter, publication of the Gulf Information Project, established by the British Refugee Council and supported by British NGOs. Available from: Ms. Sarah Brown, 3 Bondway, London SW8 ISJ, United Kingdom.

6. Middle East International, bi-weekly publication, available from: P.O. Box 53365, Temple Heights Station, Washington, D.C., 20009, United States of America.

7. SAMID, publication of Mandela Institute for Political Prisoners. Available from: P.O. Box 19543, Jerusalem.

8. Another Viewpoint, commentary available from: AVP, 604 Barbera Place, Davis, California 95616, United States of America.

9. The Other Front, weekly bulletin on developments in Israeli society, available from: The Alternative Information Centre, P.O Box 24278., Jerusalem.

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